Staff writer
The Marion County Hospital District No. 1 Board of Directors approved a physician recruitment package to bring in a full-time doctor after Linda Skiles left St. Luke Physician Clinic, owned by St. Luke Hospital, last year.
The approved base salary for the physician was $200,000 a year.
“It’s the biggest bang for our buck,” St. Luke Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Armstrong said. “It’s not cheap to have temporary physicians cover the clinic both money wise and building a practice.”
However, the salary will be lowered 10 percent after two years based on the hospital’s incentive-based production bonus. A production bonus would register if the physician sees at least 19 patients a day.
“They’d have two years to build a practice,” Armstrong said. “Any time you have a base salary where there’s not an incentive to see a number of patients, its easy to say, ‘I can see so many patients a day.’”
Board member Linda Allison asked Armstrong if he had heard anything from the headhunting company the board contracted to recruit a new physician. He shook his head no. Armstrong said he was disappointed with the company’s performance but that the change in recruitment package was proposed to stimulate recruitment.
“I expected to have this filled months ago,” he said. “With this package, I’ll tell them you have a couple months. We can terminate the contract anytime.”
Also included in the recruitment package are a $5,000 signing bonus, malpractice insurance, a continued medical education allowance of $1,500, 27 vacation days, and $10,000 to relocate.
In other business:
- Hutton Construction and SPT Architecture representatives detailed the progress of the St. Luke Hospital construction project. After the board paid all bids to subcontractors — including $565,750 to Elcon for electrical work, $193,550 to Hett Construction for concrete, and $180,958 to the County Seat for floor covering — the project was under budget $12,672. Although much of the work is yet to be completed — construction on new buildings is about to transfer to the first phase of renovation scheduled to begin Jan. 17 — any cost miscalculations would be the responsibility of subcontractors. “We’ve locked in these prices,” Armstrong said.
- The hospital’s revenue for November was $63,333 according to Chief Financial Officer Bev Reid’s report. The hospital has a revenue 8 percent below budget but expenditures for the year are 9 percent below budget. Through November, the hospital had a positive budget of $8,534.
- Physician Richard Brown starts today and nursing director Linda Kannady is guiding him through the Living Center for a welcoming tour.
- The board approved a payment of $7,703 for Kansas Hospital Association dues.
- The board approved opting into the Neighborhood Revitilaziation Program for Marion County forfeiting $818 of tax rebates.
- The board approved locum tenem, temporary credentials for physicians Lee LeinWetter and Bonnie Huss, and Fred Neuer was approved to be recredentialed.