X

Massena Memorial Hospital to add three new doctors to staff; officials working to improve institute’s public image

Posted 5/24/16

By ANDY GARDNER MASSENA -- Financial improvements at Massena Memorial Hospital mean three new doctors will join the hospital ranks later in the year. Meanwhile, MMH officials are trying to improve …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Massena Memorial Hospital to add three new doctors to staff; officials working to improve institute’s public image

Posted

By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- Financial improvements at Massena Memorial Hospital mean three new doctors will join the hospital ranks later in the year. Meanwhile, MMH officials are trying to improve the institute’s public image as they continue to improve their financial picture.

The new doctors include a cardiologist and two family practitioners, according to MMH CEO Robert Wolleben.

“The cardiologist comes through our relationship with University of Vermont Health Network,” Wolleben said, adding that he expects the doctor to start sometime over the summer.

The family practitioners will start in late August, Wolleben said.

“I just signed their moving expense reimbursements this morning,” he said. “We’re talking to other physicians as well.”

The announcement came after a Board of Managers member asked why the April financial and statistical summary showed hospital-based clinic visits at 23 percent under budget.

“We’ve been a little short on the provider issue … we continue to recruit,” MMH CFO Patrick Facteau said.

The report shows they anticipated 3,716 clinic-based visits in April and actually had 2,860.

On top of that, MMH’s financial picture continues to improve and hospital officials have taken aim at what they see as the hospital’s bad public image.

The financial summary showed a $128,012 net gain in April, compared to a $224,557 loss in April 2015. That’s a 254 percent improvement, the chart says.

“We’ve strung together multiple months of a positive operating gain. We’re on our 13th month,” Wolleben said.

Wolleben said some physicians they approached during recruitment efforts were weary about coming to MMH. Two years ago, it was not uncommon for the monthly financial and statistical summary to show a loss of a quarter million dollars or more. At the end of 2014, they were several million dollars in the red. They were only able to make their annual state pension payment and break even at the end of the year because of state and federal bailout money.

That changed shortly after Wolleben took the helm.

“MMH’s financial picture has improved dramatically … on several measures we’re performing better than most hospitals in the state,” Wolleben said. “Old memories die hard.”

MMH’s public relations officials are trying to get stories in the news that paint the hospital in a positive light.

At the end of the meeting, Director of Public Relations and Planning Tina Corcoran handed this article’s author two news releases titled “Massena Memorial Hospital Committed to Patient Care” and “Massena Memorial Hospital Improves Financial Health.”