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Mr. CEO: Who knows?
Published Friday, April 25, 2008
NATCHEZ — On April 14, Healthcare Management Partners, the management group recently hired to run Natchez Regional Medical Center, showed up to work — but the old management group never left.
Quorum Health Resources, originally hired by NRMC in 1992, was expected to stay on for one week or less in a transition period and turn the hospital over to Healthcare Management Partners.
But so far that hasn’t happened.
Susan Hassell, Quorum’s Vice President of marketing and corporate communications, said Quorum has not been officially notified of the hospital’s intent to cancel their management contract.
“We still have an active management contract,” she said. “And we are fulfilling that contract.”
But not everyone agrees with Hassell.
Hospital board attorney Walter Brown said on March 19, Quorum was notified, in writing, of the hospital’s desire to terminate their contract.
In fact Brown said on April 14, Richard Smith an attorney for Quorum, attended a meeting at the hospital where Quorum’s contract termination was the topic of discussion.
The debate over Quorum’s contract has both Brown and Hassell agreeing that it has made for an “unusual” situation at the hospital.
Each day CEO Scott Phillips, who works for Healthcare Management Partners, CEO Jim Richardson and CFO Joe Amato, both hired by Quorum, all show up for work at the hospital.
But exactly who is running the hospital is unclear.
Hassell said Richardson is acting CEO, however Brown said, “Phillips is clearly in charge.”
Quorum’s contract is not scheduled to expire until 2009 and both Brown and Hassell hinted that there were still issues left unsettled between the two groups, other than official contract termination, to be settled before Quorum would sever ties with the hospital.
Neither Brown or Hassell would say exactly what still needed to be resolved between the two groups.
Brown did say the two groups were working toward an agreement that would leave both groups satisfied and subsequently run only by Healthcare Management Partners.
That deal is set to be discussed as early as Monday, Brown said.
Months ago, when NRMC’s financial problems were realized, the hospital’s board members decided to cancel their contract with Quorum.
Neither Richardson on Phillips could be reached for comment.
Comments
Posted by ITSME (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lol who would have thought something like this could have happened.
Posted by aesa (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 12:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
this is going to be a busy posting...
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 1:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You know that double wide manufactured building on the right side of the hospital where Dr. Haimson & Passman were; well, just let CEO Jim Richardson and CFO Joe Amato, (both hired by Quorum), to have access to that manufactured building and give them a couple of decks of cards and some Chinese checkers so that they can let CEO Scott Phillips, who works for Healthcare Management Partners do his job of fixing the big mess Quorum put the hospital in.
Posted by hopefloats (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 5:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yea why leave when you get free lunch.
Posted by SayItRight (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Too many chiefs and not enough indians.
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Natchez likes to double up! Two management companies, two county attornies, what next - two mayors?
Posted by sandyman7 (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WOW...Just who is in charge of the hospital??? Doesn't the board or the supervisors have any say so about such an 'IDIOCTIC' SITUATION??
Posted by Swapmeet (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just wait til everyone finds out who HMP really is!
Posted by lsumom (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So now they are paying Quorum 200,00 per year and HMP 720,000 per year. They have cut the staff pay, cut hours and call the nursing staff to stay home if they don't have a certain number of pts. Gee, I wonder why they are in debt and why they can't afford to pay their staff. If they would take the 6-8 doctors on nr payroll off, that would take their pers contribution off too. Maybe then they could get out of debt.
Posted by SayItRight (anonymous) on April 25, 2008 at 6:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm tired of useless gatekeepers trying to make themselves appear needed. There are too many of them in this world that have faked their way through the system that don't know or care what it really takes to keep things going right. As long as they continue to get a paycheck they'll spin some plates on sticks to look like they are getting something done.
If you don't have a really good understanding of what the people who actually have to do the jobs go through, you shouldn't be the one adding the layers of red tape just to make things a bigger mess for everyone in the end.
I long for simpler times and management with common sense........
Posted by ntztransplant17 (anonymous) on April 26, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Seems as though one of the CEOs is taking the lead. There will be layoffs announced Monday. Don't know how extensive the layoffs will be, but they're coming! How sad when the inevitable finally happens. We all knew it was coming and here it is!
Posted by ericstratton (anonymous) on April 26, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ntztransplant17; how do know this ?Unless you are on the board , it is very irresponsible to throw out gossip to elicit fear in employees
Posted by ntztransplant17 (anonymous) on April 26, 2008 at 4:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ericstratton - The information comes from a nurse that currently works at NRMC who said they were told yesterday that on Monday there would be layoffs and the employees would be told then who was being laid off. I'm sure the news made for a great weekend for the employees. Not gossip - if I didn't completely trust the source I wouldn't repeat it.
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