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Editorial: Debate is needed on Metro General’s future
Like the rest of the country, local governments are facing difficult financial times. Metro Nashville is no different, with the Council operating under tight budget constraints and Metro Nashville Public Schools considering cost cutting measures mid-year.
There is no better time for Metro to reconsider its priorities, and at the top of the list for serious dialogue and discussions should be the ongoing operation of Metro General Hospital as a city owned and operated facility.
In addition to Metro General, the Metro Hospital Authority, also runs the Bordeaux long-term care facility and the Knowles Home assisted living center. Combined, the annual price tag for these facilities is staggering. Taxpayer dollars provided a total of $47 million in subsidies from Metro this year.
That whopping sum does not include $46 million owed to Metro government by the Hospital Authority that was granted as a line of credit to help cover budget shortfalls. That makes it no less painful for Metro government or the taxpayers that have seen services cut back in these tough times.
At the same time, Metro General provides an enormous service to this city. It is a major source of indigent care and an important cog in the health care system of Nashville’s urban core. The hospital does important work that cannot be ignored.
At the same time, Metro government needs to explore both new operating models for the hospital as well as the possibility of testing the market and putting the facility up for sale.
Some new ideas have been implemented lately at Metro General, including incentives to Metro employees to use the hospital for their care. However, other potential revenue sources have been left on the table, including a potential deal with Vanderbilt for a pediatrics ward in Metro General that never got off the ground.
As with most things of this magnitude in Metro government, solving the issue of Metro General will require the full attention of Mayor Karl Dean’s office. Well before the next budget season, Dean needs to launch a full exploration of the possibilities at Metro General — both revamping its operations to drain less cash from the city and selling the facility outright.
The Metro Council needs to cooperate in full with this kind of open dialogue, including the hospital’s champions in Metro government. There is a huge need for Metro General in our community. The incredibly expensive drain on Metro government to subsidize its existence suggests perhaps the private sector might do a better job running the hospital and making it self-sufficient.
Either way, a meaningful debate needs to be held about the future of Metro General before budget season.
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We need to forgettabout the Convention Center that will cost a billion before they are through with no hope of getting that back.
We could have done without this article if it meant giveing up the letters.
I THINK IT IS GOOD TO GET PEOPLE THINKING OF WHAT NASHVILLE WOULD DO IF THIS WELL NEEDED FACILITY WERE TO CLOSE. WHO WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE CITIES NEED FOR THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE?
What's missing is any mention of the impact upon Meharry Medical College. Many of it's faculty also serve at General and the hospital is vital to Meharry as a teaching resource.
This asset is withering under public ownership. This is not exactly how Karl Marx expected things to happen. It was the government that was suppose to wither away.
It is incontrovertible that the Nashville General Hospital at Meharry is and will remain an essential and unique resource to provide medical care to the underserved of Davidson County. The hospital’s purpose will remain so until this country’s politician reorient their priorities and provide universal health care and until our medical profession provides and rewards preventive care rather than using expensive technology to undue years of medical care neglect. The benchmarks of the NGH are comparable with other hospitals and indicate the pride and care of the physicians, nurses and staff of the Hospital. What this hospital requires is stability and support. The annual discourse whether to sustain this resource is a disservice and deterrent to the moral and maintenance of the hospital and makes the tasks of the Hospital’s leadership even more difficult. This hospital needs a long-term financial plan so that its leadership can continue their strategic efforts rather than crisis manage every budget period.