January 1, 2017 | Allen Van Driel, CEO
As 2016 drew to a close, we made major strides in regards to two projects that have been discussed in these blogs previously.
First was our conversion to a new electronic health record. As planned, we “went live” with our new system at midnight on December 5. Overall, we’re finding the new Cerner system to be a much better system than the one we were previously using. As I mentioned in an earlier communication, the ability to have one medical record to encompass all care provided at the clinic and the hospital is a HUGE advantage, one that will streamline many processes. Of course, all of our physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff had to get used to the new system. Despite the fact that it is overall a better system, just learning where to find things in a new system takes time, so each of them has struggled at times. But with the passage of more than three weeks since go live, it gets a little better each day. Several of the providers have commented that once we get information about each patient populated into the new system, it is clear that this system will be much more user-friendly than what we were using before. We believe and hope that the improved functionality in the new system will translate into a better patient experience for each of you. However, we are still in the transition period, so I continue to ask for patience when you present for care at either the clinic or hospital. Plan to arrive a few minutes before your scheduled appointment and PLEASE remember to bring your insurance card with you.
The second project with major developments is our building project for the replacement facility. Several milestones were reached in regard to this project. First was that workers for Smith County Roads department began removal of some trees around the property. This is the first step in constructing an access road into the building site from the south (from East Kansas Street or 165 Road, whichever designation you prefer). This access road will provide a route for construction equipment and trucks to enter the site during the construction phase without disrupting traffic flow on Highway 36. This access road will be a rock road, and will provide access to the completed hospital from the south. It is our hope that this road will eventually be hard surfaced, but the cost of that is not in our initial budget. In addition to the work on access to the site, we have achieved another major hurdle. In December we received from Hutton Construction their Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the project. Because our contract with Hutton is what is termed a Construction Management at Risk arrangement, any cost overruns that are not a result of approved change orders will be borne by the contractor. We were very pleased to find that the GMP kept us within the initial budget for the project. Having the GMP means that some of the subcontracts for the project can be put out to bid. Hutton Construction has initiated this process for subcontracts for dirt work at the site and for concrete for the building slab. Other contracts will follow at appropriate intervals. The GMP could only be delivered to us because we are certain enough of the final design for the project that Hutton can be comfortable that costs will not change substantially. Accompanying this article is the latest architect rendering of the exterior of the building. Each step along the way helps us move the project towards completion. We are EXTREMELY excited about this, and hope you are as well.
As we tear the page off of the calendar and realize that the old year is finished and a whole new year lies ahead, I want to wish each of you the very best of success during 2017. And I hope you share the same optimism and excitement that we feel as we enter a new year. It promises to be a very exciting year, filled with progress and new developments.