Name: Scott Dilley

Occupation: Communication Director, Washington State Dairy Federation. Past Associate Director of Government Relations at Washington State Farm Bureau.

Relevant experience: Fifteen years of experience in public policy and communications at non-profits, primarily working in Olympia to advocate for the needs of family farmers and rural communities.

1. Grays Harbor Community Hospital serves a population that often ranks high in terms of chronic health problems and has a high percentage of patients who pay with government-backed insurance. On top of that, recruitment of health professionals has been a long-time problem. Given those conditions, what actions can the board take to overcome those obstacles?

It’s time to save our hospital.

We need a healthy Community Hospital, but because of financial and customer service challenges over the past few years, the public lacks confidence in the hospital administration. Without confidence and solid financial footing, it is impossible to attract and retain enough patients and medical providers.

The hospital district must work with local providers to serve as a clearinghouse for health care. A number of doctors and other medical professionals still on Grays Harbor no longer work with Community Hospital and its clinics. It’s time for a frank review of why this continues to happen. The board needs to lead and get to the bottom of why these providers will no longer work with our hospital system. To help attract and retain young doctors, we should establish and promote financial incentives, such as scholarships and student loan repayments.

Poor leadership is killing our hospital. Losing millions of dollars and greatly increasing debt is reckless.

My opponent is on the hospital board and think things are going well. I’ll bring better analysis, financial reality, and accountability for administrative actions.

The hospital would benefit from having more patients with private health insurance. Improving customer service will encourage patients to choose local care rather than go out of county. Our hospital needs to accept additional insurance plans so that people aren’t forced to seek care elsewhere. We need to remove the barriers for shopping the Harbor first for health care.

There is no guarantee that higher rates from government-backed insurance will continue in the future. The board needs to engage in serious financial planning now and formulate future budgets on different scenarios, so we are prepared for possible changes in state payments.

We were promised that openness, public accountability and more financial certainty would exist after the hospital transitioned to a public district. That openness never materialized and problems have continued. Changing the vision and culture of the hospital administration will help regain the confidence of the public, hospital employees and medical providers.

2. What are your ideas for a strategy that will put the hospital on better financial ground?

We can’t let bad management bankrupt our hospital.

Without better financial health, the hospital cannot provide transformational health in our community. In 2018, Community Hospital lost $12.4 million, and they are still behind this year. The hospital has dangerously low reserves, going from 60 days cash on hand in January 2017 to just 19 days now. Unpaid bills increased nearly $4.7 million in the first six months of 2019, and the Hospital District last year obligated taxpayers to $35 million in loans, in part to refinance hospital debt. The hospital cannot survive with this type of financial management.

I will push for increased financial transparency and clear goals, including easy-to-understand dashboards so the public can engage in conversations about our public finances. We should restore local billing jobs as a means to collect lagging revenue. We should explore more incentives for quick bill payment, such as how Summit Pacific provides a 25% discount for bills paid within 30 days of the billing.

We need to rebuild the reputation of the Community Hospital brand. We need to demonstrate to more Harborites that Community Hospital is a great place for medical services and specialties.

We need to expand health care services in Grays Harbor, not shrink them. The hospital district needs to enlarge its vision to include more wellness and preventative health care programs. Expanding services to underserved parts of the district such as Ocean Shores, Westport and Montesano will allow residents to have access to services locally and seek more specialized treatment in Aberdeen, resulting in increased care and more local referrals. To grow services, the hospital needs to work with community leaders to identify local needs, draft plans and solutions, and seek grants and loans for financing these ventures.

We need to investigate opportunities for additional services and revenue, such as partnering with the Veterans Administration, enhancing behavioral health options and embracing new technology via telemedicine.

3. In terms of priorities, what direction would you, as a commissioner, give the hospital administration?

I will prioritize complete financial reviews and transparency. If we wait too long for a change, it may be too late.

The board needs to set very clear short-term and long-term goals for collecting money owed to the hospital, for reducing the unpaid bills the hospital owes to vendors and for increasing operating reserves. We need clear benchmarks, expectations and regular reports. The board must demand accountability of the hospital executive team to ensure these standards are met.

The hospital needs regular, ongoing communication with the public – more than just public meetings. I will be a board member who is out and engaged with the public. People need to hear directly from commissioners and administrators at events and through local media.

Billing practices need to be overhauled. I have heard time and again of problems with the current system. We need to restore local billing jobs so that patients have real people to help resolve errors.

I will push for an honest conversation about re-engaging our local medical professionals.

I will work to ensure that all parts of the district have access to local health care services, to post ER wait times online (like Summit Pacific does), to establish more urgent care facilities, and to offer more behavioral health and substance abuse recovery programs.

IT infrastructure needs to be analyzed and updated to ensure security of patient information and for offering efficient, effective patient-focused care.