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Show Region Health Board Adopts $1.4-Million Budget for 1985-86 The Southwest Utah Board of Health adopted a 1985-86 budget of approximately $1.4 million to operate its program in the five county area of Garfield, Iron, Beaver, Washington and Kane, according to recently released minutes of its June meeting held in Kanab at the Kane County commission chambers. The adopation was subject to subsequent review of each county's funding by the various county commissions. Commissioner Kurt Young, Washington County, expressed two concerns, noting that the counties were on a calendar year for their budgets and that changes in funding levels by the counties could not take place until Jan. 1, 1986. He also noted that there was a proposed seven percent increase in salaries and that since counties had increased their own employees' salaries by only three percent, he felt he could justify no more than that for the health department. His recommended changes were incorporated into the budget before it was adopted unanimously by the board. The board also adopted a personnel policy which rtates "employees who breach areas of confidentiality, create unrest among employees in the organization, or are determined to be disloyal can be grounds for demotion or immediate dismissal." ' The board also decided to award a management services contract to Inverness Services, Inc. to work with the Southwest home Health Agency at $3,500 a month. The contract would have a 30-day cancellation clause with the requirement that the costs of the services be covered from Medicare reimbursement. Garfield County Attorney Pat Nolan was assigned to review the -agreement which the board stipulated would be drafted by Inverness in a simple contract. Bill Blonsley, representing Inverness Services, Inc. was introduced to the board by Southwest District Health Department Director Bill Coffman. Blonsley told the board that he could see several major issues facing the home health industry, He said that removal of waiver reliability, with Medicare no longer assuming that service claim by a home health agency is automatically reimburseable, was first. He said Medicare wouVj now carefully analyze all billings, slowing down the cash flow to agencies and proposed that Medicare appeared to be making a conscious effort to reduce the number of home health care agencies. He said that Medicare is proposing to require that the patients under Medicare pay $4.80 per visit after the first 20 visits by the home health agency. He said that implementation of new formulas by Medicare to calculate reimbursement to home health agencies will set a new, lower maximum amount payable to agencies. He estimated that the net effect would be that approximately 2,000 out of 5,000 agencies now in existence would be forced cut of business. |