Committee flags Bradley Healthcare's deteriorating finances; members call for follow-up

Members of the Bradley County Audit Committee raised concerns about Bradley Healthcare's declining net position during the committee's review of county financials.

An appointed board member who speaks on the facility said Bradley Healthcare's net position began at roughly $3.99 million and has dropped to under $1 million. The speaker said expense reductions and organizational changes have been made but said the core problem remains the revenue side: "The concern is the revenue side and that becomes very problematic when you are dealing with insurance, Medicare, Medicaid," he said, urging follow-up with the facility director and board to determine whether recent actions are short- or long-term fixes.

The committee noted that some expense-side adjustments had been made and praised staff including Director Oliver, Chairman Stanberry and finance staff (Rick Smith) for addressing operating issues. Still, members said revenue-cycle issues tied to third-party payors will require further attention and suggested the county and the facility board meet to review options.

No formal action (such as a directive or appropriation) was taken in this meeting; members agreed to continue oversight via follow-up conversations and to request more detailed financial materials as the next audit cycle is prepared.

The committee then returned to required audit determinations and adjourned the meeting.