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May 14, 2003
By MARK WAITEMEDICAL FACILITIES IN BEATTY, AMARGOSA VALLEY Clinic operators get extension, increase
Nevada Health Centers Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Hansen, in a March 13 letter to county commissioners, states the contract was increased by $31,440 last year to pay for a physician in Amargosa Valley. Hansen said the company would reduce that amount by $20,960 because Dr. Charles Quilty didn't obtain his Nevada medical license until March 13. The clinics are paid for by the county but owned and maintained by the Beatty Health and Welfare Board and the Amargosa Valley town advisory board. Under the contract, effective July 1, Nye County is required to maintain the facilities in good condition, pay the utilities and provide liability and indemnity insurance coverage. Nevada Health Centers Inc., through its board of directors and executive director, is responsible for administration of the medical clinic, furnishing the staff and equipment. Nevada Health Centers functions as a Community Health Center by the U.S. Public Health Service under the Consolidated Health Centers Act of 1997. Nevada Health Centers provides diagnostic, treatment, consultative and referral services by primary care providers, as well as lab services, radiology, pharmacy services, and preventive health treatments such as immunizations, emergency medical services and case management for patients with chronic conditions. The contract requires the Beatty and Amargosa Valley clinics to be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, Medical help operate on a rotating basis for after-hours services. The agreement requires patients to be treated regardless of their ability to pay, under a sliding fee scale. Nevada Health Centers Inc. reports 53 percent of the patients at the two clinics were living under 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The company states there were 940 patients served at the Amargosa Valley clinic in 2002, 1,134 at the Beatty Clinic. The Amargosa Valley clinic had 5,203 patient visits in 2002, an inflated figure due to a tuberculosis outbreak, the company states. The Beatty clinic logged 3,104 patient visits. In Amargosa Valley 36 percent of the patients were uninsured, 14 percent were on Medicaid and 7 percent on Medicare, while in Beatty 32 percent were uninsured, 9 percent on Medicaid and 10 percent on Medicare. The clinics are responsible for recruiting personnel, billing and collection, purchasing, requiring all required licenses to be obtained, accounts payable, payroll, a computerized patient accounting system, compliance monitoring for all laws, interaction with third party payers, professional liability insurance for medical providers, the budgeting process and reporting to the county on a regular basis. The contract specifies 5.4 full-time employees for the Beatty clinic: a full-time physician, a physician's assistant, an office manager, a nurse/medical assistant and a receptionist along with a half-time position for a housekeeper. In Amargosa Valley normal staffing of 3.2 full-time employees includes a physician, a nurse/medical assistant, a receptionist and a part-time housekeeper. The contract can be terminated without cause by furnishing notice 120 days in advance. The contract notes the clinic relies on grant money from the U.S. Public Health Service to defray operating expenses. The contract for the 2003-04 fiscal year projects 2,500 visits at the Amargosa Valley clinic and 3,572 visits at the Beatty clinic, with $147,500 in net patient revenues in Amargosa Valley, $171,240 in Beatty. The $236,073 county contract will help the two clinics make up the difference between the combined $318,740 in projected patient revenue and the $649,671 in expenses. NVHC states system-wide it receives 49 percent of its revenue from patient charges, 34 percent from federal grants, 9 percent from local or county contributions and 5 percent from private donations. The non-profit corporation has 13 clinics in Austin, Carlin, Crescent Valley, Eureka, Jackpot, Gerlach, Carson City, Las Vegas and Wendover in addition to Beatty and Amargosa Valley. Nevada Health Centers Inc. uses the J-1 visa program to recruit foreign doctors to serve in rural Nevada for three to five years. Since 1996, NVHC states it has had a physician in Beatty supervising a physician's assistant in Amargosa Valley. Nevada Health Centers Inc. is a private, non-profit, 501C3 corporation. For 18 years it was known as the Central Nevada rural Health Consortium, incorporated in 1976, which in 1994 became Nevada Rural Health Centers Inc. The board of directors consists of representatives from each community. NVHC states it has no cost for medical malpractice insurance, since as a federally funded health center it's covered by malpractice by the Federal Tort Claims Act. The corporation states it has the ability to bill Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries at four times what any other public or private provider would receive. Nevada Health Centers Inc. states it secured a grant through the United Way to assist Dr. Amr Hillal in opening a pediatrics practice in Pahrump. Dr. Hillal charges patients on a sliding fee scale. |
