A Times Editorial

TGH, county must compromise

The worst outcome would be for either side to turn today's public hearing into a show trial that rehashes old antagonisms and policy arguments.

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2000

A public hearing today could produce a framework for getting Tampa General Hospital off the critical list. The goal for hospital administrators and the Hillsborough County Commission should be twofold: arranging a short-term financial fix and reshaping Tampa General for a stable future. Both sides need to compromise for a long-term plan to emerge as needed this year.

The county has offered Tampa General $3.5-million per year and the proceeds from a lien law against hospital patients, estimated to be worth $3-million annually. The offer is too small. Hillsborough should pay TGH at least $6-million a year, without a lien law, which would be a bargain the county could afford. If commissioners balk, they should be prepared to explain why the state and other counties should take the lead on reimbursing Tampa General for services that disproportionately benefit Hillsborough residents. If financial problems continue, the county faces a much larger liability than $6-million a year, especially if the commission's obstinacy scares away $10-million or more annually in direct support by the state.

The holdup is Tampa General's governing board, which is obsessed with secrecy. Tampa General comes to government with hat in hand, even as its board sends mixed signals about accountability and its lawyer fights a losing battle to keep non-competitive hospital records secret. Tampa General's best hope to survive is as a public institution. The board should be looking to shape that outcome in ways that build rather than undermine public confidence in hospital management.

Having the county name two appointees to Tampa General's board is a reasonable price for public assistance. It should be viewed, however, as a temporary arrangement. Tampa General's future lies in a regional network of non-profit community health care providers -- a corporate setup that requires dissolving the debacle of privatization and reorganizing TGH as a regional, not a county, hospital.

The worst outcome would be for either side to turn today's public hearing into a show trial that rehashes old antagonisms and policy arguments. The county's penury is no help if Tampa General lacks the cash to effect a new strategic alliance; likewise, the hospital achieves nothing by holding onto secrecy in the vain hope it can win an accommodating bailout next year. An agreement that costs both sides would help Tampa General through the crisis and position the hospital to morph into a regional institution -- one that would save Hillsborough money in the long run, expand accountability, stabilize finances and protect against parochial manipulation by the county. Any deal must build trust or we'll be back next year taking more baby steps as Tampa General slips further into the hole.

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