MOSES LAKE - Samaritan Healthcare is one of five hospitals in Washington and Idaho that will participate in a program to improve Medicare patient satisfaction.

The mandatory program involves the five hospitals with the lowest Medicare patient satisfaction scores in the two states, said Laurie Polneau, one of the hospital's administrators. The new program will start with the obstetrics department, because that's the area with the highest patient volume but the lowest patient satisfaction scores, Polneau said.

In other business at the regular hospital board meeting Thursday, chief financial officer Tom Legel reported the hospital made a profit of $312,991 for November, and has a profit of $3.5 million for the year, through Nov. 30.

For November, the hospital's patient volumes in most departments were below budget but about the same as last year, Legel said. Patient volumes in obstetrics and podiatry are higher than 2011, Legel said, and the hospital has added orthopedic treatment to its services. Interim administrator Joe Sharp said the new nuclear medicine program also is up and running. Doctors and staff have been able to help patients they couldn't have helped in October, Sharp said.

Expenses and salaries are also below budget projections, Legel said.

Legel reported that new information signs inside the hospital have been installed, and outside signs at the hospital and Pioneer Medical Center will go up in January. Hospital officials had to wait until city officials approved the building permit, he said.

Dr. Jill Dudek-Bross will be the new chief of the medical staff; Dr. Andrea Carter will be the vice-chief of staff and Dr. Toby Bond will be the secretary. Dr. Keith Ulnick will be the member at large.