Healthcare Conglomerate Associates (HCCA) will continue to manage the Tulare Regional Medical Center — at least for now — after a hearing in bankruptcy court Thursday.
Due to the last-minute nature of the hearing, the judge, Hon. Rene Lastreto II, continued any decision to next week; should the contract be rejected, district officials claim a Fresno-based hospital is waiting to take over operations on an interim basis.
Mark Levinson, an attorney representing HCCA, stated that the hospital would continue to stay open and that employees would continue to be paid “on a rolling basis” at least until the next hearing on Thursday, October 19.
The company would also continue to pay critical vendors out of payments that came in to the hospital, but Levinson stated that the company would ensure that it would not pay itself or any of its affiliates, including Dr. Benny Benzeevi, the company’s CEO.
The statements are in contrast to claims in a declaration filed by Kevin Northcraft, the board’s chairman, which state officials with the company threatened to suspend or lay off the hospital’s employees on October 5 and October 9.
Levinson stated that HCCA had not paid itself with the district’s funds since May, and that any attempts for the company to pay itself to compensate for pre-bankruptcy debt would be “legal suicide.”
The two sides have been at a public impasse since the hospital board’s last regular board meeting on September 27, when Dr. Benny Benzeevi, CEO of HCCA, told the board that it had two options: take a loan out to pay HCCA, or close the hospital.
Riley Walter, a bankruptcy attorney representing the Tulare Local Healthcare District, the legal entity which owns the hospital, also requested that the company provide the district with multiple reports on the hospital’s financial position, which Lastreto ordered be provided “as soon as possible,” and at least before next week’s hearing.
Those reports included a ledger of any district cash sitting in HCCA’s bank accounts, a report listing receivables and their aging status, and report on “cash necessities,” such as upcoming payments to critical vendors.
Walter also requested that the company provide the district with a report of cash entering and exiting the district’s accounts on a daily basis, but Levinson stated such reports generally weren’t created by the company.
Walter had also requested that the company allowed representatives of the district access to financial records held at the hospital during the next week.
Levinson stated the access would be a distraction while HCCA continues to try to keep the hospital afloat; officials looking at documents would need someone to accompany them and supervise them, for example.
“We just don’t want them in there,” Levinson said. “Another week isn’t going to change anything.”
He conceded that access to the records was part of the company’s contract with the district, and that they would be willing to provide the district with access in at least a week, but he stated the hospital was too thinly staffed to allow access without causing a distraction.
No Alternative?
Lastreto said that while it was within the district’s power to reject the hospital’s contract with HCCA, he didn’t see a clear alternative to their management — especially since the district had, itself, declared a fiscal emergency.
“How can the district take the position that they need to take over when they are in such dire financial straits?” Lastreto asked. “I’m left with no clear alternative.”
Walter countered with a claim that the district had an interim CEO, CFO, an alternative management company, and interim financing in waiting — ready to come in as soon as the contract was terminated.
In his declaration, Northcraft stated the same — and claimed that the specific management company would be a Fresno-based health care provider “of significant size.”
There are two major hospitals in Fresno: Community Regional Medical Center and St. Agnes Medical Center.
St. Agnes is owned by Michigan-based Trinity Health; Community Regional is owned by Fresno-based Community Medical Centers.
Northcraft’s filing did not state which, if either, could potentially partner with the hospital.
The hearing will continue on October 19 in Courtroom 13 of the US District Court, 2500 Tulare St, Fresno.
Kevin Northcraft is a lair plain and simple. He is leading this community down a road where no one wins. Northcraft needs to grow up and learn to work with the management company (HCCA) that was hired by the board. A contract is a contract even if you don’t agree with it so suck it up and start playing nice.
Get a loan like HCCA wanted over 3 months ago, start selling assets, or close the Hospital.
Them’s your choices no matter who’s managing the Hospital.
Embrace it… you own it Northcraft
I totally disagree with you-truth be told!!
Good Lord where have you been drinking the kool aid. Kevin has busted hi butt to get this hospital out of trouble. Why would you support giving Benzeevie another loan? So he can pay himself $3 million per year? THINK!
If there is a major Fresno based hospital ready to take over, why would any sane person continue to keep the criminals of HCCA around?
Even now HCCA tells the judge that they will not show financial records because “it’s a distraction” and because they are “too thinly staffed”, lol. Have you ever heard bigger lies than what Benzeevi keeps throwing at us?
Truth Be Told: You’re either Benzeevi or Kumar because you are an absolute moron! NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD’VE SIGNED A CONTRACT LIKE THAT (if they read it) UNLESS THEY’RE CROOKED THEIVES!!! The ENTIRE community fully supports the NEW board and the leadership of Kevin Northcraft. We want you and the old board PROSECUTED for your illegal shady actions and under-the-table business deals that ruined our hospital. Didn’t you see the last meeting where your own employees finally realized you’ve lied to them? That you put their lives and those of needy patients in jeopardy? That even your own employees support bankruptcy and want you gone?!? The whole community wants you out of their town!!! It will happen too. This postponement is just protocol and giving you time to mess things up even more so that the judgement against you is the harshest it can be. Later loser.
I don’t think you realize how much trouble you’re in. These aren’t “requests,” from the judge; these are court orders, and if they aren’t honored, someone is going to face a set of federal contempt charges. This is no longer the small time. You guys are in way over your head now. As soon as the court decides the HCCA management contract is fraudulent, they’re going to start looking at your assets. You think the IRS doesn’t screw around? You ain’t seen nothin’ ’til you see a bankruptcy court get busy.
Hopefully the ties to Southern Inyo come out. Or maybe Rosalinda voting to give her ex-boss of only a matter of days the contract. Or the CMS report. Or a number of other angles on the mess Benny has created.
Truth be told you have no idea what you’re talking about. Benzeevi was the Pied Piper who came to Tulare to siphon off as much cash as he ( or perhaps you) could until the cash dried up. There was no loan and even if there was, why would anyone borrow money just to give it to the thief. Go try to sell your snake oil to some other community.
Btw your attempt at using the same name doesn’t work
Kevin Northcraft is a lair? Hmmm. Well that is interesting.
Miss spelling??
You misspelled misspelled.
TBT-
I disagree with your comment.
Kevin is not a liar. OTOH, we have caught Benny & Kumar lying through their teeth, in public, on record, about public money.
Kevin is not leading by dictate. Kevin is following a democratically elected board, with due deliberation and consensus. The only reason this board looks timid is because they are trying to follow the rule of law.
A contract is not forever. It must be modified as per the new realities. MSA with HCCA violates so many concepts of working in good faith, due rights and responsibilities that it is unacceptable.
No, we dont want another loan just to keep transferring that money to Benny for his work to destroy this hospital and this community.
I want Benny & Kumar out – of this hospital & this city. If that means burning this hospital to the ground, so be it. No cost is too much to get rid of these 2 toxic personalities.
If HCCA was “managing ” the hospital so well, than why did only 300 of its employees get paid on time. The other “higher paid staff” have to wait until next week.
A bigger question is why is there 530 employees that need to be paid with a census of 25 but yet the place is too short staffed to provide the financial reports.
Get your facts straight Benny. Your days are numbered. Yes the previous board entered into a contract with an experienced CEO that ran it into the ground and now he is whining that he can’t get more money to keep running it into the ground. What type of logic is that?
Be gone!
Correction INEXPERIENCED CEO not experienced.
What is HCCA trying to do?
What do they expect will happen?
Do you think any doctor other than those who are willing to let their patients die will send patients to TRMC as long as HCCA stays in place? I dont think so.
Do they think HCCA will be able to retain any employee other than completely useless damaged goods? I dont think so.
Do you think any patient who has IQ above 60 will be willing to take risk of going to TRMC? I dont think so.
So, other than pawning off more assets, taking on more debt, channeling money into their own pocket, what else can HCCA do?
What will they do now that they have not done before?
It is clear to me HCCA’s attitude is “If I cannot have this hospital, I will not let anyone have it. I will destroy this to the point that no one can salvage it.”
GK. The staff currently at Tulare are not useless damaged goods. You are an idiot to even say such a thing. They are hard working individuals that are going through a rough time and are dedicated to Tulare, the patients and each other. NOT HCCA.
Levinson stated …. well, a lot of things — but if you dare to ask where your tax money is gone, he claims it is a DISTRACTION.
How insulting !!
This nonsense of being too short staffed to provide financials is A JOKE! Hey Alan, didn’t you say last year you have new accounting software? Well, we are not stupid Alan. It would take a staff person about 30 minutes to run those reports. It would take an hour if the Board, which I hope they do, has the income statement report ran by department. Get it done Mr. CFO.
That is how it should be but it takes a lot of time to produce anything when you have to make sure it all jives, which we know it does not. Just look at how many material weaknesses were in the audit financials that were so delayed. Those had no mention of loans from HCCA.
Numbers are constantly being changed to whatever the agenda Benny is selling today. Just months ago he was presenting about their wonderful financial performance. Wasn’t long ago HCCA was giving out donations to all the politicians, he probably wishes he had that money back.
One Week? Why not now? A lot can change in a week…a lot can be destroyed and covered up. It is not that hard to produce what is being requested HCCA’s attorney is dancing around the requests of simple reports that need to be run from the financial system. Just buying some more time….. Benny really has some nerve to think he has any right to hold this district hostage…..Just walk away Benzeevi go put your “Lazier Focus” on your next victim before you are wearing your “Orange Jumpsuit”.
Well said “Facethefacts”. Benzeevi the criminal always says that “we are doing serious work”, obviously providing financial information to the citizens of Tulare is not serious work.
Could it be that they don’t want anyone in to look over paperwork because they don’t even have inventory records?
That is right! There has been no inventory, NONE, since Crooked Benny came to town. All due to the crooks decision to go to Cerner, a computer program to track inventory and medical records.
However, seems Crooked Benny bought the lower end program which can’t facilitate any of these functions. End result – no records!! Maybe IT Shawn can come up with some answers to this as he is paid 39k a month for this Cerner service that does not work..
Strange, Bolouki did the exact same thing except he used Siemans which never worked to keep track. Which cost the hospital millions…
So, Crooked Benny, how do you know when you are low on supplies? How do you know what to order? What is coming in? What is going out? No records whatsoever!! So what are you going to do this week, Crooked Benny? Cook up some fake records..LOL You’re toast!!
Once the new board proves they have another company coming in next week the contract will be broken and Crooked Benny will be history!!
Embrace it, Crooked Benny! You own nothing – except maybe an orange suit if we get really lucky!!
This is absolutely false – except for the facts that the old system was Siemans and the new system is Cerner there is zero truth to this comment. Good grief if you don’t know what you are talking about please don’t chime in.
It is true – so blow it!
delusional – there are absolutely inventory records and since I can see inventory records anytime I want your statement that there have been none is simply false (not to mention the salary you listed is wrong and there is no ‘lower end’ Cerner program – we are in a shared domain but the functionality we have is the same as any other Cerner shop so again – you don’t know what you are talking about at all.
Truth be told = Benny Benzeevi how hilarious you will have a lot of time to troll in your jump suit! I hope the new management get rid of ALL of the flunky staff and ALL doctors who have a contract with you and are still there.
Looks like the hospital board and their legal was outmanuvered on the 1st round. Why disclose your deep pocket friends ready to rescue you on the one hand then plead bankruptcy on the other, what does that accomplish!! Plus what was so urgent if they management did make payroll after all so theres no imminent risk is there?. A judge would be confused, and thats what happened. Closing is not such a bad option, then start fresh.
The staff are being paid in tiers. The lower hourly earners were paid today. Then the other tiers will be paid in succession.
I think all the current hcca employees should be told who the Fresno potential interim firm is so they can get applications/résumés in. The sooner that starts, the smoother and easier the transition will be. On the down-low of course. Don’t rattle Benny’s chain.
I agree. The transition from HCCA staff to the new company needs to be seamless as the employees are not allowed to be hired by TRMC for two years. I am sure the new company will bring their support staff to the hospital until new staff are hired. I am talking about the Directors and Managers.
If the contract is thrown out it will not matter because that is part of it.
Correct taxpayer. Benzevi already told staff he would not hold the contract true on the 2 year hire back… we all heard it!! I wish they won’t stall as there are still very many good employees that are hanging on in hopes of a new management. Not being paid is making it very difficult!
oh please…..if they didn’t amend the contract he can say whatever he wants and not be held accountable. Decent people are going to get hurt in this…..
Oh ya, don’t rattle Benny’s chain. It might interfere with his office cleaning project this weekend. I wonder where the Shred It truck will park? How much room is in the trunk of his jaguar? I’m sure the crooked HCCA group think they got one in court today but let’s just wait for the “financials” to surface. That ought to be an eye-opener. Cooked Books at best!!
Your so right….HCCA needs one more week to finish cooking the books!! Good Luck Alan you have a lot of cooking to do!
Next week, can we please buy the judge a coffee …. just to make sure she is awake and is able to see through the smoke & mirror of these scammers.
I agree with the comment above that there is no reason to expect hospital will be able to function as long as HCCA is in town.
– doctors dont want to work with them
– staff dont want to work with them
– patients dont want to go there
So, what exactly a hospital means without these 3 ??????
Benny should be ashamed of himself and leave quietly.
If bankruptcy does not get approved, district should disown the hospital and stop collecting taxes.
This new board is a joke! They have no plan and are so unprofessional just go to their fb pg……Pretty entertaining!
You are a idiot and not know what you are talking about. You are also a fake.
At least he reads all the comments about how much of a failure he is! Ha
Hoping a new group will eliminate all management staff left. They have supported these crooks to a fault, claiming they are in it for the patients. What a joke!!
Yes. ALL management, from top to bottom, all need to go. I worked there for a number of years and would not EVER return if ANY of the current management and a certain doctor continued to work there in any capacity. I have been afraid to say this in the past for fear of retaliation.
The leftover managers and a few holdout doctors are there for themselves. Dont believe their crap that they have deep love for the hospital and the patients. They have contracts with Benny and they are getting theirs. They facilitate Benny and he could not have been there this long without them looking the other way. They must all be cleaned out when this is over. They have no cred!!
Shut up, unhappy no good citizen, employee, or whoever you are. Majority of you on this site have done nothing but rant and rave about the negative aspects of this facility. Not once have you said positive or kind things about it or any person that works there. The people of this city don’t deserve a hospital after all the trash and evil things you have done to lie to the public about the hospital. Truthfully I hope it closes, oh but then you might wake up but somehow I doubt it.
Hey Closeitdown…I saw the destructive path that inept leader of HCCA was causing and walked away. That hospital means a lot to many of the citizens who worked there and many Drs with many RNs would return once that crooked management group slithers out of town. The employees that remain are their for the patients and the hospital. Believe me… once HCCA is toast, the hospital turnaround will be stellar.
Now, there is a rant, from an anti-ranter, If I ever heard one ! A lot of employees, managers did have the guts to walk away when they saw bad things going on. A few did not, for theyre own reasons. And the doctors must be held to an even higher standard. They must speak out, and many have done so, by walking out, by opposing Kumar, by other actions. There has been rot in this place for 10 years now. Den of corruption even longer. Many citizens and employees had blinders on. I do agree it needs to close and be rebuilt from the ground up.
some of you people are fools you really think HCCA has this community best interest? He was a marginal ER doctor but what he lacked as a doctor he made up with his “laser focus ” ability of smooth talking simple minds into his grandeous ideas! With the help of his sidekick who saw $$$ for himself . The board was nothing more than a table of empty heads , Kumar wanted control that’s why they didn’t pick a REAL inity that could have really turned this hospital around, because there would not have been a board and if there was no board how could Kamar stay in control? So he gets his way AGAIN and handpicks. HCCA and the simple empty heads who can’t think or apparently read a contract give away all control to HCCA they can’t even step on the property but someone can and is and apparently liked sitting in the car and night with Benny as witnessed by employees. What in the world were they talking about? World peace? And now we have judges who can’t and won’t see what everyone else sees. I guess I pays to have fancy fundraisers at your house.. Pray folks that their evil plans to not come true…..
you might want to recognize that judges go on the facts that are presented to them – not the wild accusations, rumors, histrionics, hurt feelings and wounded pride and thirst for revenge that seems to drive so many in Tulare. It isn’t at all surprising that judges have not blindly stepped in line with the torch and pitchfork crowd when they have to adjudicate based on evidence.
If they are going on facts than let’s encourage all the people that witnessed this, and there are many, to create their own first hand witness accounts and sign their name to it. It is called a declaration. It would be fun to see how many could be collected.
It will be the same with this new Board and their groupies, say they want transparency however, they violated the Brown Act when they met with KDH administrators, consistently call emergency meetings under the guise of imminent danger but the last one was called at 2:45 saying employees weren’t going to be paid but the HCCA employee forum didn’t take place until 4pm. And by the way it would be interesting to find out which individuals or groups in the community are bank rolling the new District’s legal counsel, bankruptcy attorney and Wipfli/HFS consultants. All
Of these require retainers so maybe it’s time to require transparency from this Board. Close it down, your town has fought any management or Board for the last 15 years which is why your tower isn’t finished and further it seems like the same people can’t get along with the City Council, Mayor, Police Chief and the Cemetary Board, CItizens group is a joke and a bunch of losers. Learn to get along for the sake of the entire community not just the few of you that think you speak for all.
Thank you EH – the new board has consistently violated the things they say they are focused on – a blood feud is all this is about and the lies and misinformation and game playing that is going on with them and their puppetmasters Lampe and Mederos is disgusting.
Seems EH you aren’t just a simple Visalia person that doesn’t want KDDH involved, appears you have other incorrect opinions that are one-sided.
Eh, how do you know the board violated the Brown Act in meeting with KDH Administrators? Was there a quorum of TRMC Directors meeting with them? Talk about throwing out accusations!
At a recent board meeting a comment was made the New hires to support the current board in moving forward are also in line with others for payment in bankruptcy.
EH, WTWT: When a wild maniac animal is cornered, they start growling and spewing out venom. Enjoy you’re corner. You’re end is near!
Grandma, not really, I just outlined the hypocrisy. Same stuff and the same continues as it has for years as the tower rots. The Citizens group can call people names, put stuff out there like”I heard”, “someone said”.. and some blindly think it’s gospel with no verification. They can dish it, but can’t take it, so now the heat is on this Board. Be what you said you wanted. Transparent. Seems to me they are off to a poor start in that department.
Who needs the tower when we have no one to use it. Fix the hospital mess. Then maybe the tower. I guess it is alright for you guys to call names, spread false news and blatantly lie to everyone’s faces and don’t even go there with transparency. Typical!.
Grandma, I never said that I thought HCCA was transparent, I’m
Simply stating all of these new Board members and their groupies talk about lack of transparency. I’m simply pointing out there is inherent hypocrisy since they aren’t doing what they have accused others of. How can you explain that? How can you explain it’s always the same people who are fighting the Mayor, City Council
And cemetery Board? How do
You explain where the money is coming from for these retainers if the District is broke and filed Chapter 9? These are valid questions. No one wasn’t to answer, therefore the Boards stance is hypocritical
Which leads one to believe there are ulterior motives as WTWT has said.
EH –
Ihope you can understand the difference between tax payer (our) money being stolen and given to someone vs someone outsider donating his money to help us recover the money that was stolen from us.
We can demand to know where is the tax payer money. We cannot demand to know what person XYZ does with his money.
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourvalleyvoice.com%2F2017%2F07%2F18%2Fhcca-ceo-creates-new-lending-company%2F&h=ATP2JCeHgYBeqjMbfBN8-NFI35-K9XCHA4mV9zwelg-AX01f6O8wV_q8HBusz3CeFdDzd2Dn0i8cvGAfRC0jt77PHFoyoO9hF5Y7CZBQRyUgCOrvk0M1Sc7DAgb9c9gd1atNoMVVC4bJn7FfHvSp5165bfLqGBo88zKf5m-EkCyge6VXFKPG75-3QBhUhKmKdpGPRJz4pn7WhRDPGHQ6wItbskMXnO9eO7KIy3HRkm48XyUpSWqUiLdRaSAFWbe9BSE3K1qzlr6iu9DSWTQ3j9UwX0afMDdQNR-0Uh4oJEAzGzUhaY9ExeHj3B8dUC4
so no one has brought up this little hospital loan deal that ol Benny set up. Is our money in this LLC, only to be loaned back to us?
And notice the date he started his little loan company – around July. I believe that was the time frame he gave Kumar money for a recount of the votes because he did not want the new board..
Here is an easier link to the same article
http://www.ourvalleyvoice.com/2017/07/18/hcca-ceo-creates-new-lending-company/
Let us not forget Benny the dancing machine in that disgusting professionally made video! Let’s remember some members of the supporting cast…Bell, Kumar and Boulki….. the corruption goes way back and poor judgement. EH. Do you know why the same people are fighting as you state, it’s because there is problems everywhere in this city and the problems are based on the same issue as the hospital under Hccas helm greed,power and egos. Just look how this town is deteriorating thank God people speak up . I think I still live in a country where there is free speech for all of us .
Good job CfHA’ers keep up the good work. Our Benevolent leader/founder KN. Says keep spreading rumors and hate about the HCCA through social media. Remember our motto when it comes to HCCA. “Guilty until proven Innocent.”
Kudos to you Feduptoo!! I have great respect for the employees of TRMC and what they are going thru with bounced pay checks and threat of employment loss. I know first hand that employees have been told not to speak about census declines to the public for threat of termination. As to who is bank rolling the Citizens for Hospital Accountability I say a big Thank You to those who care about Tulare using their own funds. Yeah and who do you think pays HCCA lawyer fees certainly not Bennny but the taxpayers of Tulare thru TRMC to HCCA. Talk about ethics, transparency, honesty, integrity. The new board did not create this mess. It seems to me that if the voters of Tulare were happy with HCCA then the bond would of been approved, Bell, Gadke, and Kumar would still be on the Board. Why did Wilbourn and Torres resign if everything was great with HCCA. If any of you HCCA supporters want to pay the taxes on the first tower bond for my parents, adult children and myself send me your address and I will gladly forward my tax bill to you. And oh yeah we supported the first bond,
My mother retired from TDH as did my aunt and many friends. I along with my siblings, cousins, and friends were born at TDH. To place blame for the Tulare Cemetry and City Council on The Hospital Board is comparing Stalin to Roosevelt. Who on the Council has a relative employed by HCCA? Who took political donations from HCCA? Northcraft, Jamica I think not!! My family have been in Tulare for 82 years were not rich not political just people who care!!
EH I have 30 family members at rest in Tulare Cemetry and own plots for my patents. I am ashamed at what happened to the care it was getting and am glad that people came forward to change the Board for the better. I would have a lot of anguish to lay my family to rest under the old Boards disregard for it.
EH take s drive around Tulare and look at the state of our town. Vacant weed filled lots and oh yeah the lot east of Evolutions is HCCA responsibility and should of been abated by April 2017. Is Tulare prospering look at the Planning Commission Agendas for 2017 and then look at Visalia for 2017 and tell me which city is healthy. My family goes to KDDH for health care. My 2 grandchildren were born at KDDH. I have instructed my parents that if they need an ambulance instruct them to transport them to KDDH. So until HCCA is gone to KDDH we go. It’s the typical lawyers game of distraction, division, diversion by HCCA all on the taxpayers dime.
Feduptoo and Tulare True, many things you say I don’t dispute, but many I do. Communities are inherently defined by mindset and commitment. I think that holds true for Tulare, don’t you see that there isn’t anyone willing to truly willing to work together as evident with City Council, Hospital and Cemetary Boards? You can’t just keep electing, recalling and resigning, you’ve got to move forward and folks need to find a way to work together, agree to disagree and learn to compromise for the good of all. This leads directly back to what WTWT said, pride, power and greed on all sides. The City has been stuck in a tug of war for years, as has the Hospital Board and management going back to Bob Montion and ever since. Do you realize less than 2% of hospital revenue is from the tax base? 2% is not much of a public investment that would warrant this level of animosity if it weren’t what WTWT describes. Just crazy. Such a waste of time and money these few people have caused.
You are incorrect in your history. Under Bob Monition the days cash on hand grew tremendously, it was almost non-existent when he was hired. When he left, the hospital had strong occupancy rate and market share of private insurance had been increasing. Evolutions was built which has provided cash flow to the District. He invested millions of dollars into equipment which hadn’t been done in quite some time. Under his leadership a bond was passed and there was a plan for medical offices next to Evolutions. All that changed once the bond was aprroved and Kumar turned on Montion and the District plans. It has been one hot mess since then. One thing Bob Montion used to say is that he let the monster be created because he was the largest admitter to the hospital. Greed set in!
To answer some of the other questions – the Citizens group has been funded by at least a 100 people, probably lots more when you consider those that bought tickets to fundraisers. We aren’t just a small few.
Kevin Northcraft has never been the leader of the Citizens group. He didn’t start attending until we were 6 months in process, he has been a huge asset like so many others. The beauty of the Citizens group is that there is no leader just hard working people that came together with an agenda to return our hospital to being a thriving environment minus the greed that has compromised care, employment and overall success of the institution.
Based on your comments you seem to have an ulterior motive. I can assure you the Citizens group didnt work this long to fail now.
You are right in that EH’s ulterior motive is to simply throw enough mud that some of it just might stick in the mind of anyone who is uninformed. One thing that I am noticing is the mindset of instant gratification of some. It has taken a long time to finally get to this point in the retaking of our hospital so don’t expect that it can happen in a matter of days or weeks. Justice can at times move slowly. There are judges who are politically afraid of their own shadow so they often delay the inevitable looking for political cover first before making their findings. Let’s hope that this current judge will be looking for the truth using common sense and good judgement first. Fingers crossed!
2% coming from tax base is all profit. There is no cost to generate this profit.
Revenue from patient services has a high cost of providing that service and after those expenses, net profit margin is usually in 2-4% range, max may not be more than 6% anywhere in the country. Most public hospitals lose money on patient services. Hospital admissions are always in loss & ER is the loss leader. Deliveries, lab services, outpatient radiology, some surgeries and many big ticket surgeries are where some profit can be made.
Perhaps EH was trying to create smoke & mirror.
Thanks Deanne for setting the record straight. I appreciate your hard work and that of the committee. And the fight continues!
Latest whisper through the grapevine is that Fresno entity has backed out after learning 8m$ divorce ticket.
Board has no choice. Kevin will have to file an amendment rescinding his earlier statement that they have someone to take over and may be help financially.
Let us pray that we will find someone AFTER the bankruptcy protection (= 8m $ fee is no longer an issue) to manage or lease-cum-manage.
Citizens may have to induce formation of a new corporation that will function to hire the employees and then lease them to the hospital. Seed money may have to come from crowdfunding. I am sure we have enough businessmen, dairy owners, farmers, doctors, real estate lords who have vested interest in making this hospital function and keeping taxes lower and they will be willing to loan a few bucks each to get it started.
Hillman clinic & other RHC’s operations will have to be shrunk significantly – just enough to keep licence from lapsing. These clinics are loss leaders and merely function to transfer hospital money into the pocket of Dr Parmod Kumar and Samantha Bland.
Let us hope that we will find some doctors who are willing to work under deferred compensation plan – ie work now but get paid after several months.
Benny, his servants, people and courts must realize that the very key problem is behavior, attitude and demeanor of Benny and Dr. Kumar. How can this hospital survive if no doctor in town can tolerate working with these 2 men? No doctor wants to send patients to this hospital for fear of vicarious liability – that is if a doctor is in knowledge of safety risk at a hospital and yet he sends patient to that hospital and if patient gets harmed/injured/loss, that doctor will be held responsible for that harm/injury. Ask any tort lawyer for details. Patient services are the only major source of revenue. No patients = no revenue. Simple.
Benny and Dr Kumar must be made to leave if this hospital is to survive.
Even in the best case scenario, it will be a tough task to rebuild this hospital. Tulare is not orange county. It is damn hard to recruit doctors to work here. Does anyone think we are going to get a patient-caring ENT like Dr Smith ever again? No. Ortho doctors? no. A surgeon like Dr Kesava who is willing to work all the time, willing to take all patients regardless of insurance status, has excellent surgical hand, is versatile in so many kinds of surgeries etc ? I dont think so. Can we ever expect to have another doctor as capable as Dr Rashid? He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Critical care, Pulmonary medicine, Sleep medicine and Addiction medicine. That is 5 boards. How many boards Dr Parmod Kumar has passed? ZERO in 25 years since completing training.
Damage that Benny and Dr Kumar has done to Tulare is far far more than what is notable on the surface.
BTW, Dr. Parmod Kumar has disowned his mistress. She was seen in public wearing ordinary clothes, missing her Botox face & crafted boobs, driving a non-luxury car.
If HCCA stays, there is no way debtor vendors can expect to get paid. There is just not enough revenue to leave any money to pay them.
If there was not enough money in past months to pay the vendors, why do we expect there would be money to pay them in future? There is no reason to believe things will be better.
Trump not paying insurers for Obamacare subsidies will have additional negative effects.
If vendors stop vending, how do you keep hospital open?
The Honorable Judge Lastreto may want to look at these situations:
1- The toxic personalities of Benny & Dr Parmod Kumar have created the toxic environment that has turned all doctors against the hospital.
2- Doctors not sending patients to the hospital – whether for personal reason or for fear of vicarious liability or lack of quality – leads to decreased revenue.
3- Revenue is not going to be better as long as Benny & Kumar are here. The Judge should put ALL doctors who have worked in Tulare over last 5 years and ask them under oath. I know this for fact that doctors are not willing to work with Benny & Kumar.
4- Bankruptcy is not going to solve the entire problem. But bankruptcy is the only way to boot out Benny, given the rock solid contract irresponsible past board signed. Kumar will be kicked out in different battles.
I hope the judge considers that HCCA was hired to manage the hospital and has offered very little managing in return. Give me a loan, get me a loan seems to be the limit of what they are doing but this has been a problem that has been coming for awhile, half a year at least and much longer if you look at the long term census numbers. Cash flow isn’t the problem it’s the symptom, profitability is the problem. In the last year HCCA has certainly been able to watch the cash flow shrink as fewer patients use the hospital but what have they done to manage the problam. Worked with the doctors past and present to return patients here? No. Worked with community and the opposition group to answer their concerns and fears? No. Blame everone else for the problem? Well that they have done excedingly well. It was the hospital employees fault that the bond didn”t pass. It is the doctors own fault that they left and the community is filled with negativity so we’ve been told. But other than to borrow money that we can’t pay back I haven’t heard one plan to fix the problem out of HCCA. Maybe that’s what people want to hear. Do you have a real plan or not. If not step down and let someone else manage the hospital.
You hit the nail on the head. Bottom line the debtor (TRMC) can’t continue to pay the contract (HCCA). The contract payout will then be argued within the bankruptcy court. That is when many things will come to light including the skill set of HCCA operating the hospital and the validity of the contract overall.
They have whined about doctors not supporting the hospital but yet they did what the did to the medical staff. Census has done nothing but decline under HCCA. Good employees laid off, including some highly skilled, which then left people that were placed into positions they weren’t qualified for. Surveys and situations that should have been avoided will drastically improve with appropriate leadership. Exorbitant salaries for certain positions and the District doesn’t even have a full-time CFO.
Conflicts of interest and keeping the board in the dark on many things are all just a handful of the problems that the District has experienced. What is equally bothersome is the mind control and bullying the employees have had to work under. The list goes on.
I pray the Judge will see the facts of this situation and do the right thing for he betterment of the community.
In all my years as a health care worker, I have never seen anything like the three con artists Benzeevi, Ostrom, and Germany.
They claim a hospital turn around while not paying the electric bill.
They tout great recruiting while in reality all the medical staff was leaving.
They will hang on and fight till their last breath. Just like Kumar did with that ridiculous hopeless recount.
I am glad that at least they have been exposed for the thieves that they are, having left our hospital in ruins.