Murfreesboro Diamond

‘It is looking better’ for PCMH August 20, 2008 - No reporter cited

By Heather Grabin
Editor

Buddy Maxey, president of Pike County Memorial Hospital Board, told the Quorum Court that, “it is looking better” for the hospital.

Maxey addressed the court to tell them the hospital’s plan and to ask them to approve a resolution to support the hospital’s decision.

The hospital board has accepted a management contract with Robert Hicks, who will assume the administrative position at the hospital. The hospital board will still retain their positions and oversee the hospital.

“This involves different steps than we have taken before, so we brought it before the court,” said Maxey, “Pike County Memorial Hospital is owned by the people of the county.”

The hospital board and Hicks both drew up drafts of the changes and contracts to be signed. According to Maxey, the drafts were pretty much the same, and Hicks accepted the hospitals draft. The agreement has an Out Clause which states that the contract can be cancelled with 60 days notice. “We are acting on the advice of our attorney,” said Maxey.

The original plan had been for the Hicks Group to partner with Win Gate Holdings, Inc, but the two groups did not have the same ideas for the hospital.

Hicks told the group that he had been a CPA in the health care profession for thirty years before he decided to retire. Hicks told the court that he used to work for Saint Michael’s Hospital in Texarkana when it was on the Arkansas side. He also said that he has successfully turned around several hospital in Texas in Louisiana, and that he had owned and managed fifteen hospitals before he retired.

Hicks told the court that the hospital had one doctor to commit to a full schedule and that Dr. Hiram Ward was back on staff. He said that there is a doctor in Texarkana that is interested in working Friday through Sunday and possible provide a women’s clinic on Saturdays. He also said that there is a surgeon in Hot Springs that was interested in PCMH.

“There are people here in the community that use and utilize the healthcare here, there are a lot of future plans to put in place that the community has not needed before,” said Hicks.

Hicks told the court that the hospital would see if the community cooperates within the first six months, and future plans will go from there.

Hicks said that that the board and his company would not have helped the hospital move forward without thinking it was worthwhile. “There are no guarantees,
just hard work and effort,” said Hicks.

Hicks told the court that the hospital had already found $180,000 worth of billings that had not been paid by patients or coded right for the insurance companies to pay.

Hicks said that the hospital will be more aggressive in accounts receivable. He said that the hospital board is behind the idea and the staff is more positive because of the stability.  In fact, the staff helped paint the inside of the facility.

Hicks said the Director of the Department of Health has toured the facility and has said the Department of Health said that they will do anything to help the hospital.

According to Maxey, the board had approved of the contract with the Hicks Group, but they have not signed the contract. He said that the hospital had made payroll, found extra revenue for Medicare and Medicaid payments and has talked to a group that would like to purchase the old accounts receivable.

Maxey said that the Family Clinic of Murfreesboro could be a hospital based rural health clinic. He said that they have applied to submit for Medicare services and because the govenment has recognized the need for rural health care, it basically will double the reimbursement.

“We are looking at ways to enhance what we’ve got,” said Maxey. Maxey told the court that the hosptal was trying to get their home health care license back.

He said the response has been positive because the hospital turned in their license instead of selling it, and with more doctors working at the hospital their will be more referals for home health.

The court made a motion that passed to sign a resolution to support Pike County Hospital and their efforts to bring the hospital forward. All JP’s voted yes, except Rodney Hudgins who voted no and Johnny Plyler who abstained.

In other court news:

Pike County Judge Don Baker told the court that the citizens of Delight are trying to improve the community and asked for community officials to write a letter. Baker will write the letter and bring it before the court to sign next month. He said that Delight had received a grant from the Advocates for Community and Rural Education (ACRE), and it was one of three cities in the state that was chosen.

The court accepted a Hazard Mitigation Plan that would allow the county to receive future funding through FEMA. The resolution will be effective from 2008-2012 and reviewed annually by Steve Conly, Emergency Medical Director.

The personnel policy was amended to include a sick leave policy. The policy will allow county employees the accrue up to 21 days of sick leave, but after three days off they must provide a doctors excuse.

JP John Garrett told the court that he had been approached by concerned citizens about the economic growth and development of the county. Judge Baker said he had also talked to citizens who were concerned.

JP Johnny Plyler commented on the new Pike County Jail. He stated that he has tried to call Pike County Sheriff Jerry Jones three times and architect for two weeks. According to Plyler, when he asked Jones to see the blueprints to take to the site and compare, Jones refused to let him take the blueprints out of the office. “I’m griping because we have a set of plans that the architect is not smart enough to write and why do we as the Quorum Court not have the right to speak to the architect or see the Sheriff’s blueprints.”

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