{"id":20023,"date":"2015-03-28T09:41:47","date_gmt":"2015-03-28T09:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=20023"},"modified":"2015-03-28T09:41:47","modified_gmt":"2015-03-28T09:41:47","slug":"mapp-approves-7-million-for-jfl-warns-of-govt-inability-to-fund-hospitals-inefficiencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=20023","title":{"rendered":"Mapp Approves $7 Million For JFL, Warns Of Gov’t Inability To Fund Hospitals’ ‘Inefficiencies’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Governor Kenneth Mapp has approved section 8 of Bill No. 31-0062, which appropriates\u00a0$7 million to the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital (JFL) to fund the implementation of the System Improvement Agreement (SIA) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).<\/p>\n

Hospital officials have long been making their case for the money, which they say is an indelible part of passing CMS’s inspections, expected to take place in August.<\/p>\n

At a \u00a0press conference<\/a><\/span> held at the hospital’s Cardiac Center on St. Croix, JFL CEO Dr. Kendall Griffith said\u00a0the hospital had made \u201cgreat strides\u201d and \u201ccontinues to improve\u201d since the SIA was made effective over three months ago. He said JFL\u00a0has \u201cheard CMS\u201d and had initiated staff training in various areas, in addition to making key staff appointments. Griffith did not not specify, however, how many of the tasks had been completed\u00a0or how much of the funding the hospital had received to complete those tasks.<\/p>\n

JFL has until August to become compliant with training, staffing, the appointment of an independent expert, and other requirements\u00a0outlined in the SIA or risk CMS decertification.<\/p>\n

The governor also approved sections 9 and 10 of the same bill, which mandates that\u00a0a separate account be maintained to segregate the funds appropriated in section 8; and appropriates $3,425,957 to the Roy Lester Schneider Regional Medical Center, respectively.<\/p>\n

Yet, even as he approved measures making available funds to keep the territory’s hospitals afloat, the governor said the practice of continuously funding the facilities’ “inefficiencies” cannot continue.<\/p>\n

“I met with the governing boards, chief executive officers and executive staff of our hospitals and have advised them that the central government cannot continue to subsidize their inefficiencies and poor management practices,” Mapp said.<\/p>\n

The combined $10,425,957 pushes the territory’s fiscal year operating budget deficit to $144 million.<\/p>\n

In other action, the governor vetoed\u00a0section 2 of Bill No. 31-0062(1), described as part of the territory’s Hospitals and Medical Center Rescue Act.<\/p>\n

“I believe that this is simply bad public policy and quite frankly, illegal,” Mapp said. “Singling out certain medical specialists or codified employees for removal from the definition of a public employee, as defined by title 24 Virgin Islands\u2019 Code, chapter 14, section 362 subsection (g), to pay them higher salaries than similarly situated employees will have a discriminatory effect on those physicians or employees not listed. ”<\/p>\n

To exemplify his frustration with the request, the governor asked: “Should we adopt this policy to recruit off-island police officers or teachers?”<\/p>\n

Mapp also vetoed section\u00a07 of Bill No. 31-0062(1), which sought to particularly list radiologists to practice telemedicine in the Virgin Islands, calling the amendment “redundant.”<\/p>\n

Mapp stated that the\u00a0law, as it is currently constructed, allows the Board of Medical examiners \u201cto authorize certain physicians\u201d to practice telemedicine in the Virgin Islands (3 V.I.C. \u00a745d). Therefore, to specifically list radiologists when they are not excluded seems unnecessary and may appear to grant radiologists some extra edge over other physicians.<\/p>\n

[Bill No. 31-0062]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Feature Image: Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center courtyard\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Image Credit: VI Consortium<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Governor Kenneth Mapp has approved section 8 of Bill No. 31-0062, which appropriates\u00a0$7 million to the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital (JFL) to fund the implementation of the System Improvement Agreement (SIA) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Hospital officials have long been making their case for the money, which they say […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,191,147],"tags":[1506,587,1507],"yoast_head":"\nMapp Approves $7 Million For JFL, Warns Of Gov't Inability To Fund Hospitals' 'Inefficiencies' - V.I. Consortium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"USVI Hospitals -- Governor Kenneth Mapp has approved section 8 of Bill No. 31-0062, which appropriates $7 million to the Governor Juan F. 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