One of the greatest benefits of semi-autonomy at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital has been the ability to make good on its relationship with vendors and suppliers who had cut off the hospital over lack of payment, according to hospital officials.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer Eugene Woods and other administrators appeared on public television’s "Behind the Headlines" Sunday night to provide an overview on hospital operations since it obtained the semi-autonomous status in May 1999.
While all vendors have not been paid for services and supplies provided prior to May of last year, the slate from then to now is clean, said Vice President of Finances Eugene Welsh.
"We have had bills that are outstanding prior to semi-autonomy but since we now have a bank account, we have begun to pay them off," he said.
Woods said that the vendors have become "quite understanding" of the hospital’s commitment to take care of current invoices and work with the government to liquidate those that existed prior to the semi-autonomous status.
Amos Carty Jr., the hospital’s chief legal counsel, said while he has heard talk of full autonomy for the territory’s hospitals and medical centers, he believes the semi-autonomous status should remain in place for a while to allow any difficulties that arise to be resolved.
"To go down the road to full autonomy will take a little while because there are certain structures that must be in place to accomplish that," Carty said.
Carty said the community must be mindful that the more autonomy the hospital gets, the greater its responsibility to perform to a certain standard. "This should be a gradual process," he added.
Woods said he does not see full autonomy being seriously considered for at least two to three years.
On other issues Woods said efforts are under way for all hospitals and clinics in the Virgin Islands to standardize health care. "We are trying to be partners, not competitors, in our quest to provide the best health care available across the territory."
This could include standardizing key systems such as computers and life support equipment, Woods added.
Woods said the hospital's greatest need is capital.
"We don’t want to make a trade-out between operational needs and capital needs," he said. "We are looking at the tobacco settlement and earmark some of those funds for the capital projects that are needed."
He described the hospital as "two to three million dollars away from being as good a community hospital as you would find in the states."