By Denise Clarke, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE WESTERN Regional Health Authority is to employ the services of a bill collector in an attempt to collect millions of dollars in outstanding patient fees owed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) in St. James.
The hospital which is the main trauma centre serving the parishes of Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny and St. James, has been dogged with problems in collecting fees, mainly from patients who use the in-patient services.
The Gleaner could not ascertain exactly how much money is owed to the hospital at this time. However, the head of the Authority, Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester described the sum as significant. "I don't have the figure now, but it is a significant portion. We are collecting roughly about 50 per cent of in-patient fees, and it varies from month to month," she told The Gleaner in a telephone interview.
The collector could be working as early as next month, as soon as the authority finalises how the process will work. She, however, noted that while this is an improvement over previous times, outstanding fees are still a major concern. She highlighted that the problem lies mainly with in-patients who are discharged from the hospital leaving their bills behind.
Patients being admitted to CRH are usually assessed in order to determine their ability to pay the incurred fees. The hospital also invites patients who experience difficulties paying the fees to contact its Patient Affairs Department and make arrangements for payment.
In 2001, the management at CRH threatened to publish the names of hundreds of debtors who collectively owed it more than $100 million over a three-year period. Subsequent to this the Ministry of Health issued instructions to all public hospitals that no one should be denied health care because of their inability to pay.
