In their regular meeting this week, Bond County Health Department Administrator Sean Eifert told the Bond County Board of Health that the realized an increase in cash in the amount of $56,385 for the month of March. Eifert said he is hopeful the upward trend will continue as the health department is expecting increased revenue from several sources in the coming months. He noted the department has remained steady, financially, for nearly a year, indicating that measures taken to increase revenue and decrease costs have been successful.
The board reviewed in detail a proposal from a company called Operacare to assist its home health program in transitioning to a new payment model that will be implemented in January. The new payment model relies more heavily on clinical characteristics and other patient information and can potentially either boost an agency’s reimbursements or decrease reimbursements, depending on accuracy of assessments. Operacare will help to ensure the accuracy of assessments through several quality assurance mechanisms. The board voted unanimously to enter into a contract with Operacare.
Changes in the grant writing process were also discussed, specifically stemming from Illinois’ Grants Accountability and Transparency Act. Eifert reported the health department is in good standing in all areas.
