Report blasts hospital charity policies

 

This story was brought to you thanks to our partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.

 

GALVESTON, Texas—A newly released report criticizes area health care providers for claiming to provide millions in charity care, while at other times denying they do so, and for lacking state-mandated policies about free and discounted medical services.

Despite a state law requiring health care providers to have written policies about free or reduced-cost care, the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston County 4C’s Clinics and Mainland Medical Center lack them, according to the report by a subcommittee of the Cancer Coalition of Galveston County authored by gynecologist Dr. Merle Lenihan.

And although Mainland Medical Center and the medical branch claim in annual reports to provide millions of dollars in "charity care," employees there repeatedly said no free care was available, according to the report.

The health care providers also did not disclose written policies on charity care, saying they were "not available to the public," the report states.

The health care providers declined to comment on specific claims in the report, which they received Tuesday.

Lenihan will present the findings to a group of nonprofit organizations at noon today at St. Vincent’s House, 2817 Postoffice St., in Galveston.

The organization wants hospitals and clinics to post notices in waiting, registration and admission areas or business offices about written policies on charity and discounted care and to publish those policies annually.

From November 2007 to January 2008, subcommittee members polled area hospitals and clinics about whether they provided free or reduced-cost care.

Employees said "no" or did not answer the question 73 out of the 75 times the surveyors called and visited, the report states.

According to the report, surveyors called and visited medical branch clinics and John Sealy Hospital 39 times, and were told 38 times no free care was available.

Once, a staff member said free care was available and transferred the surveyor to the Demand Access Management Program. The program rations health care to the poor and requires indigent patients undergo financial screening. Surveyors said they could not obtain written policies about free care or financial assistance. There were no written policies available for how uninsured patients are selected by program administrators, the report states.
 

The medical branch claimed it provided $153 million in charity care in 2007, according to its report to the American Hospital Association.

In a prepared statement, the medical branch said it welcomed the report but declined to comment on specifics because officials hadn’t had time to read it carefully.

"In the three years it has taken to complete the report, UTMB has undergone significant restructuring, instituted a series of leadership changes and experienced a major hurricane," the statement said.

"Much has also changed in how we approach care for the medically indigent in our community. It is important to keep in mind that the issue of equal access to care is a national one — one that goes far beyond the efforts of a single institution or the collective efforts of individual health care providers in a single region."

In 18 phone calls and visits to the 4C’s clinics in Galveston and Texas City, surveyors were told free care was not available, the report claims.

Clinic staff did not provide policies on charity care or financial assistance, although signs were posted about the availability of discounted services.

After the survey was finished, the county health district provided Lenihan with information about discounted services and guidelines for discounted co-pays.

Galveston County 4C’s Clinics spokesman Kurt Koopmann said health district officials, who received the report late Tuesday, had not had the chance to review the 81-page report thoroughly.

Though Koopmann declined to comment until he could review the report, he said health district officials were willing to visit with the coalition to discuss the findings.

In 12 calls and visits to Mainland Medical Center, surveyors were told free care was not available, according to the report.

The hospital also lacked written policies on charity care even though the CEO and president of the hospital’s parent corporation, Hospital Corporation of America, testified to Congress in 2004 the corporation had a charity care and financial discount policy.

Mainland Medical Center reported to the American Hospital Association that it provided $4.8 million in charity care in 2007.

Medical center spokeswoman Holly Kingsbury could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

Both Mainland Medical Center and the medical branch signed commitments pledging to adhere to the standards of the American Hospital Association, which stated in 2004 that hospitals should make available information on charity care policies and other known programs of financial assistance.

The hospitals should ensure that all written policies for assisting low-income patients are applied consistently, the guidelines state.

This story was brought to you thanks to our partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.