Newspaper Page Text
Hospital Seeks Way
To Reduce Expenses
from front page
fiscal year, the hospital and
nursing home have had ad-
Justed gross revenues of
$1,231,123 and total expenses
of $1,282,192 for a net Fnss of
$51,069.
With the addition of
$70,925 in debt service, the net
loss for the first half of the
1987 fiscal year was $121,994,
Brunson said.
The nursing home has been
“carrying" the hospital in the
East.‘ he indicatc(f but the
hospital's losses were so great
in November and December
that the deficit couldn't be
overcome. For example, the
nursing home had revenues of
$99,914 in December and ex
penses of $91,033 for a net
“profit” of SB,BBI. The nursing
home alone was in the black
$65,310 for the first six months
of the fiscal year.
Nursing home revenue in
November was $89,531 while
expenses were $91,176, Brun
son said.
REVENUE DOWN
For the hospital, revenue
was down about $40,000 each
month for November and
December, Brunson indicated.
The hospital reached its an
nual limit of 89 Medicaid ad
missions in mid-October of
1986. After that point,
Medicaid began reimbursing
the hospital only 25 percent of
its normal flat rate. The
hospital had been receiving
$849 for each Medicaid admis
sion but after the state
mandated limit of 89 patients
was reached, it began receiving
only $212.25 per patient. The
hospital has to absorb the cost
of Lge remainder. Hospital of
ficials pointed out that even
the $849 reimbursement didn't
match actual patient costs.
For the 1987 calendar year,
Medicaid has increased the
number of allowed patient ad
missions to more than 100, said
Betty Wollstein, executive
director of the hospital.
However, Medicaid has also
cut the amount of reimburse
ment from $849 to $687 per pa
tient, a reduction of $162.
“PENALIZED"
After being questioned by
Dr. Herman Spivey, Summer
ville, about the reductien,
Brunson indicated - that the
more cost-efficient a hospital
and the less expensive equip
ment it buys, the more it is
“penalized” by the Medicaid
formula
The hospital-nursing
home's assets Lo%abilities ratio
was 2.08 to 1, Brunson said,
which is a drop of .45 or .50
from previous months.
A possible reduction of ser
vices in the hospital's emergen
cy room was discussed by the
Authority. Dr. Jack Meacham,
an Authority member, asked
about the legality or feasibili
ty of closing the emergency
room, which had 511 visits in
December.
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Dr. Spivey, who is not an
Authority member, said that
proposal had been checked in
past years and state
authorities had said that the
hospital must provide some
form of emergency care since it
is the only hospital in the
county.
“It's not really an emergen
cy room,” said Dr. Meacham.
“It's really an after-hours
clinic.”” Greatest use of the
facility is on Friday, Saturday
and Sunday, a statistical study
indicated.
NOT EMERGENCIES
Mrs. Wollstein agreed that
many emergency room pa
tients aren't actual emergency
cases but rather individuals
who simply don't qo to a physi
cian during regular daytime
hours in an effort to save
money.
Dr. Spivey, who said he has
extended ‘nighttime hours
three days eaci week, felt that
the hospital having an
emergency room would%)e an
advantage in recruiting new
physicians to the community.
If the hospital were to close
down its emergency room or
greatly restrict its hours, he
would have to give up his ex
tended office hour program to
service the emergency room,
Dr. Spivey indicated. The
hospital contracts with a
private company to provide
emergency room services.
No formal action was taken
regarding the emergency room.
Mrs. Wollstein pointed out
that overall hospital revenues
for the next two to three
months would be poor due to
reduced admissions in
November and December, ac
cording to Brunson's
estimates.
HARDER LOOK
Billy Gilbert, another
Authoritly member, said the
{)anel will have to take a harder
ook at each expense in future
months with an eye toward
making reductions where
possible.
“That is an awful problem
that you have..." said Dr.
Spivey.
The reduced admissions
during November and
December were blamed
primarily on the loss of two
physicians who left Chattooga
to go to other communities.
A physician who has in
dicateg an interest in building
a clinic in Chattooga, along
with two other additional doc
tors, recently visited the Chat
tooga Chamber of Commerce
office, it was brought out dur
ing the meeting. However,
hospital officials said they were
unaware of the visit until after
the physician had left and had
no opportunity to meet with
him or to show him local
medical facilities.
PHYSICIANS
Katherine Camp, Authority
chairman, said tfie hospital
hopes to contact the physicians
in the near future in an effort
to interest them in the
community.
“We need to get some
public relations out that they
(patients) need to come here
rather than going to Rome,”
said Dr. Meacham in referring
to a reduced use of Chattooga
Hospital.
Mrs. Camp said indigent
care costs are another severe
financial problem facing the
hospital.
ghirley McCrickard, assis
tant administrator, told the
Authority that indigent care
costs for the last nine months
of 1985 through June, 1986
amounted to $67,349. Costs
from July through December,
1986 were $18,395, she said.
The grand total of indigent
care costs is $85,745, Mrs.
S. A. Green
Margaret Ingham
Ann Carter
Rachel Allen
Ann L. Brown
Heloise Williams
McCrickard added.
INDIGENT HELP i
Mrs. Camp said she con- |
tacted Chattooga Commis- |
sioner Harry Powell Monday |
and asked for funds for the in
digent care program. It was
the second time Powell had |
been approached by the ‘
Authority for assistance with |
indigent care costs in recent |
months. [
The Authority chairman |
said Powell told her he plann- |
ed to pay some on the ingigent '
care bill when he received 1986 |
taxes. ;
Powell told The News Tues
day morning that he has receiv
ed some 1986 tax funds, but |
not all, because of the delay |
between collection and the time |
they are deposited in the coun- |
ty's treasury.
Hugh Don Hall, county tax
commissioner, had explained |
earlier that it takes several ‘
days to process tax payments, |
including use of a computer to
post credits to the accounts of |
individual taxpayers. |
85 PERCENT |
Hall reported last week that
he had colT:cted $2,673,480 as
of Jan. 16 in both 1986 and |
some delinquent taxes. That
amounts to around 85 percent
of the total amount due for
1986.
The 1986 payment deadline
was Jan. 16 of this year.
Powell said Tuesday that he
had budgeted $50,000 for in
digent care in 1986 but that he
had to pay $39,000 of that
amount to Floyd Medical
Center for indigent obstetrical
care for county residents. State
law makes county govern
ments liable legalfy for in
digent bills incurred in other
counties, he said. Of the re
maining SII,OOO, Powell said
he was using it to pay Chat
tooga Hospital for medical care
for prisoners at the Chattooga
County Jail.
The commissioner said,
however, that he hoped to pay
some, but not all, the hospital’s
indigent care bill this year.
CONTROL
Dr. Spivey said Monday
night that previous discussions
with Powell had not produced
funds to. help with indigent
care. He added that he felt the
commissioner's method of
operation is to exercise control
by controlling the county’s
purse strings.
Mrs. Camp said Powell had
complained during a visit last
fall by her and Carlton Vines,
Authority attorney, that some
of the bills weren't for in
digents. At that time, she said,
she told Powell to remove the
bills he felt were questionable
and the hospital would accept
funds for the remainder.
However, no funds were for
thcoming at that time, she
said.
Dr. Spivey said he felt state
law requires the commissioner
to levy taxes to fund indigent
medical care.
The Authority indicated
that it would get Vines to
research state law on that
matter.
HIGHER RATES? |
Bob Throneberry of FMC,
which provides management
services to Chattooga
Hospital, brought up the issue
of raising room rates to help
offset revenue losses.
*‘l know how you voted not
to raise rates (last summer),” |
he said. *'l don’t see how you |
can keep from going up on the |
rates. You can’'t charge what |
you did two years ago and sur- |
vive. ‘
Current rates are $136 per
day for a semi-private room |
and $l4O per day for a private |
room. CEattooga has the |
lowest room rates of hospital's |
its size in the area except |
Rockmart, Mrs. Wollstein said
at the meeting. ‘
The Authority voted last |
summer against raising room
rates although it did raise the
price of other hospital services.
Mrs. Camp named Dr.
Meacham and Authority
member Bobby Haygood to a |
committee to work with Mrs. |
Wollstein to come up with a
recommendation for possible |
rate increases by the time the |
panel meets again in February. |
HOUSEKEEPING :
Mrs. Camp also brought up |
the issue of housekeeping ser- |
vices. She said the change from |
having them provided by an in- |
house staff to bein% provided |
by Environmental Support
Services Inc., Rome, was not |
proving to be satisfactory. |
|
The Authority voted last |
October to make the change es- |
fective Jan. 1. The hospital and
nursing home were payinfi ?
$96,875 in laundry and |
housekeeping salaries per year, |
not including fringe g:nefits, i
social security or supplies. The |
Rome firm, heade(f by Vern |
Bartel, said it would supply the |
same services for $104,197 per
year.
However, after Bartel's
firm took over and absorbed
the former hospital housekeep- l
inf staff, a dispute arose over
fulltime, parttime and “‘on
call” working hours. Six staff
members wa.fi(ed out on Jan. 8,
grotesting shortened working
ours and some conditions.
Bartel said at the time that
new staff members would be
hired and housekeeping per
formed according to state
standards.
NOT ADEQUATE
Mrs. Camp said she had
visited the nursing home and
hosérital on Friday, Jan. 9, and
said she found the facilities
clean. But on her return durin
a following weekend, she foun§
that the service was not perfor
ming adequately.
Dianne Farrar, Oak View
coordinator, told the Authori
ty that she felt Bartel didn't
have enough people to do the
job required. “\\}; havd good
people,” she said. ‘“There’s just
more work than they can
humanly do.”
After the walkout, Mrs.
Wollstein said it took about
two weeks for Bartel to train a
new staff and try to get it up
to par but that the work so far
wasn't satisfactory. Mrs.
McCrickard added that the
~ firm was not complying with
- standards.
“It's just really not clean,”
said Mrs. Camp.
CONTRACT
Throneberry said he would
contact Bartel, who has done
FMC'’s housekeeping work for
several years, and attempt to
correct the problems. Gi?bert
said he would like to make
necessary corrections and sign
' the contract with Bartel.
Mrs. Camp indicated her
. opposition to signing a con
- tract with Bartel's firm.
However, Dr. Meacham
moved that the contract be
| signed and that the notification
| time for cancellation be reduc
| ed from 90 to 30 days — a
| change the Authority indicated
Bartel would accept. Gilbert
seconded the motion and it was
| also approved by Haygood.
‘ In other action, the
| Authority indicated it might
call a meeting for later this
| week to discuss recommenda
| tions to the February term
‘ Chattoog}a;l Grand Jury for two
| new Authority members.
‘ The panel submits three
| recommendations for each slot
| and the Jury, which will meet
| next Monday morning, names
| one of the three to the
| Authority.
| EXPAND SIZE
‘ Mrs. Camp indicated last
year that she felt the Authori
| ty's size should be expanded
| from five to at least seven
i members. Apparently, six
names will be submitted to the
' Jury next week.
' Whether proposed state
| wide legislation afiowing coun
-1 ty commissioners to appoint
| hospital authorities or serve on
Ithe panels would affect the
' Chattooga Authority remains
' unknown. The bill reportedly
would affect only authorities
- set up by general law and not
those set up with local
legislation.
| The Authority discussed
the measure briefly Monday
night and several members in
dicated their opposition to the
measure.
Commissioner Powell Tues
day said he wasn't sure
whether the proposed bill
would affect the Chattooga
Authority.
OAK VIEW EXPANSION
Meanwhile, Gilbert said he
hopes to send an application to
the federal Farmers Home Ad
ministration (FmHA) for a loan
by the end of this week. If ap
proved, the loan would be us
ed to build a 63-bed addition to
Oak View. Total cost of the
facility is estimated at around
$1.3-million.
The Authority had worked
for more than a year to obtain
a certificate of need for the ex
pansion. It beat out a proEosal
for a new private nursing home
on Bolling Road.
Work must begin on the
facility during this current
calendar year because the cer
tificate oglneed is valid for on
ly 12 months.
X-RAY
In other matters, Ms.
Wollstein reported that the
hospital's new X-ray e(Luip
ment is in place and is wor ing
well. She said the unit shoul
also help in producing more
revenue for the facility.
The Authority also said it
was the responsibility of cor
oner Earle Rainwater to collect
funds from the county for the
cost of X-rays and otf‘;er tests
involved in performing autop
sies. The funds are due the
hospital. Authority members
indicated that unless the costs
are paid, use of the facilities
ma}} be denied in the future.
he medical staff for 1987
was approved by the
Authority.
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More Lifeline Units
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the unit's button.
It then automatically dials Oak View Nursing Home's
main desk, which then alerts a previously signed up
“responder”’ to go check on the individual.
Even if a person is unable toa?lush the button, it may
be set to summon help automatically if the telephone is not
used within a preset period of time.
Mrs. Wollstein and Katherine Camp, Authority chair
man, said the units have proven to be popular with local
people. The Authority voted last summer to purchase the
$5,000 main unit.
Subscribers are charged only sls f)er month. Anyone
interested in a Lifeline unit may call Mrs. Wollstein at
857-4761 or Mrs. Camp at 857-1111.
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STUDIO
The Summerville News, Thursday, January 29, 1987
DRS. HERMAN SPIVEY (L), JACK MEACHAM
Discuss New Hospital X-Ray Equipment
Entire Stock
Bedding
/2 Price
DUFF’S
Chattooga County resi
dents will have an opportunity
to tour the newly renovated
Chattooga hos&ital during an
open house in March.
The Hosé)ital Authority
decided Monday night to hold
an open house for the public
from 3 until 5 p.m. Sunday,
March 15.
The final remaining two
rooms should be completely
renovated by that date, accor
ding to Mrs. Betty Wollstein,
executive director. The
hospital's new “state of the
art” X-ray equipment also will
be on display.
The Authority also decided
to sell several old beds in
storage to help pay the cost of
the renovation, which has been
financed mainly by local clubs
and groups. The work has been
done by gospital personnel.
In Germany
Army Private Mike E.
Heath, son of Don Heath, Sum
merville Rte. 3, and Carol
Nargi, 1329 Pine Brook Way,
Venice, Fla., has arrived for du
ty with the Ist Infantry Divi
sion, West Germany.
Heath, a combat engineer,
is a 1986 graduate of Chat
tooga High School.
7-A