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Hospital Authority wants patients to understand
Griffin-Spalding Hospital
Authority Board members
spent some time discussing
hospital billing procedures
during their meeting last night.
Several said they had receiv
ed complaints from patients
who don’t understand why when
they leave the hospital their
statements are a certain
amount, then a few weeks later,
they may receive another state
ment for a different amount.
Administrator Carl Ridley
explained that even though a
patient may carry hospitaliza
tion insurance, he still is
responsible for his bill. The
Ford welcomed to Japan
TOKYO (UPI) - Emperor
Hirohito formally welcomed
President Ford to Japan today
in colorful ceremonies un
spoiled by protest demonstra
tions, and accepted from Ford
an invitation to visit the United
States next year.
Ford drove with Hirohito
through streets lined with
politely cheering crowds to the
centuries-old Imperial Palace,
then spent two hours discussing
the energy crisis with political
ly troubled Prime Minister
Kakuei Tanaka before
ing to the palace for a banquet
given by the emperor.
Widespread transport strikes
protesting Ford’s visit affected
some 7.8 million travelers
across Japan.
But other threatened mass
State senators-elect
give Griffinite ovation
State Senators-elect have
welcomed Virginia Shapard of
Griffin to their midst with a
standing ovation. She is the
sixth woman in history elected
to the Georgia Senate and the
first elected for a full term since
Iris Blitch who served in the
1940 s and went on to become a
member of Congress from
Georgia. A couple of other
women were elected in between
to fill the unexpired terms of
their husbands who died in
office.
Mrs. Shapard was back in
Griffin today following a series
of meetings held in Atlanta. She
and Senator-elect Pete Banks of
Barnesville called a meeting of
those who will be serving for the
first time, and Senator E. G.
Summers of the 53rd District
Beef cattle organization leader
sees need for unified farm voice
L. E. Cato sees the need for
farm organizations on the
national, state and local levels
to express themselves in a
unified effort to influence
legislators on matters of far
ming.
Cato is the new president of
the Mid-Ga. Beef Cattlemen’s
Association which held its
annual meeting in Griffin. Some
300 people attended.
In accepting leadership of the
Rockdale will play
Griffin High will play Rock
dale County here Friday night
for the Region 6-AAA football
championship.
That was confirmed this
morning by the Georgia High
School Association office in
Thomaston.
There have been rumors and
news stories for several days
that Rockdale may be ruled
ineligible. There are charges
that Rockdale violated rules
that prohibite players from
hospital tries to estimate as
closely as possible how much it
can expect to receive from the
' insurance company, then bills
the patient for the balance, he
continued. Often, the amount
paid by the insurance company
varies a few dollars either more
or less, than the hospital’s
estimate. When this happens,
the patient is billed for the
difference or is sent a refund if
the insurance company comes
through with more.
The matter was brought up by
Raymond Head who said he was
getting a lot of complaints.
“The patients just don’t under-
demonstrations failed to
materialize, and Ford did not
see a single protester during
his first 24 hours in Japan.
Some 15,000 security guards
protected the two leaders.
Formally clad Secret Service
agents surrounded Ford, and
helicopters hovered over the
motorcade route.
The only dissident note
stemming directly from the
day’s official activities was a
complaint by Tokyo’s left wing
governor, Ryokichi Minobe,
that Ford had refused to
discuss with him the touchy
question of whether the United
States is bringing nuclear
weapons into Japan.
Minobe, elected twice to his
post with Communist and
Socialist support, said he tried
which is in northwest Georgia
welcomed her then and the
others gave her the standing
ovation then.
Monday, Democrats in the
Senate caucused at the Capitol
and Senator Shapard was
pleased with results. She
remarked that she had cam
paigned for reform in State
Senate organization and
procedures, and the caucus
adopted resolutions to put a
number of them in effect.
One of these strips the
lieutenant governor who is
presiding officer of the Senate
of his power to appoint com
mittees and places it in the
hands of a “committee on com
mittees” composed of the
lieutenant governor, the presi
dent pro tem, and the Senate
majority leader.
organization, Cato said he was
concerned about young farmers
who are leaving for metropoli
tan employment. He said they
find little or no security in
farming now.
Mr. Cato believes all
specialized farming groups
need to pull together on the
national level in seeking solu
tions to farming problems.
Dr. 0. E. Sell, president of the
Georgia Cattlemen’s Associa-
participating in two games in
the same week.
Sam Burke of Thomaston,
executive secretary-treasurer
of the Georgia High School
Association, was asked one
question this morning: “Will
Griffin play Rockdale County
Friday?”
His answer: Yes.
Mr. Burke said his office had
found nothing to prevent Rock
dale participating in the game.
“I appreciate the Griffin
Daily News calling,” he added.
DAILY NEWS
Vol. 102 No. 273
stand,” he said. Other board
members said they also had
received complaints.
Several weeks ago the
hospital began waiting about 45
days after an insured patient is
dismissed before sending him a
statement.
It hopes by then the insurance
company will have paid and the
patient may be billed for the
correct amount. Other patients
are billed as soon as possible
after leaving.
Board Member L. J. Ballard
suggested the statements carry
a notation that the patient is
responsible for amounts not
to raise the question during an
afternoon courtesy call on
Ford.
“President Ford told me he
had already talked over the
issue with Prime Minister
Tanaka in the morning,”
Minobe told a news conference.
“He said the issue was a type
to be discussed between govern
ment leaders.”
The meeting with Minobe was
Ford’s only scheduled contact
during his five-day stay in
Japan with the country’s
increasingly powerful left wing
opposition parties.
Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger told reporters that
Ford was pleased Hirohito had
been able to accept the
invitation for a U.S. visit.
The invitation was issued
initially when the emperor
made a refueling stop in Alaska
in September of 1971 and was
welcomed there by Richard M.
Nixon.
Tanaka, fighting charges that
he amassed a large personal
fortune while in public office,
met for two hours with Ford
after the President returned to
the Geihinkan from his first
visit to the Imperial Palace.
Diabetic clinic
set Thursday
A diabetic screening clinic
will be held Thursday from 2-4
p.m. at the Health Clinic, ac
cording to Jim Morgan, coor
dinator.
He pointed out that Nov. 17-23
is National Diabetic Detention
Week and the clinic was being
scheduled during that special
week.
The tests are free. People who
show indications of being
diabetic are referred to their
physician.
tion, told the Mid-Ga. organiza
tion about the need to be con
cerned with the proposed land
use taxation bills expected to be
presented to the General
Assembly next year.
Before his retirement, Dr.
Sell was head of the Animal
Science Department at the
Georgia Experiment Station in
Griffin.
Curtiss Avery of Pine Moun
tain, Ga., discussed over
production of cattle and
national consumption. Avery is
executive committee member
of the American National
Cattlemen’s Association.
Dr. Charles Dobbins, head of
the extension veterinary ser
vice for the University of
Georgia, discussed utilizing bio
chemical waste in animal feeds.
“If waste products are avail
able in our community, animal
or vegetable, as long as it is not
decomposed, we can figure out
away of converting this to a
useful avenue. He will work
with you any way we can,” Dr.
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Tuesday, November 19, 1974
Billing gets complicated
Later Ford went to the prime
minister’s official residence for
a luncheon.
Kissinger said Tanaka and
Ford had an extensive discus
sion of the energy crisis, an
important topic to Japan
because that nation must
import virtually all of its oil.
He said Japanese officials
viewed with “sympathy” the
problems confronting the oil
consuming nations and that
Tanaka pointed out Japan’s
special problems in view of its
heavy dependence on oil for
industrial purposes.
Ford, he said, stressed that
U.S. plans for reducing oil
imports were “not intended to
lead to a confrontation with the
producers, but rather to lead to
a dialogue with consumers.”
The day’s ceremonies began
when 73-year-old Hirohito was
driven to the Geihinkan,
Japan’s official guest house, for
formal ceremonies officially
welcoming Ford to the Land of
the Rising Sun.
There, in a courtyard of the
guest mansion, under a bril
liant, cloudless sky, the 38th
President of the United States
and Japan’s 124th sovereign,
each dressed in formal morning
clothes, bowed and shook
hands.
The emperor’s band played
both national anthems and the
Michigan fight song.
“It’s wonderful to be here ...
how fine to see you ... I am
glad to be here, it’s wonderful
...” Ford said as he walked
down a line of diplomats
shaking hands, apparently en
joying the moment.
At the palace, grand in its
simplicity, the Emperor intro
duced the President to Empress
Nagako, 70, in a 10-minute
private meeting.
Dobbins said.
He explained some of the
research being done now on
ways to put waste to use.
Serving with Cato as officers
will be Harold Fallin of Upson
County, vice president; and
Charles Sims of Spalding
County, secretary and
treasurer.
The new board of directors
includes Dr. Jack Tuttle, R. L.
Nash and Ed Foshee of Lamar
County; Tex Yerkes, Roger
Brandenburg and James Huck
aby from Pike; Danny Hen
dricks, Gaston Cook and
Harvey Buchner from Talbot;
W. W. Bunn, James A. Hamm
and Walker Waldrop from
Monroe; Robert Shapard HI,
Julian Jones and Ivan Taylor
from Spalding; Harold Fallin,
Lee Woodall and Billy Johnson
from Upson.
President Cato indicated the
Mid-Ga. association planned to
have an active public informa
tion program this year so people
would understand the programs
and goals of the organization.
covered by insurance.
Collections for the month of
October were the highest in the
history of the Griffin-Spalding
Hospital. More than $471,000
was received. The figure also
included monies collected on old
accounts.
Mr. Ridley said he does not
expect November collections to
be as good. So far this month,
the occupancy at the hospital
has varied from 85 to 161
patients per day, which makes
staffing most difficult, he ex
plained.
Mr. Ridley termed it “very
disturbing that outside forces
“Every adult needs a child to
teach — it’s the way adults
learn.”
Breakfast
expensive
An unidentified Griffinite’s
breakfast yesterday morning
ended up costing him almost
sllO.
Police said the man ordered a
breakfast for around four
dollars at the Waffle House on
Taylor street, then tried to walk
out without paying.
Police were called and he was
placed under arrest. Before he
could be released from the city
jail, he was ordered to pay for
the breakfast, plus a fine of
$lO5.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
65, low today 52, high yesterday
60, low yesterday 44, high
tomorrow in mid 60s, low
tonight in mid 50s.
Scott Searcy heads Griffin Chamber
Tho Hi rnnfnrc voctar
Scott Searcy was elected
president of the Griffin area
Chamber of Commerce yester
day afternoon at a directors
meeting.
He succeeds Billy Shapard
who served during 1974. Mr.
Shapard is a textile manu
facturer.
Searcy is ih real estate and
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‘i- ?
are putting further restrictions
on hospital boards and are
telling them what to do”. He
said hospitals now are required
to establish criteria for patient
care. Audits must be made on
all patients’ records, he said.
For example, he continued,
perhaps 20 cases with the same
diagnoses are audited to
determine how much hospital
care is needed. Minimum and
maximum lengths of hospital
stay are set up for that par
ticular illness. Evaluations may
be made on cases and if, in the
opinion of an outside evaluator,
the expense is not justified, the
Participating in the Mid-Ga. Beef Cattlemen’s
Association session were (standing, left) L. E. Cato,
president; (seated) Harris Brantley of Upson County,
past president; Dr. 0. E. Sell, president of the Georgia
Daily Since 1872
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Strike
stranded
insurance. He is a former city
commissioner.
P. A. Bond, Jr., soft drink
executive in Griffin, was
elected vice president. He
previously had served as
treasurer.
Harvey Goldstein, scrap
metal dealer, was elected to
succeed Bond.
hospital will not be paid for the
extra time Medicare or Medi
caid patients are hospitalized.
Former patients at the
hospital recently were asked to
fill out opinion polls. Os the 154
questionnaires returned so far,
only one patient classified the
hospital as poor. Seventy-two
rated it excellent, 62-good, and
19-fair.
A large majority of the
patients said they received
courteous nursing care and
were satisfied with the hospital
services.
SAN FRANCISCO—The Rivera sisters (1-r) Renee,
Monica and Lorene are the picture of dejection at
Greyhound terminal here yesterday after 16,000 drivers
and other employes of the bus line went on strike when
negotiators failed to reach agreement on a new
nationwide contract. The girls, and their parents, were en
route from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to Fresno, Calif.
Their father is on leave in the U.S., having been
reassigned from Yolota Air Force Base, Japan, to duty in
West Germany. (UPI)
Newly elected directors for
the Chamber include David
Bolton, Gene Cook, Bob Glover,
Scott Searcy, Harvey Goldstein,
and C. E. Williams.
Carryover directors include
Mildred Burnett, P. A. Bond,
Jr., C. A. Knowles, Quimby
Melton, Jr., Billy Shapard and
Jack Smith.
Cattlemen’s Association, and his wife; (standing, 1-r)
Woodrow Bunn of Monroe County, Bob Nash of T-amar
County, Robert Shapard in of Spalding County, Rex
Yerkes of Pike County and Gaston Cook of Talbot County.
fsitrOisi
A Prize-Winning
Newspaper
1974
Better Newspaper
Contests
The board voted to purchase
new lab equipment at $1,400
which will help speed up the
process of cross matching for
blood transfusions.
Construction costs during
October for the new hospital
wing were $165,845. The project
is about 36 percent complete
and should be completed by
October 1975.
Several members of the
authority are planning to attend
the Georgia Hospital Associa
tion annual meeting at Jekyll
Island on Dec. 5-7.
The directors yesterday
decided to discuss with city
commissioners the community
beautification project. The
Chamber had informed the city
it had used all the money it had
raised for the project.
However, the city said it still
needs about SIO,OOO from the
Chamber to fulfill a contract for
federal matching funds.