Weirton Medical Center

State effort to improve hospitals applauded

PARKERSBURG-The president and chief executive officer of the Camden Clark Medical Center is applauding the efforts of West Virginia's national lawmakers to help hospitals in the state with Medicare payments.

U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin and U.S. Rep. David McKinley introduced bills in the Senate and House, respectively, that would make sure the five West Virginia hospitals get paid fairly so they can compete with surrounding hospitals in Ohio, supporters said.

This bill would fix a Medicare payment disparity in which hospitals in the two states share the same labor market, but receive different Medicare payments, supporters said.

''In today's highly competitive health care labor market, it is important that hospitals within the same geographic area be able to compete on a level playing field,'' said Michael A. King, president and chief executive officer for the Camden Clark Medical Center.

The bills would enable the Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, which includes its Memorial and St. Joseph's campuses, Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale and Weirton Medical Center in Weirton to compete on the same level with neighboring hospitals in Ohio, officials said.

The West Virginia and Ohio hospitals exist in the same labor market where they compete against each other for employees, but the Medicare payment for labor is higher in Ohio, which helps recruit and retain workers, bill supporters said.

If these West Virginia hospitals were located two miles west in Ohio, they would receive about $8.5 million more in Medicare payments, officials said.

''Camden Clark Medical Center employs nearly 2,000 people in the Mid-Ohio Valley,'' King said. ''On our Medicare patient volume, hospitals in Ohio have a $5 million advantage in payment from a federal program.this is patently unfair and creates undue hardship on our hospital.

''Resolution of this inequity is of critical importance to our institution in order to attract and, more importantly, retain highly qualified and professional staff.''

King commended the work of the legislators in addressing this issue.

"We applaud the efforts of our legislators, Sen. Rockefeller, Sen. Manchin and Congressman McKinley, for their efforts to obtain 'fair pay' for West Virginia hospitals that compete with hospitals right across the river in Ohio," he said.

'Fair Pay' Sought For Local Hospitals - News, Sports, Jobs - The ...

WHEELING - Ohio hospitals receive more federal Medicare reimbursement than those in West Virginia, and members of Congress from the Mountain State want "fair pay" for five West Virginia hospitals that compete with those in Ohio.

Democrat Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin have introduced a bill in the Senate that would allow five hospitals in the Northern Panhandle and Parkersburg to be paid more by Medicare so they can compete with surrounding hospitals in Ohio. The bill attempts to fix a Medicare payment disparity in which hospitals in the two different states share the same labor market but receive different Medicare reimbursements.

Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., has introduced similar legislation in the House.

The bills would enable Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale and Weirton Medical Center in Weirton - along with St. Joseph's Hospital and Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital, both in Parkersburg - to compete on the same level with neighboring hospitals in Ohio.

Wheeling Hospital, a private Catholic-owned hospital, was not included in the legislation. And OVMC's parent corporation, Ohio Valley Health Services and Education Corp., owns a hospital in Ohio - East Ohio Regional Hospital in Martins Ferry.

"In order to continue addressing the health care needs of those in our community, it is imperative that the Medicare wage index be adjusted to better position the Northern Panhandle health care systems," said Michael Caruso, senior vice president and corporate chief operating officer of OVMC.

"Based on today's wage index classifications, Ohio Valley Medical Center is not eligible to receive the same level of Medicare reimbursement for the same services provided to a similar patient base as its sister hospital just across the river in Ohio," he said. "This issue not only hinders our ability to continue to be an essential part of our community, but it directly affects the livelihoods of over 700 of our employees and the countless patients and families we serve each and every day on our Wheeling campus."

The application of the Medicare wage index has unjustly harmed hospitals in northern West Virginia, said Jay Prager, CEO of Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale.

"For Reynolds Memorial Hospital, Medicare accounts for almost one-half of our revenues, and this issue directly affects our 425 employees, as well as thousands of patients from Marshall County who use this facility," he said. "To us, this is more than a Medicare reimbursement issue; it is an issue of fairness.

The Comparative Guide to American Hospitals, Volume 1, Eastern Region: 4,383 Hospitals with Key Personnel and 24 Quality Measures in Treating Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia, Pregnancy and Surgical Infection Prevention

Hospital Telephone Directory 2005

Mammography Centers Directory

Directory of U.S. hospitals

Profiles of U.S. hospitals