Hospital board narrows reorganization options

Carson-Tahoe Hospital moved one step closer to a decision concerning affiliation when the Board of Trustees narrowed potential options from 10 to four Thursday night.

Sutter Health and Universal Health Systems are the two potential affiliates still being considered. Board members also directed the affiliation committee to appoint separate committees to research the two chosen structural options: a private, not-for-profit corporation or maintaining the status quo, that is, remaining a county-run facility.

The findings of these committees, along with presentations from Sutter and Universal, will be presented to hospital trustees on Feb. 28.

Fueling the need for change is the projected $90 million in improvements over the next 10 years. The money is needed to remain competitive with other major Northern Nevada hospitals. Ignoring this capital need would mean the siphoning off of lucrative services to larger health-care entities, according to Carson-Tahoe's chief executive officer Steve Smith.

The fourth option, to remain a county, not-for-profit hospital, was suggested by Trustee Caleb Mills.

"If we're going to consider those options, we must consider leaving the hospital as it is," Mills said, noting joint ventures with physicians could help ease the hospital's needs for capital, and this is the only option that would leave control of the hospital in local hands.

Sutter Health, a nonprofit health care provider, is based in Sacramento. The organization has offered to merge with Carson-Tahoe Hospital to form a new nonprofit called Nevada Capitol Regional Health Care Systems.

Sutter focuses on building local area networks in contiguous markets, and proposes making Carson-Tahoe the hub of its network with satellite affiliates in the Tahoe-Reno-Sierra market.

Universal is a publicly traded, for-profit health-care entity interested in establishing and maintaining leadership in mid-sized markets. The organization operates other hospitals in Nevada: three in Las Vegas, as well as Northern Nevada Medical Center in Sparks. Because Universal owns other hospitals in the state, it could bring Carson-Tahoe more state contracts.

A not-for-profit corporation is a private, tax-exempt corporation overseen by a governing body broadly representative of the public. A Board of Trustees would be elected annually by these members. Washoe Medical Center is an example of the sort of not-for-profit corporation under consideration.

In other business:

-- The Andersen Field presentation was postponed, pending the development of a contract with Ira "Andy" Andersen.

According to Carson-Tahoe Hospital officials the acreage could help alleviate the pressure the hospital has for expanding, but development of this land has been a bone of contention for residents living beyond Carson-Tahoe Hospital's super block: a large rectangular parcel bordered by Mountain, Fleischmann, Washington, and Minnesota streets.