The 50^th Anniversary Celebration is right around the corner! To commemorate this great milestone, an Anniversary Reception and Health Fair will take place on May 8 starting at 4pm in the Conference Center. Everyone is invited, so bring your family, friends and neighbors to join in the festivities. In line with our half-century celebration, there will be fun cash giveaways such as 50 pennies, 50 nickels, 50 dimes, 50 quarters and 50 dollars to separate employee and community member winners. As an added bonus, Nutrition Services will bake delicious cupcakes made from winning recipes of the recent cupcake contest.

I hope to see everyone at the 50^th Anniversary Celebration as we take a look back over Knapp’s amazing progress from 1962 to 2012. A half-century of improving healthcare in the Mid-Valley is something we can all be proud of!

March is upon us, and that means two great things – Spring has officially arrived and March Madness has too! Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and your NCAA brackets are playing out better than mine.

I have enjoyed watching the playoff games because through the power of sports there is much that we can learn about competition, winning, and excellence. For some people, basketball is far more than just “a game” — it is virtually a religious experience.  At the most basic level, the games can demonstrate how we can deal with obstacles and overcome disappointments. But for anyone who listens to the words and watches the actions of players and coaches there is also something to be gained about developing a winning attitude toward life.

In closing and in the spirit of this season, I wanted to share a quote from Tim Duncan for all my fellow Spurs fans in the hospital. He was of course speaking about basketball, but we can easily apply this to every aspect of our lives, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”

“Choose Knapp!” I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase around the hospital lately or have seen a physician television commercial advising patients to “Choose Knapp”. It seems simple enough, right? But in our very competitive healthcare market, those two simple words mean so much to this hospital. We, as employees and stewards of Knapp, are perhaps in the very best position to help spread the message and educate our community. We have the most accurate, firsthand knowledge of the excellent care provided at Knapp on a daily basis. It’s easy to get distracted by the outspoken few who have worked persistently in the last few months to cast shadows on Knapp and tear down the hospital’s image in the public. Together, however, we are a much stronger force, in the greatest position to share the great news of Knapp. Please take the time to tell your family members, friends, neighbors, church members, etc. about the wide array of services and great staff that Knapp has to offer, and most importantly to “Choose Knapp!”

In closing, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax opened in theaters on March 2, 2012.  I was a big fan of Theodor Seuss Geisel growing up, still am, and his wisdom offers our encouragement for this month:

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

~ Dr. Seuss

Friday, September 23, marked the official start of fall. The ending of summer and the arrival of fall historically has translated to the beginning of the busy season for Knapp Medical Center. The first of the Winter Texans start to arrive and the number of admissions and outpatient procedures also begin to rise. With the anticipated increase in volume in the coming months, Knapp’s focus remains on our vision of being always and consistently excellent, every patient, every time.

As fall is also the start of football season, I want to share a quote from a Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame Quarterback: “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” ~ Roger Staubach

We will continue being committed to “going the extra mile” this fall to ensure quality of service and excellence at Knapp Medical Center.

Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia is one of my favorite books. After reading the book last year, I shared it with the Executive Leadership Team of the Medical Center. I have also given the book out to friends of mine who are in the midst of transitions in their lives.

Golf’s Sacred Journey is a story of an aspiring golfer dealing with the insecurities, frustrations, and failures of trying to make it as a professional. Beneath the main story line, however, is a much deeper message about how we touch each other’s lives and that, according to the book, is the true measure of success. Golf’s Sacred Journey teaches that the real character of a person is more about by how they deal with adversity, challenges and setbacks, than by what they achieve in life (their golf score).

And so it is with all of us here at Knapp. Each of our individual decisions and convictions brought us together in this Medical Center to serve our community. The characteristics of patience, humility, forgiveness, and caring help us do our jobs better every day. These same characteristics help us to be better people (and better golfers). As we plan and visualize the future for Knapp Medical Center, let us practice patience and balance, and hold on to truth and tradition. With the support of each other, we can achieve our greatest dreams!

Golf’s Sacred Journey is now a major motion picture! It is due to open on September 2, 2011 and stars Robert Duval and Lucas Black. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and take in the movie … . See it, feel it, trust it!

Budget shortfalls for both the state and the federal government have not only been discussed at length in the media, they are now a reality. What does this mean for Knapp Medical Center?

A majority of Knapp’s reimbursement comes from government sources: federal (Medicare), state (Medicaid and DSH funding to compensate for large numbers of uninsured and Medicaid patients) and Hidalgo county (a tiny portion). Knapp does receive payments from insurance companies and from the individuals (private pay) who receive the care given; however, the hospital only received about 10 cents for every dollar owed by private pay patients.

With state and federal budget shortfalls, Knapp expects at least a $3.5 million reduction in Medicaid and DSH funds this fiscal year. And last fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2011, bad debt (patients who may never pay their hospital bills) increased 23%. This means that even with more patients than the previous year, Knapp spent $1 million more caring for patients than it was reimbursed.

Also, as of July 1, 2011, Knapp’s scores for Core Measures (clinical data) and the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (required federal HCAHPS inpatient survey) will be used to determine whether or not we keep or lose $300,000 of federal reimbursement in 2013.

So Knapp will adhere to staffing plans, use supplies wisely, eliminate overtime and continue our vigilance to work even more efficiently but with great compassion to continue our vision of always and consistently excellent…every patient…every time!

I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who has answered the call to action section over the previous months. Your time and your voice in letting our legislators know how the proposed budget cuts would affect Knapp Medical Center and the Mid Valley community is much appreciated.

 -James Summersett, III

President/CEO

Knapp Medical Center and the Rio Grande Valley experienced an exciting phenomenon recently…..rain! Although the rain was welcomed by most, it did cause some headaches for Knapp employees parked in the north lot. It’s amazing how quickly too much of a good thing can turn into a problem.

As we move into the hurricane season, which is predicted to be more active than in years past, my mind turns to disaster preparedness. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with your company and home disaster plans and supplies. The National Hurricane Center probably says it best, “preparation through education is less costly than learning through tragedy.”  As we learned from the recent devastation in Joplin, Missouri, we can never be too prepared when it comes to natural disasters.

 -James Summersett, III

President/CEO

Jamie Orlikoff, renowned health care speaker, offered a powerful message at a recent Board retreat, “What defined your success in the past, will drive you to failure in the future.” Although this is not a message most people would like to hear, it is important and meaningful nonetheless. All too often we get into a routine and carry out tasks only because that is the way we have always done it. If it’s not broke, why fix it? But given the upcoming changes in health care, we will all have to search for new ways to become more efficient in our work without compromising our high standard of care. I truly believe that at Knapp Medical Center we have the best, most capable staff, in all of the Rio Grande Valley, who will adapt and lead our medical center to continued success in the future.

On a separate note, members of the Texas Legislature are still working to approve the State’s 2012-13 budget; however, there is still some uncertainty concerning exactly how much the budget will impact reimbursements for healthcare services. Hospitals are almost certain to see an approximate ten percent reduction in Medicaid funding and the implementation of a statewide standard dollar amount by September 1, 2011. And hospitals in the area are still expecting anticipated reimbursement reductions associated with the expansion of Medicaid managed care to the Rio Grande Valley!

Altogether we are still projecting that these provisions could cost Knapp Medical Center a total of $3.5M in revenue this coming fiscal year. So we must continue to work diligently to make sure that our legislators understand the consequences of slashing funding for local hospitals, doctors and nurses - a loss of federal matching dollars, higher costs to those who purchase insurance, more uncompensated care for hospitals and clinics, and job losses.

I encourage you to contact our state representatives regarding the impact of the potential budget cuts on our hospital. We need our legislators to know how serious these health care funding cuts are.

 -James Summersett, III

President/CEO

In recognition of Earth Day held April 22 and Arbor Day on April 29, I want to encourage everyone to be mindful of our impact on the environment.  At Knapp, we have made great progress towards more “eco-friendly” electronic systems and green initiatives throughout the hospital, but there is always room for improvement. For example, did you realize that, Knapp still uses over 82 thousand pounds of paper each year?  That’s about 8.7 million sheets or $150,000 in paper costs alone!

We have great resources available such as KnappLink and Paragon to share and view documents electronically. For paper ready for disposal, please always remember to recycle if no patient health information is displayed. There are great charities in the Valley who will accept used paper as scratch pads for children’s activities. And let’s all try to cut back on unnecessary printing to help the environment, and in turn, to help lower expenses for the hospital as well.

Thank you to everyone who has made their voice heard by answering the call to action regarding proposed healthcare budget cuts. We still need your help though! The Senate Budget, currently in the Senate Finance Committee, had amendments added this week that are particularly troublesome for hospitals. In addition to the reductions already projected in what the State will pay for Medicaid patients, amendments were included that lower the amount hospitals are paid for treating uninsured or underinsured patients as well as restricting how hospitals can utilize federal reimbursement dollars. Your hospital and community need you, please contact your state representatives to express your support for adequate healthcare funding.

Until next month, strive to be always and consistently excellent…every patient…every time.

-James Summersett, III

President/CEO

You probably don’t think about Knapp Medical Center most days. But, if an illness or injury occurs, you expect us to be here to heal you and your loved ones with compassion and skill.

 Knapp has been privileged to serve the health care needs of Mid Valley residents for nearly 50 years. Our 1,000 employees work around the clock, 365 days a year to provide individuals and families with the best care possible when needed.

 One of our recent patients wrote, “I was gravely ill and afraid that I may not live. You all were so good to me and gave me excellent care. You showed compassion, warmth, care, kindness, and love. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did. You are truly heroes. Thank you for caring about me and my family.”

 Despite everyone’s best efforts, some illnesses or injuries can’t be healed. And it’s the same way with the budget cuts currently being proposed in Austin.  If funding for our hospital, doctors and nurses is not maintained, our Knapp Medical Center will be hurt beyond repair and people throughout the Mid Valley will feel the consequences.

With cuts of 35 percent or more in state reimbursement for care, Knapp will lose at least $5.6 million. What does this mean? The greatest hospital costs are for staff, supplies and physician fees. Knapp might not be able to fill jobs when someone leaves. Some services may be limited or closed, which means more jobs could be lost. New technology and improvements may be postponed such as expanding the Emergency Room and automating laboratory testing. More primary care clinics for this underserved area may be postponed or never opened. Emergency room wait times would grow longer for everyone. This would have a ripple effect throughout the Mid Valley, touching local businesses from which our hospital and employees buy goods and services.

 I know we need a balanced state budget, but please join us in asking our legislators to consider the consequences of deep cuts in health care funding. Visit the Texas Hospital Association’s website, www.somecutsdontheal.org and help protect our patients, and our hospital, doctors and nurses who care for them. Healthcare will change for the worse if hospital reimbursement is cut 35 percent or more.

 Knapp wants to be here when you need us. Please help us so we can be here for you. 

-James Summersett, III

President/CEO