SUBLETTE COUNTY – The Sublette County Hospital District Board met Monday, Jan. 15, in a special meeting to talk about payments, vouchers and reimbursements.

By the end of the 3-hour meeting, chair Tonia Hoffman, board members Jamison Ziegler, Kenda Tanner, Dave Bell and Ashli Tatro concluded that as work progresses on the county’s new hospital and longterm care center facilities, they might need two regular meetings each month.

One, with Sublette County Health’s interim administrator Lindsey Bond and department heads, could be just for payroll.

But the first “imperative” topic on the agenda was to request board approval to pay November’s construction bills from the SCHD’s own funds. November bills were presented to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which reviews every voucher in the SCHD’s monthly PayApplication reports before reimbursing the district.

The district compiles all construction invoices each month from the owner, owner’s rep Karl Lueschow, builder Layton Construction and the architect and submits them to USDA for its stamp of approval before SCHD can withdraw construction funds from its USDA loan and the county’s share set aside for construction, Hoffman explained.

SCHD then approaches Sublette County commissioners for 50-percent reimbursement.

“I spent a significant amount of time with the USDA,” Hoffman told the board. “But it’s imperative that we pay (November vouchers) directly.”

Bell asked why the November “PayApps” was delayed.

“The people that were handling it for us are gone,” Hoffman said. The board and administration are struggling to streamline the “derailed process” to get the monthly report done in timely fashion, she said.

Hoffman said former SCHD administrator Dave Doorn submitted several items for reimbursement in July that the board was unaware of and now is dealing with retroactively.

“Purely from a process perspective,” she said.

Bond said the USDA wanted more details “so all of the numbers speak to each other.”

Initially the SCHD used a template made by Doorn and Layton that needs to be adjusted.

“We found our vulnerabilities in the last week,” Hoffman said. “The USDA has been very gracious working with us.”

The board moved “aye” to approve payment of $1,854,825.59 from district funds and wait for the USDA to approve the November report so the board can be reimbursed, she said.

That is the only month that was held up, according to SCHD’s Kari DeWitt.

Hoffman said her second item was to approve two current non-construction invoices for payment that night and review the rest at the SCHD’s regular meeting on Jan. 25. Bond has authority to write checks for under $20,000 and at least two board members must sign checks for more.

She asked the board for thoughts on more meetings to adjust the “workflow for future invoices and payments.”

The recent transition merging Sublette County Health and the Sublette Center has added burdens to both facility’s administrators and the board wants to “adjust the process so it works for everybody.”

More discussion on workflow and change orders will take place at the SCHD’s regular meeting on Jan. 24.

Confirmed

Hoffman said Tuesday the board did not discuss physician’s assistant Jason Ray’s earlier termination at the special meeting because it was not on the already-set Jan. 15 agenda.

First, she confirmed that Dr. Stephen “Buck” Wallace was no longer on administrative leave and no longer employed at SCHD.

She also confirmed PA Ray was terminated Monday morning, Jan. 15, by SCHD’s interim administrator Lindsey Bond.

“It was not a board decision; it was an administrative decision,” Hoffman said. “We work together very closely – the ultimate decision was administrative and the board stood wholeheartedly behind it.”

Bond holds “the ultimate authority” but consulted with medical director Dr. David Burnett and the board.

“There was a complaint lodged with the district the weekend before last weekend, a complaint of a very serious nature,” Hoffman said. “The claims were investigated internally and substantiated.” Ray’s termination was based on that complaint.

“We put our patients first … and we do support our administration,” Hoffman said.