NORFOLK
The city has withdrawn its support for a proposal to radically downsize the Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center and is instead calling for a 134-bed hospital with fully functioning emergency, obstetric and intensive care facilities.
Bon Secours officials have maintained that DePaul is losing money and must be slashed in size or closed.
However, City Attorney Bernard A. Pishko disputed that, saying, "We have a question as to whether Bon Secours has been operating DePaul in a fashion to try and make money." He said DePaul began showing large losses only after Bon Secours officials proposed the downsizing.
Bon Secours spokeswoman Lynne Zultanky responded: "I can assure you that we have been very transparent with the city. We operate very openly and honestly in all of our business dealings."
City officials sent a letter informing Bon Secours of their decision to oppose its plans for DePaul two weeks ago. They urged Bon Secours, a nonprofit Catholic health system, to heed advice from state officials to maintain a larger presence at the DePaul site, located just south of Wards Corner.
Bon Secours had proposed tearing down the 238-bed DePaul and redistributing its beds to a new Virginia Beach hospital, a new hospital in northern Suffolk and a new 64-bed DePaul hospital.
T he state, however, rejected that proposal and instead approved Sentara's plans to build a new hospital in Virginia Beach.
Dr. James Burns, a deputy state health commissioner, said the Bon Secours plan was rejected in part because the proposed new DePaul h ospital was too small.
It is the only hospital north of the Lafayette River and serves some of the city's neediest residents. Burns wrote that reducing DePaul to 64 rooms would place an unfair financial burden on Sentara Norfolk General and Sentara Leigh hospitals for caring for indigent patients.
Bon Secours has appealed the decision while also submitting new plans to build a hospital in Virginia Beach, reduce DePaul and increase its facilities in Suffolk.
Mayor Paul Fraim said Norfolk endorsed the previous DePaul proposal largely because it relied on information provided by Bon Secours.
In hindsight, city officials said, that was a mistake.
"We settled for less than what was needed for the city," Pishko acknowledged.
The city recently hired Kent Stevens, president of the Berkeley Medical Group in Northern Virginia, to study Bon Secours' records and make recommendations to the city. Stevens disputed the conclusion by Bon Secours that DePaul needed to be a fourth of its current size.
"He examined the information that they supplied to the state health commissioner," Fraim said. "Their own occupancy rates demonstrate a need for more beds in Norfolk than they originally proposed."
Adam Melita, an assistant city attorney, said that Norfolk believes a new DePaul facility with 134 beds would be profitable.
"A few facility would be the kind of place doctors would like to practice," he said, noting that much of DePaul's infrastructure is dated.
Zultanky said Bon Secours received a copy of Stevens' report on Thursday.
"Our plans are to review his report and to continue our discussions with the city" to ensure a new DePaul is built in Norfolk, she said.
She noted that Bon Secours has the endorsement of the Virginia Beach and Suffolk city councils for its new proposal. Portsmouth City Council also appears likely to endorse the plans.
Fraim said he will ask Virginia Beach to reconsider its support.
He noted that state officials have said that a larger DePaul would make a new Bon Secours hospital at the Beach more palatable.
"We hope Virginia Beach will support us not just because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's in their self-interest to do so," Pishko said.
Although the cities don't play a formal role when the state examines proposals for medical facilities, Fraim contends "our decision will have a real impact. I don't know if it will determine the issue. But our position will be carefully considered."
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Sentaraopoly
It seems odd..the article accuses DePaul of cooking to books to lose money, but then says if they shrink DePaul the increased indigent patient load on Sentara Leigh and Norfolk General would be difficult for them. If two hospitals cannot divide and handle the indigent load profitably, how is DePaul supposed to be doing it alone?
Bon Secours nuns have an active roll in running the hospitals... I can assure you they aren't intentionally losing money.
I'm stunned by how many Hamptoan roads officials are in Sentara's pockets... they're almost like the mafia at this point.
poor Sentara
I love this line in here: Burns wrote that reducing DePaul to 64 rooms would place an unfair financial burden on Sentara Norfolk General and Sentara Leigh hospitals for caring for indigent patients. So if those indigent patients are all at DePaul (which doesn't have hugely profitable hospitals in VB, Hampton, Williamsburg to offset the costs of indigent care), then that is OK. But if they go to a Sentara hospital, that is all wrong? The Washington Post said on May 16, And it (Sentara) has used its leverage as the largest HMO in the region to put the financial squeeze on competing hospitals and physician groups -- in the case of Bon Secours hospitals, for example, paying rates even below that of the state Medicaid program. Why doesn't the VP report this side of the story? In the pockets of Sentara, just like Mayor Fraim?
Who does the city council think they are??
These people think that they are kings and queens instead of ELECTED officials! I guess you can throw thier name in the ring with Maxcine Waters who would like to nationalize the oil companies! Morons!
Not-for-Profit
Neither Sentara nor Bon Secours are for-profit healthcare organizations. As such, both are required to treat the indigent whether those patients can afford it or not. Those who accuse Sentara of acting like a for-profit should get their facts straight. Unfortunately, one ER visit is not a good indicator or what any hospital system is like. There are way too many factors to consider to compare Norfolk General to DePaul.
Get over the hating. I'm all for a better DePaul regardless because it puts the pressure on the Sentaras of the community to step up.
IF NORFOLF IS NOT CAREFULL
BON SECOURS MIGHT JUST PULL OUT of the city alltogether and that would be a big loss of taxes.
DePaul is such an excellent
DePaul is such an excellent resource in the community, especially for those of us (like me) who don't have health insurance. The fact that Norfolk just wants to roll over and let Sentara do whatever it wants disgusts me. I've had one experience with Sentara Norfolk ER, and when I went in there they diagnosed me with the very symptom that I came in for (throwing up blood) and wrote me a prescription for heartburn medication (after making me wait SIX HOURS in the waiting room, of course). The for-profits are choking the life out of the hospitals in the area that are willing to be flexible with their lower-income patients. This is why people choose to suffer and be sick, rather than have to deal with healthcare corporations trying to nickel and dime them to death. DePaul has been there for me (with no insurance) several times over the past year, and if I were to get sick again, I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Maybe the City Council
Maybe the City Council members,out of their own pockets, could reimburse Bon Secours for its losses at DePaul. They are in the pocket of Sentara. Sentara is nothing more than a health care monopoly.
Once again
we have a city council in bed with the clowns at Sentara. Sentara has basically been given a carte blanche to do as it pleases, in markets that don't have indigent patients and Bon Secours is supposed to pick the non paying clients. It is time for Sentara to start paying its fair share--after all they are supposed to be a non-profit group. Talk about monopolies!