March 31, 2023 |
Photo – Memorial Hospital of Carbon County – Bigfoot99 file photo
Financial challenges face the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, but the CEO is hopeful about the future.
At the March 7th County Commissioners meeting, the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Ken Harman told county commissioners the hospital needed money. Harman said millions of dollars of unpaid medical bills have left MHCC with nearly empty coffers.
Speaking to Bigfoot99, Harman said residents of Carbon County have the misconception that the hospital is entirely taxpayer funded. Unfortunately, Harman said, that is not the case.
Harman said patient money is used to fund nearly every aspect of the hospital. To continue offering service in the area, Harman said MHCC needs to be reimbursed for medical care.
Before he took over as CEO in 2019, Harman said medical bills were not always correct or sent out regularly. He said hospital staff have spent the past three years developing a better billing process. Harman said another way the hospital is improving collections is to have patients pre-pay for anticipated medical procedures.
Harman said the hospital will work with people on payment options. If someone is unable to cover their medical bill, Harman said a no interest loan is available.
Harman said the hospital is working with patients to understand the cost of their medical service and create a path towards repayment. He said the new policy benefits both the hospital and patients.
Harman said the new payment policy appears to be working. He said most patients appreciate having options. However, the hospital CEO said a small number of people still refuse to pay. He said they don’t understand the hospital is a business and, like any business, it relies on a steady source of income to stay afloat.
Harman said the hospital is working with an accounting company out of Tennessee to ensure medical bills go out on time and with the correct information. He said he uses a local debt collections agency when patients fail to pay up. Since the old way of collecting money wasn’t working, Harman said a complete retooling of how the hospital handled billing was necessary.
Harman said the hospital typically receives 60 cents on every dollar sent to collections.
Harman said the new payment policy removes a lot of stress from both patients and providers. With a clear idea of what they will owe and a plan for repayment, patients can feel more comfortable using the hospital’s services.
A new way of thinking was needed to keep the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County financially viable. According to CEO Ken Harman, his new billing policy appears to be working. He said the hospital is bringing in revenue that normally would have been written off.
