peace health

PeaceHealth said the University District emergency department now sees an average of 95 patients a day – a little more than half of its volume before the opening of RiverBend. Two-thirds of the visits are for medical care and the remainder for behavioral health care that is better provided in a different setting, PeaceHealth said. Very few of the medical care patients end up being admitted as inpatients, PeaceHealth said.

www.thelundreport.org/content/eugene-hospital-closure-sign-wider-peacehealth-financial-woes

In the letter, PeaceHealth officials said they made the decision because they believe RiverBend can handle the increased patient volume, and because the University District would require millions of dollars to make its structures earthquake resistant. PeaceHealth implied that patient numbers were lower than could be sustained for the hospital, saying the campus was generating financial losses of about $2 million per month.

PeaceHealth said the University District sees about 95 patient visits per day, and an average of about 23 patients admitted for long-term care each month. Of those patients, PeaceHealth said about two-thirds of them come for routine medical care, and the other one-third would be better served by a crisis stabilization center that was planned, but has not yet been built, in Lane County.

https://www.peacehealth.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/University%20District%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf?utm_source=pocket_saves

• Low Utilization o Average daily patient census: 19, of which: 9 are medical patients; and 10 are rehab patients. o Behavioral Health Unit average daily census of approximately 26 patients. o The Emergency Department sees 34,000 visits annually, equating to about 95 daily visits, of which: 61 are medical patients with lower acuity needs; 2 15 are high users of the ED in need of social services and not medical care; and 19 are patients requiring crisis assessment, with three deemed appropriate for admittance to the Behavioral Health Unit. 6% of UD ED patients are admitted, 21% of RiverBend ED patients are admitted.

• Financially Unsustainable o Generates significant net operating losses of $22–24M annually (approx. $2M monthly). o Losses primarily driven by unfunded care, exacerbated by temporary labor costs in response to the COVID pandemic. o Key financial factors (annualized costs): Temporary labor costs/traveler expenses: $8.5M over the last 12 months Investment caring for underserved Oregon Health Authority/Department of Human Services clients: $12.5M Patients presenting 10 or more times to the ED due to lack of housing/food, primary medical care, etc.: $1.7M Medically stable patients lacking appropriate placement with complex needs: $6M Psychiatric patients readmitted for extended stay or unfunded Oregon State Hospital wait list care: $2.8M Increased security to support high acuity patients without outpatient care or housing: $1M Foundation-funded Transition Team Services supporting unhoused individuals: $1M o Campus needs a capital investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in facility upgrades.

But even as PeaceHealth has reduced its workforce, it reported a $240.7 million operating loss for the 2023 fiscal year, on top of $252 million the year before. Right now, its operating margin is -7.3%.

S&P Global downgraded PeaceHealth’s credit score in July.

univ district fact sheet

https://www.peacehealth.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/University%20District%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf?utm_source=pocket_saves

. Fast Facts • Licensed beds: 117 • Open beds (as of Aug. 21), fluctuates based on need and staffing: 49 (Does not include Emergency Department. Medical, Inpatient Rehab and Behavioral Health only) • Caregivers (employees): 1,077 on the UD campus, of which 521 are hospital based. • Services transitioning to RiverBend: Emergency Department, Medical Unit, Inpatient Rehab Unit • Services remaining: Behavioral Health Unit, PeaceHealth Medical Group clinics, Home & Community, Home Infusion History • Opened in 1924 as Pacific Christian Hospital • Purchased by Sisters of St. Joseph in 1936, and the name changed to Sacred Heart General Hospital. • PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, Oregon opened in 2008. • Revitalization plans in 2008, 2011 and 2018 invested millions of dollars into University District. Current Situation • Limited Services Offered o University District is not a traditional full-service acute hospital. o Services include Emergency Department, Medical, Acute Rehab and Behavioral Health Units. o Received waivers from the state to not offer services that are normally part of a hospital license, i.e., surgeries or births. • Low Utilization o Average daily patient census: 19, of which: 9 are medical patients; and 10 are rehab patients. o Behavioral Health Unit average daily census of approximately 26 patients. o The Emergency Department sees 34,000 visits annually, equating to about 95 daily visits, of which: 61 are medical patients with lower acuity needs;

15 are high users of the ED in need of social services and not medical care; and 19 are patients requiring crisis assessment, with three deemed appropriate for admittance to the Behavioral Health Unit. 6% of UD ED patients are admitted, 21% of RiverBend ED patients are admitted. • Financially Unsustainable o Generates significant net operating losses of $22–24M annually (approx. $2M monthly). o Losses primarily driven by unfunded care, exacerbated by temporary labor costs in response to the COVID pandemic. o Key financial factors (annualized costs): Temporary labor costs/traveler expenses: $8.5M over the last 12 months Investment caring for underserved Oregon Health Authority/Department of Human Services clients: $12.5M Patients presenting 10 or more times to the ED due to lack of housing/food, primary medical care, etc.: $1.7M Medically stable patients lacking appropriate placement with complex needs: $6M Psychiatric patients readmitted for extended stay or unfunded Oregon State Hospital wait list care: $2.8M Increased security to support high acuity patients without outpatient care or housing: $1M Foundation-funded Transition Team Services supporting unhoused individuals: $1M o Campus needs a capital investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in facility upgrades.

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/910939479

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers

Base

Other

Elizabeth V Dunne (President & Ceo)

$5,635,752

$574,482

Richard Decarlo (Chief Operating Officer/Evp)

$1,923,811

$331,220

Darrin Montalvo (Evp Chief Finan Growth Officer)

$1,771,176

$237,382

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