health care
Judge delays Landmark sale again
By Richard Asinof
Contributing Writer
Twitter: @RichardAsinof
5/10/11
PROVIDENCE – For the second time in two weeks, R.I. Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein delayed making a decision on which of three for-profit hospital system bidders he would recommend to purchase the financially troubled Landmark Medical Center. A new hearing date has been set for May 27.
Earlier, at the April 27 hearing, Silverstein had asked the three bidders to reach agreements with various entities to avoid what appeared to be potential deal breakers, which the judge said might enable a bidder to walk away from a potential agreement after being selected.
At today’s hearing, Silverstein instructed two of the three bidders to renew efforts to reach such agreements.
The judge asked RegionalCare Hospital Partners of Franklin, Tenn., to renew efforts to reach a collective bargaining agreement with Northern Rhode Island United Nurses & Allied Professionals, Local 5067, which represents about 600 employees at Landmark Medical Center and its affiliate, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island.
The union authorized a strike notice on May 4 if RegionalCare is chosen to purchase Landmark. Christopher Callaci, the union’s general counsel, said after the hearing that he doubted any labor contract could be reached with RegionalCare.
The judge asked that Transition Healthcare of Franklin, Tenn., reach an asset-purchase agreement with the court-appointed special master, Jonathan N. Savage.
No further instructions were given for Prime HealthCare Services of Ontario, Calif. Richard S. Mittleman, a partner with Cameron & Mittleman of Providence, one of the local firms representing Prime, said that at the judge’s previous directions of April 27, an agreement had been reached with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island regarding managed care. “This judge does things in his own way,” he said. “Remember, the judge said: ‘which, if any, of the bids’ he would recommend.”
“Anything’s possible,” said Vincent A. Indeglia, senior partner of Indeglia & Associates of Warwick representing Transition, after the short hearing concluded. Indeglia said that the judge wants to make a decision that will be best for the delivery of health care in northern Rhode Island.
4 comments on this story
|
Add your comment
Advertising
Advertising
It sounds more like whatever is best for the union. Tuesday, May 10, 2011|Report this
No it doesn't, Jim. It doesn't even insinuate that. We could go over the article again and bring up what it really says, but I think youmight take issue with truth and facts. It usually is a problem with the locals here in these parts. Seriously though, I appreciate your armchair narration anyway. I know just where to file it. Tuesday, May 10, 2011|Report this
What is disconcerting is that is seems like Prime Healthcare did everything they needed to do, and they are the only one that has no contingencies, and yet the judge does not seem interested in them. It really does seem like he's pleading with RegionalCare to make a pact with the union, but that is the furthest thing from Regional's interests. So, a reader like myself, with no other inside info to draw from, is left to conclude that the judge really wants RegionalCare. I will say from experience, that IS consistent with the Landmark way. If there is ever an option that the entire hospital absolutely does not want, sure as you-know-what, THAT is the one that is going to get forced down their throats. I do feel for the many employees at Landmark, union or otherwise, because while this judge plays games, and Jonathan Savage walks away with $2,000,000 with hardly no effort to show for it, these people are all on budgets and live paycheck to paycheck like everyone else in this state, have made many sacrifices over the last 3 years out of their devotion to the hospital and the community, and have formed many ulcers, and meanwhile the hospital is running out of money and the employees don't know which week in the near future all of their paychecks are going to bounce. Tuesday, May 10, 2011|Report this
Jonathan, with all due respect your argument is a typical belief that you need to find a villan in something. The reason the judge ordered these things was because it makes a level playing field on the decision making process. The items he pointed to and wants resolved are because if they are not done prior to a decision on the takeover, they will ultimately end up in the court system later and those resolutions could alter the decision in hindsight. Whether one agrees or not, unions represent a significant portion of the employee base at the hospital. By asking the bidder to settle with the union now makes the ultimate transfer much better at its foundation which will help the long-term health of the transaction. Unions have nothing to do with this except that they have a stake in the game by default. However, like I said earlier, the locals here are chronic victims of their own failure in life. Instead of owning up to the poor decisions they've made, they blame everyone except themselves (As one can read into Jim's baseless claim). Neither the unions nor any govermental body made any local here in RI the unemployable doofs they are. They did that all by themselves when they chose not to pay attention and learn in school. I'll continue my crusade against any local that continues to spout such nonsense. Folks are going to start to own their own failure and stop blamming others for it. Friday, May 13, 2011|Report this