For those who were there, the recent seminar was an inspiring couple of days. Speaker after speaker shared their knowledge about the importance of personal engagement, customer service, and professionalism in every job in the hospital. The up and coming rural hospital leaders who participated were immersed in the program that is sure to have a lasting impact on the hospitals from which they came. Many thanks go to those facilities that sent representatives and allowed them this opportunity for personal and professional growth.
      This was the second year that this annual training seminar has been held and we were pleased at the variety and the caliber of the hospital staff that attended. They were treated to inspiring new presenters like Mike Patrick, of Hendrick Medical Center, Norman York of York Career Development, Jon Ansbach of RECON Intelligence Services, Kevin Tutt and Mike Daggs of Tutt & Daggs and Paul Mellor of Success Links. We also welcomed back some veteran TORCH presenters Tim Wright of Wright Results, Judy White House of Capital Insights and Deborah Leverett of Entera+Partners. Their ongoing contributions have contributed greatly to the quality of this educational offering. We sincerely want to thank each and every one of this year’s faculty members for their contributions to the TORCH Leadership & Management Institute. The TORCH Board of Directors’ idea to provide a reasonably priced leadership seminar for rural hospitals to take participate in has now paid dividends for two years in a row.
      This year we also experienced something new at the leadership seminar: synergy. Jim Buckner, CEO of Uvalde Memorial Hospital, was joined by 21 of his staff at this year’s meeting. Together they experienced the sessions. They interacted with their CEO, other hospitals and one another. Jim said, “I’ve gotten to know more about these wonderful people here than I ever would have back at the hospital. They are energized and are already thinking about how to take what they’ve learned here and use it to improve the level of service that we are able to provide to the citizens of Uvalde.”
       The following hospitals had staff who were given certificates of attendance for the 2007 TORCH Leadership & Management Institute Seminar:

Congratulations to all of them for investing in their hospital and community by ensuring that they recognize and encourage leadership throughout their organization. Be on the lookout for added services available through the TORCH Leadership & Management Institute during the upcoming year.

As we head into the final months of the year, we take a look back at one of TORCH’s key areas of member services - the TORCH Insurance Program. This program is managed by HealthSure, an independent agency endorsed by TORCH and TMSI to bring property & casualty, workers compensation, professional liability and employee benefit insurance products to the members. As we strive to continue making improvements, we thought we’d reflect on some successes in 2007. This year alone hospitals were brought options in all areas of insurance that cut costs - in many cases 20% or more. In addition, gaps and overlaps in insurance have been identified by using a risk analysis approach designed to make sure our members weren’t buying more coverage than necessary or left exposed in other areas. We saw growth in every program, but especially our property, workers comp and professional liability programs.

• In Summer 2007, the TORCH Master Property program, underwritten by CNA, grew to 27 members making it the largest property insurance program in TORCH history and giving it more buying leverage than ever before.
• On January 1, 2007 the Hospitals of Texas Workers’ Compensation Purchasing Group (HOTComp) was formed with Texas Mutual Insurance Company. To date, 20 hospitals have joined this program.
• In Spring 2007 the Professional & General Liability program through CNA HealthPro became an authorized and admitted insurer in Texas creating substantial reductions in pricing.

While these are just some of the major highlights for the year, the most important is your support as members. The great rates, service and strength of these programs could not be possible without your support. To learn what lines of insurance the TORCH program provides, call TORCH or HealthSure for more about these products and the “no cost” services available to you:

• Property (includes Boiler & Machinery & Mobile Equipment)
• Directors & Officers, Fiduciary Liability & Crime
• Professional & General Liability
• Workers Compensation
• Auto
• Employee Health Benefits (including Medical, Life, LTD, Dental, Vision, etc)
• Medical Malpractice for Physicians

REMEMBER, when your insurance renewals are around the corner or you would like an assessment of your coverages, call the TORCH Insurance Program Manager, HealthSure, to shop ALL your options. HealthSure can bring you quotes from several different companies for your various coverage needs. Make sure you have an industry expert on your side who understands hospital risk and can bring you the choices needed to make the best decision. By utilizing this service, you are directly supporting TORCH, which allows us to better support you and your hospital.
      To contact HealthSure, call Brant Couch at (512) 292-3315 or brantc@healthsure.com.

Russell Tippin, administrator/CEO of Pecos County Memorial Hospital in Fort Stockton, has been honored with the Texas Hospital Association’s Pioneer Award, an annual award that recognizes excellence in rural hospital management. Tippin received the award during THA’s Leadership Conference and Rural Hospital Forum, October 17th in Austin.
      The award is sponsored by THA’s Rural Hospital Constituency Section. Tippin was nominated by the staff at Pecos Memorial, as well as members of the local community, and selected for the honor by the constituency section’s governing council which is comprised of fellow rural hospital administrators from around the state. According to Richard Hoeth, FACHE, CAE, vice president of rural health and member relations for THA, “Russell was selected for this award because he has made a profound difference at his hospital and in his community.”
       Tippin has been with the hospital since September 1999. Under his leadership, several improvements have been accomplished such as the installation of a central monitoring system in the obstetrical service to provide closer observation of patients and to allow the physician to monitor patients from a remote location; the addition of computer radiology services to provide real-time connection with a radiologist around the clock; and the implementation of a home health agency program which serves between 70 to100 patients per month in the Trans-Pecos area, to name a few.
      Tippin is from Andrews, Texas, and is a graduate of Howard Payne University in Brownwood where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in health care administration.

Modern Healthcare Editor David Burda moderated a CEO roundtable discussion on issues facing rural healthcare providers in October. Modern Healthcare periodically conducts roundtable discussions with leading healthcare executives on the important issues and challenges facing their organizations and corporations, but this was Modern Healthcare's first all CEO roundtable. As you know, rural hospital issues are universal in nature, but specific to the needs and limitations of the local community. Sometimes it’s nice to hear how administrators from other parts of the country are confronting similar issues to yours.
      Burda met with Scott Bullock, president and CEO of Maine General Health; Pat Schou, executive director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network; Bill Sexton, CEO for the North Coast Service Area of Providence Health & Services in Oregon; and Phil Stuart, CEO at Tomah (Wis.) Memorial Hospital. Modern Healthcare reporters Vince Galloro and Jessica Zigmond also participated in the discussion. Among the topics that were covered were reimbursement, SCHIP, access to capital, technology, nursing retention and physician recruitment. You can read and hear everything that they had to say that could affect your organization at www.modernhealthcare.com. Look on the homepage under the November 12th issue or search for ‘rural ceo podcast.’

Hospital Replacement and Renovation Workshop – December 11th
We are pleased to make available this one-day workshop designed specifically for rural hospitals. Through the cooperative efforts of Rees Associates in bringing the concept to us and working jointly to develop the program, and their sponsorship generosity, we are able to offer this very affordable workshop to provide a wide scope of information to help hospital administrators and trustees make informed decisions about their hospital’s facility needs. This all-day workshop has knowledgeable speakers presenting a comprehensive agenda including:

• Strategic / Master Planning - Market Study/Needs Analysis; Debt Capacity Study; Pre-Design Process; Staff/Physician Recruitment Plan
• Public Relations / Outreach Plan - Community Support Plan; Fund Raising Plan; Furniture/Fixtures and Equipment Donation Plan; Land Donation Plan
• Financing - Financing Plan; Options; Financing Implementation
• Design and Construction Process - Architecture, Engineering, Interiors; Furniture, Fixtures and Medical Equipment; Construction and Delivery Options; Commissioning of the Facility
• Occupancy and Post Construction - Celebration Planning; Staff Training; Move-In Planning; Occupancy; Post Occupancy Evaluation

The meeting is from 8:15 am to 4:00 pm; breakfast, lunch, refreshments and syllabus provided. The event will be held at the Dallas Marriott Las Colinas Hotel, located at 223 West Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, Texas 75039. To make reservations for the evening of December 10th at the special $135 TORCH rate, call the hotel directly at 972-831-0000. Watch your mail for the full brochure.

Rural Hospital Information Technology Conference January 22nd and 23rd
TORCH invites you to attend this unique education conference and tradeshow on rural hospital information technology. If you are planning for or are in the process of assessing, adopting or implementing new and advanced technologies like EHR/EMR, there is no better place to be than this leading conference on rural HIT. Are you ready to go for IT? Attend and discover excellent networking opportunities with your peers, industry professionals and policy experts. Visit with a variety of vendors showcasing their products, services and solutions. Learn about current health IT standards, policies, developments and techniques that will maximize your investment.
       Please go to the TORCH website to download the brochure, complete the registration form and return it to the TORCH office before January 14, 2008, to receive the low registration fee. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Austin Hotel, 701 E. 11th Street. A limited block of rooms at the special conference rate of $139 per night (single/double) is reserved for HITCON participants. Reserve your room before January 2, 2008, for the special rate. To make reservations, call the hotel directly at (888) 627-8349.

Grant Workshop-January 24, 2008
Make plans to participate in our Second Annual Grant Workshop for Rural Hospitals in Austin at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. This workshop features experienced grant writers, developers, administrators and reviewers to provide information to insure you are successful in your grant applications. Watch for the program brochure to be sent out soon!

TORCH Annual Conference and Trade Show
The Texas Conference of Rural and Community Hospitals is rapidly approaching. Please make your plans now to be in Dallas on March 18th through the 20th. This year we will consider how you can help your hospital to become a ‘Super Hospital’. The presentations will be geared toward performance improvement, efficiency, quality, advocacy and finance; all of which play a vital role in maintaining your ability to meet the needs of your local community. The event will again be held at the Hotel Inter-Continental Dallas. More information will be available soon.

November 14th was World Diabetes Day, but nowhere is that issue more close to home than here in Texas. Did you know that according to the Texas Diabetes Council, diabetes affects 1.3 million adult Texans estimated to be diagnosed with the disease and another 418,134 adults believed to be undiagnosed? Overall, it’s the sixth leading cause of death in Texas; however, it’s the fourth leading cause among African Americans and Hispanics.
      These disparities in diabetes mortality across racial and ethnic groups are a grim reminder that not all Texans with diabetes have equal opportunity to manage it. While new medications and treatment protocols promise healthier lives for persons with diabetes, many Texans with diabetes still have limited access to culturally appropriate health care and diabetes self-management training which are critical to successful health outcomes.
      The TDC offers a Diabetes Tool Kit as an educational resource for health care professionals who work with patients who have diabetes. It includes treatment guidelines and algorithms developed by TDC medical advisory committees as well as handouts which may be copied for use in patient education. A PDF version of the revised Fourth Edition is currently available for viewing on the Diabetes Tool Kit web page.
      Print versions of the Tool Kit can also be ordered using the online order form. Please note that Tool Kits are no longer available for order through the Texas Department of State Health Services Forms and Literature Inquiry and Order Entry System. Order options include: a print format Tool Kit with binder (limit 5), updated contents pages to replace older versions or a CD containing PDF files (limit 10).
      Through increased partnership with the state’s academic health centers, advocacy groups, local health departments, community health centers, and local health care providers, TDC feels that resources for quality patient and professional diabetes education can be further expanded to underserved areas. For more information, go to http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/diabetes.

We are pleased to announce that Don McBeath has joined the Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH) as Director of Advocacy and Communications. In this role, Don will work closely with our state and federal lawmakers to keep them informed about the impact of legislation and agency rules on the rural and community hospitals in Texas.
      Don McBeath has comprehensive knowledge about rural issues in Texas and government policy - we are excited to have him on our team. He recently retired from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center where he served as the Director of Rural Health and Telemedicine. He also previously served as Lubbock County Judge for eight years, managed the Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office and has an early career background in radio and television news.
      Don and Quang Ngo went to Washington, DC, early last week to make introductions and advocate on behalf of the rural public hospitals that receive UPL dollars. Don and Quang made the most of their time. They visited with each and every rural Texas Congressman and both Senators. We are very pleased with what they were able to accomplish. Thank you to Don and Quang for working hard to ensure that all Texas hospitals retain this valuable financial benefit.
      You can help our cause by getting in contact with you local Congressman by emailing or faxing a letter in the next few weeks encouraging their support of the language in HR 3533 which would halt CMS rules for one more year from imposing changes in the UPL program which will negatively impact many of the rural and community hospitals in Texas. You can use Voter Voice to help send your message by going to www.torchnet.org and clicking on the ‘Grassroots Action Center’ button.

The RCH Protect Cooperative is a pool of hospitals designed to fund the cost of worker’s compensation coverage for rural public hospitals which is owned and controlled by the participating hospital members. It was designed such that when possible surplus funds are distributed back to the members in the form of a dividend. Through the members’ dedicated efforts to maintain a safe work environment for their employees while minimizing the cost of workers’ compensation losses, the pool has built its surplus to a level that has allowed it to provide a return this year.
      This dividend is the result of a particularly strong year for the Cooperative and marks the first year that the pool has been able to distribute a portion of its surplus. Hospitals that participated in RCH Protect, whether past or present, have helped to build its success. It is with great pleasure that we announce that the RCH Protect Cooperative Board of Directors has voted to issue dividends to the qualified hospital members that participated in program years 2001-02 and 2002-03. The dividend amount will be a combined total of $200,000 for both program years.
      The RCH Protect Board is very pleased to pay these dividends to the hospitals which participated in those successful program years. With a continued focus on safety and minimizing losses, the Board hopes to continue to return a portion of the surplus to members. If you are not currently a member of RCH Protect and would like to learn more about the benefits of the pool, please contact Stuart Stagner or Duane Hager at Innovative Risk Management, 972/518-1577.

Earlier this year the TORCH Insurance Committee held a strategic planning session. The resulting strategic plan included a goal to facilitate an annual insurance program survey in order to provide the committee with feedback from TORCH members about the value and utility of the organization’s insurance offerings. Together with the staff at HealthSure, we developed a short seven question survey that posed general questions about the current programs.
      We are pleased to say that we received over 35% of the surveys back fully completed. Customer service and value both got a 93% favorable rating, with 87% of respondents saying that the TORCH insurance program was meeting the needs of their hospital, and 79% showed a willingness to recommend the products to others. Overall, 57% rated their satisfaction as “Very Good” and another 36% rated it “Good.” When asked to rank the attributes of a successful insurance program, the respondents listed the following in order of priority: appropriate coverage, cost of insurance, customer service, companies/carriers available, and number of quotes/bids provided.
      The survey results clearly show that we remain on target with the goals that were set out in our strategic plan. Our products are highly marketable and participating hospitals are responding very well to the level of service and affordability of the insurances they purchase through TORCH and HealthSure. As we head into 2008, let us be sure to make an effort to reach out to those hospitals that are not purchasing coverage through an organization-sponsored program. The more hospitals that participate, the more we can offer in the way of service and value to TORCH members.

HealthSure is happy to announce Patti Johnston as the new TORCH Insurance Program Account Manager. She will be working with Barry Couch in providing services to TORCH hospitals, while Brant Couch will continue to market the full range of insurance products to TORCH members and other rural hospitals.
      Prior to joining HealthSure, Patti spent seven years at Extraco Insurance Services Corporation serving in school districts, governmental entities, and many large commercial accounts. She has more than 22 years of experience in business and institutional insurance and customer services. Patti has attained professional designations as a Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) and a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). In addition, she is a member of the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research.
      Patti’s priorities in her new role will include counseling, arranging and designing service plans and delivering on our promises to TORCH members. She is dedicated to providing the very highest standard of customer service for our valued TORCH clients. Patti continues to work with Michelle Lee and Tanya Cannon, whom many of our clients have come to know in the past.
       Patti can be reached by phone at (254) 773-9814 ext. 303 or by email at pattij@healthsure.com. Please join us in welcoming her to our team!