Hospital mails RFP’s, Cost-Containment Committee re-emerges | Eastern North Carolina Now

    For the moment, Beaufort Regional Health System seems to be making some real progress down the much-debated dual-track approach to saving the Washington-based hospital.

    On Wednesday of last week, Healthcare Appraisers, Inc. distributed Request For Proposal packets to the 14 organizations which expressed interest in potentially leasing the hospital, according to an e-mail received from BRHS Director of Marketing and Public Relations Pam Shadle on Friday afternoon.

    Those 14 organizations are: University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, Community Health Systems, Inc., Health Management Associates, Inc., LifePoint Hospitals, Inc., Capella Healthcare, Universal Health Services, Inc., Sunlink Health Systems, Inc., Ameris Health Systems, Brim Healthcare, LHP Hospital Group, Inc., RegionalCare Hospital Partners, Jackson Hospital Affiliates, Progressive Acute Care, LLC and Nueterra Healthcare.

    Each of these entities will have until 5 p.m. on Sept. 3 to submit their proposals. At that time the proposals will be reviewed by the BRHS Authority Board, possibly advised by the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, according to the RFP:

    “Following receipt of the proposals, the BRHS Board of Commissioners…will review and evaluate the proposals, and may request additional information and clarifications. The BRHS Commissioners may also seek review of the proposals from the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners…”

    The 26-page RFP, which includes a very descriptive list of BRHS’s wants and needs, such as an expanded emergency department, modernized patient rooms, electronic health records, new ICU floor plan, ICU education department, expansion of the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center, a bigger parking lot, etc. etc. The RFP can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.

    The Cost/Containment Committee, recommended by the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners and chaired by their representative to the BRHS board, Hood Richardson, also made some long-awaited progress last Wednesday. Wednesday was the first time the committee met since the hospital board voted to resurrect it, on June 2.

    At the Cost/Containment Committee meeting, its members agreed to request that BRHS acting Chief Executive Officer Susan Gerard recommend at the upcoming board meeting on Tuesday that the hospital hire a collections agency to pursue unpaid medical bills and another company to scan patient charts for unreported medical conditions, which could bring in more money from insurance companies.

    The Cost/Containment Committee is scheduled to meet once every week for the next three weeks. It will meet at 9 a.m. next Friday, to discuss patient scheduling, pay cuts, lab services, pharmacy practices and marketing for Inner Banks Urgent Care.

    On Tuesday, the BCMC Board of Trustees will hear from Gerard and Richardson on any cost/containment measures, and the BRHS Authority Board will be updated on the RFP’s and will again consider the land acquisition proposal by Beaufort County.