Guest column: Debunking negative rumors about Reedsburg Area Medical Center

The last time I wrote to you was early May. It is hard to fathom that we are already into July! As always, I hope you are well! I feel the masking mandate changes outside of health care have certainly helped our optimism as have the continued decrease in COVID cases in our area. As more and more people get vaccinated, that too, is a great sign of forward progress as we keep moving through this pandemic. RAMC is pleased to be a vaccination site and we are proud to continue offering this important vaccine. Personally, I received mine and encourage anyone interested to receive theirs.

In my last letter I spoke about RAMC’s response to the pandemic and explained the financial challenges we ensued as an organization. Many of you reached out for more clarification. Thank you for asking! As I mentioned in May, when the pandemic hit, pressing pause on non-essential procedures and appointments as well as preserving our workforce meant a loss of $12 million dollars in gross revenue.

Let’s step back a bit further. Before the pandemic RAMC absorbed enormous change. We had to make important updates to our building and equipment as well as our electronic medical record system, EPIC. These were much needed and it was money well spent, but they were very costly endeavors. Then add in rising costs along with plummeting reimbursements and revenue. All of this collectively put an enormous strain on our organization and made for a perfect storm where we found ourselves in a position of needing to make difficult, careful decisions. We knew we needed outside assistance.

We engaged with an independent consulting firm that guided us in taking a deep dive into our entire organization.

Over the course of several months they conducted operational and revenue assessments and made strategic reimbursement recommendations as well as opportunities for expense reductions. Working with them helped us get on a better financial footing to align our organization to achieve our goal of remaining strong and independent. Were the decisions difficult? Yes. Were they carefully thought out? Entirely so. Did we partner with this firm to prepare RAMC to be sold? Absolutely not. That is one goal we will NOT waiver on — to remain an independent, community hospital where decisions are made right here at home. Independent is where we plan to stay. And, I am happy to report that RAMC is now in a much more favorable position than before we began this process.

We did make alterations to our businesses and services to better serve our customers and to continue putting us in better financial health. Are there slightly fewer team members? Yes, however, we did not conduct layoffs, as that is a rumor I have heard. When individuals left our organization either by retirement or other reasons, rather than immediately replacing we looked long and hard at the best staffing models needed to continue to assure the highest quality of care and superb customer service. We continue to employ well over 600 individuals and we are extremely proud of our team. Every job that stays in Reedsburg is money that is used right here at home. And that keeps our community strong, which we all benefit from.

As we look ahead we continue to grow in providers and services and we will never become stagnant. Health care is ever-changing and we are committed to doing what it takes to not only keep up but to constantly adapt to stay ahead of the changing environment and to flourish. Trust that we will always keep our finger on the pulse of our community’s changing needs. Being your partner is what it is all about for RAMC. As always, thank you for the trust you place in us as it is never taken for granted.

Bob Van Meeteren is president and chief executive editor of Reedsburg Area Medical Center.