Judge Rules No Patient Ombudsman
A federal bankruptcy judge has declined to appoint a Patient Care Ombudsman to ensure patient care quality during Natchez Regional Medical Center’s bankruptcy process. The southwest Mississippi hospital filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy in February, 2014, one month after administrators announced that the hospital had incurred more than $3 million in financial liabilities.
Bankruptcy Judge Neil P. Olack said that he would look at the issue again if someone brings a patient care issue to him, The Natchez Democrat reports.
Hospital Reports Safeguards to Protect Patients
According to hospital bankruptcy attorney Eileen Shaffer, the hospital has enough safeguards in place to protect patient care. “We don’t think (the ombudsman) is necessary because we have enough internal controls to maintain quality of care,” Shaffer said. “There is oversight by federal, state and local programs. Any time you interject a third party into a case, it creates a great amount of cost. We would rather see those dollars go to the creditors.”
Natchez Regional Medical Center filed for bankruptcy more than six months after listed for sale, the Associated Press reported. According to hospital representatives, a sale was in negotiation at the time of the bankruptcy filing. The Adams County Board of Supervisors is waiting for a possible sale of the hospital.
Recipient of State and Federal Funding
Natchez Regional Medical Center opened in 1960 as Jefferson Davis Memorial Hospital. Its $2.4 million construction was underwritten by an $800,000 local contribution and state and federal funds. The hospital had been financially independent since 1974 and does not receive tax support, but is backed by a standby tax that the Mississippi Development Bank required the hospital to secure in 2006 when the hospital sought a reissue of its revenue bond.
Natchez Regional Medical Center serves as a referral center for five Mississippi counties and two Louisiana parishes, providing health care for more than 94,000 citizens. It is a 179-bed full service hospital offering comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for acute and ambulatory care.