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Private gain?
To the editor:
Is Memorial Medical Center using Public Funds for Private Gain?
Tuesday, October 28th I attended the hospital board meeting.
I was denied speaking during certain agenda items, when a hospital employee was allowed to speak. I guess when someone has questions or is questioning the decisions being made the board does not allow them to speak. It seems one is only allowed to speak if you are in favor of the agenda item.
I was allowed to speak during public comments. I posed the following questions and expressed concerns regarding agenda items 8 and 9.
Agenda item 8 approved amending the current employee tuition reimbursement policy. Currently any MMC employee can be reimbursed up to $1,800 annually for tuition and expenses. The policy was amended to include a budgeted amount of $10,000 for eligible employees in Senior (Upper) Management who want to pursue their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Is MMC using Public Funds for Private Gain?
Agenda item 9 referenced William McFarland’s agreement for Tuition Reimbursement for Medical Student. The Hospital (County Taxpayers) will be paying William McFarland over $26,000 a year for 3 years ($80,000 total), up to $5,000 in moving costs when he relocates to Calhoun County and his malpractice insurance for 2 years. Hopefully William McFarland will arrive in Calhoun County in 2014 to practice as a licensed physician. I wonder, wasn’t he coming here to take over his dad’s practice? Is this a way to have taxpayers pay $80,000 plus on one individual’s tuition while others are struggling with student loans? Did the board members see a final signed copy of the agreement to verify that it is what was approved? Is the final document recorded in the minutes?
I expressed concern as to how the hospital board could have approved such a plan due to the length of time from now to when he will complete his residency. There are too many ifs that could happen from now to the year 2014.
I expressed concern that the hospital was trying to keep this under the table and only cater to a select group. Since the hospital has adopted a Tuition Reimbursement for Medical Student Policy, they need to let the public know tuition reimbursement is available to others in the community. The hospital should let the High School know of this policy so that High School Seniors can take advantage of the policy. I also asked why it did not include nurses and other medical professions that may wish to pursue a degree and take advantage of this policy.
I am completely against this Tuition Reimbursement, use of Public Funds for Private Gain, but if the hospital is going to continue to use public funds in this manner, they need to be fair about it and let the community know it is available.
The board discussed how they may be short of funds. If I am reading the tuition reimbursement agreements correctly, they can only be paid if the funds are available. So my question is why are we paying these and constantly increasing and adding more tuition reimbursement policies when the funds are not there? Short on funds? Then why is the hospital continuing to increase their spending in the form of increased wages, retirement, tuition reimbursements, etc without any regards to their budget. Why should Commissioners’ Court continue to bail them out for their mistakes? Why does the hospital continue to be allowed to work outside their budget?
Speaking of their budget, I have requested under the open records act the 2008 and 2009 Detailed Budgets and Salary Orders but was informed it would take approximately 45 days to gather the information. If the hospital doesn’t have a detailed budget, how can they approve the increases in wages, retirement, tuition reimbursements and continue to spend on non-essential hospital items? Shouldn’t the hospital make sure the money is there for these increases and non-essential items before they approve them? When approving the bills, do the hospital board members actually know what they are approving?
Why does the board give the hospital administrator the authority to authorize and cancel certain things without board approval and then in their next breath, the board says the administrator does not have the authority to negotiate with the county the indigent healthcare rate that the county pays the hospital? Why did the hospital administrator deny the existence of a memo regarding this change when I have seen this memo and the County Judge stated he had received a copy of the memo? Does the hospital board only allow him to do things that benefit the hospital but when it affects their extravagant spending, they say he does not have the authority to authorize changes? Why is the county paying their own county hospital 100% for inpatient and 51% for outpatient indigent care? The County has already paid close to $2 million on Indigent Health Care for 2008. Is the County receiving Medicare or Medicaid rates or rates that are paid if you have insurance? Why is the County paying their own hospital 100% and 51% of the actual hospital bill when this percentage can be negotiated? The board admitted at Tuesday night’s meeting that the hospital subsidizes their spending with indigent healthcare money received from the County. Does this mean that the hospital is not self sufficient?
If the public is interested in attending the hospital board meetings, they are open to the public and are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 4:00 pm in the Board Room on the 3rd floor of Memorial Medical Center. The public is only allowed to speak at the very beginning under Public Comment-General Discussion. Agendas are posted 72 hours before the meetings on the bulletin board at the hospital and in the window at the front of the County Courthouse.
Peggy Hall
Is Memorial Medical Center using Public Funds for Private Gain?
Tuesday, October 28th I attended the hospital board meeting.
I was denied speaking during certain agenda items, when a hospital employee was allowed to speak. I guess when someone has questions or is questioning the decisions being made the board does not allow them to speak. It seems one is only allowed to speak if you are in favor of the agenda item.
I was allowed to speak during public comments. I posed the following questions and expressed concerns regarding agenda items 8 and 9.
Agenda item 8 approved amending the current employee tuition reimbursement policy. Currently any MMC employee can be reimbursed up to $1,800 annually for tuition and expenses. The policy was amended to include a budgeted amount of $10,000 for eligible employees in Senior (Upper) Management who want to pursue their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Is MMC using Public Funds for Private Gain?
Agenda item 9 referenced William McFarland’s agreement for Tuition Reimbursement for Medical Student. The Hospital (County Taxpayers) will be paying William McFarland over $26,000 a year for 3 years ($80,000 total), up to $5,000 in moving costs when he relocates to Calhoun County and his malpractice insurance for 2 years. Hopefully William McFarland will arrive in Calhoun County in 2014 to practice as a licensed physician. I wonder, wasn’t he coming here to take over his dad’s practice? Is this a way to have taxpayers pay $80,000 plus on one individual’s tuition while others are struggling with student loans? Did the board members see a final signed copy of the agreement to verify that it is what was approved? Is the final document recorded in the minutes?
I expressed concern as to how the hospital board could have approved such a plan due to the length of time from now to when he will complete his residency. There are too many ifs that could happen from now to the year 2014.
I expressed concern that the hospital was trying to keep this under the table and only cater to a select group. Since the hospital has adopted a Tuition Reimbursement for Medical Student Policy, they need to let the public know tuition reimbursement is available to others in the community. The hospital should let the High School know of this policy so that High School Seniors can take advantage of the policy. I also asked why it did not include nurses and other medical professions that may wish to pursue a degree and take advantage of this policy.
I am completely against this Tuition Reimbursement, use of Public Funds for Private Gain, but if the hospital is going to continue to use public funds in this manner, they need to be fair about it and let the community know it is available.
The board discussed how they may be short of funds. If I am reading the tuition reimbursement agreements correctly, they can only be paid if the funds are available. So my question is why are we paying these and constantly increasing and adding more tuition reimbursement policies when the funds are not there? Short on funds? Then why is the hospital continuing to increase their spending in the form of increased wages, retirement, tuition reimbursements, etc without any regards to their budget. Why should Commissioners’ Court continue to bail them out for their mistakes? Why does the hospital continue to be allowed to work outside their budget?
Speaking of their budget, I have requested under the open records act the 2008 and 2009 Detailed Budgets and Salary Orders but was informed it would take approximately 45 days to gather the information. If the hospital doesn’t have a detailed budget, how can they approve the increases in wages, retirement, tuition reimbursements and continue to spend on non-essential hospital items? Shouldn’t the hospital make sure the money is there for these increases and non-essential items before they approve them? When approving the bills, do the hospital board members actually know what they are approving?
Why does the board give the hospital administrator the authority to authorize and cancel certain things without board approval and then in their next breath, the board says the administrator does not have the authority to negotiate with the county the indigent healthcare rate that the county pays the hospital? Why did the hospital administrator deny the existence of a memo regarding this change when I have seen this memo and the County Judge stated he had received a copy of the memo? Does the hospital board only allow him to do things that benefit the hospital but when it affects their extravagant spending, they say he does not have the authority to authorize changes? Why is the county paying their own county hospital 100% for inpatient and 51% for outpatient indigent care? The County has already paid close to $2 million on Indigent Health Care for 2008. Is the County receiving Medicare or Medicaid rates or rates that are paid if you have insurance? Why is the County paying their own hospital 100% and 51% of the actual hospital bill when this percentage can be negotiated? The board admitted at Tuesday night’s meeting that the hospital subsidizes their spending with indigent healthcare money received from the County. Does this mean that the hospital is not self sufficient?
If the public is interested in attending the hospital board meetings, they are open to the public and are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 4:00 pm in the Board Room on the 3rd floor of Memorial Medical Center. The public is only allowed to speak at the very beginning under Public Comment-General Discussion. Agendas are posted 72 hours before the meetings on the bulletin board at the hospital and in the window at the front of the County Courthouse.
Peggy Hall
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| Class of 1958 |
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of portlavacawave.com.
Peggy wrote on Dec 8, 2008 8:47 AM:
I have been reading past hospital board minutes and I have discovered the following:
Administrator’s Report – February 2008
“Physician Recruitment Committee met on Tuesday, February 12, 2008. The following members were in attendance: Dr. Crowley, Rolando Reyes & Dr. Tim McFarland – Dr. Rupley was absent.
Mr. Currier presented to the Committee a letter from William McFarland, medical student, requesting financial assistance for educational expenses in exchange for recruitment to practice in Calhoun County in approximately the year 2014.
The Physician Recruitment Committee recommended approval and took their recommendation to the Hospital Board March 25, 2008.”
Was this not a MAJOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST? Dr. Tim McFarland is the father of William McFarland and Dr. Crowley works with Dr. McFarland at Coastal Medical Clinic. Why did Dr. McFarland and Dr. Crowley not remove themselves from the Physician Recruitment Committee and the hospital board appoint others who had no personal interest in the matter and the issue discussed with this new group before it was recommended to the hospital board?
At the March 25th Hospital Board Meeting, the Hospital Board voted to establish a policy regarding tuition reimbursement. At this time a Committee was set up that once again included Dr. Crowley. Was this still not a conflict of interest?
There are many questions regarding this issue. Here a just a few of my concerns:
1. Why did the Committee not advertise to the community to see if there were other medical students that would like to apply for financial help in return for recruitment to practice in Calhoun County?
2. What happens if by the year 2014 there is no longer a County Hospital? (Could we have a hospital district or private hospital by then?)
3. What happens if a hurricane or other disaster strikes our County and we no longer have a hospital?
I could go on with the questions because there are too many “ifs” that could happen before the year 2014.
Did someone find a way for county taxpayers to supplement their income? Why do taxpayers have to pay for someone to come to their hometown and join or take over their family’s practice?
If this is going to be done, why can we not help more than one medical student? Why is the public and our high school seniors not made aware of this help for our future medical students?
This is a policy that is reviewed yearly and only entered into each year if the money is there, so I urge all taxpayers to express their feelings to their hospital board members and MMC administration. With the economy as bad as it is, it seems that this might be one of many things that could be cut in order to keep costs down and to keep benefits for the hospital employees from being cut. (I am talking about the William McFarland Tuition Reimbursement. I am not talking about employee tuition reimbursement)
I do not agree with the guaranteed salaries for physicians recruited to Calhoun County, BUT these physicians are able to come here right away. We do not have to wait 6 or more years. "