Report says UMC alone among major Nevada hospitals in losing money in ‘02

Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 | 10:53 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A state agency reported Thursday that University Medical Center, the financially troubled county hospital, posted a $10.7 million loss for the fiscal year ending last June 30 -- a figure disputed by a key county official.

Clark County Finance Director George Stevens said the numbers from the state report are unaudited figures and that UMC actually lost $20.6 million.

The Clark County Commission gave the hospital $38 million in December, with $20 million to cover debt and the rest to cover UMC's month-to-month losses, estimated at more than $2 million, Stevens said.

UMC was the only major hospital in Nevada to post a loss, according to the report by the state Division of Health Care Financing and Policy.

Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said earlier this week that the primary reason for UMC's financial woes was a 28 percent increase in patients who were not covered by health insurance. The state report said UMC lost an average of $273 for every patient admitted.

Stevens warned that the state's analysis based on the old numbers may not be reliable or particularly useful.

The report also said Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas was the most profitable hospital in the state, turning a profit of $20.4 million.

The agency said hospitals statewide registered a $98.8 million profit in the last fiscal year, up 1.2 percent from the prior year.

Clark County hospitals' profits fell 6 percent to $55.2 million, the report said.

The report said three other hospitals in Clark County also recorded losses:

Other Southern Nevada hospitals recorded profits, the report said:

The division said Washoe Medical Center in Reno reported net operating revenue of $11.2 million, up from $7.9 million the previous year; and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, also in Reno, registered a profit of $7.9 million, down from $9.7 million the previous year. Carson-Tahoe Hospital earned $5.9 million.

The report said the seven county-owned hospitals in rural Nevada reported losses of $4.5 million, down $200,000 from the prior year. But those hospitals received money from tax sources, and when that is factored in, they showed a profit of $2.3 million.

Profits at the three privately owned rural hospitals decreased 24.4 percent to $8.3 million, according to the report.

Sun reporter Launce Rake

contributed to this story.