Breaking news - JCMC makes offer for Christ Hosp

Jersey Journal: Jersey City Medical Center offers to buy nearby Christ Hospital for $104 million.

From the article:
The JCMC, which is partnering with Community Healthcare Associates in the bid, would keep Christ Hospital as a non-profit acute care facility for at least 30 years and maintain the existing unions, according to a statement released this morning.

"In a letter of intent that was delivered to Christ Hospital President and CEO Peter Kelly, we set forth our vision for the future of the facility and its critical role in providing healthcare services for Hudson County,'' JCMC President and CEO Joseph Scott writes in the statement. "The proposal lays out four tenets: to continue operating Christ as a non-profit acute care community hospital for a period of not less than 30 years; to preserve and create jobs while maintaining the existing unions; to continue to build a positive working relationship with the medical staff; and to expand Christ’s role as a healthcare leader and educator in Jersey City, Hudson County and New Jersey.''

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The LibertyHealth offer also includes bridge financing to ensure that Christ Hospital does not need to enter bankruptcy in order to reorganize.

This offer opens up the possibilities quite a bit. Save Christ Hospital has arranged meetings with both Bayonne/Hoboken Holdco and LibertyHealth to better understand their bids and advocate for Christ Hospital's historic mission of quality healthcare accessible to the whole community.
 

Save Christ Hospital forms Community Oversight Board

Jersey City, NJ, January 24, 2012 - Christ Hospital’s plan to abandon its charitable mission and sell the hospital to a for-profit corporation calls for substantial community involvement and oversight. Save Christ Hospital has drawn together 14 community organizations and formed a community board to represent ordinary residents of Hudson County in the plans to sell this important community asset.

139 years ago, the Episcopal Church founded Christ Hospital to serve the critical medical needs of the north Hudson community. The City of Jersey City, Hudson County, and the State of New Jersey have invested in that mission, providing direct financial support and forgiving taxes on the hospital’s real estate and business operations. As a not-for-profit institution, Christ Hospital’s duty has been to put its patients and its community first, and reinvest any surplus into its mission.

Save Christ Hospital calls for:

1. An open, transparent review process with substantial and meaningful public participation;
2. A community needs assessment to determine essential services that must be provided;
3. A formal bid process that state government, local government, and the public can see prior to any sale; and
4. That any sale fully meet the CHAPA standard of no negative impact on the public interest, and that the state impose strong conditions to ensure:
- continued access to all existing healthcare services for at least 10 years,
- quality health care and health care outcomes,
- access to services for the uninsured,
- protection of existing staffing levels and workplace rights for employees, and
- the use and governance of this important non-profit community asset based on community need.

Save Christ Hospital will work with Governor Christie, the Attorney General, and the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services to safeguard the public interest as required by the Community Health Care Assets Protection Act (CHAPA), and with the Hospital and potential buyers to help preserve the hospital’s and its historic mission of quality healthcare accessible to the whole community.

See the Hudson Reporter article, "Jersey City neighborhood associations form 'community oversight board' to monitor Christ Hospital sale."

Another buyer, but rejected by Christ

Breaking news: In a letter dated 12/23, the owner of Bayonne Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center (Hospital Holdco LLC) made an offer of $91.6 million to buy Christ Hospital, including $35 million for working capital and capital improvements. While this offer appears to be substantially more than the deal Christ is pursuing with Prime Healthcare, it was immediately rejected by Christ Hospital.

See the initial news reports: Owner of two Hudson hospitals makes offer to buy a third, immediately followed by Christ Hospital officials reject purchase offer (both articles from The Jersey Journal, 12/27/11). And with further details (Hudson Reporter, 12/27/11).
 

Prime's billing problems go national

Last night PBS's NewsHour aired a report that Prime has a systematic practice of upcoding, over-diagnosing patients in order to get higher Medicare reimbursement rates. Great for Prime's profits, terrible for the American taxpayer.

From the transcript...

JEFFREY BROWN: And speaking of Medicare, America spends more than $500 billion every year on Medicare for elderly patients. Now, as the cost of health care rises, many are examining exactly how that money is spent.

Our partners at the Center for Investigative Reporting have conducted a yearlong probe into one prominent hospital chain's Medicare costs. In an online report released Sunday, the center's California Watch project examined whether the chain is attracting the toughest medical cases, or is exaggerating conditions in order to increase revenues.

Our version of that story is reported by Lance Williams of California Watch.

LANCE WILLIAMS, California Watch: California-based Prime Healthcare Services buys financially troubled hospitals and turns them around. So when Prime purchased Alvarado Hospital in San Diego last year, Anneke Doty knew there would be changes, especially after a meeting with the new owner, Dr. Prem Reddy.

ANNEKE DOTY, former Alvarado Hospital employee: It was very much there's a new sheriff in town.

See the full report at California Hospital Chain Eyed for Possibly Bilking Medicare for Millions.

Protecting the Future of Christ Hospital

For nearly 140 years the residents of Jersey City and surrounding communities have been relying on Christ Hospital and its dedicated staff for safe and effective health care. Each year, the staff helps deliver more than 1200 babies; cares for over 8000 hospitalized adults and nearly 600 hospitalized children; treats more than 45,000 residents in the Emergency Room; and provides the largest inpatient pediatric service in Hudson County.

Christ Hospital belongs to the community it protects, and its future should not be decided by a handful of people behind closed doors. That is why community, civic and religious leaders have teamed up with healthcare providers and elected officials to protect our community hospital and its mission to provide care to all who need it.

There are justified concerns that Prime whopping profit margin of nearly 18% comes at the cost of communities' access to safe, quality patient care and reflects a policy of putting profits ahead of patient care needs.... Many of Christ Hospital's services aren't profitable - but they are essential to the health and well-being of our community. For example, more than 75% of Christ Hospital's psychiatric and behavioral health patients are uninsured or under-insured. But since Prime also makes their money from dropping insurance contracts, whether you are insured or uninsured - your access to healthcare might be at risk.

See the full article, by Michael Yun, President, The Central Avenue SID and Ann Twomey, President, Health Professionals and Allied Employees: Protecting the Future of Christ Hospital - for our community.
 

Congratulations to the community on 12/14 meeting!

Thanks to all our partners, the speakers, and especially to engaged members of the public who helped make last night's meeting a success. We counted over 120 people in the room at one time, for a total attendance of about 140.

See the article in today's Jersey Journal: "Amid a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 last night, Peter Kelly, the CEO of Christ Hospital in Jersey City, defended the proposed $15.8 million sale of the hospital to California-based Prime Healthcare Services... Many [audience members] wanted to know if Prime could honor the five-year deal and then close the hospital. 'Why can’t you give us a 30-year agreement, or are you trying to get the deal done as soon as possible?' asked Joel Torres, a Heights resident." See the full article, "CEO of Christ Hospital defends deal."

Thanks again to the community for caring about Christ Hospital and its future. We will continue to update you with fact-checks from the meeting, information about the proposed sale, and next steps for community involvement.

Christ Hospital CEO and Board member Peter Kelly addresses community meeting
Packed house. RNA Vice President Kern Wiessman asks a question
Photos copyright (c) 2011 by HPAE, used by permission.
 

Now on Facebook!

As we have gone around the county talking to people about the proposed sale, we have heard many stories about the ways people are connected to the hospital. People all over this region are thankful for the place Christ Hospital has had in their lives, and concerned about the hospital's future.

Over the next few days and weeks, we will be asking people to share their Christ Hospital stories through our new Facebook page. Please visit http://facebook.com/savechristhospital and like the page. Then invite your friends. It's one of the things we need to help mobilize people to preserve the kind of healthcare we need in our community.