Key CCHHS Board Member Resigns

Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board Meeting -  September 29, 2016

Key Board Member Resigns  
Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) Board Member Dr. Wayne Lerner submitted his resignation, with many commendations for his service by board members and by CEO Dr. Jay Shannon.  As chair of the CCHHS Managed Care committee, Dr. Lerner stressed the importance of CountyCare’s focus on (1) quality care; (2) risk management; (3) improving health status: and (4) a distribution of membership between healthy and less healthy to even out cost of care.

Significant Topics Discussed:

• Public speakers complained of abruptly closing the Oak Forest Health Center cafeteria that served 500 staff and patients.
• CCHHS Director of Public Health Dr. Terry Mason described the Partnership to Improve Community Health (PICH), funded through  three annual grants of $2m each from the Centers for Disease Control. The funds have been used for community programs focused on better access to smoke-free environments, healthy food, and street and forest preserve signage improvements for better access to physical activity, with encouraging results.
• Despite efforts only 57% of surgeries at Stroger Hospital start on time, due in part to staff shortages. Family Medical Leave Act allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for staff members.  Patient satisfaction level about 70% for both Stroger Hospital and the Ambulatory and Community Health Network (ACHN) experience.
• CountyCare membership below expectations, attributed to time-consuming redetermination process.  CountyCare seeks to grow membership in the coming months through marketing fairs and telephone contact.
• Dr. Shannon suggested CCHHS has more managers than needed, with an assessment due in coming months.  Time to hire averages 110 days, with 839 current vacancies.
• CCHHS is owed $20m in accrual from State of Illinois.  Loss of $22m in salaries/benefits due to 7.9% overtime. Explanation: expectations were that patient activity would lessen in 2016, so staff were accordingly reduced.
• The new plan to provide healthcare for uninsured Cook County residents earning up to twice the federal poverty level will be presented to the full county board in October.

​To Watch For:  With the resignations of Lewis Collens, Dr. Erika Marsh, and now Dr. Wayne Lerner, the CCHHS Board has lost expertise that has guided the board through the formative years of CountyCare and a challenging strategic planning process yielding a 3-year plan for the organization.  Can the new board members master the complicated workings of CCHHS and move the organization forward to achieve the aggressive goals laid out in the Strategic Plan?  Stay tuned. 

Observer - Linda Christianson                           Meeting Length - 3 hours