Veterans Memorial Hospital shows financial loss during slower month of July, discusses potential impact of One Big Beautiful Bill Act legislation
by Brianne Grimstad
The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Board of Trustees met for its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, August 26. The board heard a presentation from Mark Bishop, CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist), as part of the board’s “Meet the Manager” series.
Bishop explained the different service areas (Emergency Room, Surgery, Pain Management, etc.) that the anesthesia department covers. Bishop is also the current Chief of Staff at VMH and he also gave an update to the board on Medical Staff Credentialing and some of the different projects that are happening at VMH.
“It’s interesting to see the breadth of what our CRNAs do,” noted VMH Administrator Michael Coyle. “We really have them working to the full extent of their license. That really benefits VMH, as well as any small hospital that has full-time CRNAs.”
The board discussed and approved a new investment policy for VMH. Discussion then moved on to how VMH is looking to see what changes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will have on the hospital over the next several years.
“It’s going to have some significant impacts,” Coyle said, “especially for our Medicaid participants.”
He explained that there are new requirements for Medicaid recipients, including now applying semi-annually, and there is a work requirement in Iowa - though the specifics have not been determined yet. Coyle further explained that VMH has a growing Medicaid population and the hospital wants to make sure that they have the best information and resources possible in order to help support those Medicaid patients. The board also had a general conversation on how OBBBA will affect VMH in the next few years, until 2031-2032.
“There is a lot of uncertainty,” Coyle said, adding that a lot of aspects of the bill haven’t been finalized yet. “Our job here is to look into the future and try to mitigate any of those things that might cause us some financial hardship,” he said.
The hospital roofing project was completed in August, and work on the HVAC system will begin. VMH received a Facade Improvement Grant from the City of Waukon, so in early September there will be some new signage going up to give the hospital more “curb appeal” and help patients and visitors find the main entrance to the hospital.
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