Healthy financial picture at Samaritan Healthcare

MOSES LAKE — From a financial standpoint 2018 has been a banner year for Samaritan Healthcare.

Net income for November was $901,471, and is $6,151,227 for the year through the end of November. Both are well above budget targets.

“If you look at that, this year in comparison to the last three years, it’s – it’s phenomenal,” said chief financial officer Alex Town. He cautioned the news might not continue to be that good in the new year. “We have to enjoy it while we can, because I don’t think it’s going to be like this for the next few years.”

Town attributed the surge in business, in part, to increased numbers of doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, and to those practices becoming better established.

“One thing driving this year, the big difference is the increase in surgical procedures. We’re literally up 9 (to) 10 percent in comparison to where we were last year.” Surgeries were higher than budget projections in all specialties, he said, except orthopedics.

The obstetrics unit is busier than anticipated too, he said. The emergency room experienced higher traffic than the budget projection. “More visits than planned and ahead of last year, but no trend can be seen as ER visits can swing from month to month,” he wrote.

The number of patients visiting Samaritan Clinic also was higher than budget projections, both in terms of overall primary visits and the family medicine practices. That’s a reflection of the increase in medical practitioners, Town said.

Business in the orthopedic department actually is higher than the same period last year, he said, although it’s below the budget target. The target may have been set too high, he said. The diagnostic imaging department hasn’t made its budget target, but hospital officials anticipated the hospital’s new MRI would be in operation, Town said.

Bad debt and charity care cost the hospital about $753,000 in November, and bad debt and charity care is about $6.5 million for the year.

Where there is more business there is more expense, and expenses are higher than the budget projections. Town said in part that is caused by the need to hire temporary physicians and nursing staff, and the need for more supplies.

Cheryl Schwezer can be reached via email at educaiton@columbiabasinherald.com.