Tammy Hayes
- Why/how did you decide to pursue a career in Healthcare Administration?
Interested in nursing education, was preceptor and charge nurse. Was in military til 2001 – international guard as educator, as a leader can educate and dor more. Almost got masters in nursing education. Didn’t want to stick with just nursing- wanted to branch out to all healthcare admin. Went and got masters in healthadmin. Since 1999 – home health agency, MN childrens emergency, kansas (bedside) and NICU manager), came here.
2. What/whose needs does Northfield Hospital treat well? What departments do well?
Specialties – lots of tenured nurses. Always open to giving best care where needs are to be met. Floating nurses every day. Patient-focused.
High focus areas- cancer care. Serve huge community needd (used to be a room, grows continuously). LTC – have had 5 stars for years.
Always administrator on call – charge nurses always have resource.
3. I recognize you are small hospital serving a broad range of needs in broad geographic area, where are there barriers in that care? Specific areas that are found problematic? How do you manage?
Shuttle goes to different facilities, bring mail. No patient transport other thanambulance. If discharging, there are other transportation companies. EMS is last resort.
Issues with group homes, hard to discharge patients back to group homes and some LTC facilities. Staffing issues, mostly. Required to discharge due to exceeding medical regulations.
4. Emergency protocol – how to address barriers?
Overflow of ED is an issue. Cannot ask any patient about financial info, nursing and physician screen. AFTERWARDS they get financial issue- they cannot do that until any lifethreatening issues have been ruled out. Apply for charity care if they cant afford bill, there is payment plans for patients – no interest!
5. What do you do with the population without Health Insurance?
If no health insurance, put it as self-pay and still provide care. Can give care within any department of hospital. REFER people to healthfinders after ED if needed continuous care.
HEALTHFINDERS- have partnered w them since conception. Northfield hospital people on healthfinders Board of Directors, Northifeld hospital does services donaitons (radiology).
6. What do you do with an undocumented population?
Uninsured, people with high deductibles it is hard to get payments from them. More programs for lower income, but that lower middle class income who high igh deductibles but don’t meet medicaid sucks. Healthfinders is great resource for undocumented
7. In what ways do you think Northfield Hospital can be a more accessible care facility?
It is accessible to all populations as long as they can get here – nnot really an issue. May not have access on their specific day, but will get it eventually. Need more stuff in cancer care.. Would be nice to have more services – secialty providers to come and stay, hence the aprtnerships with so many larger hospitals. Transfer is last resort.
8. In what ways do you see the hospital creating initiatives or taking steps towards more accessibility?
Brought on lactation clinic, building onto clinics for more primary care providers, adding on to birth center, brough on Midwife, level 2 nursery – for more high risk patients (preemis – 32 weeks). Wound program. Ambulatory surgery center – same day surgeries.
Kathleen Meier
- Why/how did you decide to pursue a career in Healthcare Administration?
Undergrad nursing
Masters business
Worked in public health – outpatient care
Always said YES – asked to do management role
More impact in leadership
Always in rural MN
- What/whose needs does Northfield Hospital treat well? What departments do well?
Hospital and Clinic System. # person senior leadership for 20 years. Continue to assess service lines of offered. Northfield, Lonsdale, Farmington/Lakeville. Huge variety of population in northfield – very different needs in every clinic
Broad services – ambulance, LTC. Birth center. Have relationships w various clinics to fill gaps.
Lonsdale – smallest clinic. 1 family practice doc. Started to have OBGYN go there.
Transportation – transit system in nrothfield for patients to get to hospital. Northfield hospital can help but not pay for it.
- I recognize you are small hospital serving a broad range of needs in broad geographic area, where are there barriers in that care? Specific areas that are found problematic? How do you manage?
Insurance!!! High dedictable plans
High occurrences of not paying for bills – can set up pay,ent plans, medical assistance, frequencies of “write-ffs”
Medicaid- whatever state they seek care
4. Emergency protocol – how to address barriers?
Patients only access to care
Not turn away patients
Have to take up bed in emergency room
- In what ways do you think Northfield Hospital can be a more accessible care facility?
All issue with payment.
Business office does great job of making it work out.
- In what ways do you see the hospital creating initiatives or taking steps towards more accessibility?
Strong relationship with HealthFinders, Northfield has littlee clinic down there
Healthfinders rents form Northfield Clinic
Have had relationship with healthfinders for as long as they existed
Health Rise Grant through MedTronic, help diabetes and cardiovascular disease
Send patients to each other
Community health workers, large increase in community health (Hispanic and somali)
Rice Country Health System Summit – how can we improce health in community? ED utilization, pre and post natal care
St olaf relationship w Northfield Hospital
Student Health Clinic are Northfiled Hospital employees
I cannot find Jerry Ehn’s on my computer, but will add it to this page as soon as I find it.