Thursday, July 22, 2010
Care Reach video released
Protecting the health of our children, regardless of their family's financial capabilities, is the sole purpose of Care Reach.
This program stretches deep into the heart of Sumter and Lee counties and connects children with needed medical and dental care.
Typically, these children are referred by school nurses and have problems that could affect educational outcomes.
Funded by The Tuomey Foundation, Care Reach takes a holistic approach to helping children, including enrolling them in Medicaid and addressing their behavioral issues, as well as their physical health problems.
Monday, July 12, 2010
A Q&A with Tuomey
Tuomey has been asked several questions by members of the community and the media. In order to be as helpful as possible, here are many of the questions and answers. We hope you find this information helpful!
When did Tuomey Regional Medical Center go from being managed by Quorum to being managed by Jay Cox?
The Tuomey Board has always had full control of Tuomey. Tuomey has been managed by the board, Jay Cox and his administrative team, since Jay was named CEO in 1990. Tuomey has had a management agreement with Quorum since the 1980s. Mr. Cox, Gregg Martin and Paul Johnson were employees of Quorum until 2005. At that time, the board decided it was best for the top three leaders of this organization to be employed by Tuomey. When the management team became sole employees of Tuomey, Tuomey modified its agreement to reduce the services being provided. Accordingly, we are still a QHR (Quorum) hospital, which gives us tremendous buying power for medical equipment and supplies and other benefits.
Why did the board terminate the contract with Quorum?
The contracts with QHR were not terminated. We are still a QHR hospital. The only substantial change was the Tuomey Board’s desire for all executive team members to be Tuomey employees.
Was there a press release regarding this announcement?
When this happened, all employees of Tuomey were made aware of the change in status. There were meetings with both management and employee relations, to make sure that all Tuomey employees were aware of the change.
Did current board members that practice medicine vote to approve their own contracts?
No, any board members who were involved in the part-time physician contracts not only didn’t vote on the contracts, they left the room when the board was making its decisions on the part-time physician contracts.
Is the board aware - and have they discussed the fact - that the (just out of bankruptcy) Natchez (Miss.) Regional Medical Center is suing Quorum Health Resources and two Quorum employees for $46 million in damages for “negligence, breach of fiduciary duties, fraud and other wrongful acts and omissions” committed during 2006 and 2007, including violations of the Stark Law?
Tuomey’s board has not discussed this case, since it has absolutely nothing to do with our hospital or our arrangements with Quorum. Are any of Tuomey’s financial records available to the community? Tuomey’s 990s are a matter of public record, and are available to anyone who would like to review them.Are hospital financial records of the past 20 years available to us for review? Do board members get health insurance paid after a certain amount of service? Again, our 990s are available for anyone to see. Board members are NOT paid any compensation and they do NOT receive any health benefits. In fact, it is truly a volunteer job with no compensation.
What were the terms of any and all government offers of a settlement?
When did the offers occur? Why were these offers rejected? Tuomey did its absolute best to resolve this matter before it went to court. All negotiations are confidential, and since the case is still pending, we are not at liberty to discuss the details of any discussions.
There are no attorneys on the board. If not, please explain why?
There are currently no attorneys on the board, but there have been in the past. Also, Tuomey has an in-house attorney at all board meetings.
What are the terms of Jay Cox’s employment contract? Do board members face personal liability for their decisions?
Tuomey does not release personnel information on any of its employees. Board members are not facing any personal liability in this case.
How much, as of June 29, 2010, has the hospital spent on its lawsuit with the government?
Over the past seven years, including all legal fees and fair market valuation fees for the design and implementation of contracts and the federal lawsuit, the hospital has spent almost $8 million.
Did Tuomey try and get the government’s opinion on these contracts?
The Tuomey Board approved taking the contracts to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbia to determine if there were any problems with the arrangements. In September 2005, Tuomey's attorneys met with an assistant U.S. Attorney and described the situation and later provided her with a copy of the agreement in question. This occurred before the whistleblower lawsuit was filed by the physician in question in October 2005. Tuomey's attorneys were told that the Government would get back with them if there were any questions or concerns. The next thing that Tuomey's attorneys heard from the Government was in February 2006, when they were informed of the existence of the whistleblower lawsuit.
When did Tuomey Regional Medical Center go from being managed by Quorum to being managed by Jay Cox?
The Tuomey Board has always had full control of Tuomey. Tuomey has been managed by the board, Jay Cox and his administrative team, since Jay was named CEO in 1990. Tuomey has had a management agreement with Quorum since the 1980s. Mr. Cox, Gregg Martin and Paul Johnson were employees of Quorum until 2005. At that time, the board decided it was best for the top three leaders of this organization to be employed by Tuomey. When the management team became sole employees of Tuomey, Tuomey modified its agreement to reduce the services being provided. Accordingly, we are still a QHR (Quorum) hospital, which gives us tremendous buying power for medical equipment and supplies and other benefits.
Why did the board terminate the contract with Quorum?
The contracts with QHR were not terminated. We are still a QHR hospital. The only substantial change was the Tuomey Board’s desire for all executive team members to be Tuomey employees.
Was there a press release regarding this announcement?
When this happened, all employees of Tuomey were made aware of the change in status. There were meetings with both management and employee relations, to make sure that all Tuomey employees were aware of the change.
Did current board members that practice medicine vote to approve their own contracts?
No, any board members who were involved in the part-time physician contracts not only didn’t vote on the contracts, they left the room when the board was making its decisions on the part-time physician contracts.
Is the board aware - and have they discussed the fact - that the (just out of bankruptcy) Natchez (Miss.) Regional Medical Center is suing Quorum Health Resources and two Quorum employees for $46 million in damages for “negligence, breach of fiduciary duties, fraud and other wrongful acts and omissions” committed during 2006 and 2007, including violations of the Stark Law?
Tuomey’s board has not discussed this case, since it has absolutely nothing to do with our hospital or our arrangements with Quorum. Are any of Tuomey’s financial records available to the community? Tuomey’s 990s are a matter of public record, and are available to anyone who would like to review them.Are hospital financial records of the past 20 years available to us for review? Do board members get health insurance paid after a certain amount of service? Again, our 990s are available for anyone to see. Board members are NOT paid any compensation and they do NOT receive any health benefits. In fact, it is truly a volunteer job with no compensation.
What were the terms of any and all government offers of a settlement?
When did the offers occur? Why were these offers rejected? Tuomey did its absolute best to resolve this matter before it went to court. All negotiations are confidential, and since the case is still pending, we are not at liberty to discuss the details of any discussions.
There are no attorneys on the board. If not, please explain why?
There are currently no attorneys on the board, but there have been in the past. Also, Tuomey has an in-house attorney at all board meetings.
What are the terms of Jay Cox’s employment contract? Do board members face personal liability for their decisions?
Tuomey does not release personnel information on any of its employees. Board members are not facing any personal liability in this case.
How much, as of June 29, 2010, has the hospital spent on its lawsuit with the government?
Over the past seven years, including all legal fees and fair market valuation fees for the design and implementation of contracts and the federal lawsuit, the hospital has spent almost $8 million.
Did Tuomey try and get the government’s opinion on these contracts?
The Tuomey Board approved taking the contracts to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbia to determine if there were any problems with the arrangements. In September 2005, Tuomey's attorneys met with an assistant U.S. Attorney and described the situation and later provided her with a copy of the agreement in question. This occurred before the whistleblower lawsuit was filed by the physician in question in October 2005. Tuomey's attorneys were told that the Government would get back with them if there were any questions or concerns. The next thing that Tuomey's attorneys heard from the Government was in February 2006, when they were informed of the existence of the whistleblower lawsuit.
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