Sandra Brock, controller/HR/IT, has to wait until August to find out exactly how much the federal government is going to cut in Medicare expenses. In April, the government told Brock that 8 percent would be cut from its budget. Just recently, Brock was informed it may be more like 4 1/2 percent, but that the cuts wouldn’t start until January 2012.
“We won’t know for sure until at least August,” Brock said.
With this knowledge in mind, Brock put together the 2012 budget taking into consideration a 5 percent budget cut. The Medicare rate averaged $343.08 per day per patient this past year.
The total estimated income for the 2011-12 budget that starts July 1 of this year and goes through June 30 of next year is $12,290,856, up roughly $200,000 from the previous year. This increase is due largely to the increase in Medicare patients for pharmacy and ambulance services.
The largest budget line item is salaries which total $7,336,104 for the coming budgeted year, or roughly 60 percent of the total budget. Current anticipated cost estimates come to $5,000 less than the anticipated income or $12,285,270 — on paper at this point.
Income from Medicare and Medicare pharmacy payments has increased because the center has admitted more Medicare patients.
The cost per room has gone up slightly as well, but no more than $5 per day, Brock said, from the current $150 and $165. The state is currently paying $155 per day for ICF or intermediate care facility patients, and $165 per day for SNF or skilled nursing facility patients (i.e., Medicare patients).“They haven’t been raised in a couple of years,” Brock said. Other nursing facilities usually are running $180 to $190, and up to $225 per day.
Also new for the coming fiscal year, the adjusted pay for unit secretaries will be increased to $9 an hour from $7.95. A certified nursing assistant, or CNA, will be added to each wing on weekends from 7 to 11 p.m. A 50-cent shift differential will be added to nurses’ salaries for those on second shift. And a part-time beautician was added three days a week.
The pension percentage match will remain at 4 percent and the evaluation increases at 3 percent.
The center’s billboard near the corner of 25th and Keith streets will be canceled for at least a year, which will reduce costs by roughly $11,000 per year. Another billboard may be put up in a later year. Currently, however, the board is discussing other marketing strategies to pursue.
The total estimated budget for capital projects comes to $389,204 for this upcoming fiscal year.
The largest project planned for in the coming fiscal year is an upgrade to the building facilities and the driveway for a current estimated cost of $150,000. Several ideas were discussed, with one major goal in mind: the increased efficiency of traffic flow in the center’s parking lot and possibly increasing its parking space, as well as keeping the look pristine and appealing.
“We need more parking,” said Joe Newcomb, administrator. “We’re in the brainstorming stage now.”
One idea that seemed to gain favor, in large part due to the practical nature of the project, was putting in a second entrance/exit. A hedge and/or crape myrtles across the front by the street was also suggested, as was a horse fence or a wrought iron fence in the same location. With the billboard being canceled, it was suggested a computerized sign might be a fitting alternative. At the meeting it was pointed out by Dr. John Stanbery, D.D.S., and president of the board, that the estimated cost of this permanent sign at around $25,000 would be equal to a rental cost of the billboard in roughly two years time.
“Just a small version,” Stanbery said.
But the board will not make any plans until it gets permission from the Cleveland City Council.
The second highest single project comes at a cost of $40,000 for the cleanup/installation of the center’s telephone/intercom/Wi-Fi wiring. Some of this work is being done now. Two-thirds of the Wi-Fi project — $7,000 — was covered by a grant from the Johnson Foundation. The third highest single project cost is for a W1 storage tank for $11,000. The fourth is a transitional living apartment for $8,000, which is a room fixed up like a home. A therapist would be able to evaluate how ready a patient is to function normally, safely and adequately when they go back into their own home.
Some of the additional hoped for projects through this next fiscal year include 18 new through-the-wall air conditioners for $13,200, replacement windows for $16,000, a stove for $3,299, dehumidifier for the gym for $1,000, 14 rolling chairs for desks for $5,000, an electrical stimulation/ultrasound unit for $2,500, specialty wheelchairs and positioning equipment for $4,000, a stand-up lift for $3,500, two garden therapy carts for $1,200, Wing 3 nurses station countertop for $4,500, two computers for $2,000, eight pulse oximeters for $6,400, a steam kettle for $8,000, two a universal gyms for $6,400, two recumbent steppers for $10,000, a large outdoor tent for $1,500, two high-back wheelchairs for $1,700, four specialty mattresses for $5,000, a fluidotherapy unit for $5,700 and a digital piano for Wing 4 for $2,000.
For more information, call 472-7116.
In other business:
- County Commissioner Cliff Eason is the new Bradley Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center board member, taking over for Howard Thompson.
- Weather radios and some additional flashlights will be distributed to nurses stations.
- Discussions and plans for a memorial for Ann Martin, former board member, are continuing to move forward.
