SPECIAL RECOGNITION EDITION
Members of Mason Health’s Finance Department
Mason Health Finance Team goes above and beyond in 2022
While Mason Health patients most often interact with front-facing staff, such as nurses, doctors and registration specialists, much of the day-to-day operations at the District would not be possible without the tireless work of behind-the-scenes teams like the Finance Department. Last year, the Finance team achieved several major accomplishments, all while two long-time staff members transitioned to retirement. Join Mason Health in congratulating the team on a job well done!
• Completed three financial audits with no significant findings! The State of Washington requires public entities to undergo a financial audit annually, performed by their office or an independent accounting firm. The State also conducts an annual accountability audit, which looks at internal controls and regulatory compliance. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the accountability audit did not take place in 2021, resulting in a 2022 audit that spanned 2020 and 2021. Also due to the pandemic, the Finance Department underwent a third audit, focusing on the federal pandemic relief funds that Mason Health received. Three audits in one year is unprecedented.
which helps to better track them through the approval process. This system is also used to manage all purchasing activity, for everything from pens and Post-Its to patient care supplies. Multiview literally touches all departments. “We knew the old system would be sunsetting, and I think our team handled moving to an entirely new system very well,” Vierela said. “Everybody worked together to make it a success.”
• Transition to new Electronic Medical Records system. In 2021, Mason Health began transitioning to a new, localized electronic medical records system, Domain Northwest. The upgrade impacted every department that uses Mason Health’s electronic medical records and billing systems. When coupled with the Multiview transition, it significantly impacted financial operations. “There was a lot of work behind the scenes to implement these new systems,” Vierela said. “The transition’s finance-related activities were handled by Jon Hornburg, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis.”
• Implemented Multiview, a new financial system. Prior to Multiview, Mason Health used a manual process for invoice approval. The District transitioned to an electronic system that now allows the Finance Department to send invoices electronically,
• Payroll and Human Resources system transition. In addition to audits and other system upgrades, Mason Health launched a new payroll and HR system. The new system gives employees online access to their paystubs, W2s, and timecards all in the same place. “Laura Baldovin in Payroll and I spent a lot of time on this project, along with the entire Human Resources Department,” Vierela said. “In a perfect world, we would have been able to take on all of these projects separately, but we weren’t able to do that. We just had to roll up our sleeves, dig in and go for it.”
2 MASON HEALTH FINANCE
“The entire hospital, from clinical operations to Patient Financial Services, had major roles in the Domain Northwest implementation.”
“I have a lot of faith in my team. It’s satisfying to know that even under stressful situations, like the pandemic, we were still able to keep things organized and in a good financial state, so that we could pass our audits cleanly,” said Ruth Vierela, Director of Finance.From left, Mason Health Accountant Kristi Bratton and Accounting Specialists Emily Gott, Justine Webb and Amanda Dickson were instrumental in helping the Finance Department complete three financial audits with no significant findings. Jon Hornburg, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis Director of Finance Ruth Vierela and Payroll Administrator Laura Baldovin worked closely with the Human Resources Department on the transition of the Payroll/HR system. On the cover: Members of Mason Health’s Finance Team include, clockwise from left: Accounting Specialist Accounts Payable Amanda Dickson, Chief Financial Officer Steve Leslie, Accounting Specialist General Ledger Emily Gott, Director of Financial Planning & Analysis Jon Hornburg, Executive Assistant to CFO Peggy Utesch, Accountant Kristi Bratton, Accounting Specialist Cash Justine Webb, Director of Finance Ruth Vierela, and Payroll Administrator Laura Baldovin