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Health Commission approves DPH FY2014-16 budget; highlights IT and staffing investments
Summary
The Health Commission voted to forward the Department of Public Health's proposed $1.9 billion FY2014-16 budget to the Mayor's Office, highlighting investments in IT infrastructure, staffing for the new San Francisco General Hospital and mental-health services funding adjustments.
The San Francisco Health Commission voted unanimously to accept and forward the Department of Public Health—s proposed FY2014-16 budget to the Mayor's Office.
Greg Wagner, DPH chief financial officer, presented the second hearing on the proposed operating budget (approximately $1.9 billion) and explained a small number of amendments: appropriation of the expected Mental Health Services Act award amount, addition of two medical-records analyst positions to support electronic health-record billing integration, and corrected FTE counts. Wagner said the budget prioritizes access-to-care investments and IT infrastructure upgrades to support billing and clinical systems, and includes staffing to prepare for the opening of the new San Francisco General Hospital.
Commissioners asked about filling FTEs in a tight labor market, the timeline for the call-center/access improvements and the long-term need for major IT investments and revenue strategies to support them. Commissioner remarks stressed the importance of integrating IT investments with revenue and quality goals; staff acknowledged the scale of the challenge and said the CIO and HR director are addressing infrastructure and hiring pipeline questions.
The commission moved, seconded and approved the budget to be submitted to the Mayor's Office; staff noted upcoming Board of Supervisors hearings and key calendar milestones for budget adoption in July.
