Funding expected for Lake Mead Hospital

Adrienne Packer

Monday, Feb. 4, 2002 | 9:47 a.m.

After a yearlong battle over Clark County funds designated to assist hospitals that treat low-income patients, county commissioners are expected Tuesday to give a portion to Lake Mead Hospital and Medical Center in North Las Vegas.

A county audit determined Lake Mead Hospital served more indigent patients than Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and qualifies for Indigent Share Hospitals funds.

Both applied for the county money that helps reimburse hospitals that treat low-income patients unable to pay medical bills.

Last spring commissioners decided to hold off on helping Sunrise Medical Center, but assist Lake Mead at least until an audit was performed to determine the number of indigents each hospital served.

Until last year University Medical Center had received all of the funding, because more than 50 percent of its patients are considered indigent. Tuesday's decision would simply formalize the county's earlier decision to help Lake Mead.

Assistant County Manager Mike Alastuey said Friday that the audit and a revamped funding formula made Lake Mead eligible and eliminated Sunrise. Lake Mead is expected to receive about $600,000 a year from the fund.

The new formula is based on the percentage of indigent inpatient bed days compared to the total number of inpatient bed days at the hospital. Last year, Lake Mead registered 700 days on which beds were occupied by indigent patients.

"The hospital that services the highest percentage of patient bed days is Lake Mead," Alastuey said. "We want to give additional assistance to hospitals that treat large percentages of patients who otherwise would have to be treated at UMC."

Sunrise Hospital, which qualified for indigent funds under the standards set in 1993, will not receive a portion of the funding under the revamped formula. However, Lake Mead and Sunrise both receive some state assistance.

Ann Lynch, spokeswoman for Sunrise, said her hospital on Maryland Parkway will continue to treat indigent patients, relying on other sources of funding.

"What can we do? Stand up and scream?" Lynch said. "We'll work on it. We are happy for Lake Mead because they are also getting whacked."

Lake Mead officials declined to comment until the commission makes its decision Tuesday.

Under the old standard hospitals were eligible if 20 percent of their patients were indigent. However, the term indigent not only included being in the county's low-income bracket but also qualifying for Medicaid or other types of assistance.

Alastuey said hospitals might have met the 20 percent mark, but in some cases many patients were on Medicaid and were not necessarily county residents. Because the funds come from county taxpayer money, the county wanted to ensure they are used to help county residents.

"The problem we found with the old standard is most of the patient days were not county indigent patient days," Alastuey said. "The bottom line is to make sure county indigents are served."8