Archive for March 10th, 2010

Councilman Hawkins just received the following announcement from Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare:

Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Health Care Announce Staff Reductions

500 positions will be eliminated

I wanted to make you aware that Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare (JHSMH) announced today that due to the continuing economic recession and its impact on healthcare delivery, the organization is implementing a comprehensive expense management plan that will include workforce reduction as well as a variety of other measures.

This decision comes as a result of the general downturn in the economy and its effect on hospitals across the nation, including JHSMH, which has experienced reductions in patient volumes, rising levels of uninsured, bad debt and charity care.

In a prepared statement Janice James, JHSMH’s Transition CEO, said, “Staff reductions are always a last resort, and these were difficult and painful decisions. The people we are losing are trusted colleagues, and we appreciate their contribution and support over the years. But these decisions were necessary to ensure that through the economic downturn and the changes in healthcare, JHSMH remains financially strong and operationally healthy to continue to deliver quality healthcare to the Louisville community, as it has for more than a century.”

Approximately 500 positions will be eliminated throughout the system.  This will be achieved through attrition, layoffs and productivity improvements.  Affected team members will receive separation packages based on years of service and employment status. Transition assistance will also be provided to affected team members where possible.

In an effort to limit the number of team members leaving the organization, JHSMH has implemented over $55 million in cost saving measures through change in supplier assignments, process improvements, etc.  Going forward, the organization also is implementing standardized practices in terms of pay and paid time off (PTO), and is evaluating services that do not have enough customers to adequately cover their costs, and others that duplicate services offered elsewhere in our community. Most of these changes will not be visible to patients or the community.

“Hospitals across the country are experiencing declines in volumes as people are deferring elective medical procedures because of change in employment status and health insurance coverage.  Hospitals are also seeing increases in uncompensated care. With 900,000 Kentuckians now without health insurance, we are not immune from this turn of events,” said James.  “In 2008, we provided $52 million in uncompensated care.  In 2009, that number increased to $68 million.  As a result of this, the reality is that we are experiencing a perfect storm of declining volumes and increasing levels of uncompensated care.”

“Operating in such a challenging environment, we remain committed to providing quality healthcare to this community. The measures we are announcing today will not only enable our dedicated team to continue to deliver quality services, but will also strengthen the organization for the future,” James stated.

UPDATE!!!

Metro Council Resolution Filed Regarding E.On Request for New Fees and Higher Usage Rates

Metro Councilman Kelly Downard (District 16) along with Hal Heiner (District 19), Jim King (District 10), David Tandy (District 4) and Doug Hawkins (District 25) have filed a resolution asking the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Public Service Commission to deny E.On AG’s request to impose new fees and higher usage rates for its customers until the matter of the sale of E.On’s North American Operations can be determined.

“At this point in time, a rate increase does not make sense,” said Councilman Hawkins. “Residents can barely afford to pay utility bills as it is already. A rate increase would not benefit anyone but E.On in this situation.”

The Resolution will receive its first reading at the Thursday, March 11 2009 meeting of the Louisville Metro Council. The resolution is expected to be sent to the Transportation & Public Works Committee for review.

Last week’s email

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

LG&E Rate Increase

How customers can register a complaint

An article in the Courier-Journal announced that LG&E wants to change the way it bills customers for gas and electric.  Instead of charging by the amount of gas a home uses, LG&E wants to charge a higher flat fee rate of $26.53 to deliver gas to its customers.  In addition, LG&E wants to triple its electric residential customer charge from $5.00 to $15.00.

Our office has received numerous calls from constituents wanting to know how to register a complaint against LG&E’s proposed rate changes.  Complaints can be sent to the Kentucky Public Service Commission and to the Attorney General.  Please reference “Case Number 2009-00549” in your correspondence so it will be properly recorded with the correct case.

The Public Service Commission and Attorney General prefer to receive written letters; however, I have included all means of registering a complaint for your convenience.

Kentucky Public Service Commission

o    Via the PSC website at http://psc.ky.gov/cis/inquiry.aspx

o    Call the PSC Complaint Hotline at 1-800-772-4636

o     E-mail – Attorney.General@ag.ky.gov

o     Fax 502-564-7397

o   Mail your complaint to:
Kentucky Public Service Commission
Attn: Executive Director Jeff DeRouen
P.O. Box 615
Frankfort, KY 40602

Don’t forget to include “Case Number 2009-00549” when filing your complaint.

Kentucky Attorney General

o   Call the AG at 1-502-696-5300

o   E-mail heather.kash@ag.ky.gov

o   Mail your complaint to:

Jack Conway Conway

Kentucky Attorney General

Office of Rate Intervention

1024 Capital Center Drive Suite 200

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Don’t forget to include “Case Number 2009-00549” when filing your complaint.

Click here to read the full article, LG&E rate change could hit low energy users more than others by Patrick Howington