Stephens County Hospital Says They Continue To Make Profits

Despite tough economic times, Stephens County Hospital sees challenges, but no major problems.

Monday, the Hospital issued its monthly finance report. In that report, the Hospital stated they were very busy last month. Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said this increased revenue generation continues a trend that has gone on for three or four years. “In February, our gross revenue, or gross charges, was $8.6 million, which is a little bit higher than usual,” he said. “It just shows how busy we are. In fact, there were some nights in February when we virtually full.”

Gambrell said the people using Stephens County Hospital come from not just Toccoa, but surrounding towns and counties as well. “We pull from a large area and that is due in large part to our medical staff here,” said the administrator. “We have a wonderful medical staff here and they have patients that live all over the place.”

Even as the hospital remains busy and generates revenue though, it still has to collect the bills it sends out in order to make ends meet or turn a profit. Gambrell said that can prove challenging for all hospitals and Stephens County Hospital is no different. “Most of our revenue is generated from Medicare and Medicaid, which does not pay full charge,” he explained. “So, because of that, collections are OK. They are not great, but they are not bad either.” According to Gambrell, the collections are slightly better than he might expect when all things are considered regarding the economy.

In general, Gambrell said the hospital is making a profit, albeit a lower profit than was projected in the current fiscal year’s budget. He emphasized, though, it is still a profit. “With the economy as it is right now, it is a strange time and one I have not seen in my 30 years in health care,” said Gambrell. “Right now, Stephens County Hospital is definitely keeping its head above water.”

Gambrell says with the economy the way it is, it remains important to watch all expenses to ensure money is saved whenever and wherever possible.