WMC affected by Crowdstrike outage

Chief Nursing Officer Brandy Kottman reported that the hospital was one of countless businesses affected by the Crowdstrike outage that hit Microsoft computers using the third-party cybersecurity software on Friday, July 19.

She said, “All of our computers were down. We were unable to transfer images from our radiology department. Thankfully, Doctor [John] Bramble was in town, so he was able to read images while we were down, and we did not have to divert trauma or stroke patients.”

She continued, “We did reschedule any outpatient procedures until computers were back up to focus on our inpatient population. We did everything via paper documentation — we went old-school, but everything we needed immediately was back up by about 4 p.m. that afternoon. We were fully restored by Saturday.”

OFFICERS

The Washakie Medical Center Board of Directors held an annual vote at their July 23 meeting to determine the officers for the next year; members unanimously voted in favor of a motion to approve officers as-is — Dean Carrel, president; Sheri Gunderson, vice president; Ryan Baumeister, treasurer; Chuck Glade, secretary.

CURAE PAYMENT PLANS

Patient Access Services Manager Becky Davis began the meeting with a presentation about Curae, Banner Health’s patient financing program.

The program began in 2019 to offer flexible financing options to the typical hospital customer, allowing them to set up personalized payment plans for their medical costs. When a patient signs up with Curae, they receive a card that functions as a credit card at any Banner Health location, including Washakie Medical Center and the outpatient clinic across the street. You can use this card to take out a line of credit for medical purposes, interest-free, for up to two years.

You can go to http://www.bannerhealth.com/curaefinancing to fill out an application, and find out in seconds whether you qualify for a plan. Filling out an application does not impact credit score.

REPORTS

Treasurer Ryan Baumeister stated that Sheet Metal Specialties, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning company in Casper who was responsible for the installation of a new air handler unit at the hospital, has updated their standing with SAM.gov, a database of entities that provide contract services for government-funded entities.

Sheet Metal Specialties was paid approximately $124,000 for the project, with payment coming directly from the Washakie County Clerk’s office via remaining American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Deborah Briggs was absent from the meeting, and Kottman filled in to provide the financial report for the month of June.

Washakie Medical Center reported a gross revenue of $4.7 million for the month, down $650,000 from the prior month. Net revenue was $2.9 million, lower than prior month by $261,000.

Expenses were $2.8 million, and net income was a loss of $142,000.

All losses are covered by Banner Health.

CEO Lisa Van Brunt was absent from the meeting, so Kottman also provided the CEO report. She reported that Peter Fine, the CEO of Banner Health has retired after nearly 24 years of running the company. Amy Perry, who previously served as president of the company under Fine, was chosen as his successor and is the new CEO.

Kottman also stated that the hospital’s new MRI machine was powered up for the first time on July 15, and will undergo rigorous calibration by a team of engineers to prepare it for use. She said that the machine will be ready for its first patient in August, giving a tentative date of “within the first couple weeks, depending on when the calibration is finished.”