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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04012003 - D2 tontra TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS v V' FROM: William B. Walker, M.D. 00% Gos a DATE: April 1, 200 SUBJECT: Tenet Corporation County SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENOAT#ON(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Accept report from the Health Services Director. BACKGROUND: During the March 25, 2003 meeting the Board requested that the Health Services Director provide additional information concerning the cancellation of the contract with the Tenet Corporation (Doctors Hospital of San Pablo). The Contra Costa Health Plan has contracted with Doctors' Medical Center since 1994 for the provision of inpatient services to enrollees of the Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP). A chronology of the contract and contract negotiations follows: • Original contract was executed with Brookside Hospital in September 1994. • Contract was assigned to Tenet HealthSystem Hospitals, Inc. when Tenet leased the facility and operations from the West County Hospital District in November 1996. • Rates were renegotiated in 1998 and the resulting rate increases became effective in January 1999. CCHP notified Tenet in December 2002 that stop loss claims had become unacceptably high and offered an alternative rate proposal. It should be noted that the stop loss contract provision was included to protect the hospital from unusual or extraordinary losses resulting from heavy care patients. Stop loss rates are CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: ,,,k=__"#^S SIGNATURE: -,*COMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ___,RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): y � ._...._ . _ --------- ----------------------------------� -- ----- -------------------— - ACTION OF BOA �t N A P 1L 1 y 2aQ_1_ APPROVE AS RECOMMENDED „_ OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT_NONE ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE AYES: NOES: SHOWN. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: DISTRICT III SEAT VACANT ATTESTEDAPRIL 1, 2003 CONTACT: Patrick GodWyJ370-5005 JOHN SWEETEN,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND CC: Health Services COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Health Parr si BY ./ F f E a� DEPUTY "triggered"when hospital charges exceed a pre-defined level. Hospitals that aggressively increase their charges can influence the frequency and amount of payments under the stop loss provision negating its original intent and purpose i.e. rather than payment for just heavy care patients it effectively becomes a payment for all patients. • After receiving a letter with no counterproposal, CCHP notified Tenet on January 14, 2003 that unless negotiations could produce an acceptable rate agreement, without a stop loss provision, the contract would terminate on March 15, 2003. • Negotiations were conducted with the Tenet regional office in San Ramon in January and February and CCHP received the last and final proposal from Tenet on March 12. No local negotiations directly with Doctors' Medical Center administration have occurred. • The last Tenet proposal offered two unacceptable options: one had rates for Medi-Cal members that were 50% to 80% higher than comparable Medi-Cal fee-=for-service rates; the other had acceptable daily rates but required stop loss payments that were more than 350% higher than comparable Medi-Cal fee-for-service rates • The contract terminated on March 15, 2003. • A contract is not needed to insure patient access. Contra Costa Health Plan members access care throughout the area and the nation at hospitals with which CCHP has no contract. • CCHP, based on discussions with staff from Tenet, has no reason to believe that access to services at Doctors' Medical Center will be adversely affected by the contract termination. Over 97% of all CCHP admissions to Doctors Hospital are emergency in nature and admissions for this category of patients is dictated as a matter of law. The only significant change between the County and Doctors Hospital will be in the rate of pay. FISCAL IMPACT: The contract cancellation will result in savings and cost avoidance in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range. ADDENDUM TO ITEM D.2 Aprill, 2003 On this day the Board of Supervisors considered approving and authorizing the Health Services Director to terminate the contract with Tenet Healthsystern Hospital, Inc. (formerly Brookside Hospital). Dr. William B. Walker,Health Services Director presented the report. The following member of the public presented testimony: Joseph Schuman, 2000 Franklin, Oakland, (California Nurses Association). The Board discussed the matter, and Supervisor Glover moved to make the following recommendations,which was seconded by Supervisor Gioia: • APPROVED and AUTHORIZED the Health Services Director to terminate the contract with Tenet Healthsystern Hospital, Inc. (formerly Brookside Hospital) relating to inpatient hospital services for Contra Costa Health Plan members effective at the close of business on March 15, 2003; • RATIFIED the actions of the Health Services Department in issuing a 60-day advance written notice to the contractor; • And DIRECTED Health Services to immediately issue a press release announcing Tenet is to continue receiving patients in compliance with state mandate. After further discussions, the vote on the motion was as follows: AYES: Supervisors Gioia,Uilkema, Glover, and DeSaulnier NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None DISTRICT III SEAT VACANT The motion passed. REQUEST TO SPEAK FORM (THRZZ (3) kII+UTE LIMIT) Complete this form and place it in the box near the speakers' rostrum before addressing the Board Name: � r � PhoneE :. . t Address w ' ` # City. I an speaking for myself or organizations (now of orpaniaaticn) SCK ONE: : s I wish to speak on Agenda Item # �' Date. My comments will be: general foragainst I wish to speak on the subject of I do not wish to speak but leave these comments for the Board to consider: