The Fugutive Doctor Story

Hi Forum,

I'm going to push on this story a little more and then drop it. The story says volumes about what the state of doctor recruitment and retainment possibilities really are until we get a serious medical center.

Hi Forum,

Let me add a remark that is "related" if unspoken in this piece. What does this say about our ability to get a retain decent doctors?

Hi springri,

I'm with you in wondering about this story. This is one weird tale. You don't usually find doctors fleeing arrest for routine traffic stops. It does raise the question of possible cultural misunderstanding or clashing. I'm not at all predisposed to think it wasn't handled right or routinely. It's simply that it is a very odd set of facts to ponder.

What's the real scoop on this?  It's sort of comical--the county doctor driving without her headlights on, has no insurance,  gives way to police chase, and  fights arrest? Was this a cultural thing with her not knowing what to do when the police pull you over or did the police handle properly? 
 
 
 
 
The Fulton County Hospital Board of Governors met on Monday, March 28, and in executive session, made the decision to release Dr. Madhulika Krish from her contract.
On March 14 in Sharp County, Krish was arrested by Highland Police Department officers and charged with no headlights, no proof of insurance, refusing to submit to arrest and fleeing, in an altercation that began due to Krish driving without her headlights on.
"We have enjoyed working with Dr. Krish and wish her well in her future endeavors, but at this time, both Dr. Krish and the Board felt it was best to part ways," said Hospital Administrator Joe Hammond.
In regular session, Hammond informed the board that Dr. Daniel Valek would be renting the side of the North Arkansas Family Clinic formerly used by Dr. Ahmad Saab, beginning April 1.
"He, along with his Physician's Assistant and his Nurse Practitioner, will maintain an active presence daily in the clinic," said Hammond. "He is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine and has all but his residency done in anesthesiology. He is looking to develop a primary care practice and will be a true asset to the area and the hospital. His practice utilizes a lot of ancillary services, such as laboratory and radiology, so we're glad to welcome him there."
Financially, the hospital continues to struggle, although there are some bright spots.
"Our cash at the end of February is at $152,268, which is up from $39,492 the month before," said Hammond. "We did have a fairly strong cash month during February. For the month of February of this year, we were up about $100,000 in gross physician charges, with the clinic providing about $25,000 of that."
Hammond notd that the hospital is in a downward trend as far as patient days are concerned.
"Total patient days for Medicare, which drives revenue for the hospital, in February there were 150 days, in January 169 and in December, where we showed such a positive bottom line, was 190. Total patient days were 322 in February compared with 392 in January and 465 in December."
In other business, Hammond informed the board that he has been appointed to the Hospital Foundation Board as a member, and that the new grant request process recently put into place is working well.
"One of the requests they decided to fund were Years of Service pins for the employees. That total was $285 or thereabouts," said Hammond. "There was also a request for a laptop computer for the swingbed unit. We've had a number of patients request to get on to a computer to check their e-mail and the swing bed coordinator needed one as well, and they approved that for a total of about $480 dollars."
The Foundation also met with a representative from UAMS regarding a MASH, or Medical Applications for Science and Health, program. For a two week period during the summer, high school students follow medical professionals through the hospital, learning about the different aspects of healthcare.
"This program helps students get some experience in each area of the medical profession, and will give them some idea as to what area they would like to pursue and get them on the right track early," said Hammond. "It's $200 per student to do it, and the foundation has agreed to sponsor ten students."
Hammond also informed the board that the Foundation's fundraising golf tournament had been scheduled for Saturday, August 13, at the Turkey Mountain Golf Course in Horseshoe Bend.
In final business, the board looked at a proposal to purchase software to assist in the mandatory transition to electronic medical records by 2015. Hammond told the board that American Recovery and Reconstruction Act (ARRA) funds would reimburse the hospital for 94.2% of the cost of the system. The total cost, utilizing software built around the hospital's current system would be $546,090, of which $509,330 would be reimburseable. The board voted to move forward with the purchase, contingent on upfront financing being available.
The next meeting of the Fulton County Hospital Board of Governors will be Monday, April 25 at 7 p.m.