Muhlenberg - Courier - Jerry Green says may be downsized

Published in the Courier News, Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center may be downsized
State Attorney General's Office issues opinion in case

By CLEM FIORENTINO
STAFF WRITER

PLAINFIELD — The saga surrounding Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center took an unusual turn Tuesday when Assemblyman Jerry Green, D-Union, announced that the financially strapped facility would downsize, starting with its acute-care facility.

But officials of Solaris Health Systems, the nonprofit parent company of Muhlenberg and JFK Medical Center in Edison, denied that saying that nothing will be decided until a meeting of its Board of Directors Thursday night.

"We have been trying to keep employees and physicians up to date," said John McGee, president and CEO of Solaris. "The board is meeting Thursday. At that point in time, we will make a decision."

In Green's announcement, he said Solaris, which has been trying to sell Muhlenberg since November, received no serious offers and would, therefore, take this alternative action.

He said his announcement came after a private meeting with officials from both Muhlenberg and Solaris.

"The process has been very intense," McGee said. "There is going to be a lot of discussion. We are exploring every reasonable option. It's the board's decision. Our mission is to deliver health care."

Referring to the meeting with Green and other elected officials, McGee said: care."

Referring to the meeting with Green and other elected officials, McGee said: "We discussed several options. We are working with local officials and with the state, trying to present every viable option."

As for Green's assertion that there were no serious offers, McGee said: "We decided to survey the marketplace. There was interest. Offers and letters of intent will be presented to the board. We will look to see that a buyer is qualified." In his announcement, Green called for the creation of a health-care task force, saying: "In the wake of Muhlenberg's downsizing announcement, measures must be taken to ensure that the hospital continues to provide minimum level of basic health-care services to patients. It's important to seek solutions and not waste time trying to point fingers or lay blame. Regardless of the financial hardships facing hospitals across the state, we have an obligation to provide quality basic health care to our most vulnerable residents."

Asked if Green had perhaps misinterpreted what was said at the private meeting, McGee said: "Jerry can speak for himself. He is very passionate about Muhlenberg."

Also among the passionate is Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

"The city of Plainfield is extremely supportive," Robinson-Briggs said. "We do not want to see them leave. We understand that there are fiscal situations that will preclude them from continuing. We're hoping the state will come through for us."

Robinson-Briggs said she understands the nature of the problem.

"The staff is trying to keep Muhlenberg here," she said. "A lot of people without medical insurance have medical needs and they utilize the emergency room. The state is unable to fund charity care." The mayor said she realizes what would happen if the hospital closed, including the hardship and reduction in services it would present to Plainfield residents and its senior citizens.

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center is a 398-bed acute-care facility that provides inpatient and outpatient services in all major medical specialties. It is Plainfield's largest employer with a staff of 1,100 employees, 350 affiliated physicians and more than 600 auxiliary staffers and volunteers.

going to be a lot of discussion. We are exploring every reasonable option. It's the board's decision. Our mission is to deliver health care."

Referring to the meeting with Green and other elected officials, McGee said, "We discussed several options. We are working with local officials and with the state, trying to present every viable option."

As for Green's assertion that there were no serious offers, McGee said, "We decided to survey the marketplace. There was interest. Offers and letters of intent will be presented to the board. We will look to see that a buyer is qualified." In his announcement, Green called for the creation of a health-care task force, saying: "In the wake of Muhlenberg's downsizing announcement, measures must be taken to ensure that the hospital continues to provide minimum level of basic health-care services to patients. It's important to seek solutions and not waste time trying to point fingers or lay blame. Regardless of the financial hardships facing hospitals across the state, we have an obligation to provide quality basic health care to our most vulnerable residents."

Asked if Green had perhaps misinterpreted what was said at the private meeting, McGee said, "Jerry can speak for himself. He is very passionate about Muhlenberg."

Also among the passionate is Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

"The city of Plainfield is extremely supportive," Robinson-Briggs said. "We do not want to see them leave. We understand that there are fiscal situations that will preclude them from continuing. We're hoping the state will come through for us."

Robinson-Briggs said she understands the nature of the problem.

"The staff is trying to keep Muhlenberg here," she said. "A lot of people without medical insurance have medical needs and they utilize the emergency room. The state is unable to fund charity care." The mayor said she realizes what would happen if the hospital closed, including the hardship and reduction in services it would present to Plainfield residents and its senior citizens.

"JFK (Medical Center in Edison) would be flooded," she said. "Our senior citizens have specific needs. Maybe the best thing to do is to help Muhlenberg become involved with shared services."

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center is a 398-bed acute-care facility that provides inpatient and outpatient services in all major medical specialties. It is Plainfield's largest employer with a staff of 1,100 employees, 350 affiliated physicians and more than 600 auxiliary staffers and volunteers.

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StoryChat

I STILL don't understand why a HOSPITAL is responsible for bearing the cost of healthcare for uninsured patients.

While we should be taking care of indigent people, there's GOT to be a threshold for these hospitals to meet in order to 'pay their share' to a society (and speaking of 'fair-share', I don't think Prudential is giving away free life insurance, Sansone or Ciasulli giving away free cars, NJTurnpike giving away free tolls, Fortunoff giving away free furniture or NY Giants giving free tickets to indigents). But jeeze-o-man...it's obscene how much a hospital pays per year on patients who possibly didn't even provide their real name at the front door.

Let some more Democrats in office and see what happens to your healthcare system (AND see what happens to all the NJ Pharmaceutical jobs which will be eliminated--remember AT&T, Lucent and Ma Bell? A similar debacle is about to happen in the Pharma sector. When it does, stop hating soldiers for a moment and thank a Democrat.

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:24 pm

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Welcome Miramar! Always nice to see a new poster who just happens to pop-up with a personal ax to grind on an issue. I'm no Sherlock Holmes but are you--just a wild guess!--an employee or other "beneficiary" of Muhlenberg?

The fact is Muhlenberg's been a disaster for decades. You can't attract an insured, full-pay clientele to a hospital in a depressed, crime-ridden city. And that's the 800 pound gorilla in the room noboby wants to talk about. We live in an area where people with transportation and medical insurance will take the extra few minutes to drive to Overlook or Somerset Medical or New Brunswick, or even Edison, for a safer, more amenable environment. That leaves, for the most part, the uninsured--usually young people who opt not to pay for health insurance-- or Medicaid/Medicare recipients at Muhlenberg's door. In any case, that's a population which receives care the cost of which isn't close to being reimbursed. Only a magician could make Muhlenberg work. If it weren't for the acquisition by Solaris the hospital would have collapsed years ago. It's long past time for its problems to be addressed. And the best way to do that is to start diverting all that "indigent care" (before the PC days it was, you may remember, called "charity care") to a broader array of region facilities. Bad news for those other facilities. Bad news for the patients who will have to make their way to a slightly less convenient hospital. And entirely inevitable and expected.

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:49 pm

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Why am I not surprised that this political hack is proposing a "Day Labor" center? In the State of California, the land of open arms to the overwhelming population of illegal aliens in this country, the home improvement stores (i.e. Home Depot, Lowes) were forced by the politicians to build shelters, provide water, and install porta-johns in their parking lots for the poor unfortunate day laborers that were passing out from the heat while waiting for the contractors. Beware! Coming to a NJ store near you! Wink Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:19 pm

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Is Solaris completely w/o fault in this matter? Unlikely, since financial mismanagement and less than ethical behavior can occur in any large institution. HOWEVER, let us not be fools. Muhlenberg, along with every other hospital in America is suffering under the weight of this country's desire to treat every one who walks through the door, regardless of legal status. It's almost laughable for the politicians to want to point a finger solely at hospital administrators. Health care costs will continue to skyrocket and more hospitals will be faced with similar circumstances until illegal immigration is dealt with! Jerry Green, has recently proposed a day-laborer center be established in Plainfield. Let's see... attract more illegals to Plainfield, yet appear to be baffled and disturbed by a Plainfield hospital's inability to remain profitable... No rocket science needed here, you think!?!?!

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:50 am

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The plight of hospitals located in cities facing challenges similar to those of Plainfield -- or worse -- is not a new story. However, it's time that we look at the performance and behavior of Solaris and its’ key senior executives. I say this, because they continue to cause great detriment to the community and this once fine institution. They must be held accountable for the choices they've made regarding Muhlenberg for the past ten years, including those that were very deliberate and others that may be characterized as nothing short of grave mismanagement. We might even add self-serving to that menu.

It's no secret that from the beginning, Solaris intentionally diverted Muhlenberg's most precious resources towards JFK. This included medical staff and other essential personnel. At the same time, many patients with both manageable health care and the ability to pay suddenly found themselves at JFK's doorstep rather than at MHRC (their original destination). And, this trend continues today with absolute determination. Along the way, the subservient Muhlenberg has continually been obligated to pay exorbitant fees to Solaris (aka, "JFK") for services such as administration, clerical, data processing, etc.

Downsizing is not a solution. Given the course Solaris has charted and pursued for Muhlenberg, that will likely only forestall the inevitable breakdown of what remains worthy, viable and productive.

I applaud Assemblyman Green for his passion and consideration and urge him to devote his greater talents, vigor and determination in seeking a solution to this matter. At the same time, an official inquiry might be quite revealing, indeed.

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:09 am

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woopsydayz wrote..."Once Muhlenburg closes, it will only be a matter of time beforethe same plight reaches JFK in Edison, and Somerset Medical in Somerville. "

Muhlenberg is sinking under the weight of unreimbursed "indigent care". Certainly when it closes that care will migrate to other area hospitals, most likely JFK and Overlook, possibly also Somerset. At the end of the day, though, there are simply to many hospitals in New Jersey and some of them are going to have to be closed. Anyone who is surprised by this turn of events hasn't been paying attention. This has been inevitable for years.

By the way, perhaps the real lesson to be learned here is not to engage in confidential courtesy discussions with a politician. The haven't got even the minor dab of integrity to not run to the press and preempt Board action, all for a little headline. What a jerk this Jerry Green is!"
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:34 am

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THIS HOSPITAL IS A MILESTONE IN THE PLAINFIELD COMMUNITY. NOT ONLY FOR BEING THE LARGEST EMPLOYER TO THE CITY OF PLAINFIELD, BUT A MILESTONE FOR MANY GENERATION'S WHO ARE STILL CURRENTLY LIVING IN THE QUEEN CITY. THE HOSPITAL HAS BEEN SUFFERING FOR A WHILE, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY IT HAS GOTTEN TO THIS POINT! I BELIEVE OUR COMMUNITY, OUR TOWN, OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE A STAND AND FIGHT FOR THE HOSPITAL THAT HAS TOUCHED SO MANY TOWN'S, AND HEART'S. I AM NOT ONLY AN EMPLOYEE HERE, BUT I COME FROM 3 GENERATION'S THAT WERE BORN HERE. SO, YES! I DO BELIEVE IT IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:47 am

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