South Tucson's El Independiente, 1979-03-09

              South Tucson
continues
Sinohuí vigil
Punto de Vista/Page 7
South Tucson's
EI Independiente
S. Tucson residents shortchanged
after Pima County's hospital move
By LOU PA VLO VICE
Staff Writer
There is growing concern that residents
of South Tucson may have been short-changed
by the transition from Pima
County Hospital to Kino Community
Hospital.
The concern is spreading throughout
the Tucson area that Pima County officials
did inadequate homework in planning
Kino Hospital, which is now becoming an
embarrassment for these reasons:
--Needy South Tucson residents at
times are stranded by lack of bus service
to the new hospital facility, which moved
from its convenient location on South
Sixth Avenue to an inconvenient address
at 2800 E. Ajo Way.
--On weekends, there is no bus service
lo Kino, according tu Sun Tran officials,
who said there never has been any push
from county officials to even consider
providing bus service for those who may
need access to the hospital.
--Kino Hospital is a major reason why
the cost of Pima County Health Services
(which includes Kino Hospital, The
Department for Improved Adult Living,
and the Health department) has
skyrocketed 234 percent since 1971,
compared to a population increase in that
same time of 29 percent.
--In 1977, Kino bought so-called new X-ray
equipment at $300,000 from the CGR
Medical Corporation. A Texas hospital
had originally used and rejected the
equipment before Kino bought it. An out-of-
court settlement was ultimately
reached.
--During the initial months when
Hospital Affiliates International took over
It I
Pima County health care costs vs. population growth
= Metropol)tan Tucs4n growth since i9ïf
1973.74 1914-iS
UUT OF SIGFIT - With Kino Commimity Hospital serving as a
background, the graph shows how Pima County health rare costs
have increased 234 prreent since fiscal year 1970.71 while the
population in Tucson has grown 29 percent bi thai time span.
Kino's operation, more than half of the 213
beds in the facility had to be kept empty
because of numerous technical problems.
--The hospital's expenses have doubled
since moving from the Pisa County
Hospital. Since Kino opened in March
1977. expenses have surpassed the $41.4
million mark through Feb. 2, 1979.
--The old Pima County Hospital totaled
the following expenses during its last two
years of operations: During fiscal year
1975-1976, $12 million was spent. During
the partial floral year from July 1976 to
March 3, 1977, $6.6 mOlos was absorbed
by county taxpayers.
Kino, on the other hand, had the
following expenses: Fiscal year 1977- 1978,
$24 million; partial fiscal year July 1978
through Feb. 2, 1979, $16.70 million.
--During this fiscal year (1978-79) Kino
faces a $4 million projected deficit. The
hospital's adopted budget is $25,180,922.
The county will have to appear before the
stete tax commission for permission to
raise its budget for the third consecutive
year.
Last fiscal year, Kino had a deficit of
$3.2 million. The adopted budget was
$21,552,421 and the adjusted budget
totaled $24,207,778.
During the fiscal year 1976-77 at the old
Pima County Hospital and Kino, the
county again suffered a deficit totaling
$1,498,725. The adopted budget was
$17,343,200 while the adjusted budget
totaled $18,841,925.
These figures were compiled by Marion
Bulzomi, a county accountant.
One official of another Tucson hospital
offered some critical remarks at the way
Kino has been handled.
Said Michael J. Harris, administrator
Inspections
close 16
b ui/dings
News/Page 3
for Tucson General Hospital: "I was
really quite surprised at the lack of
adequate preparation for the transition
from a building built in the '20s and 'ills
(Pima County Hospital) to one that was
really designed for the '80s."
Harris continued by saying that "the
Pisa County Board of Supervisors has
traditionally been overinvolved in the
decision-making and not just the hospital.
"Their actions have made lt very dif-ficult
for top management to function,
knowing that their (management's)
decisions are tenuous because the
supervisors may have different feelings
about it."
Kino was designed with all private (or
single bed( rooms, which nutabes' 213.
"A recommendation was made by a
citizens' committee and by health plan-ning
consultants that the county worked
with at the time," said Jim Murphy,
county administrative officer.
"They felt in may ways it (private
rooms) would be more cost-effective and
better for the patients."
Kenneth S. Scharman, county chief
administrative officer, said the super-visors
"are genuinely trying to do it (Kino)
for the least cost. It's a tremendous load
on our budget."
Arizona does not participate in the
federal Medicaid program and doss not
provide state funds for medical care for
the indigent, the full financial burden for
such care rests with the county govern-ment.
"Sure there are mistakes made," sald
Scharman, "bad judgements made. It's
like a car with a paint chip on one part of
the car and someone says the whole damn
car is no good."
Health care costs have skyrocketed from $11 million during fiscal
year 1970-71 to a $36.7 million adopted budget in fiscal year
1978.79.
[Photo By Steve Gressl
La Familia/Page 4
Supervisor David Yetman commented
on the private room concept at Kino: "I
don't believe that the hospital will get
money out of this type of system in the
long run. It's just somebody's
rationalization for a bad design."
Yetman added that the county's first
choice for the Kino location was the old
Pima County fairgrounds.
"Why that location wasn't chosen I
don't know," Yetman said.
Douglas Bruce, Kino Hospital ad-ministrator
who was hired by Hospital
Affiliates International in September
1977, said he believes the "correct mlx in
hospitals is 50 percent semiprivate rooms
and 50 percent private," when asked how
he would have built Kino.
"My rationale is that it is less expensive
to have semis. It can get very lonely in a
private room if you have nobody to talk
Bruce said the supervisors "overdid the
concept of maximum utilization and did
not take into consideration the economy of
semiprivate and social requirements."
Tucson General's Marris also feels
strongly about the private-rooms plan.
"I think Cadillacs are really nice, too. I
don't personally drive a Cadillac. I don't
drive a Volkswagen either."
Harris was critical of the projected $4-
million deficit that Janice James,
assistant Kino hospital administrator for
finance, announced on Feb. 28.
"I tell you," Harris said, "if I had even a
$400,000 deficit at this point in the year,
I'd probably get fired.
"I'm unable to understand that type of
economics. I know that St. Joseph's, St.
Mary's, Tucson Medical Center and us
)Tucson General) aren't able to budget to
the penny. But at least we are able to
alert our boards to problems we are
having in advance.
"But the magnitude of $4 million is an -
exceptionally high target to miss."
Budgetary problems are not the only
ones Kino has suffered during its short
two-year existence.
--Kino wrote oil $2 million in bad debts
bist year, above the $18 million lt spent to
treat patients who legally qualified to be
indigent.
--'Last year more than 300 employees of
the 800 hired by Kino quit their jobs.
Bruce said that this is the normal tur-nover
rate at hospitals because of the
number of young people hired. Women
also leave, Bruce said, because of
pregnancy or husbands moving.
--The county now has embarked on a 17-
week health care study at a cost of
$75,000. The study started Feb. 15 and
will continue through June 15. The main
purpose of the study is to determine
whether the county's three major
program components--Kino Hospital,
DIAL, and the health department--are
being managed in the most efficient way.
Yetman summed up the Kino Hospital
troubles: "It's just a challenge to turn a
Cadillac into a good working model-T that
we need. In terms of economic operation,
lt will take a few years."
Vol. Hl. No. 8 P,,hhjshs'd By The Journalism Department 0f The University Of Arizona Friday, March 9. 1979