Memorial Medical Center: Interactive Expansion - Health Executive - RedCoat Publishing - Inside Healthcare

For rural, Wisconsin-based Memorial Medical Center, 2007 was a year of transition and transformation. On January 1, Scott Polenz was hired as assistant administrator to the then 57-year-old organization as its CEO phased out and moved to retirement. By the middle of the year, with a number of achievements under the hospital’s belt, including service line expansions and newly developed partnerships, Polenz was ready to take the helm.

Scott Polenz, CEO

“The board and physicians didn’t want to bring in a new CEO without getting to know that person and making sure it was a comfortable fit,” he said. “I worked under the CEO all year, and on January 1, I became administrator and CEO.”

Improving volumes
Memorial Medical Center’s history began in 1954 when the Neillsville community opened the doors to Memorial Hospital. Since then, the 25-bed hospital has incorporated outreach clinics Greenwood and Loyal, an apartment complex for independent living, and a 99-bed skilled-nursing facility, which provides long-term care and short-term rehabilitation. In June, the hospital added wound care to its already full portfolio of services, but it was the hospital’s general surgery program that needed a boost.

Until 2006, the hospital had been equipped with two general surgeons, the right balance for a hospital and population of its size. But when one left, Memorial Medical found itself in need of a plan. “Because we’re a small operation and a Level III trauma center, losing a full-time general surgeon really hurts,” Polenz said. “Memorial Medical lost a surgeon before I arrived, so by the time I got here, our surgery volumes were down significantly.”

One of the more obvious initiatives in improving the hospital’s surgery volumes is the active recruitment of a full-time general surgeon, which is still under way. Another is facility investment. In the past two years, Memorial Medical has purchased the Stryker Navigation hip and knee replacement system and, in conjunction with its orthopedic surgeon and Neillsville’s school district, debuted its sports medicine program in August.

“We’ve grown our orthopedic practice, and have a relationship with two physicians who are enabling us to take our sports medicine capabilities to the next level by performing surgeries we would normally have to outsource,” said Polenz. “We’ve also seen the demand for hip and knee surgeries increase.”

In addition, the hospital received a $35,000 grant to develop a telemedicine program with LaCrosse, Wis.-based healthcare system Gunderson Lutheran. Aware that Wisconsin’s independent rural healthcare population has diminished, Polenz said partnerships such as these further secure the hospital’s future.

“We want to remain independent, and our community wants us to remain independent,” he said. “To do that, however, we need to develop partnerships to keep people here and provide the high quality services they deserve.”

A solid future
The ability for Memorial Medical to grow to better serve its community depends largely on the financial strength of programs already in place. The organization’s attached nursing home, for example, has been in place since 1964. However, financial losses due to decreased Medicaid reimbursement rates have made it increasingly difficult to maintain the Memorial Medical Center Health & Rehabilitation facility.

In January, the administration invited the community to participate in open-forum and educational discussions on the current and potential problems as well as what needed to be and could be done. “We needed to evaluate the future of long-term care for our community while improving our financial situation and continuing to meet the needs of our patients,” Polenz said. “By reaching out to the community, telling them our realities and challenges, and then asking for their input, they’ll understand us better and support us more going forward.”

More than 40 community members attended the meetings, and although the hospital has experienced significant financial losses, the community responded with a resounding ‘No’ when asked if closing the facility was an option. And while the hospital considers reducing the bed count or moving all residents to one floor rather than two, ultimately, the board and Polenz will do what is best for Memorial Medical, its residents and patients, and its community.

“One thing is clear: we cannot continue operating the same way we are now and still be a viable healthcare facility with high quality services in the long run. We have a responsibility to look at all of the options, include the public in discussions and, ultimately, plan a solid future for not only the health and rehabilitation center, but also the hospital and clinics.”

Reaching out
The results of Memorial Medical’s partnerships and investments, including the recent installation of a laboratory IT system, are already paying off. Polenz has set his sights on additional investments and expansions, including the eventual move to a facility-wide EMR and the renovation of the hospital’s ED, but the changes he’s already seen show the rural provider is moving in the right direction.

“Our clinic visits are up between 10% and 12% compared to 2006, and in the past few months, the hospital has been busier than it’s been in years,” he said. “Our OR manager has recently advised that, in addition to budgeting for a PACS, I might want to budget for a second OR.”

Polenz and his team will also invest time in redefining the organization’s mission, vision, and values and finding new ways to inspire each of its 300-plus employees. “I want our employees and physicians to be proud to come to work each and every day to serve our patients, who are most likely their neighbors. I will also continue to increase community interactions beyond the bedside. We’re planning to reach out to our community in a more formal manner by holding community board meetings, at least on a quarterly basis, to share our financials, our challenges, where we’re going, and the new services we’re providing.”

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