Doctors worry El Paso Children’s Hospital will lose independence; offers mediation suggestions

As mediation continues between University Medical Center and El Paso Children’s Hospital, more than 50 local doctors are expressing fear the Children’s Hospital would lose its autonomy under UMC’s proposal, — a fear County Judge Veronica Escobar has said is not based on facts.

The doctors have said that Children’s would essentially become a Children’s wing within UMC, crippling their efforts to recruit pediatric specialists who want to work at an independent children’s hospital. “I just spoke today to several medical students who are looking at residencies. They are not interested in El Paso because of the possibility of UMC taking over Children’s,” said Dr. Steven Ross, a Pediatric Radiologist who works at El Paso Children’s.

Escboar has said the doctors fears are just that: fears. She said UMC officials have never used any language or expressed interest in Children’s becoming a wing within a general hospital instead of an independent hospital.
“We don’t want that either. We want them to be a stand alone corporation. That’s what the terms (proposed by UMC) call for – for them to be a subsidiary of UMC but with a separate board, a separate CEO, a separate corporate structure but with the ability for a strategic partner to pull down added funds,” Escobar said.

Ross and other doctors do not trust the hospital will maintain it’s autonomy.
“They’re asking that our CEO report to UMC’s CEO, that our board report to UMC’s board. When that happens that means that the financial decisions, when push comes to shove are going to be made by the adult hospital’s CEO and board and that’s not going to be what’s best for the children.”

Escobar said Children’s leadership would report to UMC, under UMC’s plan, in an effort to keep Children’s accountable but she contends it’s not a takeover. She added any changes to Children’s would have to go before County Commissioners providing an additional safeguard for Children’s.

“Among the members of the commissioners court are strong supporters of the Children’s Hospital. (That) should provide that safeguard that nothing will happen behind closed doors to make it a children’s wing which is not what any of us want. But if they don’t trust that that’s not what any of us want, that’s why bringing it to Commissioners Court gives them the ability to make sure if it ever happens it’s done in full public viewing, they can come and argue their case but certainly I would never support it becoming a wing of UMC,” Escobar said.

Ross said he and other doctors are not convinced by the efforts of the Commissioners Court. Escobar insists they are “on the same team” as Children’s and said the doctors should remember it was commissioners court that approved going to the voters to build the hospital in the first place and also approved funding their services without repayment for a full budget year in order to give their board enough time to create a plan for sustainability.

In the letter, EPCH doctors suggest five ideas to kick start the talks:

• Work with EPCH to access federal and state funds through intergovernmental transfers
• Share services at cost
• Have El Paso First pay a fair reimbursement
• Share uncompensated care money intended for children
• Renegotiate the disputed debt

Ross said EPCH reports it only owes UMC around $30 million. But UMC reports this summer, EPCH agreed it owed $81.3 million, accumulated since September 2014. UMC now claims the debt has risen to $91 million.

Escobar said she is concerned Children’s is using bad facts, which could slow the mediation process. Ross disputes that claim.