The Year 2021 has been an unusual year for Guthrie County Hospital. The hospital continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19. Financially, the hospital continues to experience low volumes and revenues from the inpatient care and emergency services side of things. Conversely, the clinics and our outpatient services are enjoying a resurgence in volumes and revenue. On the quality of care measurement of patient satisfaction the hospital continues to receive excellent scores. One new thing that the hospital is monitoring this year is patient satisfaction for our emergency services patients. Nursing management has been providing me a random list of patients from various emergency services providers. I then call those emergency services’ patients and ask them how was the care that they received at Guthrie County Hospital. It is very interesting and rewarding to talk with these patients and thus far – I have heard no complaints from the patients that I have reached. There was one patient that wished that he had been seen sooner but he commented that while he was waiting three different ambulance arrivals had been made and he understood the rationale behind the wait.
In looking ahead to the coming year there will be several “firsts.” Guthrie County Hospital will begin seeing patients in our new 7,000 square foot Panora Clinic. The staff in our Panora Clinic are all quite excited about beginning a new chapter in the delivery of healthcare to the folks living in the Panora area. Also in the coming year, the hospital and clinics will be migrating to our EPIC electronic health record. As of this writing there are hospital and clinic employees that are becoming certified trainers who will assist us in our transition from our present electronic health record to EPIC. This new electronic health record system will greatly benefit our patients and our staff. It is a considerable undertaking and there is quite a bit of hard work that remains in the days ahead. It is important to note that the above “firsts” are in direct accordance with Guthrie County Hospital’s Mission: To provide personalized quality healthcare – and – Vision: Continue to improve the health of the communities we serve.
Finally, in looking even further down-the-road for Guthrie County Hospital, the hospital’s administration will be presenting a recommendation to the hospital’s board concerning the construction of the Guthrie Center Rural Health Clinic and Specialty Clinic. The construction project plans also include renovating and expanding space for our laboratory department and the construction of a new kitchen and dining area. This entire project is predicated on building to anticipate the healthcare needs of the people of Guthrie County and ensure that locally provided top notch healthcare delivery will remain here in Guthrie for the years to come!
Yours in health,
Pat Peters, CEO
Guthrie County Hospital