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Hospital CEO warns of equipment shortfall, seeks state cancer-fund bill for $5.7M linear accelerator
Summary
Hilo Regional Medical Center CEO Robert Whitaker told the Grant County Commission the hospital will seek legislation to access cancer-designated funds to replace a linear accelerator quoted at about $5.7 million and outlined operational pressures including Medicare Advantage limits on swing-bed admissions.
Robert Whitaker, CEO of Hilo Regional Medical Center, told the Grant County Commission that the hospital plans to pursue legislation to tap cancer-directed funds to replace a critical radiation oncology machine. "This would be a bill, that will allow us to access cancer funds to help us replace our, linear accelerator," Whitaker said, adding the equipment quote is "about $5,700,000."
Whitaker reported steady patient volumes and described the system's financial position. For November he said operating revenue ran "just about 9,000,000" with operating expenses near $8.8 million and a monthly surplus of about $144,000. He cautioned that uncompensated care has risen, and year-to-date the hospital has recorded roughly $11,700,000 in uncompensated-care costs.
The CEO also described operational barriers to expanding certain services. "When patients have Medicare Advantage Plans, those plans... everyone that we've tried has been denied," Whitaker said, describing repeated preapproval denials that limit use of the hospital's swing-bed program. He said traditional Medicare is generally easier for hospitals when it comes to preapprovals.
Whitaker told commissioners that local legislators have expressed support and that hospital staff will work through the upcoming budget session and committee process to pursue the bill. He said hospital leadership had engaged lobbyists and expected to finalize a draft bill in the coming week.
The hospital also reported ongoing capital work and staffing changes: about $2.2 million in capital purchases year to date, board approval of new operating-room instruments for urology, a facilitywide defibrillator replacement program, and a July 1 change to a new emergency-room physician group the hospital hired to ensure ER physicians are board certified. Whitaker said leadership is preparing for a Joint Commission accreditation survey and scheduled a strategic planning retreat for March.
