Author Archives: Joshua Lager

A Community Health Needs Assessment is a systematic process that involves the community to identify and analyze community health needs and assets. The process also involves prioritizing needs and laying the groundwork for action to address unmet community health needs. In addition to satisfying regulatory requirements of the Affordable Care Act and accreditation standards, needs assessments:

1. Provide access to timely input from the local community
2. Summarize secondary data related to health conditions and indicators
3. Assemble information to guide decision making, marketing efforts, and the development of an implementation plan
4. Encourage community engagement and local involvement that forms the future of health care delivery

Based on a model developed by the National Center for Rural Health Works, the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota adopted a nine-step process for conducting community health needs assessments.

At the heart of the process is convening a broad-based Community Group that meets at least twice, reviews data and information to identify health needs of the community, and prioritizes the identified needs. Another step is for as many people as possible to complete a CHNA survey. You can do this either online by visiting https://tinyurl.com/MountrailCountyMC or by picking up a paper survey at any of the following locations: Elbowoods Memorial Health Center in New Town, Rockview Pharmacy in Parshall or in Stanley at Dakota Drug, T.H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic, Upper Missouri District Health, Dr. Anderson’s office, Ina Mae Rude Aquatic Center or Mountrail County Social Services.

As an incentive to meet our goal of 500 surveys completed, the Mountrail County Health Foundation has donated a Samsung 48 inch LED Smart HDTV. You can fill out the entry form that will appear once you have filled out your survey online or return the entry form inside the envelope with the paper survey. Survey results are tabulated by the Center Rural Health at the University of North Dakota.

The survey is open until March 7th. Please find the time to complete a survey so we can improve the services given to you as a patient.

You may visit the Resources page on our website at www.stanleyhealth.org for the survey link listed above or if you need to reference any of the past “Did You Knows”. We thank you for your continued support. Nobody takes care of you like your own.

The Mountrail County Medical Center emergency department (ED) took care of approximately 3,400 patients during 2015, an increase of 1,430 patients from five years prior. Patient care is provided 24/7 by on-call ER providers and a well trained nursing staff. Our professional nurses in the ED are Trauma Certified and trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, CPR and other procedures necessary in an emergency situation. We can care for ANY ER need including such emergent medical events as burns, chemical exposure, stroke symptoms, asthma attacks, chest pain, lacerations, fractures, trauma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A variety of tests requiring lab, X-Ray or CT Scans can be done right here on-site along with assistance for any medical questions by Avera eCARE Telemedicine. MCMC utilizes the Avera “eEmergency” Program, which is available to the providers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The program is based in Sioux Falls, SD and is provided through the Avera Hospital system. By literally the push of a button, the Avera “eEmergency” program allows MCMC to have access to 19 board-certified emergency physicians, backed up by emergency trained nurses.

If a transfer is needed, ground transportation is provided by the Stanley Ambulance Service or air transport to surrounding medical centers via NorthStar and Valley Med.

Our eleven bed hospital can admit patients either through the ED or Clinic. Acute care and observation services are provided along with skilled and self paying swing bed. The term “swing bed” is used to describe the use of an inpatient hospital bed for either acute or skilled level of care. A Medicare swing bed patient must have a prior qualifying hospital stay of at least three days and require skilled medical care from an RN or skilled rehabilitation from a Therapist.

Remember, for any emergency dial 911. For the MCMC emergency department and outpatient services call (701) 628-2424.

Please visit our newly designed website at www.stanleyhealth.org for resources not covered above or if you need to reference any of the past “Did You Knows”. We thank you for your continued support. Nobody takes care of you like your own.

It is crucial to keep your medical records, personal information and insurance information up to date.  Providing complete and accurate information will benefit you, as a patient, because it makes billing flow more accurately and allows us to contact you with tests results in an efficient manner.

We, like any other medical facility, need to request your insurance card and ID along with updated contact information to ensure our records are accurate and will need to update your records annually.Filling out the patient paperwork in its entirety is vital in preventing errors, and will decrease the risk of a medical visit denial for payment, in turn making it possibly your responsibility for payment.If you have moved, changed phone numbers or insurances please notify the T.H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic by calling them at 628-2505 so your billing/chart information is correct.

If you get a new insurance card, please bring it in so we can make sure it’s current in your records, even if it is the same policy, for the billing information may have changed.If you and your spouse have separate insurances, please bring both cards in.Also, you as a patient should be ready to pay your
co-pay either in the clinic or emergency department at the time of your visit.That is your arrangement with your insurance company.

A patient can always visit our website at www.stanleyhealth.org and under the “Patients, Families and Visitors” tab access our Patient Web Portal.This patient portal allows you to communicate with MCMC easily and safely, according to your schedule.Once setup, this portal allows you to view and request appointments, request and refill prescriptions, retrieve test results, view your billing statements and balances, make secure credit card payments and communicate with your doctor by sending secure messages over the portal.

We thank you for your continued support.  Nobody takes care of you like your own.

As we have stated before, the Mountrail County Medical Center is currently undergoing an electronic health records (EHR) conversion. This has turned into a complete overhaul of our billing systems. As we are sun setting our old EHR, we are finding claims that were not properly submitted for payment and are doing so right now. Until all of our EHR accounts are cleaned up and paid in full, you may get a bill from any of the below billing companies.

Our old EHR, Healthland, is producing statements for visits prior to June 23^rd, 2015. These statements are coming from HRG (Healthcare Resource Group) and these statements will be postmarked from Spokane Valley, Washington.

Clinic services rendered on June 23^rd, 2015 going forward are being billed through our new clinic EHR, Athena Health and these statements will be postmarked from Belfast, Maine.

Hospital services rendered on June 23^rd, 2015 going forward are being billed through Patient Co. and these statements will be postmarked from our Stanley address.

As part of the service with our new EHR, a reminder call is going out after your first statement has been mailed out. Please note this IS NOT a call from a collections agency; it’s an electronic “reminder to pay” call. As a business that collects the majority of its money after the fact, we need to be as proactive as we can to collect as much as possible in a timely fashion.

If you have any questions on statements you receive from MCMC please call the following:

• Hospital and Clinic Statement PRIOR to June 23^rd, 2015 – Billing Company: HRG – Please call the number written on the statement.
• Hospital Statements AFTER June 23^rd, 2015 – Billing Company: Patient Co. – Please call 628-2424 and ask for the Billing Department.
• Clinic Statements AFTER June 23^rd, 2015 – Billing Company: Athena Health – Call 628-2505 and ask for the Billing Department.

We thank you for your continued support. Nobody takes care of you like your own.

The Mountrail County Health Center campus is connected by many doors and hallways and one could possibly get lost maneuvering their way around. But it has so much to offer!

Attached to the north we have Centennial Court. Centennial Court is a 12 unit independent living facility. Light housecleaning and different activities are provided to the residents. They can also partake in any daily activities that are being provided in the Bethel Home. One daily meal can also be provided for an extra monthly charge.

Connected directly to the south of Centennial Court is the Mountrail Bethel Home. MBH is a 52 bed skilled nursing facility that is dedicated to providing quality care to its residents. It prides itself in 24 hour care with high staff to resident ratio. The Bethel Home offers one of the largest comprehensive activity programs in the state focusing on person-centered activities designed to meet the needs of each individual.

The Ina Mae Rude Aquatic Center is attached to the Mountrail Bethel Home. The aquatic center has a state of the art warm water therapy pool. A member’s only gym is also housed in the aquatic center. A small kitchen and conference room are available for rental for any event you may have.

Attached to the southwest of the Bethel Home is the Mountrail County Medical Center Hospital and Emergency Room. Patient care is provided 24/7 by on-call ER providers. The nursing staff is trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, CPR, are Trauma Certified and are well versed in other procedures necessary in an emergency situation. Avera eCare Telemedicine, ground transportation provided by the Stanley Ambulance Service or air transports to surrounding medical centers via Northstar or Valley Med are special services MCMC has to offer for quality patient care.

Our eleven bed hospital is set up for acute care and observation along with skilled and self pay swing bed.

Located right next door to the ER, MCMC features a full lab and radiology department that is here for your lab and X-ray needs. We offer all labs, including urine and blood, along with in-house X-Ray, EKGs and CTs. MRIs and ultrasounds/echoes are available weekly through DMS Health, and Mammograms are available monthly through Trinity.

The T.H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic is on the west-side of the building. Daily provider appointments are available with our local providers along with monthly specialty doctors. Audiologist Dr. Kelci Kilthau with Professional Hearing comes the first Wednesday of every month. OB/GYN Dr. David Amsbury with Trinity comes the second Thursday of every month. Podiatrist Dr. Tyson Williams with Trinity comes the third Wednesday of every month.

And let’s not forget the lovely basement! MCMC’s Physical Therapy department is located underneath all of this. Our therapists provide hands on assessment and treatment for patients of all ages with acute, postoperative or chronic conditions needing therapy.

An informative booklet outlining all of the above is available at the front desk of the clinic. We thank you for your continued support and please remember, nobody takes care of you like your own.

The Mountrail County Health Foundation’s bylaws state that the “corporation shall collect, receive and maintain funds and apply income and principle thereof to promote the advancement and preservation of the health care services for Mountrail County, without limitations, providing equipment, services and research and all other charitable and benevolent purposes to promote the well-being of the Stanley Community Hospital or its successor corporation, and Mountrail Bethel Home.”

The Mountrail County Health Foundation was established November 22, 1991 and received their non-profit status a year later. The foundation was originally organized to generate charitable dollars from community members to assist with the increasing shortfalls of Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross reimbursements.

The Foundation provides avenues through which donors can share in the philanthropic goals of the Mountrail County Medical Center and Mountrail Bethel Home. This can be done by cash gifts, endowments, memorials, special projects or other gifting arrangements.

The Foundation was instrumental in raising funds in the early 2000s that enabled the construction of the new Mountrail County Medical Center to open its doors in 2002.The recent “Partnering for the Future” Capital Campaign has raised 6 million dollars to date.This money has allowed Phase One to go forward, which included the expansion of the Emergency Department that included an enclosed ambulance bay, full time CT Scanner, Decontamination Room and a Trauma Room.Also, these funds have allowed Phase Two to be constructed, which greatly expanded the T.H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic.Phase Three, which will provide for the expansion of the Mountrail Bethel Home, is being redrawn with the start date of that project being backed up a year.The new focus will be the construction of a Chapel and the rebuilding of the resident rooms.

The Foundation board members are area residents who are committed to the future of the region’s healthcare providers, the services provided locally, while acknowledging the economic impact generated from MCMC and MBH.The Foundation has $2 million dollars currently in its Building Fund account that is specifically earmarked for the Phase Three project.This money will not be utilized for anything else but the Bethel Home expansion project.With every dollar the Foundation raises, that is one less dollar that would be taken out as a loan for this final construction phase of the Mountrail County Health Center.

The Mountrail County Health Foundation and its board members from SCH, MCMC and MBH are extremely grateful for the financial support provided by present and past area residents and local businesses.As in the words of Ray Rude during the 1999 Capital Campaign, “We hope the residents in the area understand the importance of looking ahead, understand the changes in healthcare, and will also get behind this important effort and make it successful.”The Board can see how evident that this community support is so many years later by simply looking at the Donor Wall inside the T.H. Reiarson Rural Health Clinic.There is much truth in the saying that “nobody takes care of you like your own”. We sincerely thank you for your continued support of MCMC and MBH!

We will be doing a three part series highlighting the process of care the Mountrail Bethel Home has in place for its residents.This week we will be highlighting the MDS Coordinator.

The objective of a MDS coordinator is to promote the physical and emotional well being of nursing facility residents. A resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) is used to gather information from residents and their families during initial and periodic interviews.

Information from these assessments helps nursing home caretakers formulate individualized care plans that include support from social services, dieticians, rehab specialists, and medical staff. MDS coordinators then implement and monitor these care plans to ensure their effectiveness. They must also make sure all strategies comply with federal requirements and ethical standards.

There are 48 levels a resident may be in.Each of those levels is set according to specific criteria.The MDS Coordinator has a forty page complete assessment that is done every three months on each resident.This assessment determines which level a resident will fall into.The assessment looks at the resident’s memory and cognitive state, any diagnoses they have that are being treated, how much assistance they require with their cares (dressing, eating, transferring, bathing, mobility, walking, toileting, and personal cares), if they need wound care, oxygen, IV, special cares, dietary needs, have incontinence, order changes, doctor visits, and a comprehensive review of their chart.

The federal government has determined the manner in which MBH does these assessments.It also requires certain questions be asked by the facility and they are not allowed to prompt or lead the resident in answering.An assessment is completed by looking at a seven day window of time.That window of time is determined by the scheduling rules set forth by the government as well.The date is set about a month before it is actually completed.The medical condition the resident is in within those seven days will set the rate for the upcoming three months.Once it is complete, the rate will not change unless they are discharged from the Bethel Home. Then at the readmission, a new rate is established.Once a rate is determined, the resident or their family does have the opportunity to appeal it.The state will request all the records used to determine the rate.They will review that data and decide if the rate is correct or not.The Mountrail Bethel Home always encourages families to do this if they wish.

Rates in the nursing home are determined by the state of North Dakota every year in December based upon cost reports filed by each facility.The reason the government has such a comprehensive influence on the rates is due to the fact that skilled nursing facilities are state and federally funded.State employees come out at least one time per year to survey the facility, going through all of the records and observing the employees caring for residents to make sure the Mountrail Bethel Home is in compliance with the rules and regulations set forth by the government.

We sincerely thank you for your continued support of MCMC and MBH!

Nobody Takes Care Of You Like Your Own.