Children’s Hospital CEO admits May’s patient ER statistics are ‘misleading’

Despite recently declaring bankruptcy, El Paso Children’s Hospital officials claimed they’re treating a record number of patients in the emergency room.

But ABC-7 uncovered that the numbers don’t match reality.

One of the goals to ensure the long-term viability of the El Paso Children’s Hospital: Get more patients.

A rosy news release sent in June highlights the hospital saw more than 100 kids per day in its emergency room the previous month.

But ABC-7 found out, that wasn’t the case. ABC-7 asked Children’s Hospital CEO Mark Herbers where he got that number?

“Uh, there was one particular week, so that’s a little misleading,” Herbers responded.

Herbers immediately admitted that more than 100 patients a day, as written in the release, was not accurate. ABC-7 told him numbers obtained for May from the hospital’s electronic medical record system, called the Cerner report, revealed only 1,821 patients were treated in the hospital’s emergency room, or an average of 59 per day.

“The Cerner report, assuming its accurate that you had that said 59, is probably the appropriate number, yes,” Herbers said. “But there are periods of time where there is more than 100 a day.”

Herbers could not point to any specific day, however, where the hospital treated more than 100 children in its emergency room.

ABC-7 told Herbers taxpayers are trusting him to lead the hospital out of bankruptcy, but if they can’t trust that the numbers he is releasing are correct that could cause some concern.

“Well, that’s why we’re having the conversation,” Herbers replied, “and we’ll certainly clarify the periods of time.”

Herbers went on to admit the numbers were “misleading.” ABC-7 told Herbers that the Cerner report showed the hospital had never taken in an average of more than 70 patients a day in its emergency room over a month period.

Herbers told ABC-7 off-camera that “in the heat of getting things out the door” the mistake was made. He added: “That’s no excuse, however, and I am not about making excuses.”