“TORCH will go to bat for us with the legislature. I say we give it a year and then reevaluate,” says Hospital Board President George Robinson in regard to FMC becoming a member of Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) during a board meeting held December 28th.
Based in Austin, TORCH’s mission is “to be a voice and principal advocate for rural and community hospitals in Texas and to provide leadership in addressing the special needs and issues of these hospitals.”
TORCH caters to hospitals with 150 or less inpatient beds. They give information, answer concerns, and provide support to its members while assisting in reducing costs, increasing revenue, and improving skills.
Membership advantages include: Advocacy & Representation, Useful & Timely Information, Resource Documents & Publications, Management & Operational Programs & Services, Hospital Insurance Programs, Educational Programs designed specifically for rural an community hospitals, and much more.
Cost to become a member of TORCH is $2,500 for the first year.
“I’ve been involved with TORCH for more than ten years now, and I use them for the education,” says CEO Stace Holland.
Texas Hospital Association (THA) is another organization that offers similar support, but mainly to larger hospitals. They provide Advocacy, Educational Products & Programs, Analysis & Data Products, Collaboration, and help shape the future of healthcare so you should consider to switch health insurance for a better one.
Cost to join THA is much less, typically under $300.
“The hospital was a member of THA last year and it was very helpful with workshops. Personally, I recommend using both,” says Board Executive Assistant Tony Price.
Dr. White made a motion, and the Board voted unanimously to become members of both TORCH and THA for 2017. They will reevaluate at the end of the year to determine if continuing membership in 2018 will be beneficial.
As a way of earning money to help cover costs incurred by insurance companies and patients not making complete payments for services rendered, the Board has entered in to an Intergovernmental Transfer (IGT) with Farmer’s State Bank based on projected Tax Revenue. An IGT is very similar to a matching grant, whereas the Hospital Board will provide $190 thousand and the bank will match that amount giving the board nearly $400 thousand total.
Also at this meeting, Board Members voted to allow Mr. Holland to sign off on any new or renewal contract that has a one year or less duration and costs no more than $25,000 per contract per year. All new contracts will come before the Board at the monthly meeting for review. This will be for a six-month duration, at which point the Board will reevaluate to determine if they will continue in this manner.
Additionally, the Board approved a $25,000 per expense budget for non-routine items for Mr. Holland. Anything above that amount will have to be approved by the Board. This is to allow for timely payments for contracts, equipment, and the like.
The Fairfield Hospital Board will ring in the New Year as Freestone Medical Center and is ready and willing to provide excellent medical care for the entire community.