Pocahontas Memorial Expansion
Pocahontas County Healthcare Background Pocahontas County is lacking a complete healthcare system. This county has one hospital facility which includes 25 critical access beds. This facility also houses the community clinic for laboratory tests, and x-ray services. Because of the rural status and the lack of a continuum of care for the community, Pocahontas Memorial Hospital is considering creating a comprehensive satellite health clinic. This clinic would be located closer to the community in Marlinton, WV. An evaluation of the community, such as the needs and environment, recommendations for the clinic, and feasibility of this project will be assessed.
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital Pocahontas Memorial Hospital …show more content…
Census Bureau, 2014). The average household income is lower than the average for West Virginia, contributing to a higher than average poverty level (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). This is magnified by the fact that West Virginia, as a state, has a higher overall poverty level than the nation average (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). These trends indicate the money within Pocahontas County needs to be spent wisely on programs and facilities that will be routinely utilized and help the community the most.
Technology
This Satellite health clinic will need to have an updated process for scheduling patients, an electronic medical record (EMR) system, and updated medical equipment that the community may not have access to at this time. Due to the nature of technology and having to upgrade by leasing or buying new equipment, this is a large financial investment for Pocahontas Memorial Hospital to take on. The two most expensive upgrades are the EMR system and the new medical equipment. An EMR system can cost millions of dollars to create and implement, the cost may not be this high for a smaller organization such as this one, but the costs will be in the thousands of dollars. Medical equipment can be bought or leased depending on the needs of the organization. The choice to buy or lease will depend on the amount of testing that is to be done, if there is a large …show more content…
It is also a requirement for the way Medicaid is reimbursing for health care (Smithson, 2011). Even with the positives of the EMR system, it is a costly system to implement with regards to time and money investments (Tan & Payton, 2010). Tan and Payton (2010) state that the cost is high due to the need to integrate the EMR system with current information technology (IT) systems being utilized. There is also a need to ensure that the EMR system aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategy. This is a long term investment and if it does not meet the need of the future of the organization, it is a wasted technology that will cost the organization, instead of helping the
Pocahontas County Healthcare Background Pocahontas County is lacking a complete healthcare system. This county has one hospital facility which includes 25 critical access beds. This facility also houses the community clinic for laboratory tests, and x-ray services. Because of the rural status and the lack of a continuum of care for the community, Pocahontas Memorial Hospital is considering creating a comprehensive satellite health clinic. This clinic would be located closer to the community in Marlinton, WV. An evaluation of the community, such as the needs and environment, recommendations for the clinic, and feasibility of this project will be assessed.
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital Pocahontas Memorial Hospital …show more content…
Census Bureau, 2014). The average household income is lower than the average for West Virginia, contributing to a higher than average poverty level (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). This is magnified by the fact that West Virginia, as a state, has a higher overall poverty level than the nation average (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). These trends indicate the money within Pocahontas County needs to be spent wisely on programs and facilities that will be routinely utilized and help the community the most.
Technology
This Satellite health clinic will need to have an updated process for scheduling patients, an electronic medical record (EMR) system, and updated medical equipment that the community may not have access to at this time. Due to the nature of technology and having to upgrade by leasing or buying new equipment, this is a large financial investment for Pocahontas Memorial Hospital to take on. The two most expensive upgrades are the EMR system and the new medical equipment. An EMR system can cost millions of dollars to create and implement, the cost may not be this high for a smaller organization such as this one, but the costs will be in the thousands of dollars. Medical equipment can be bought or leased depending on the needs of the organization. The choice to buy or lease will depend on the amount of testing that is to be done, if there is a large …show more content…
It is also a requirement for the way Medicaid is reimbursing for health care (Smithson, 2011). Even with the positives of the EMR system, it is a costly system to implement with regards to time and money investments (Tan & Payton, 2010). Tan and Payton (2010) state that the cost is high due to the need to integrate the EMR system with current information technology (IT) systems being utilized. There is also a need to ensure that the EMR system aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategy. This is a long term investment and if it does not meet the need of the future of the organization, it is a wasted technology that will cost the organization, instead of helping the