Houston, MO—Texas County Memorial Hospital has received a $60,680 Rural Citizens’ Access to Telehealth (RCAT) grant for neurology telehealth services, hospital board members heard at the monthly board of trustees meeting on Tuesday.
The grant, funded by the Missouri Department of Social Services, MO HealthNet Division, in partnership with the University of Missouri and the Missouri Telehealth Network, provides funding to implement teleneurology in the emergency room and medical-surgical departments and establish a dedicated teleneurology clinic at TCMH.
The teleneurology project is an extension of the integration of RapidAI technology, which was implemented last October andsupported through RCAT funding. The RapidAI technology has significantly expedited the time it takes to assess a patient for stroke when they arrive at TCMH, greatly enhancing stroke care for area patients.
“We are grateful to the Missouri Department of Social Services, MO HealthNet Division, for this significant investment inproviding teleneurology services to our rural community,” Bill Bridges, TCMH chief executive officer, said. “This grant gives our patients access to excellent neurological care right here in Texas County.”
Bridges explained that patients will utilize the teleneurology equipment at TCMH in consultation with a neurologist at CoxHealth in Springfield. The collaboration with CoxHealth will facilitate prompt access to neurologists for direct consultations with patients and their TCMH care team, inpatient visits, and post-treatment care.
“This capability will position our healthcare system as a pioneer in delivering teleneurology services to our rural communities,” Bridges said. “We are confident in its potential to drive long-term enhancements in patient outcomes and healthcare accessibility for the patients TCMH serves.”
In other news, Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer,presented the September financials, which reflected an increase of $96,734 in overall revenues from budgeted monthly expectations.
“Our outpatient revenue increased $355,007, a 5.5 percent increase, while our inpatient volumes decreased $203,816, a 15.6 percent decrease from our budgeted monthly expectations,” Pamperien said.
The hospital had 70 admissions in September, up 81 admissionsfrom the same time frame in 2023, with 648 admissions year-to-date.
The financial report reflected that the hospital’s profit/loss report showed a negative bottom line for September, with a decrease of $434,260 and a year-to-date decrease of $463,636. The earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization (EBIDA) for the respective month were negative at $163,941, and the year-to-date EBIDA was positive at $1,767,042.
Helania Wulff, TCMH public relations and marketing director, spoke about the upcoming Delta Region Community Connect Event on October 24. Wulff explained that one of the goals of the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development program is to unite community partners to improve population health in Texas County and foster healthier living through collaborative efforts.
Bridges reported that he and administrative team members met with federal and state legislative officials on October 7. The legislators toured the facility and engaged with hospital leadership to discuss legislative priorities and challenges for advancing and sustaining healthcare services at TCMH.
Present at the meeting were Bridges; Pamperien; Wulff, Courtney Owens, chief nursing officer; April Crites, quality and risk management director; Trica Benoist, MD, chief of staff, and board members Jim Perry, OD; Ross Richardson; Joleen Durham; Jennifer Hugenot, and Jerri Crump.
The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is Tuesday, November 26, at 12 p.m. in the hospital board room.
