Columns

Seven Reasons the Pocatello Hospital needs New Management

Posted on: July 04, 2007

By Barbara Orr

1. Patient care has not been a focus of this hospital for the past 20 years. The steady decline has caused injury, lost accreditation, and lack of confidence in the hospital. Decisions have been largely profit motivated.

2. There have been several arrests caused by the availability of prescription drugs being sold illegally. The policies regarding such drugs need to be centralized, and under better controls.

3. The hospital has begun to compete with existing private businesses, in the areas of home care, rehabilitation, and emergency services. The hospital purchased or leased some of the most expensive properties in Pocatello to set up these competing businesses. i.e. The corners, of Benton and 4th and 5th, Pine and Yellowstone, and Oak and Yellowstone. One of these businesses owns a fleet of vehicles where the competing businesses all use personal cars.

4. The business decisions regarding building and acquisition have bordered on the clinically insane. Buildings which were perfectly serviceable have been torn down and remodeled and remodeled and remodeled at exorbitant expense. Currently
there are 4 “temporary” office buildings which have been put on foundations decorated and landscaped, for example. The only real reason to tear down a building not yet 10 years old would be leprosy, especially a commercial building which is generally built to last at least 50 years.

5. The bond rating of the current hospital has put it in a situation where it is not able to acquire even state supported loans. The hospitals have a great deal of debt and need to be sold to a for profit entity which will Pay Property Tax. Consider the above valuable properties which are not paying any property tax.

6. For the past 7 years exorbitant bonuses have been paid to mid and upper level managers, while the hospital has cut staff, salaries and services and raised fees.

7. The costs to uninsured individuals have also cost the county more than $1,200,000 per year in costs paid directly to hospitals for ‘indigent’ care. Plus another $250,000 to administer these costs, we also pay another $150,000 for medical personnel for the prisons, and another $450,000 for the health department. These costs are paid by your taxes, the reason counties “own” hospitals is to provide care, these costs are over and above your tax costs to “own” the county hospital.

It’s time to allow this hospital to be professionally managed.

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