They dispute report that they keep their charity-care policies secret

By CINDY GEORGE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Nov. 5, 2009, 10:25PM

GALVESTON-AREA PROVIDERS SURVEYED

The Clearing the Fog report about charity care policies surveyed and/or visited these hospitals and clinics:

• University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital, Galveston

• Mainland Medical Center, Texas City

• Christus St. John Hospital, Clear Lake

• Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, Webster

• Galveston County Health District's 4Cs clinics,

• Galveston and Texas City UTMB clinics, various Galveston County locations

A new report alleges that Galveston County area hospitals and clinics don't disclose their charity-care policies, despite laws requiring them to do so.

Several hospitals and clinics named in the report dispute the findings, saying they provide millions of dollars in free or discounted care every year and provide written copies of their policies to the public.

Clearing the Fog, the report unveiled Thursday, was researched and written by patient advocates who said they want policies posted to inform the uninsured of free and reduced-cost health care in the Galveston area. Surveys conducted from November 2007 to January 2008 found that most providers — including two Harris County hospitals that serve Galveston County residents — reported that no free care was available and declined to hand over written polices to monitors.

“This is about getting free care policies and financial discount policies disclosed to the public and available upon request,” said Dr. Merle Lenihan, the report's author and a former volunteer physician at St. Vincent's House.

$11,500 bill

Unlike Harris County, which has a hospital district, Galveston County's uninsured residents rely on an indigent health program as well as federally qualified health centers that offer care on an income-based sliding scale.

“We don't have any problem with the suggestion that maybe we should put up some better signage,” said Kurt Koopmann, a spokesman for the Galveston County Health District. After being laid off, Juan Flores, 55, had no health insurance in May when he sought treatment for kidney stones at Mainland Medical Center in Texas City.

His family arranged a payment plan for the $11,500 bill, but $100 a month was still too much.

“Where was I going to get that money?” said his wife, Olivia Flores, 57, a day care assistant. “I would like them to make a discount.”

HCA Gulf Coast Division, part of the nation's largest hospital corporation, issued a statement Thursday saying Mainland Medical and its other hospitals offer an uninsured discount program and “billions of dollars in charity and uncompensated care,” but declined to comment on the report.

Conclusions questioned

Tom Permetti, Christus St. John Hospital's administrator, said the report's summary contradicts its section on his hospital that says their policy was provided to a monitor and that Christus hospitals waive charges for low-income uninsured patients.

“We have a lot of questions about the methodology and now, with their accuracy,” Permetti said. “Our record is very strong.”

An executive from UTMB, considered the safety-net provider for the Galveston area, also questioned the 81-page report's conclusions.

Dr. Ben G. Raimer, UTMB's senior vice president for health policy and legislative affairs, said he is “fairly certain that signs were posted” in the clinical areas of UTMB that were flooded by Hurricane Ike. He added that policies have been posted online since 1993 along with “exhaustive information about our indigent care and charity care.”

Chronicle reporter Jenalia Moreno contributed to this report.

Kurt Koopmann

kkoopman@gchd.org