Four months after the Fulton County Commission held back $26.5 million in funding for Grady Memorial Hospital, Grady officials are still trying to satisfy commissioners' demands for the money.
Grady and Fulton officials have been in discussions regarding the county's demands for information on the care of its indigent poor, some officials said.
The two parties spent months wrangling over a "memorandum of understanding" regarding Grady's care of poor and uninsured Fulton residents. Disagreement over the terms led some to dub the document a "memorandum of misunderstanding."
Grady spokesman Matt Gove said Friday that the hospital has consistently worked to provide the Fulton commissioners with the requested information.
He said hospital officials submitted what they hope is the final piece of information Thursday.
But the question remains: Will this do the trick and free up the extra millions?
Fulton Commissioner Lynne Riley said the process has taken this long because Grady has had problems providing information on Fulton patients, and delayed agreement on the memorandum.
But Fulton Commissioner Tom Lowe said some county officials have placed demand after demand on Grady, stretching out a process that should have been resolved quickly.
"It's ridiculous," Lowe said Friday. "Two or three reasonable people could have resolved it all in hours."
On average, Fulton provides about $80 million of Grady's approximately $730 million annual budget for the purpose of providing charity care for the poor and uninsured. DeKalb County kicks in about $20 million.
But the issue has repeatedly caused tension as some Fulton commissioners have demanded the hospital provide proof that the county is getting its money's worth.
Hospital officials have repeatedly said that Grady provides more in care to indigent Fulton residents than it receives from the county.
Gove said the hospital expects to provide up to $170 million this year in uncompensated care to Fulton residents.
In January, Fulton passed its budget and allocated $50 million to Grady, but it held back an additional $26.5 million. The county also demanded monthly reports on the number of indigent Fulton patients, services provided and costs.
Grady and Fulton officials had also agreed to work out a memorandum of understanding that would clarify the role of each in providing care for Fulton's poor. That agreement was approved about a month ago, pending the county's demand for a Grady plan to maintain a quality of care and safety for patients.
That plan was submitted Thursday, and Fulton County Manager Zach Williams said officials are reviewing it and should know within days whether it satisfies the county's requirements.
Working out these issues could help clarify the amount of care Grady provides to Fulton's poor and the amount that Fulton should pay Grady.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
