November 13, 2014--17

ST CROIX DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD CONVENES

TO DISCUSS PROGRESS ON JFL'S SYSTEMS
IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENT, CRITICAL
RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, MENTAL HEALTH
PLANNING & OTHER PRIORITIES
~JFL Patient Satisfaction a Continued Priority~
On Wednesday, officials of the St. Croix District
Governing Board convened to review committee board
reports and to discuss key issues relative to meeting
certification compliance parameters as outlined by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
JFL CEO Dr. Kendall M. Griffith stated, "As we build
upon the progress we have made over the past few
months, we continue to implement new and innovative
procedures for increasing patient satisfaction and ensuring
quality care. We are working diligently with the Governor's
Office, the Delegate to Congress, members of the 30th
Legislature, the Territorial Board and the St. Croix District
Governing Board to finalize the Systems Improvement
Agreement for CMS and to bring about bold and creative
reform. Through these efforts, we are aggressively
addressing the critical issues facing JFL."
CMS granted JFL an extension of six weeks, from
October 9, 2014 to November 20, 2014, to collaborate with
key stakeholders in the development of a Systems

Improvement Agreement leading to sustainable outcomes

in the following nine months.
Griffith was pleased to report that the Legislature has
agreed to write a letter of support to CMS, a pivotal and
key endorsement of JFL's Systems Improvement
Agreement. Endorsements of the SIA by the Legislature,
the Governor, the Territorial Board and JFL's CEO are
required by the federal agency as part of the maintenance
of certification process. Griffith noted that fruitful
discussions continue with Government House, and a copy
of the draft document was also sent to Territorial Board
members for review.
A final version of the Systems Improvement Agreement
will be submitted to CMS before JFL's November 20, 2014
deadline. The federal agency's approval of the SIA will
enable the Hospital to implement the details of the
Agreement within a nine month time period. "This is
another critical benchmark for JFL, and we are, in fact,
ahead of schedule," Griffith said.
In a separate presentation, Dr. Mavis Matthew, Interim
Chief Medical Officer, discussed current medical staff
planning. Referencing the active and ongoing recruitment
efforts to attract highly qualified physicians for current
vacancies she said, "We are also recruiting to broaden the
services that we provide, including in the fields of
Pulmonology and Neurology. These services are potential
sources of new revenue and job creation for the Territory
and would decrease patients seeking off-island care."

JFL officials have been vocal about its physician and

nurse shortage, a healthcare issue that is gripping
Hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide. According
to an AMN Clinical Workforce Survey, 78 percent of U.S.
Hospitals surveyed are experiencing a physician shortage
while 66 percent are experiencing a shortage of nurses.
Referencing the priority of patient safety and overall
care, Hazel Philbert-Thomas, VP of Quality and
Performance Improvement, discussed steps underway to
ensure that JFL's programs are consistent with regulatory
requirements to mitigate risk, monitor quality of care and
promote the use of performance improvement. She said,
"These efforts will drive improvement in quality of care
outcomes." Thomas outlined Quality Assessment and
Performance Improvement (QAPI) Hospital data relative to
CMS' cited areas for improvement and corrective action.
"We have developed an aggressive approach," she said.
Board officials also received an impassioned
presentation on critical mental health issues facing the
community from guest speaker Aminah Saleem, VI Energy
Office Deputy Director. Saleem is an advocate for mental
health awareness and prompted important board
discussion regarding care for psychiatric patients on St.
Croix, including emergency care.
District Governing Board Chairperson Dr. Anthony
Ricketts stated that JFL has a patient advocate
department to assist psychiatric care cases. Griffith then

discussed the strong emphasis that JFL is placing on

planning for additional mental health care at JFL. He said,
"We are empathetic with the plight of the mentally ill and
their supporting family members. We recognize the need
for additional, on-island psychiatric care, especially
emergency cases. We are diligently working to resolve the
issue on the Hospital side, however, the Hospital only
represents a part of the overall plan for the mentally ill."
Referencing the Territorial plan in place, he continued,
"There is a consent decree commission that is working on
a comprehensive mental health plan, and we are taking
steps to fulfill our part of that effort. We have earmarked
$300,000 to dedicate and renovate a four room facility that
will house mentally ill patients who present to the
Emergency Room. These new rooms are not intended to
be an inpatient facility, but would help JFL to stabilize
patients for a short term period. We need to create a place
where we can quickly stabilize these patients."
Griffith said that the mental health facility will be open
in approximately four months. "I want to assure you that
we are not taking this issue lightly. We see this matter as a
critical priority, and we are working hard on this," he said.
District Governing Board Secretary Kimberly Jones
encouraged Saleem to lobby VI Senators for funding for
mental health priorities. She explained that of the $10
million requested from the senate for corrective action
measures, $1.5 million is line-itemed for JFL's behavioral
unit for psychiatric patients. "This funding is so absolutely

necessary to help provide the foundation of mental health

care that this community so desperately needs and rightly
deserves."
Additional issues discussed include: improving
customer service and communications with patients;
relieving Emergency Room wait times for non-emergent
cases via improvements to the Fast Track program;
Information Technology infrastructure upgrades including
a computerized physician order entry (COPE); a lab
interface program which allows physicians to retrieve
patient lab results from their offices; electronic medical
records upgrades, including providing remote access of
patient records; an electronic physician's encyclopedia;
and numerous other technology projects for revenue cycle
optimization, and Meditech optimization.
Griffith said, "In a very short time period, JFL has made
great strides and seen many accomplishments. Finances
are improving thanks to tighter financial controls and
stricter policies on revenue collection and generation, as
well as cost-cutting measures. Quality is improving
throughout the Hospital, staffing levels have improved,
and we have a highly sophisticated District Governing
Board. In addition, our IT build-out is nearing completion
and will ensure that JFL is one of the most technologically
advanced Hospitals in the country."
Griffith spoke of the progress of the entire Hospital
team in embracing reform efforts and said: "All the pieces
are coming together. We will remain strong, determined

and focused in meeting our goals. We just need to

complete what we have started. We are on our way."
The CEO acknowledged the partnership efforts of JFL's
leadership team, the District Governing Board, the
Territorial Board, as well as the many businesses and
individuals throughout the community who have embraced
JFL's commitment to embrace reform toward ensuring
compassionate, quality care for all patients.
Attendees of the St. Croix District Governing Board
meeting included: Dr. Anthony Ricketts, Chairman; Troy
de Chabert-Schuster, Vice Chairman; Phillip Arcidi,
Treasurer; Kimberly Jones, Secretary; Joyce Heyliger, as
well as JFL Executive Team members: Dr. Kendall M.
Griffith, Chief Executive Officer; Michael Younger,
Assistant CFO; Dr. Mavis Matthew, Interim Chief Medical
Officer; Justa Encarnacion, VP Clinical Services/Chief
Nursing Officer; Hazel Philbert-Thomas, VP Quality &
Performance Improvement; Keith James, Executive
Assistant to the CEO; and Taetia Phillips-Dorsett, Policy
Advisor, Office of the Governor.

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