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Hospital consulting firm selected
Published Wednesday, June 25, 2008
NATCHEZ — On Tuesday morning the Adams County Board of Supervisors selected a consulting firm to conduct a study of Natchez Regional Medical Center.
The Horne Group, based in Jackson, was selected to conduct the legally required study.
While Horne’s health care consultant Barry Plunkett said he was pleased his group was selected, the board actually had very few options.
KPMG, the second group named as a possible consultant, did not show up for Tuesday’s interview session.
KPMG representatives were scheduled to appear before the board between 10-11 a.m.
Just before 10:40 a.m. KPMG representatives sent hospital CEO Scott Phillips an e-mail, via BlackBerry, stating the group was no longer pursuing the opportunity to act as NRMC’s consulting firm.
“That was a surprise,” Phillips said.
Phillips speculated the group likely discovered a conflict of interest in working with the hospital.
Both Horne and KPMG were recommended by Phillips as qualified groups to conduct the hospital study.
And while the board only had one option to choose from Tuesday, the hiring was a critical step in the hospital’s restructuring Phillips said.
“This keeps us moving on schedule,” Phillips said.
In staying with the hospital’s predetermined schedule Plunkett said he will be at the hospital’s campus shortly before or shortly after July 4 to begin the study and should be finished at the end of July.
Once the study is completed Horne’s study should reveal if the hospital should be sold or leased.
“We want to provide the supervisors and the board (of trustees) with an expert opinion of the best road map to the future,” Plunkett said.
But that expert opinion won’t come cheaply.
Including expenses Plunkett estimated the cost of the study to be between $36,000 - $40,000.
Supervisor Darryl Grennell offered the motion to hire the group and said he is anxious to see the results of the study.
“I’m interested to see their findings,” he said.
Grennell said he would have preferred the opportunity to interview both groups but was satisfied with board’s selection of the Horne Group.
“It’s always best when you have more that one group to pick from,” he said.
Grennell said he has heard very positive comments about the group from other CPAs in the area.
Board President Henry Watts said he was glad to be finished with the selection process.
Watts also said he was glad for the hospital’s employees.
After the consulting group has completed their study Watts said NRMC’s employees will have a clear outlook of the future of their hospital.
“We don’t want to keep them in limbo for months and months,” he said.
Comments
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 4:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
2 options, sold or leased. Wouldn't the 36-40,000 be better spent trying to market the hospital. It makes common sense that to sell it would be best but if no buyer is out there then try and lease it. How dumb is it to spend this money when the answer is so clear.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 5:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
beamme, I agree. Just when did anything make sense when it came to this haphazardly run pink elephant. They could have asked the employee's about it all and saved that 30-40 K. But then the buddy-buddy system here in Natchez never sees the forest for the trees. They love to spend money they don't have, to get nothing in return. It's their way of life. We have plenty of CPA's right here in Adams County. Why couldn't they have had the job. But then again that would be keeping the money in the vicinity. Which they preach but never pratice. Just watch how the native's run to Baton Rouge every weekend to Water World and spend a small fortune each year, but yet we do not need any kind of sport facility. All their way of thinking just doesn't make too much common sense. Just a small sprinkler park located here and there would please most kids here in Natchez. And they would be willing to pay admittance for the upkeep. But will they get it??? When pigs fly!!!
Posted by obamayamama (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BEWARE!!! Anyone who needs healthcare, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! Both hospitals in Natchez have 18th century healthcare. TRUST ME!
Posted by lroberts1 (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wish I had insisted on taking my husband to MD Anderson , but he wanted to make it easy on ME>> Stayed here for chemo and radiation for lung cancer and within a year a half he died in Community hospital. I have regreted not insisting on going to Texas for his treatments. He was only 57 years old.In my opinion I let him die.
Posted by obamayamama (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Aw, it is not your fault. But I have now seen that healthcare in Natchez is not what anyone wants. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, anywhere!
Posted by ericstratton (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
obamayamama, why not print your real name when you bad mouth the hospitals. You are a coward and would be first in line to get into any one of those places if something happened to you
Posted by sayitlouder (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 7:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
in order to sale the hospital, a study has to be made by an independent group. there is not anyone in this area that is qualified to do it. so now you know.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 6:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So KPMG, recommended by Phillips, likely discovered a conflict of interest just in time to send a blackberry message at 10:40. Thank heavens KPMG discovered it, if that is what happened. I am sure the hospital board is delighted as well. I just hope no one's job or marriage or family relationships are affected by this late development.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 6:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Only, if they had discovered it sooner Mr. Grennel could have had his wish for more than one group to be interviewed. Oh well, better one Phillips chosen group than none. I wonder who else Mr. Phillips has worked for in the past, and if he has done as good a job for them as he has done for Regional.
Posted by SayItRight (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 7:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If this is the same KPMG that I think it is, they have their hands full right now anyway. Consultants to subprime lenders will have their work scrutinized to the nth degree in the next few months. Although the group in Jackson may not be personally involved with this type of scrutiny or the past lawsuits (WorldCom), the company and previous employees have been nailed in much the same way that Arthur Andersen was up until it was demolished by the Enron debacle.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 7:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is the same one SayItRight. It is the one Mercator merged with.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
On second thought, maybe I am wrong about that SayItLoud. I can't find any mention of a merger between this Mercator and KPMG. What made me think that was something I heard about a merger between KPMG and some Mercator, and then the May 29 story that said the supervisors had interviewed Butler Snow, Burns Development Group, and Mercator for the consulting job.
There haven't been any other stories about the supervisors interviewing consultants, so I connected Mercator Health Advisors to the merger I heard about on the radio.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 7:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, I was wrong. That was Mercator Software and KPMG.
Posted by npc (anonymous) on June 26, 2008 at 9:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Obamayamama, apparently you know little about healthcare. It is amazing to me that the people of the U.S. enjoy the best healthcare in the world and constantly complain about it. People are living longer than in any time. People are surving illnesses that 10 years ago would be a death sentence. The fact of the matter is; I would feel fine going to most of the physicians here in town for anything and to either hospital. Sure in larger cities they have more resources and specialist, but for a town the size of Natchez, I think they do an excellent job. The problem with Natchez is that you have Drs. that see thousands of patients a year and provide excellent care. They have one patient die of complications, (which is what happens to humans) and then the family goes out and bad mouths the Dr. or hospital and the public doesn't here both sides of the story. I here people like this all the time and I always take the info with a grain of salt. I deal with this from my on family. I have an elderly family member who is old and near death. Some members of my family are constantly complaining that the Drs. are doing enough. I have finally gotten them to understand that their body is warn out from old age and their is little that Drs. can do but make them comfortable. I have found that they would be upset because the Drs. weren't telling them what they wanted to hear. The fact is my family member is very old and they didn't want them to die. (news flash! when you get old you die) I am just tired of the medical community getting beat up. I don't think that most people know how hard the people in medicine are working. Everyone thinks that Drs. are making a ton of money. Let me tell you how this works. Drs. are probably making a nice living in Natchez, but do you know how many patients that these Drs. are seeing on a daily basis. Our Drs. are responsible for seeing a slam packed schedule in their offices everyday and then making rounds at the hospital after that or responding to emergenicies that happen at the hospital. Most of the patients in our community are medicaid or under insured (very little private insurance) which means that the Drs. are reimbursed very little if any for their work. Which means that for a Dr. to make; lets say $200,000 a year after they pay all of their expenses which are steadly going up, you have to see a huge volume of patients which is the case here in Natchez. All of our Drs. could go to larger cities and see less patients and make twice the money. So I would appreciate a little respect for the people who will be taking care of me and you in our time of need. Sorry for the rambling, but this lack of respects burns me up.
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