Healthcare digest [December 1994]

              W esley     Long
Volume I, Number 1
m u n i t y
s p i t a
December 1994
A   Message fro
CHAIRMAN
Milling ihr lleallheare
Xeeds of Our ( imiiiiiv
Dear Friend:
■Welcome to the first issue of
Healthcare Digest. Through lllis
newsletter, it is our goal to provide
you with short, timely news briefs
related to health care that we feel
will be important to you. It is our
hope that you will find this
information helpful. Wesley 1/ing
Community Hospital is here to
serve our community, and this is
another example of how wc strive to
reach people with the information
and services they need.
The hospital started as a 20-bed
facility in 1917 under the leadership
of Dr. John Wesley lying and was
located in the 300 block of North
Elm Street. In 1941, the hospital
was incorporated as a nonprofit
organization, and in 1943, its name
was changed to Wesley Long
Community Hospital. The hospital
was relocated to its present site at
501 North Elam Avenue in 1961.
Wesley Long in a community
hospital and. a- such, must provide
health care that meets the needs of
the community in a high quality
and cost-effective manner. These
needs are met through collaboration
with business and industry,
physicians and hospitals,
community and governmental
agencies, and payors. The key is to
Hospital Reduces Costs. Maintains
Kates for Third Consecutive Year
The Board (if Trustees of Wesley Long
Community Hospital approved the
hospital's budget for Fiscal Year 1995
which once again calls for no rate
increase. This makes ihe third
consecutive year that Wesley Long has
not passed a rate increase on to its
customers. The last rate increase at
Wesley Long was on October 1, 1991.
"We are extremely proud of the efforts
at Wesley Long to reduce its costs in
preparation for the ever increasing price
sensitivity of the industry," said Board
Chairman   P.   David   Brown.   "This
achievement of no rate increase for three
years in a row is not the norm in North
Carolina or across the country."
Said hospital President Gary L. Park,
"We recognize the significant efforts
made by the hospital staff as well as the
contributions of the medical/dental staff
that have enabled us to complete our
third year without an increase passed on
to ihe consumer."
Re-engineering efforts lliroughout the
organization include the introduction of
Case Management, Clinical
Paths Help Ensure Quality,
Cost-effective Care
Two of the newest buzzwords in
hospital care over the past few years -
case management and clinical paths -
are creating positive improvements in
the way health care is delivered at
Wesley Long Community Hospital.
The goal of both case managemenl
and clinical paths is ihe same: to ensure
that ihe most cosl-effective and efficient
level of resources are utilized by
providing the patient with the most
appropriate level of care.
Case Management
The purpose of case management is to
identify, coordinate, implement and
evaluate individualized health care
services for patients. An effective case
management program utilizes individual
and environmental resources, insurance
and the patient's physical and
psychosocial characteristics. ..
An example of case management is
the patient who no longer needs acute