Here soon, Newman Regional Health will start a new era of medical care.
The hospital’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the purchase of a da Vinci robotic surgery system with a cost of $2.7 million. Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright says this is a step that positions the hospital well for the future.
Board members have been discussing this option for most of the year, and Wright says the recent recruitment of two general surgeons sped up the process. Wright says the addition of robotic technology will be vital for certain fields, including gynecology and urology, as it will help to reduce blood loss and shorten patient stays after surgeries are completed.
Off the surgery topic, September was a good month financially for the hospital. Inpatient revenue was almost 33 percent above projections for the month, while outpatient revenue was 12 percent above expectations and other patient revenue topped expectations by almost 9 percent.
Wright says patient traffic is easing now, but he’d like more available bed space before the return of typical winter illnesses like influenza.
Wright also says Newman Regional Health is still waiting for federal guidance after the announcement of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate about six weeks ago. The hospital started taking applications for religious and medical exemptions, but Wright says there may not be a lot of time to process those once the rules are announced.
