Quincy medical center back on track

After Department of Health shut out new patients last year, critical-access hospital is moving forward

A year ago, the picture at the Quincy Valley Medical Center did not look so good.

The hospital had seen a series of administrators come through its doors, and the state Department of Health took away its admitting privileges for 23 days so the hospital could better structure its leadership.

But now, thanks to the creation of some new programs and a new administrator, the Department of Health recently gave the critical-access hospital a thumbs-up, and the Quincy Valley administrative team sees a

bright future under new administrator John Cruikshank.

"We've gotten a good report card," Tina Jensen, director of nursing, said Thursday.

Last May, Department of Health officials tagged the hospital for its lack of an administrator, infection control or quality improvement programs and tracking of planning issues, Jensen said.

The ruling came down on May 27, and the hospital had until June 13 to fix its problems or relocate all patients, according to the health department.

That meant a "fast-track" of a major overhaul to conform to Department of Health regulations, Jensen said.

The fast track worked. On June 4, the Department of Health released the news that the hospital had made efforts to fix its problems, and that new patients could come through its doors again.

As a critical-access hospital, Quincy Valley Medical Center must meet certain state requirements, such as keeping to a maximum of 25 patients at a time and being designated as rural, according to Department of

Health regulations.

The administrative structure of the hospital looks different now from when it briefly closed its doors to admitting patients last year. Hospital administrators hired five consultants to help with quality improvement, nursing and pharmacy, started a process improvement group, hired a pharmacist and restructured its nursing service, Verna Teeter, director of quality improvement, said.

Additionally, the hospital has some new equipment. X-ray technicians can now make use of a teleradiograph, which allows them to look at patient X-rays at the same time as another technician somewhere else, such as at Inland Imaging in Spokane, Teeter said.

The hospital also has a new machine, called a PYXIS system, that dispenses needed drugs, almost like a vending machine, said Colin Levi, director of general services.

Cruikshank was on vacation Thursday, but members of the administrative team had high praise for the new administrator. John Bearup, director of clinical services, said Cruikshank developed a plan of action out through five years, detailing how the hospital will improve through that time period.

Levi called Cruikshank a "forward-thinking gentleman."

And Teeter said Cruikshank was a big reason why the hospital was able to come back from the Department of Health closure to new patients last year.

Healthcare costs, especially for rural hospitals, are on the rise throughout the nation, and Teeter said good administrators are necessary for health-care center to keep going.

"It's a difficult business, and without quality, skilled leadership, it's difficult to stay on track," she said.

Teeter added Quincy taxpayers supported the hospital in 2003 with the passage of a levy raising $1.3 million.