Haxtun Health adds cardiologist and equipment

Haxtun Health’s Specialty Clinic has some new, advanced technology and equipment to go along with the addition of Dr. Ehrin Armstrong, a Cardiologist, who will begin seeing patients locally next month. The announcement of the new equipment, and an update on recent legislation, came to Haxtun Health Board of Directors in a Monday night, May 20 meeting.

According to Chief Executive Officer Dewane Pace, the Specialty Clinic now has Venclose technology as well as an ABI machine for vascular studies and MolecuLight for wound care. Several of these new additions, he said, were purchased with funds from grants.

Armstrong, who is set to begin seeing patients on June 14, is a Harvard Medical School graduate and specializes in vascular surgery and wound care. To assist Armstrong with treatment, Haxtun Health secured Venclose technology through a no-cost agreement with the manufacturer. Venclose is the current standard of care for endovenous radiofrequency vein ablation and treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. It works by closing diseased veins and restores healthy blood flow. Venclose is a heat-based treatment that is minimally invasive and is performed as an outpatient procedure.

The ABI machine, for vascular studies, is an Ankle Brachial Index machine that is used for fast and simple screening of the lower limbs to provide indication of the physiological severity of the vascular pathology. This machine was secured with grant funds awarded in 2023.

Also funded through a 2023 grant, the MolecuLight is a point-of-care wound care imaging device for the detection of the presence and location of elevated bacterial loads and digital wound measurement. With MolecuLight, providers can get real-time evidence and documentation of bioburden in a wound.

In addition to his overview of the new equipment and technology, Pace also gave an in-depth update on the status House Bill 24-1472. Pace explained that a California trial lawyer, Nick Rowley, has been working with the Colorado Trail Lawyers Association and proposing removing the cap from Medical and General Liability claims.

“This had the potential to make insurance costs soar to unaffordable levels,” Pace said.

In early May, with just three days left of legislative session, HB 24-1472 – Raise Damage Limit Tort Action – was introduced after months of negotiations between Coloradoans Protecting Patient Access and the Colorado Trail Lawyers Association. Many hospitals, including Haxtun Health, participated in the CPPA’s work, including reaching out to legislators and also advocating for the Governor’s involvement to find a legislative solution and avoid costly ballot measures that could have eliminated all liability caps in the State and remove statutory protections for confidentiality in peer review programs.

“The terms of the agreement are less than ideal for either side, but at the same time, the CPPA coalition has been clear that a legislative solution was preferable to a costly ballot fight with no guarantee of success,” Pace said.

According to Pace, the terms are as follows:

• Medical liability: Over a five-year implementation period, increase the non-economic damages cap from the current $300,000 to $875,000 and establish a new separate wrongful death award capped at $1.575 million. Starting in 2030, caps will automatically adjust for inflation every two years;

• General liability: Increase the non-economic damages cap from the current $729,000 to $1.5 million and wrongful death cap from the current $642,000 to $1.125 million. Starting in 2028, caps will automatically be adjusted for inflation every two years;

• The confidentiality in peer review programs remain unchanged.

“HB 24-1472 passed the House and the Senate and is headed to Governor Polis for his signature,” said Pace. “While this bill will provide stability to Colorado’s health care system, insurance premiums that hospitals and health care providers pay are expected to increase significantly, adding to the overall cost of healthcare in Colorado.”

In other business:

• Chief Nursing Officer Lea White said Haxtun Health has one night shift nursing position open. She also said the Extended Care Unit census is at 18;

• Chief Community Relations Officer Julia Biesemeier reported that Haxtun Health will have a therapy team for the upcoming summer months with the following in place: Speech Therapist, Linda Falk; Physical Therapists, Melissa Rosintoski, Madelyn Vadney and Kayla Dockendorff; Physical Therapy Assistants, Peter Hammersmakr and Kerri Solan; and Occupational Therapist, Tanner Reed.