Monday, Feb. 23 saw the first Oceana County Medical Care Facility (OCMCF) Board of Directors meeting with new administrator Sally Choponis at the helm. Choponis, who began Feb. 9, also introduced new Administrative Assistant Grace Eppard, who has recently transitioned into administration from the nursing department.
These are not the only staff changes upcoming within the OCMCF, as Director of Nursing (DON) Christa VanDuinen will be leaving the facility. The process of selecting a replacement is underway, with Choponis reporting the facility received seven applicants from the job posting, which was made public on Indeed as well as circulated internally. Of those seven applicants, three were interviewed, and Choponis shared the résumé of the top candidate with the board.
The top candidate was selected for “their technical expertise in reimbursement and compliance… [which] will help drive financial outcomes and will help with care quality measures.” The candidate has been in nursing since 2012, with five years in a supervisory position, with high-level MDS Coordination knowledge. Choponis also recommended the plan to offer the candidate a salary of $110,000 based on their level of experience commensurate with the facility’s existing pay schedule. Personal information about the candidate was redacted for the meeting on the recommendation of HR. While policy dictates candidate résumés be shared with the board, the decision to hire is ultimately that of Administration.
VanDuinen, who was present at the meeting, expressed her gratitude to the board and reflected on her nearly 29 years at OCMCF. “Thank you for all the support that I have had over the years. I appreciate it and enjoy being a part of Oceana.”
The board, likewise, thanked her for her exemplary work in the role of DON and wished her well in her future endeavors. Until a job offer can be made and accepted and a new DON joins the facility, Kristina Wilson-Rapson will serve as interim DON, having had previous experience in the role from 2008-2009 at OCMCF.
There were several updates from several OCMCF departments, including outpatient therapy, corporate compliance, social work and activities. Outpatient therapy is restructuring gym policies and availability as an employee benefit and is now offering pelvic floor training.
Concerning OCMCF’s corporate compliance, the facility is restructuring the administrative assistant position to comply with CMS expectations, Michigan Public Sector best practices and better “establish the duties of this position and the role of which it would be most appropriate.”
The Social Work Department is underway in their efforts to determine OCMCF personnel best fit for work cases in the Alzheimer’s Unit (AU). The facility has also recently enjoyed a performance from the Shelby Jazz Band, a visit from Hart City Manager Nichole Kleiner, and the Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Luncheon, which was attended by nine resident couples. For operational updates regarding the facility, the new Lochinvar boiler was installed on Feb. 18, leaving the AU without hot water for 22 days, however, alternative measures were provided to minimize a change in quality of resident care. New EVS Director Daron Troyer attended the meeting as well to discuss with the board his adjustment to the role, receive feedback, insight and advice board members could offer as they continue to work towards improving the facility’s service equipment.
The board also approved a new contract for the Nurse Unit in a unanimous decision. This contract would see a total 5% wage increase over the next three years and an equal 3.5% wage-step increase for each position. Said Choponis on the contract items, “these adjustments are intended to preserve internal equity but strengthen retention in the experienced clinical staff at the same time.”
Finally, OCMCF is working towards accreditation from United Healthcare, which would expand the list of health insurance providers the facility and its services can accept. This has been an ongoing goal in order to provide service to as many people as possible in Oceana County. This concern was highlighted in the denials report, which showed that of the 46 denials in January, 21 were due to the individual having an unaccepted insurance provider.
