Placerville, March 17, 2006 - Marshall Medical Center kept its ambitious expansion plan on track by earning $5.1 million for that planned expansion on 363 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2005. “We are thrilled to be able to operate in the black for 22 out of the past 25 years when so many hospitals are not, “said Marshall Administrator and CEO James Whipple. “A big part of our success is the incredible work and commitment to healthcare by our employees and physicians that has facilitated tremendous growth. We need to continue to come up with constructive ways to meet our community’s healthcare needs in this challenging healthcare reimbursement market. We are doing this with our planned hospital expansion and the expansion of many new services. Another big part of our success is that our community recognizes the unique, quality care we provide as an independent, community-based healthcare provider.”
Marshall’s $69 million hospital expansion is now scheduled to be completed in 2010. Delays in the process and rising construction costs are sending that target budget up, creating very challenging conditions for building a new wing. Marshall’s administration and Board of Directors are currently strategizing on how to cover these additional costs. The current expansion plan consists of a four-story, 100,000 square foot hospital wing and a four-story parking structure. Highlights of the new wing include a new emergency department, an expanded intensive care unit, additional patient beds, a new birthing center and an expanded cafeteria.
“In addition to the new hospital wing, we are currently offering new services such as digital mammography in Placerville and Cameron Park, a recently accredited comprehensive Cancer Services Program, stereotactic needle biopsies, sleep lab, cardiac catheterization lab, outpatient physical therapy and a state-of-the-art PET/CT combination scanning unit,” said Whipple. “We’ve also added 18 new physicians to the community, providing services such as a gastroenterology, OB/GYN services in Cameron Park, general surgery, orthopedics, reconstructive surgery, internal medicine and a family medicine office in El Dorado Hills.”
5.1 million in excess funds on 363 million in revenue is a thin operating margin. “As one of the last independent, nonprofit healthcare providers in the area, our mission is to put everything we can back into the health needs of the community,” said Whipple. “We don’t send our resources back to a corporate office. We invest in the latest equipment and open new service locations where they are needed. That’s why we were the first in the area to install a PACS (Picture Archive Communication System) that enables images and scans to be stored electronically and viewed on video screens, so that doctors and other health professionals can access the information more efficiently. We were also the first in the area to have digital mammography and an all-digital radiology department. Digital mammography is a significant improvement over the traditional service and we are still one of the only providers in the area to have it. Many people are surprised to hear this.”
In addition to new technology and services, Marshall also invested in the health of the community by providing millions in charity care in 2005. Charity care can be defined as care provided to the uninsured and those without the ability to pay, the difference between what Medicare and Medi-Cal pay the hospital and what it actually costs to provide services, and community benefit programs. Some of Marshall’s community benefit efforts include the Community Health Library in Placerville and Marshall’s health promotions department that provides diabetes education, childbirth classes, wellness screenings, and nutrition counseling. Marshall also partners with many community organizations, events and programs such as ACCEL, a program with the El Dorado County Public Health Department and other local health providers, community leaders and businesses to improve access to healthcare for many El Dorado County residents.
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