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Show Local health care improves, but shackled by economy Since Hospital Corporation of America purchased the Uintah Counts' Coun-ts' Hospital in June 1981 over $700,000 has been put into new equipment and health service has improved, but two problems still remain too small and and increasing bad debts in the emergency room. The problem with lack of space centers on the old portion of the hospital being studied by the ad-miristration ad-miristration at Ashley Valley Medical Center to determine whether it is less costly to remove the building or remodel it. Last week the hospital advertised or bids on removing the building to compare with the cost to remodel he building. "Right now we're a big hospital in j a. building," said Ron Perry, i Ashley Valley Medical Center 4 adminstrator i . The hospital administration is eye-H eye-H the construction of a 6-doctor clinic J J"th a community center to conduct ' care classes for the public. - Nearly 1,600 people attend inservice instruction at the hospital since 1981, Perry said. The addition will not add to the current 36 beds at the hospital. Perry said the hospital has purchased purchas-ed 25 acres to the north of the hospital which could be used for an ambulence garage and other expansions. Improvements in medical care at the hospital includes implementing one of three rare earth X-ray programs pro-grams in the state, mamography and nuclear medicine equipment. The doctor recruiting program at the hospital is hoping to have a pediatrician and another specia'list. Increases in emergency room patient pa-tient care is up from 3,440 in 1976 to 9,516 in 1982. The average stay in the hospital has increased from 3.3 days to 3.6 days because of more advanced surgery being done at the hospital. Surgery is up from 351 in 1976 to.1,053 in 1982. "We'll be the first to admit that health care is expensive," said Perry at the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce' Com-merce' Tuesday noon meeting. Perry said he thought medical expenses ex-penses at the hospital were below the state average. "We're higher in some sen-ices like oxygen for respiratory because we don't have a large storage tank, but we're also less in other areas." Short-term surgery has been instrumental in lowering the patient pa-tient bills in 75 percent of the cases. In a 6-month period, the hospital has written off 46 cents of every dollar generated by the emergency room. Perry attributed the high rate to unemployment and the loss of medical insurance. Normally health care writes off 4 to 6 percent of total bad debts. "People will pay the bank, mortgages, mor-tgages, cars and business debts before they'll pay us because its not a necessity. necessi-ty. And its hard for us to collect because we can't take away an arm." Continued on page 2 Hospital... Continued from page 1 The economy has also caused people peo-ple to not seek medical care as the hospital volume is down along with the clinics in the area. Since HCA has taken over the hospital they haven't made a cent of profit, Perry said. Usually HCA returns 8 cents on every dollar to the investor. "Advancements at the hospital have been phenominal," Dr. James Allen, chief of surgery, said. "The hospital is far ahead of others comparable in size, it's unique." |