A county-owned Illinois nursing home, which had reached a tipping point in its financial struggles, is taking a series of actions to try and bring itself back into the black.
The McLean County Nursing Home, in Normal, IL, lost $1.2 million last year and in April, a blue-ribbon panel of experts came up with a list of ideas to reverse that trend. In a recent interview with the local NPR affiliate, Administrator Cindy Wegner said linking up with an accountable care organization has proven most vital.
“The best thing that we’ve done is got into an agreement with the ACO,” which is tied to the Peoria-based OSF HealthCare hospital system, Wegner said. As a preferred provider in the network, they’ve now been receiving more referrals directly from OSF’s medical center in Bloomington, which has in turn boosted census numbers.
Since gaining preferred-provider status in September, they’ve added an additional 10 short-term rehab patients, representing $4,200 in payment each. They’ve also increased pay for registered nurses, and updated the facility with new furniture, flooring and a fresh coat of paint. Wegner hopes the changes will improve the community’s perception of the facility.
“I don’t want us to be considered the last resort,” she told WGLT. “I would like us to be considered the first resort for people because we have a lot to offer here.”
