Dateline: March 24, 2005

Hospital board names interim administrator

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Interim administrator Ron Wetzel of Claude took the helm of Clarendon’s Medical Center Nursing Home on Monday.

Wetzel, who has 16 years experience in nursing homes, was hired by the Donley County Hospital District Board during a called meeting Saturday. He will serve in that position until MCNH Director of Nurses Vicky Robertson can earn her administrator’s license and move up.

Wetzel and his wife, Sharon, own and operate the Palo Duro Nursing Home in Claude, and he also does interim work on the side. He just recently finished an interim job in Amarillo, where an employee of that facility was groomed to take over as administrator.

Robertson’s licensing procedure is expected to take between nine and 18 months, and Wetzel will serve as an at-will employee of the district during that time. He says his first impression of MCNH is that it is a beautiful facility, and he doesn’t expect to make any changes right away other than looking at ways to cut costs.

“I’m going to be looking at the budget line by line,” he said.

Wetzel also says that MCNH will be filing for Medicare certification to perform rehabilitation services.

“Currently, if you live in Clarendon and need rehab, you have to go to Claude or Amarillo,” he said. “We have people on staff who are familiar with that, and it could mean a new source of revenue.”

Wetzel said those needing rehab would likely be in the nursing home for two weeks to three months and that there should be no cost to the facility other than a licensing fee and performing another annual survey like the one already done for Medicaid certification.

In other hospital district news, the board changed the district’s organizational structure during its regular meeting last Tuesday. The action makes the administrator answerable to the board for the affairs of MCNH and makes the Director of Operations answerable directly to the board for all matters pertaining to the Associated Ambulance Authority.

The board also voted to raise billing rates for the ambulance service after Ambulance Director Anita Aaron said the local service was charging below most other services in the Panhandle.

Basic Life Support ambulance truck rate is now $450 up from $350, Advanced Life Support truck rate is now $550 up from $450, and the mileage rate increased from $8.25 per mile to $9.