New Hanover Regional Medical Center Says No Thanks to BCMC | Eastern NC Now

    As reported by the Star New Online the New Hanover Regional Medical Center will no longer pursue a merger with the Beaufort County Medical Center. New Hanover County Medical Center was one of 11 Hospital Systems that exhibited an interest in the financially troubled hospital, and along with the University Health Systems of Eastern North Carolina was the only nonprofit to seek affiliation with BCMC

    On June 17, 2010, Reporter Vicky Echenrode of the Star News reported that New Hano.ver Regional spokeswoman Erin Balzotti said she spoke with CEO Jack Barto about the proposed partnership, who concluded, “he said that after a more internal evaluation, we do not believe we are going to pursue the Beaufort Regional Health System opportunity for affiliation any further and that we wish them well in their analysis and alignment process.”

Commentary

    “After a more internal evaluation, we do not believe we are going to pursue the Beaufort Regional Health System.” Is it that the internal evaluation of BCMC that is stopping them from pursuing the Beaufort County hospital, or is it an internal evaluation of their own nonprofit? Either way it speaks volumes about the financial condition of nonprofits, and their mismanagement of their condition in an unstable economy.

    This revelation lends much credence to the need for the Beaufort County Medical Center’s desperate need to move quickly to cut the costs associated with running this facility that the management team has, heretofore, been unwilling to negotiate. In critical times, one must possess critical thinking and to date, one can easily make the argument that the BCMC has been unwilling to exhibit such.

    If the Beaufort County Medical Center continues to disregard making meaningful cuts to their expenditures of their precious revenues, and are forced into a relationship with a for-profit group, who could be by far the highest bidder, this for-profit will make the cuts for them to achieve the profits necessary to placate their shareholders. The Beaufort County citizenry, the current stake-holders of the non-profit BCMC, should demand the same treatment now from the current management.