Ephrata hospital increasing rates in 2007

New scan service in the works

EPHRATA — Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata is increasing the rates of some services as part of its $24.2 million budget for 2007.

The cost of acute care is increasing from $850 per day to $1,000 per day, the cost of staying in a swing bed is increasing from $195 per day to $225 per day, the cost of staying in the hospital nursing home is increasing from $179 per day to $190 per day and the cost of assisted living is increasing from $2,381 per month to $2,500 per month.

Controller Rhonda Handly said the hospital approved the changes to make its rates comparable to other facilities. The cost of staying in acute care, which increased 17.5 percent, hasn't increased since 2004, Handly said. The hospital compared the rate of its services to the rates of other Northwest hospitals and found it needed to make adjustments.

The hospital is making other changes for 2007, including the construction of a room for a new CT scan service in February for $200,000. Handly said the rate changes were not intended to offset the cost of the addition.

Hospital Administrator Don James said the scanner, used for examining soft tissue, is a refurbished machine the same size as others in the area. It costs roughly $400,000 with taxes, but the hospital is leasing it for now.

James said the scanner is a natural companion to the MRI scanner designed for examining bones, a new service this year. Patients are not going to need to travel out of the area to get scanned now, he said. Currently, the hospital sends patients to Spokane, Wenatchee or Seattle.

"They won't bypass us," he said. "They will come here instead."

In early December, the hospital is getting another upgrade: Digital X-rays. Doctors can access patient X-rays from a CD rather than using transparencies.