Two awards for West Wimmera Health Service finance team

The health service won two awards at the Healthcare Financial Management Association's 2021 National awards, which recognise excellence in the field.

Although sometimes overlooked in the wider medical industry, financial management is key for making sure services and resources are available to keep regional health services functioning.

The West Wimmera Health Service Finance Team was awarded the HFMA 2021 Rural Team of the Year Winner for their tireless work in taking on the financial requirements of another hospital which needed support on top of the increased workload from COVID-19 reporting.

Despite being small and new, the finance team stepped up to the challenge of managing the financials of Edenhope District Memorial Hospital which was unable to employ an in-house finance team.

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West Wimmera Health Service took on and overcame the challenge of systems that were not up to date and different; incomplete historical data, developing and implementing new business processes and procedures; training and mentoring new staff; financial reporting for two hospitals for two boards.

West Wimmera Health Service Executive Director Janette Lakin said the extra responsibilities showcased the team's ability to collaborate and make efficiency improvements - something she thought was doable.

"It was a great opportunity to develop another team and improve another health service's financial area," she said.

"Providing financial assistance to a new board provided more exposure in the industry. It also enabled financial experience and pathways for all staff involved in learning in a rural setting."

Ms Lakin explained that finance was usually back of office so the community didn't see its impact as often as other departments of the health service.

However as an example, the procurement of the Wellbeing Hub for Edenhope was the result of presenting a good financial analysis and a sound business case, which won the support of the Board, and led to new services being offered to the community.

West Wimmera Health Service data analyist Isaac Lee also won the Rising Star award, which recognises up-and-comers in the industry.

"People are often put off from learning complex concepts because these concepts initially seem overwhelming, which they believe only a specialist can manage," he said.

"I help them unlock some very powerful tools that will make their jobs easier by breaking down the concepts into bite sized chunks that can be easily digested.

"I am passionate about automation because it reduces workloads while simultaneously creating more time - it's like creating value out of thin air. Time is scarce and therefore precious in health services.

"An increase in efficiency means a reduction in overheads. And a reduction in overheads means either a cost saving that can be passed on, or the freeing up of resources which can be reallocated towards improving patient care."

He provides the example of aged care data reporting. Turning a four-hour manual process each month, to an estimated 10 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes to review.

"Considering it cost the Business & Strategy team only 6 hours of work to automate and now saves more than 3 hours of work each month, we are already breaking even on our time investment after 2 months," he said.

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