Editorial: Patient care at stake

Friday, Dec. 29, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

Many parents in the Las Vegas area who have children in need of highly specialized health care will have to find that service outside of Nevada if a contract dispute is not settled by Sunday.

And tens of thousands of other local residents in need of medical procedures will be greatly inconvenienced if the dispute extends past the contract's expiration, as they will have to change hospitals and even doctors.

The dispute is between Sierra Health Services, Nevada's largest provider of health insurance, and Sunrise Health, which manages four Las Vegas hospitals owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corp. of America.

For 17 years the insurance company and hospital group have had a contract regarding reimbursement rates for patients' nonemergency procedures. The last day of the contract is Sunday. For the past year, Sunrise Health, contending that the cost of health care has risen dramatically, has been demanding an increase in reimbursement rates that Sierra Health has refused to meet.

If the two sides cannot agree on a new contract by the end of Sunday, Sierra Health's 600,000 customers will not be reimbursed for nonemergency services at the four hospitals managed by Sunrise Health - Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center, MountainView Hospital and Sunrise Children's Hospital.

Because many doctors only have privileges at Sunrise Health hospitals, this means many patients will not only have to change hospitals for their procedures, but also their doctors.

Las Vegas Sun health reporter Marshall Allen pointed out in a story on Thursday that many procedures offered at Sunrise Children's Hospital are not duplicated at other area hospitals, meaning parents of children needing highly specialized treatment, such as heart and cancer care, will have to seek the services elsewhere, most likely in California or Arizona.

This will be more than inconvenience. For many affected people, especially parents of sick children, it will be emotionally and financially devastating. We believe the two sides should work through the weekend to reach agreement before so many lives are thrown into such great distress.