Skiff growing, expanding during first year with Mercy

Skiff Medical Center is investing in upgrades and improvements throughout its structure and staff, highlighting a year of growth and change since its affiliation with Catholic Health Initiatives and Mercy Des Moines last July.

“Our transition couldn’t have gone better,” Skiff CEO Brett Altman said. “I am overwhelmed by the staff and community’s support and positive praising.”

The hospital saw an immediate impact from Mercy in the form of cost-saving measures such as a half million dollars for purchasing supplies and more than $1 million per year in employee sponsored health insurance plans.

“That is big,” Altman said. “Mercy has also been investing in our staff. We went about four years without pay raises because of our financial situation. Mercy took over July 1 of last year and by Oct. 1 everyone received a merit increase and we anticipate that will happen again.”

Mercy is also investing in the hospital facility. In recent months, exterior tuck pointing and the renovation of the first floor and patient rooms have been taking place.

"Tuck pointing shows the bad shape our bricks and mortar were in.
In fact, we had bricks and mortar starting to fall off of the building. It is a $45,000 tuck pointing job on the 1921 original Skiff building," Altman said.

Additional renovations include new paint and carpeting throughout the first floor, updating the 25-year-old aesthetics of the hospital.

“If you’ve walked in the corridors on the first floor you know that it was wallpapered,” Altman said. “Just wait about six more months and the hospital will look like a completely different place than it was before, we’re about a third of the way through it now.”

One of the most exciting additions to the hospital, according to Altman, is the increased access to expertise. In the past year, local services have grown by adding five new orthopedic surgeons, a third oncologist visiting the Skiff Cancer Clinic, the creation of an on-site clinic for Iowa Heart Center with three cardiologists and two vascular surgeons and the addition of a neurologist, plastic/hand surgeon and a pain management physician.

Other growth in local health care has included the addition of a bilingual family practice and obstetrics provider, and a family practice physician assistant.

“We had one orthopedist last year at this time whose primary focus was on joints. He resigned later in July and left in September and we were very concerned,” Altman said. “Mercy said, don’t worry, we have a solution for you and that solution is now five orthopedists and a physician’s assistant.”

With the increased staff at the hospital, administrators began to see a need to expand the OR and endoscopy suites. The project includes reconfiguring the endoscopy suites along with the addition of an a second endoscopy room, improving the OR space and increasing the efficiency and flow for endoscopy suite procedures.

Additional aspects of the project include upgraded lighting in three of the operating rooms to LED lights, which radiate less heat, have a longer life and are more energy-efficient. They also provide a whiter and more consistent light, which provides better shadow control and a better environment for the surgeons.

“In the last couple of years we’ve got together about a dozen more specialty positions, and that’s a good thing. It also increases the amount of procedures that are being done in our operating rooms,” Dr. Dominic Formaro said. “To have two fully functioning endoscopy suites would alleviate some of that congestion and let us be more efficient.”

Graham Construction of Des Moines was approved for the renovation by Skiff at a total cost of $551,016. Skiff fundraising contributions will contribute $50,000 toward the project while the remaining funds will provided be provided from the money held by the city during the transition to Mercy.

“I think it is extremely important that we have those capabilities,” councilwoman Evelyn George said. “I always come back to one question — what is the value of that building if there is not a successful hospital in it?”

As Skiff moves into its second year as a Mercy affiliated hospital it plans to continue to grow and change, working to making it a successful piece of the Newton community.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com