CMS compliance letter signed, survey responses shared

SEELEY LAKE – At their April 20 meeting, the Seeley-Swan Hospital District board unanimously approved the letter to Partnership Health Center (PHC) acknowledging that the board members entering PHC facilities on official business will comply with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) vaccination mandate.

PHC presented them with the letter at their March meeting. The letter states that the board chair acknowledges that the board has a process in place to show that board members are either fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption should they enter the Seeley-Swan Medical Center facility on official board businesses. While the board discussed it in March, they took no official action.

District Clerk Marty Kux contacted County Attorney John Hart. Hart confirmed that by signing the letter, the board is certifying that trustees entering the clinic for purposes of board responsibilities will comply with the vaccination mandate. If a board member needs to enter the facility for board responsibilities, the board will need to have a process in place to ensure the trustee complies, either by sharing their vaccination status or approved exemption.

“What that process is, is up to you the way I understand it,” Seeley-Swan Medical Center Clinic Manager Georgiann McCoy said. “CMS is allowed to do this because of the fact that we are in healthcare.”

Trustees Suzanne Philippus-Palm and Terryl Bartlett said they were opposed to signing the letter.

“I’m a volunteer for this board and I feel like it is a slight overreach into my personal information,” Bartlett said. “To that end, until we decide to go back to in-person meetings at the clinic, it is a little bit of a mute point for anyone to get our dander up.”

Richardson reminded the board that it is a federal requirement. He does not see a big deal with signing it. It does not appear that they need to collect any documentation unless they start meeting in the facility or need to be in the facility on official business.

Chair Twyla Johnson agreed with Richardson and said she did not foresee them resuming in-person meetings at the clinic in the near future.

“I’m ok signing this letter if it is a federal requirement because I don’t think we are going to have an issue,” Johnson said.

Kux said there are at least a few board members and himself that are willing to comply with the mandate and be able to enter the clinic on official business. The board can make accommodations for any board member who prefers not to share their vaccination status or exemption.

Johnson agreed.

“I would propose that we just sign this letter and continue to do what we are doing. It is my name on the letter as the board chair and I would not ask anyone who is opposed to go in the clinic if they have to show any kind of proof of vaccination or anything like that,” Johnson said. “We will just continue our ZOOM meetings and we don’t have to be in the clinic. I’m not willing to lose board members over that. I respect their opinion and their position on the situation. I think this is becoming more than it needs to be.”

Bartlett reiterated that she is volunteering her time and the federal government has no business in that.

“That is my stand on that. If you can live with that I’m willing to bend to concede to Twyla signing this letter on our behalf,” Bartlett said. “This is a volunteer position and I don’t need to disclose my private information to anyone.”

Philippus-Palm agreed with Bartlett but thinks it is a “stupid mandate for a volunteer position but I think we probably don’t even have a choice because it is coming from the federal government.”

The board voted unanimously to sign the letter and return to PHC.

In other business, McCoy said that they sent out a survey to dental and medical patients of the Seeley-Swan Medical Clinic that were seen in January and February. Of the 415 surveys sent out, they received 50 responses within a week.

Based on the results of the 12-question survey, they scored 4.52 overall on a scale of 0-5. The questions with the highest score were: staff members at the Clinic treat patients with courtesy and respect (4.74); privacy and confidentially were respected and protected (4.68) and provider listens carefully (4.66). The question with the lowest score was having access to provider for telehealth appointments is important. It received a 3.9.

“Apparently in Seeley we would rather do face-to-face which makes a lot of sense because that is the kind of patients we are,” McCoy said. “I was so pleased. I knew how phenomenal the staff was before I ever starting working but to see if from our patients and in real print, not just in a text message, this was really heartwarming and I just can’t say enough about the wonderful people we have working there.”

Johnson was impressed with the return rate and congratulated the staff for their excellent service they provide the community.

The next meeting is scheduled at 5 p.m. May 10 via conference call.