TGH is left with empty promises, promises

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By HOWARD TROXLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 18, 2000

Bruce Siegel, now on his way out as president of Tampa General Hospital, was part scapegoat, and part deserving of his fate.

Siegel was the front man for those who wanted to take Tampa General away from the public and make it a private hospital in 1997.

He was an eager accomplice. He willfully sold the story to the public. Give us your hospital, he said, and we will fix everything.

He promised clinics for the poor. He promised black ink. He promised to build a shining new hospital near the University of South Florida.

The trouble with relying on empty promises as your M.O. is that people stop believing you after a while. Siegel had fallings-out with much of the local political structure.

As boss of the newly private hospital, Siegel did the best he could with what he had. He cut millions in operating costs. He wooed back some of the big HMOs.

But it was not enough. Tampa General kept bleeding money. The feds made things worse with budget cuts.

Had Siegel not alienated so many people, he would have survived even with a bad bottom line.

Had he produced a better bottom line, all else would have been forgiven.

As it was, he possessed neither saving grace.

Local members of the Legislature -- and at long last, leaders of the Tampa business community -- got involved. But their unofficial consensus was that Siegel the lightning rod had to go.

So, now what?

Siegel's departure solves nothing by itself.

It only removes a politically unpopular symbol. The money problem, and the troubling questions about Tampa General's private board, are still there.

At last, there is recognition in the Legislature and in the business leadership that Tampa General should have a direct taxpayer support, state and local.

That support is fully justified.

First, Tampa General is heir to the public hospital and still has a crucial role in taking care of the poor and cases of last resort.

Second, Tampa General is a teaching hospital, affiliated with the University of South Florida, and the medical school cannot exist without it.

Third, Tampa General is a first-class regional hospital with unique services -- trauma center, burn unit, transplant and neonatal program. If you live in another county and believe this does not matter to you, it does. The lives of you and your family might depend on it.

Tampa Bay's legislators hope this year to get the hospital the same kind of state money as other teaching hospitals, about $10-million.

Even more encouraging, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce has formed an emergency task force on helping the hospital. This level of involvement and leadership has been missing for the past decade. That is one reason the hospital was so easily taken private with little real debate.

Rightfully, the chamber task force wants more public input and reporting, maybe even public members on the board, in return for tax support. Ike Tribble, one of the co-chairmen, said Thursday: "If you're asking for public dollars, you've got to have some public accountability." We'll see how the super-secret hospital board reacts.

These are short-term issues. The task force is looking at long-term questions too, about the proper role of public and non-profit hospitals. Should Tampa General become part of the university? Should it become part of a larger alliance of public hospitals?

Good questions. Unfortunately for Bruce Siegel, the price tag for bringing them into focus was his head.

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