Hospital names new CFO, gives raises
The Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District has a new Chief Financial Officer.
William Van Noy was introduced at the regular meeting of the district's Board of Directors on Feb. 15.
Hospital CEO Alan Burgess said Van Noy has been CFO at Victor Valley Hospital in Victorville for the past three years and has 27 years military experience in addition to a BA in accountancy and an MBA.
Present at the meeting were board members Dr. Kim Horwitz, Dr. Gary Olsen, Dr. Susan Hall and Board President Dr. Sam Conklin. Director Bill Steele was absent. Dr. Hall had to leave the meeting before it was over due to illness.
The board voted to add an additional item to the agenda due the expiration time table of bids for a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) and cassette radiography for the radiography department. Following a brief presentation the board approved by a 4-0 vote the acceptance of a proposal from Novarad from the three proposals presented
A draft contract with Buena Vista Emergency Medical Services was presented to the board for Emergency Department and Hospitalist Services. Dr. Horowitz expressed concerns about the billing practices and their alignment with the same insurance companies as the hospital.
"They already are contracted with many of the same insurance companies that we use simply because they are already working in Kern County at four other hospitals in Bakersfield," Burgess said. "They did agree to be insured with the same groups and to do two additional things that were not in the RFP. One is that they would assist us in getting affiliated with group insurers that the other hospitals have an affiliation with that we currently do not."
Horowitz said, " I would like to remind the administration, and my board colleagues as well, that it was my recommendation in the past that both at the Finance Committee level and at the board level that the arrangement be such that this contract would be paid directly to the district and that the district handle all billing for the contract."
"We can see if we can negotiate some additional language for clarity on the insurance relationships," Burgess said. The board then voted to accept the contract by a 3-1 vote with Dr. Horowitz casting the dissenting vote.
Director Steele was nominated to as Special District Representative to LAFCO by the board subject to Steele's acceptance as he was absent from the meeting.
The board then considered and approved an across the board increase of 48 cents per hour wage increase for all hospital employees effective the first pay period in March. This is the first pay increase granted in two years. The vote was 3-1 with Dr. Olsen casting the dissenting vote and Steele absent from the meeting.
The reports from departments from within the hospitals and associated committees were then presented. The Citizens Bond Oversight Committee reported that Phyllis Mester has resigned from the committee and they are in the process of selecting a replacement.
There was no report on the new hospital project as everything is on hold due to the law suit. Several groups were not represented at the meeting due to the inclement weather.
Several times during the evening William Nelson ask questions of the board to which the board responded that, "on the advice of counsel we will not answer any questions."
Nelson is associated with a group identifying itself as "Tehachapi Area Critical Land use Group" which filed suit against the district late last year.
He objected to the board's response stating his view that the district's legal "counsel has effectively imposed a gag on this board to speak to questions that I pose."
Dr. Conklin responded saying, "I don't think that is correct, but we will not answer on the advice of counsel."
Nelson said, "I characterize it as such, I object strongly [to] counsel's invasion of governance of this district."
The next meeting of the board is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 21 at the Golden Hills Community Services District building.
