| Show 2M The Salt Lake Tribune Friday August 26 1888 A iy Focus Review ja y v s s & 's-- These stories from recent issues of The Salt Lake Tribune are presented for V J v f&tt SsAAJ&&7WJ who receive their Focus section by mail For your window on the world read The Salt Lake Tribune Are Utah’s Remaining HMOs Fiscally Fit? By Christopher Smart Maxicare Failure Sends Community a Chill Tribune Staff Writer For medical needs tens of thousands of Utahns depend on businesses like Maxicare of Utah Inc the organization that abruptly closed its doors last week after proclaiming its insolvency Are the remaining seven health maintenance organizations in Utah bound in the same direction as Max- had little to gain by offering Maxicare low hospital discount rates IHC operates its own HMO With one exception HMOs m Utah contract with physicians on a fixed rate basis for care of subscribers HMOs also contract with corporations that operate hospitals and clinics to provide health care for those who pay monthly premiums to subscribe to the service Until now in Utah HMO contracts with hospitals have not been of the fixed rate type The exception is FHP which owns its own facilities and hires physicians and other health care professionals on a salaried basis FHP does however contract for some hospital use For all HMOs including FHP hos pital contracts are critical to success or failure There are other areas of concern industry officials explain including how often subscribers seek medical attention and how often physicians prescribe expensive tests special procedures and hospitalization icare Industry spokesmen say no yet only two Utah HMOs were profitable last year and one of them only marginally according to statistics assembled by the Utah Department of Insurance Of the remaining field of HMOs in Utah only FHP posted substantial profits in 1987 And by no coincidence FHP is organized differently than the balance of Utah's HMOs in eluding Maxicare Maxicare officials cited high hospital costs as the reason why its Utah operation could not continue A majority of its hospital contracts where with Intermountain Health Care the largest health care facility operator in Utah But IHC officials say it is not fair for Maxicare to blame IHC for its failures They point to Maxicare s failui es eisew here in the nation as an indication of the organization s troubles Maxicare sold operations in five other states and now operates HMOs m 20 states It posted losses of 1256 million last year However some in the health insurance industry maintained that IHC medical But skyrocketing ex- penses have made hospital stays financially unpredictable for HMOs and other insurers said Tom Carl chief operating officer at Health-Wis- e Mr Carl whose company has losses for the past two years believes Health Wise will be profitable next year because of new flat-rat- e contracts the HMO has been able to negotiate with Utah hospi- - tals including facilities owned bv Mr Hammer noted that subscriber groups that tend to require a relatively large amount of health care drive down HMO profitability W hat happened to Maxicare in Mr Hammer Utah is not unusual sad As the health insurance market evolves you re going to see some You re going to see changes some of these plans fail he said Mr Hammer refuted comments by Maxuare officials that hospital rates The average cost in Utah are high per case of hospitalization in Utah is much less than elsewhere in the He cited region and in the nation medicare statistics as a basis for his observation IHC Care an HMO operating under its parent IHC is at no’distinct advantage over other HMOs in the state Mr Hammer contended He said IHC Caie contracts with IHC fa ciiities on discount rate contracts What vou see is a choice in the he ex market for the consumer plained Consumers wishing to con tract for IHC facilities and physi c lans allied with them may choose to subscribe to IHC Care he said But Mi Hammei noted that anv HMO mav contiac t for IHC facilities Maxicaie wanted to provide a wide range of hospitals and clinics and therefore tied itself to IHC said Ilden Mitchell regional vice president for FHP He explained that IHC had noth ing to gam and something to loose by providing low hospital discount IHC Under previous ‘discount’ rates negotiated with hospitals Mr Carl said HMOs would find the discount disappear with profits as hospital care costs increased But after years of trying Health Wise has now nego tiated fixed rate contracts Mr Carl said The new contracts w ill make ex penses predictable and HealthWise profitable Mr Carl explained that it was dif ficult to convince hospitals to agree to fixed rate contracts because the medical facility then becomes for cost overruns W e recognized that we had to get off the discount jcontiacts but hos pitals were concerned because right awav they could see they were at risk Mr Carl said HealthWise which mav have the only fixed rate contracts of the Utah HMOs was able to negotiate its contracts with non IHC hospitals first Mr Carl said IHC was more reluc tant to do it " Hospitals are reluctant to ncgoti ate flat rate contracts because it s a shifting of risk to the Hospital said Doug Hammei IHC vice presi dent and general counsel But despite flat rate contracts Mr Hammer said an HMO can only succeed when its program controls ex pensive tests and procedures ordered by physicians ‘An HMOs ability to do that detei mines whether it makes it or doesn t ‘ ’ obser-vation- v ency He said IHC believed since the Maxu are subscribers used IHC facilities and allied physicians it was important to continue serving them W e feel it s important for patients to have that continuity ” Mr Wahl said Actually it tells us where they are not at The device can also tell if the parolee is tampering with it he said When the monitor receives a signal that a parolee is out of range of the receiver the monitor first tries to telephone the parolee If unable to get the subject on the phone a parole officer is called out to physically check on the parolee Inevitably "almost everyone" fitted with the devices deliberately leav es their home to test the system s effectiveness Mr Wahl said It takes them back when they get a phone call within two minutes" Mr Wahl said One concern with the system is "false positives" signals indicating the parolee is not home when he really is or vice versa However phoning the parolee before sending a parole officer out to check the home resolves most such problems Mr Wahl said Parolee reaction to electronic monitoring ranges from resentment at being watched 24 hours a day to those who feel the device helped them better comply wuth parole conditions Mr Wahl said But any intrusion caused by the devices is probably justified Mr Wahl said "The greater the risk they parolees are the better we can jushe said tify the intrusiveness Since 1985 Utah corrections people have used several different electronic monitoring systems The system currently used in Utah costs roughly $10 per parolee per day for staffing and equipment Mr Wahl said No local study has been done to compare the cost of electronic monitoring to the cost of incarceration but studies elsewhere in the nation indicate the systems do save money he said But we never sold (the svstem to the Legislature based on cost The whole goal is to watch people close lv he said Twentv of the state s devices were leased with state money The other 10 were provided with federal drug control monies Mr Wahl would like to have more devices but funds have not been made available If someone said Would you like 100 new units1 I d say yes he said ’ “A common misconception we can tell where an inmate is that is at 9X Ht “The public has to bite the bullet and support the children they are producing" Dr Don Carpenter said “ The district could lose between 15 and 20 percent of future revenues according to estimates from the state Tax Commission It also faces loss of funding if traditional enrollment fig ures fall below district projections a distinct possibility if enrollment fig ures for the district s 18 year round elementaries are any indication The district reported a loss of 290 students in attendance figures for the first week of its schools a 1 8 percent drop with the majority coming from first through sixth grades or those already registered but having left the district This is a result of the state s economy “ Dr Carpenter noted We are seeing fewer children because of out migration year-roun- tu raa Greek Fest To Open On Sept 9 — InDune Siaft 143 South Main 941 -- Von Rwrectionel Salt Like Citv Utah Bv Lih M Mullm ribuin Mat f i it bout nmi month’' ago Kosi'n iv man had a heart attai k that doc tnis said would hav Ini in a n Mated liimlv m pacitated at b st Onlndav M tenter position spiking h t volitvbul! Lam to ’In tali lv mpiati u s gold medal in tin b8S Ms ist man w ho is w t II on h i w a to bn timin' the Babe Both of gmuti n voihvball was ‘it at t d t u n faiuilv in minis ami hi r efforts to applaust hugs from her git at grand luldren lit r spmt tmbodi s th inpiit ru s now in thin fifth star said Jonathon L Goat s regional m irk t s! noising tenleis fot I aie mg niariag I he torch hi ar r this y i ai w as Bill leek in in lies "14 and he walk d m holtimg that ton h as to li as hi ouhl said Mr Goat s e ii hi ks lot the games and mans mis pi a ot the pal t ii pants w at t tn ir in dais and i input I?e5 SA' ms 5 00 swoo wa J7 7 A and much much commodohng 1470 xt IS FORD XIT cona cruls 244 O 3724 79 FORD 57999 14 d Van 14 CHtV nVRH pom 0tf a Pass tilt S'3 990 Van van a aJu 26? 2400 It Beaman 12 pass 04X043 SI 00 04r low 2 fur hum mat a U5 pc mo raf ot Intludiof noturoi 901 mt rv wr gtrtwg to cto vhooh and Cat in a VtuV ihopptn 94 I 14 Mr4fc Horn AND txfrTi jfcrHn® 3 pn tic good 150 DC n? 71 HONDA motor P 72 350 tfmr 2 2 f In Suns 7100 ’800 7?5ufv z H?Y) wuv 5 n HV to In tin i tin n at n i ht t nst at a ii fill CtW rum puod Mvinfto 44 I ) n s eSi In hi isk COOdftM Stooheo 450 motorcvO CoH 7? HONDA Of Scooters HONDA LX vhoon Nr Motorcycles HONDA U 71 a Con shoMwng 1155-757- IS 1st ottowame xpmv tud more Mow oc posnors WADE SIAiAPU NA1E 1300 ! spoce ovoi J 45 VViH mov help home mo for mg $13595 Ram l DODGE Mllnl S outa ollr 1st Home Trailer Space TRUCKIAND 131 Sov t :T Mobile V 426145-- checy 10 4ft? ST? I pais 42130 aerostar v Homes orvia I wtth VANS loabACV I ! 950— Mobil NBeAOVX-LEOUt- 150 nursing-hom- e Photo by Lynn R Johnson About residents participated held recenty Olympialrics Boost Spirit of Elderly I fed Utah Ohmpiatrics during basketball shooting exeieising in DESERET MTWS 7? d ‘ Nora Smith Clearfield aims at the hoop For your convenience we now accept the credit card of your choice W hard ‘ PICK YOUR CARD PLACE YOUR AD ‘ y ‘ ed ’ y ‘ d ‘ Superintendent Raymond ’ The anklets contain small battery-operateradio transmitters with a range of about 150 feet They work in conjunction with a radio receiver placed in the parolee s telephone The telephone component in turn transmits signals to a computer monitored by AP&F personnel If the parolee strays out of range of the receiver the monitor is alert By T R Dowell Tribune Staff Writer SANDY — Teachers in the Jordan District concerned that revenue shortfalls w ill mean no pay raises for the fourth year descended on a recent school board meeting to protest a rumored increase in out of pocket insurance premiums About 75 teachers descended on the school board Tuesday night seeking information on teacher insurance benefits The district is in the process of teacher contract negotiations and any changes wont be made public until a final contract is hammered out Because of a revenue shortfall the district eliminated 52 teaching and 25 media coordinator positions to make up the $4 3 million shortfall for the 1988 89 budget The budget ax affected !9 programs in the dis tnct The result will be bigger class sizes adding about 1 student to each class John Adams a junior high drama teacher urged the board to do something on the inside to keep teacher morale from falling even lower than it is I don t know what the solution ’ is he said but something needs to be done internally You re always telling teachers how much you appreciate them but you keep allowing the budget to be balanced on the backs of teachers Jordan Education Association President Jackie Christensen said well a pat on the head won t pay the bills She said the only increases teachers have seen in recent years have been in classroom size and responsiWe haven t had a pay inbilities crease in four years and now we 11 have to take a pay cut just to meet this Whittenburg said the board would continue to study the issue during we may yet have to negotiations make that move but for the moment we do not have a proposal " One option discussed was going to a four-daschool week — a solution that was quickly dashed ' WTe re not saving any money by week" board going to a four-damember Jane Callister said “The only savings will be m utilities for the one day the school is closed ' added Maurine C Jensen “The amount is miniscule “ The proposed tax initiative to be decided in the November general election also came up with board members warning the teachers that if it passes education will be hit ‘ few Premiums ’ Bracelets Watch Utah Parolees d Out-of-Pock- et rates to Maxicare W'lth a majority of hospital facilities in the area IHC may believe they would see those patients any w ay he said We ve had a tremendous impact on IHC ” Mr Mitchell said because FHP operates its own facilities and looks for creative ways to keep people out of the hospital " Mr Mitchell said FHP tries to keep subscribers out of hospitals by making use of birthing suites out s patient surgery and short stay units as well as clinics As such costs are kept down Mr Mitchell said If indeed our costs are lower our premiums can be low er In addition Mr Mitchell said physicians are salaried at F'HP rather than private businessmen they have nothing to gain by prescribing certain treatments or holding back on them because of insurance plans Weve changed the docs motiva tions he said But w hile F'HP may be able to control costs more efficiently there are trade-off- s Mr Hammer contended FHP has fewer facilities and fewer physicians and can control costs but' they giv e up the element of choice he said IHC had negotiated an agreement to buy Maxicare in Julv Mr Hammer said At the end of July we thought we had an understanding until about 2 3 weeks ago when they turned it down and declared msol-- Big-Brotli- er By Stephen Hunt Tribune Staff Writer Electronic inmate monitoring — accomplished by fitting parolees and probationers with ankle or neck bracelets that indicate if the wearer breaks ‘‘house arrest" — is still imperfect Some devices can go haywire if the bracelet wearer puts his head in a refrigerator There are transmission problems with people living in mobile homes And signals may be misinterpreted when the wearer gets in bed changing the plane of the transmission field But m spite of minor problems with some types of electronic monitoring systems Ray Wahl Utah Adult Probation and Parole administrator for Region Three would readily put to use additional units if they were offered AP&P currently leases 30 ankle bracelets from a Colorado-basecompany Nineteen of the anklets are now in use the other 11 have been assigned to prison inmates with parole dates The devices are used in other states on misdemeanants as well as felons In Utah the anklets are generally reserved for “high risk" inmates released from prison on Intensive Supervision Parole “(The wearers are often career criminals with more than one commitment to prison who present a high risk to the community" Mr Wahl said "ISP parole is rigorous " he added “Adding electronic monitoring makes it even more rigorous " All ISP parolees are required to be at their residences between the hours of 7 p m and 6am Electronic monitoring helps enforce the cur- Teachers Fight i' itin u kiiii it t ill inn Ipanls in in ' t u a i 1' i i ii i alt ' I ! i ou i' s' ui i uii mi ph sn s I i i I )i t i i1 ii t h i bv ( il i t gain ai l ai W i i n t ! m s' Bmint t i tH4 to suit ills of on lid at t h annuii' iow si s t st in r i i '0‘lusvialaliuplilistoi Mind in n additional benefit is dispelling some myths moot nursing homes said Mr Goates I’svt hologitdllv it s hard to put Mom or Dad in a mu sing homt But if vou v v been to one latelv vou see tl a anv inui i nuising homes are mini hospitals Ms She said she d isi man is a perfttt example i it In r be dead than go to a nursing home said her granddaughter Kathv erde t Now she savs she was so wrong about it She wouldn go anv where else The games were held in the Salt Palace this veai the lust time tbev have been held outside of a UaieWest facility t oinpi tition was held m checkers basketball shooting bowling daits horseshoes kick ball shot put and vollevball Hu games ate tailoied to geriatrics said Mr For example the bowling involves plastic pins and i ubbt r balls and the darts die ping pong bull’s taped with tie in to make tin rn stick to the tm ud u’ tin i onipc titnm is foi n al (nates I Ms isi man said hci vnlh ball ti am has hi Id 3 k suit e Junt In m i pi at tn e sessions tw i t a w One was st t n studuig tin halls of (areWesI pntitipdiit ( I le said lie w as It u fit Id late I hui sdav night gt t 'mg in shapt foi tin kn kball said Ji n mv t ptnn a mu sin" assistant tin i It s time once again to load up on loakoumades tyropites and gvros This years Greek Festival will be held Sept 9 11 at the Hellenic Memorial Cultural Center at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral 279 S 300 West Festivities will take place from 10 a m to 11 pm on Sept 9 10 and from 11 am to 11 p m on Sept 11 Admission wll be $2 for adults and $1 for senior citizens and chil dren age 6 to 16 Children under age 5 will be admitted free Proceeds from the festival will benefit needy families youth projects several Salt Lake City charities and the Greek theological school This years annual event will fea ture a Greek pastrv booth with !1 different Greek pastries and breads a Greek coffee house with fresh hot loukoumades (honey puff delights) and ice c ream sundaes two complete a la carte fond bnes with outdoor seating tvropites (iheese triangles) and gvros lamb meat on a spit cook mg demonstrations chuich tours slide presentations about Greek his lory in I tab a childrens midwav and Gret k dam mg featuring Dionv sius danceis and tin Junior Greek Orthodox Youth of America In addition a 5 K Classic run will be held Sept 10 at H a starting and finishing at tin festival site |
