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California State Auditor Logo COMMITMENT • INTEGRITY • LEADERSHIP

Tulare Local Healthcare District
Past Poor Decisions Contributed to the Closure of the Medical Center, and Licensing Issues May Delay Its Reopening

Report Number: 2018-102

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the following key relevant events from 2013 through 2017:
• December 2013—Board votes to affiliate with HCCA for management services.
• January 2014—HCCA begins managing daily operations of the medical center.
• January 2016—Board votes to remove its MEC.
• September 2017—District files for Chapter 9 bankruptcy and reorganization.
• October 2017—Judge approves voiding the district’s contract with HCCA. Board votes to voluntarily suspend its medical license. The medical center closes.
• November 2017— Board approves management contract with interim management consultant.

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Figure 2

Figure 2 is a bar chart showing operating revenue, operating expenditures, and operating income or loss for the medical center from fiscal year 2012-13 through 2016-17. For fiscal year 2012-13 operating revenue was $74.9 million, operating expenditures were $77.9 million and the operating loss was $3 million. For fiscal year 2013-14 operating revenue was $67.3 million, operating expenditures were $70.3 million and the operating loss was $3 million. For fiscal year 2014-15 operating revenue was $78.7 million, operating expenditures were $71.2 million and the operating income was $7.5 million. For fiscal year 2015-16 operating revenue was $80.2 million, operating expenditures were $77.7 million and the operating income was $2.5 million. For fiscal year 2016-17 operating revenue was $71.4 million, operating expenditures were $76 million and the operating loss was $4.6 million. The bar chart also notes that HCCA managed the medical center from January 2014 through October 2017. The operating revenue, operating expenditure and operating loss information for fiscal year 2016-17 is unaudited.

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Figure 3

Figure 3 is a bar chart showing patient service revenue and supplemental funds for the medical center from fiscal year 2012-13 through 2016-17. For fiscal year 2012-13 patient service revenue was $67.6 million. For fiscal year 2013-14 patient service revenue was $55.5 million and supplemental funds were $8.7 million. For fiscal year 2014-15 patient service revenue was $65.1 million and supplemental funds were $11.3 million. For fiscal year 2015-16 patient service revenue was $60.6 million and supplemental funds were $15.7 million. For fiscal year 2016-17 patient service revenue was $58.5 million and supplemental funds were $10.4 million. The bar chart also notes that HCCA managed the medical center from January 2014 through October 2017. The patient service revenue and supplemental funds information for fiscal year 2016-17 is unaudited.

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Figure 4

Figure 4 is a bar chart showing professional fees, purchased labor, salaries and wages, and employee benefits for the medical center from fiscal year 2012-13 through 2016-17. For fiscal year 2012-13 professional fees were $9.1 million, salaries and wages were $26.6 million, and employee benefits were $9.6 million. For fiscal year 2013-14 professional fees were $7.8 million, salaries and wages were $23 million, and employee benefits were $8.5 million. For fiscal year 2014-15 professional fees were $10.3 million, salaries and wages were $7.8 million, employee benefits were $4.1 million and purchased labor was $17.2 million. For fiscal year 2015-16 professional fees were $11.8 million and purchased labor was $36.8 million. For fiscal year 2016-17 professional fees were $13.6 million and purchased labor was $40 million. The bar chart also notes that HCCA managed the medical center from January 2014 through October 2017. The professional fees and purchased labor information for fiscal year 2016-17 is unaudited.

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Figure 5

Figure 5 is a bar chart showing net gains and losses for the medical center from fiscal year 2011-12 through 2016-17. The medical center had a net loss of $10.6 million in fiscal year 2011-12, a net loss of $3 million in fiscal year 2012-13, a net loss of $3 million in fiscal year 2013-14, a net gain of $7.5 million in fiscal year 2014-15, a net gain of $2.5 million in fiscal year 2015-16, and a net loss of $4.6 million in fiscal year 2016-17. The bar chart also notes that HCCA managed the medical center from January 2014 through October 2017. The net gain and loss information for fiscal year 2016-17 is unaudited.

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Figure 6

Figure 6 is a bar chart comparing the salary of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) prior to HCCA, the salary of the HCCA CFO, and the national average of a CFO for an independent hospital in 2014. The salary of the CFO prior to HCCA management was $195,000. The salary of the CFO under HCCA management was $468,000. The national average in 2014 for an independent hospital CFO was $247,900.

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Figure 7

Figure 7 is a bar chart showing cash and accounts receivable each year as of June from 2013 to 2017. Cash was $8.7 million and accounts receivable was $7.8 million in June 2013, cash was $10.6 million and accounts receivable was $7 million in June 2014, cash was $18.1 million and accounts receivable was $10.6 million in June 2015, cash was $11.4 million and accounts receivable was $11.1 million in June 2016, and cash was $2.3 million and accounts receivable was $24.9 million in June 2017. The cash and accounts receivable information for fiscal year 2016-17 is unaudited.

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Figure 8

Figure 8 is a clipboard showing tasks the district must complete prior to reopening the medical center and progress on the tasks that must be completed. The status of the district’s progress on areas to address to reopen is shown as of September 2018. The first area is financing and the costs of reopen, $9.7 million, is shown as complete. For the remaining areas the district must address to reopen the medical center there are two examples of key requirements under each area for most of the areas and one example under two areas. The remaining areas are staffing, supplies, equipment, repairs, policy/administration and vendors. The two examples of key requirements under staffing are pharmacy director and clinical laboratory scientists. The district has completed addressing the pharmacy director requirement and is partially complete in addressing the clinical laboratory scientists requirement. The two examples of key requirements under supplies are prescription drugs and bandages. The district is partially complete in addressing the prescription drugs and bandages requirements. The two examples of key requirements under equipment are oxygen and respiratory alarms and electrocardiograph machine. The district is partially complete in addressing the oxygen and respiratory alarms and electrocardiograph machine requirements. The two examples of key requirements under repairs are air conditioner and call lights. The district is partially complete in addressing the air conditioner and call lights requirements. The example of a key requirement under the policy/administration area is hospital policies. The district is partially complete in addressing the hospital policies requirement. The example of a key requirement under the vendors area is renegotiate contracts. The district is partially complete in addressing the renegotiate contracts requirement.

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