Interim CEO says hospital restored compliance and cut costs; Meharry provost urges payment for residents
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Summary
Interim CEO Dr. Elders told the Nashville General Hospital Authority Board the hospital regained CMS compliance, reduced leadership layers and posted multi‑million in savings. The Meharry provost said the college has carried unpaid resident salaries for years and sought a financial resolution.
Interim CEO Dr. Elders told the Nashville General Hospital Authority Board on March 26 that the hospital has made “significant progress” across governance, operations and finance over the past year, including steps to address earlier audit findings and to restore regulatory standing.
Elders said the administration implemented governance and compliance actions, adopted DocuSign to better track contracts, reduced the senior leadership team and cut middle‑management positions to help reduce costs. “This administration made a commitment to transparency,” she said, and reported aggregate savings from a series of workforce and contract reductions that she described as contributing to a positive year‑to‑date operating position after a prior multi‑million‑dollar deficit.
Why it matters: The hospital’s public‑safety mission depends on stable operations and regulatory compliance. Elders told the board the hospital is again in good standing with CMS conditions of participation and that Tennessee Department of Health revisits are closed, steps she said were essential for continuing Medicare participation and public trust.
Meharry residency dispute: After Elders’ report the provost from Meharry Medical College addressed the board, saying Meharry’s residents work at the hospital and that the college has fronted salaries and benefits for the residents for “3 plus years.” The provost said that unresolved reimbursement has created financial strain for Meharry and asked the hospital to resolve outstanding payments. “We cannot do it without being paid for our residents,” the provost said.
Hospital response and next steps: Elders acknowledged discrepancies and said she had met with Meharry leadership; she added that the organizations are working jointly toward a resolution and that an upcoming IRIS audit will examine resident allocations. A finance representative said the current‑year resident invoice segment has been signed and uploaded and that the hospital expects that item to be processed in the coming weeks; the board was told conversations about prior years are ongoing.
The board did not take a formal public vote on the Meharry matter at the meeting; Elders said the issue is being handled with hospital and Meharry legal and leadership teams and that more details will follow as the organizations coordinate.
