Stiff fines await Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital physicians who have missed medical licensure and certification deadlines, due to a policy change enacted by the territorial hospital board Tuesday at Schneider Regional Medical Center.

Because the St. Croix District Board has lacked a quorum since last summer, all policy, staffing and other decisions that board would normally make must be performed by the territorial board, which has members from both district hospital boards.

The purpose of the change to JFL rules is to try to prod physicians into compliance, before facing suspension or termination, said JFL board member Anthony Ricketts. Currently a physician who has not gotten around to getting signed off on everything necessary to maintain standing to practice medicine at the hospital faces potential suspension or termination, Ricketts said. But when that physician is the only one providing the service in question, the hospital and patients would be better off if an otherwise qualified physician is not suspended for failing to meet paperwork deadlines, he said.

"The issue has come up, if the physician is the only one providing that service, how would we suspend the person," Ricketts said.

This change would enable the hospital to fine any physician $100 for each record that is not up to date. It could quickly add up, which few physicians would want to pay.

Board member Wilbur Callendar asked what would prevent a doctor in a needed specialty from thumbing his nose at the policy and simply paying the fines.

"We do still have a disruptive physician policy," said JFL interim Chief Executive Officer Kendall Griffith in response. The fines would sharply remind physicians to catch up but a blatant refusal to comply would lead to suspension of medical privileges, he said.

"We try to work with our physicians and we don’t want to be punitive … but we have to make sure they do what they have to," Griffith said.

Board member Greta Hart-Hyndman said the policy change would help address concerns raised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which certifies whether medical facilities can receive Medicare reimbursements.

Griffith said he agreed. "This is one of the things CMS was looking for and we finally took action on it," he said.

Voting yes on the policy change were Property and Procurement Commissioner Lynn Millin-Maduro, Management and Budget Director Debra Gottlieb, Finance Commissioner Angel Dawson, Maria Tankenson-Hodge, Wilbur Callendar, Anthony Ricketts, Miles Stair and Greta Hart-Hyndman.

The board also voted to approve medical staff privileges for several new JFL staff members and to renew medical staff privileges for several others. The JFL Medical Executive Committee, composed of senior physicians at the hospital, already approved the credentials. They would ordinarily be approved by JFL’s board, which lacks a quorum.