LHD hears Dragon Ambient eXperience presentation
The Lavaca Hospital District Board of Directors met Monday evening in its regular monthly meeting and heard a presentation on Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) program that has been added to the clinic.
Lavaca Family Health Clinic director of clinic operations, Angela Henneke, RN, told the board DAX program is available for the full-time family practice providers of the clinic with a few choosing to utilize the tool.
Henneke said the tool contains artificial intelligence (AI) as well as a human aspect and involves recording a health concern conversation between the provider and patient during an appointment.
“It (DAX) involves an iPhone where the provider and patient conversation is recorded during an appointment,” Henneke said. “The AI puts the conversation into note form and a person on the other end reviews and makes it presentable.”
She said the notes are then available in the providers inbox to review, make adjustments, edit or do whatever is needed to be done and then can signoff. Henneke said the patient gives a one-time consent for using the tool and can retract at anytime.
“We really haven’t had a lot of patients who have refused giving their consent,” Henneke said. “When asked for consent, most will say ‘If it helps, go ahead and use it’”.
According to Henneke, DAX only records the medical aspect of a patient/provider conversation and not anything that is said in general during the appointment. She said the conversation recorded goes into cloud, the information is not stored and once it’s used goes out of the cloud and disappears.
"Probably the person who it has most affected is Dr Heck,” Henneke said. “She is able to leave at the end of the day with all her notes done. She is 100% happy with this program.”
Medical Staff Applications:
The board accepted a list of medical staff applications presented by LMC chief of staff Dr. Maurice Wilkinson. Physicians whose applications were accepted include two for Advancement from Provisional Courtesy Staff, one for Application for Provisional Courtesy Staff, three for Application for Provisional Consulting Staff as well as an Addendum to Allied Health Personnel Privileges, who included Lisa Baker, Family Nurse Practitioner and Lauren Kutac, Family Nurse Practitioner/Hospitalist. Administration/Financial Report Lavaca Medical Center administrator, Steve Bowen, presented the administration and financial report for February.
Bowen said due to some new members on the board, he plans to start again having short department reports from staff members beginning at the March meeting. Bowen announced that Kody Selzer, M.D. will be joining the LMC hospital/ clinic staff in August. Regarding the Physical Therapy/Wellness Center expansion project, Bowen informed the board there will be a meeting Wednesday with the architects and listed the process to be followed. He said the architects feel they can have construction documents ready by the end of May.
Bowen said he would then bring the documents to the board for approval as well as grant him authorization to seek bids. After the bids are returned, he would then ask for board approval to move forward.
“We’re probably looking at late summer before getting the process going,” Bowen said.
Bowen reported they celebrated COVID Heroes Day with the LMC employees on Monday, March 4. He said the day has been established by the Texas Legislature and they will continue to celebrate the day each year. Bowen informed the board with Amanda Klein leaving the clinic, April Hall will replace her beginning in May. Bowen said he submitted a grant request to the Johnson Foundation to purchase a 3D Mammography machine. He said they will host a Health Fair at LMC on May 15 and a doctor he has been recruiting is needing to complete required certification test and could be joining LMC in the fall.
Regarding the financial report, Bowen said the gross district revenue was up 16%, the total other revenue was up 17% and the total all district revenue was up 16% for this year as compared to last year at this time.
The clinic revenue was up 3%.
Board president James Fenner presided over the meeting with board members Rosanne Gallia, Gene Schott, Forrest Kroschel, Carl Hobbs, Doug Kubicek and Ronald Juenke present for the meeting.