Hospital affiliation proposals to be subject of session

Carson-Tahoe Hospital's proposed affiliation will be the hot topic at the hospital's annual strategic planning session Wednesday, and the public is invited.

In a computer-generated slide presentation, the details concerning all affiliation and alternative proposals, including health care entities Triad, Sutter and Universal, will be presented by consultant Jody Hill-Mischel of Kauffmann Hall and Associates.

Few details of the proposals have been revealed so far. The hospital's marketing director, Richard Linkul, said the complexity of the issues required in-depth review before the public presentation.

"This Wednesday is the start of what we feel will be significant input," Linkul said. "For the first time, we'll have something definitive. It's the culmination of a five-month process, and a lot of input from a lot of people. We've already developed additional meetings (to present these proposals), and we will continue to communicate at the board meetings."

The entire session will be taped and available at the library as well as aired on cable access TV in Carson City and in Douglas County.

The public is invited to respond by using the hospital's Web site, www.carsontahoehospital.com, or by writing Linkul at P.O. Box 2168, Carson City, NV 89702-2168. He can also be reached at the hospital: 885-4479.

"It is my hope that within the next 30 days the Board of Trustees will make a recommendation to the affiliation committee," said Steve Smith, the hospital's chief executive officer.

Once the alternatives are identified, hospital officials will conduct a detailed study of the proposed affiliates' financial records. If a proposal for sale is recommended and approved by the Board of Trustees, it will be forwarded to Carson City's Board of Supervisors for consideration.

Carson City Supervisor Pete Livermore has raised the possibility of renegotiating an agreement with Washoe Medical Center and Barton Hospital, an affiliation attempt that previously failed.

Carson-Tahoe could also create a form of governance that would make it more all-inclusive. For example, a Western Nevada hospital district could include Lyon, Storey and Douglas counties.

Here is a brief description of three firms that submitted proposals for affiliating with Carson-Tahoe Hospital:

- Triad, headquartered in Dallas, is a spinoff of the Columbia Hospital system, at one time one of the largest health care entities in the West. With hospitals located throughout the United States, the organization specializes in hospitals of the same size and market as Carson-Tahoe.

- Universal Health Systems, based in King of Prussia, Pa., is affiliated with three hospitals in Las Vegas as well as Northern Nevada Medical Center in Sparks.

- Exclusive to California, Sutter is a nonprofit organization that concentrates heavily in Northern California and controls about half the markets in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas. Affiliation with Carson-Tahoe would signal its first move into the Nevada market.

If you go

What: Carson-Tahoe Hospital's annual strategic planning session

When: Wednesday Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Carson Nugget, second floor convention area, 507 N. Carson St.