Newman Regional Health’s Board of Trustees spent much of its monthly meeting Wednesday discussing market share.
Chief Executive Officer Cathy Pimple discussed figures released by the Kansas Hospital Association, both for inpatient and outpatient utilization, for Lyon County specifically. Newman Regional Health’s utilization by people needing inpatient care was at just under 49 percent of the total market, down from the 51 percent the prior three years. Stormont-Vail was second, largely through its Emporia presence, at just under 18 percent the past two years. No other hospital system — the University of Kansas, Wesley, Children’s Mercy, Ascension Via Christi, Coffey County Hospital, Saint Luke’s or Kansas Heart Hospital — were above 10 percent market share.
For outpatient surgery use, Newman Regional Health had a 61 percent market share last year, up from the nearly 58 percent share from 2020-2022. Again, Stormont-Vail was second at around 17 percent last year and nearly 19 percent the prior two years.
Pimple was pleased with the outpatient stats, especially as services get closer to pre-pandemic levels.
This conversation comes as Newman Regional Health administrators prepare to start facilitated discussions with their Stormont-Vail counterparts about the possible future of a new $32 million medical facility in Emporia from Stormont-Vail. Pimple says those discussions are set to begin in April but other details are still pending. Newman Regional Health has submitted a list of zoning code text changes designed to add extra layers of local oversight for outside medical entities while protecting the hospital’s financial interests to a degree. The Planning Commission moved Newman Regional’s proposal to the City Commission without any recommendation on how to proceed. City commissioners likely won’t take action until the mediation process is finished.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Pimple released a memorandum from attorneys Pete Heaven and David Waters that essentially says the city has the legal ability to consider text amendments and make changes “to protect the very broad public health, safety and welfare of the Emporia community.” The updated memorandum also says the city should at least consider adopting a “moratorium ordinance” for a legal review and other study when the time comes for a decision.
Other meeting items included a discussion of the strategic planning timeline, which could lead to a finalized document by June after stakeholder discussions next month. The budget had a net loss of over $680,000 for January, unfavorable to projections by over $220,000 after outpatient and other patient revenue were both under budget for the month.