Bayshore Hospital Reports On Its Own Health

Bayshore Community Hospital leaders say they are well on their way to re-stimulating and re-energizing the Holmdel campus.

At a presentation of the annual report Dec. 5, Regional President of Riverview Medical Center and Bayshore Community Hospital Tim Hogan talked about the increase in physicians seeking to join the medical staff, new programs in cardiovascular and bariatric care, and welcome financial stability.

“The good thing is that Bayshore is a stable environment right now,” said Hogan, after a brief PowerPoint presentation before 2 dozen members of the staff and few members of the community. “People that are here, we anticipate they are going to stay here -- as productive members of the team.”

Here are some highlights of his talk:

• Bayshore Community Hospital admissions have remained steady. In 2010, there was 7,528 admitted, and 2011, at around 7,496. “New patients are coming to Bayshore, and we’re continuing to grow,” said Hogan. The numbers are lower than the two prior years, but that is because visits lasting less than 24 hours are no longer counted.

• Income from operations, which had been a concern in the past, has stabilized, said Hogan. In 2008, income was down 7.5%. But in 2011, the decreasing trend had reversed.  “We’re happy to report that we have stabilized the operation, financially. There is a positive operating margin at Bayshore.”

• Bayshore’s partnership with Meridian Health has strengthened the Holmdel facility’s position, which had been challenged by trying to compete with Riverview Medical Center just eight miles away. Now they are on the same team. Since September 2010, more than 80 new physicians, many with specialties, have applied for hospital privileges at Bayshore– more than the past five years combined, said Hogan. The Holmdel campus will be known for its talented heart care physicians, he said. “Cardiovascular services is one of those areas we believe will be critical and central to Bayshore’s future,” said Hogan. A new center for bariatrics has also opened.

• Tony Cava has moved to Bayshore Hospital as Chief Operating Officer, handling day-to-day operations. Kelli O’Brien was recently named Vice President, Physician and Business Development for Riverview Medical Center and Bayshore Community Hospital.

• Bayshore’s Community Hospital Foundation's Board of Trustees has been expanded to include four new members, for a total of 14.  Serena DiMaso, presently the deputy mayor of Holmdel Township, will lead the hospital's fundraising arm in 2012.

• A new “kid-friendly” pediatric care facility will be opened in the first quarter of 2012, with dedicated pediatricians, beds and observation areas nearby, but isolated from the adult emergency room. K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, with its team of more than 100 pediatric specialists, will now support Bayshore’s emergency room in getting patients to the right physicians for their hospital care.

Marc Lory, Executive VP of Meridian Health Hospital Operations, discussed the network. Here are some of the subjects he touched upon:

• In a slide titled “Unfair Reimbursement Impacting New Jersey Hospitals,” Lory said that in 2010, three governmental payers represented 39 percent of Meridian Health’s total revenues. But they did not pay their whole bill.  Medicaid reimbursed Meridian for 70 percent of its cost of care, he said.

 “Medicare is paying 93 cents on every dollar. That number is going to come down in 2011, to about 85 cents on the dollar.”

And on “pure, declared charity care,” Meridian was reimbursed 50 cents on the dollar.

“We also provide for the gaps in governmental insurance as well as matching care, where there is a co-pay amount, where that doesn’t get paid. That also goes into our cost of providing care for people who are not eligible for Medicaid and what we call self-pay. There’s a large population of patients that we give free care, that are not part of our charity numbers.

To give you an idea, the uncompensated care from Meridian totaled $118 million, for which we received about $14 million in subsidies. So you can see a large gap between the care we provide for the uninsured, and what we get paid for.

The unreimbursed amount for Medicare is almost $30 million dollars.  For Medicaid, he said, it is $6.8 million. . 

• Medical manpower shortages are likely to be a problem, Lory said. “There will be a shortage of primary care physicians going forward,” he said. Meridian will try to secure, and hold onto, the primary care physicians already connected to the hospital. They may directly employ a group of primary care physicians. And they will continue to use nurse practitioners and physical assistants to extend the reach of physicians. “The challenge here is to get everyone practicing to the top of their license,” he said.