Community Coalition for Health Care Access members have tried to dig up dirt, but they have hit an obstacle.
UNM Hospital failed to grant the group access to public records. A lawsuit was filed in state District Court on Tuesday against the University.
The coalition made an appearance at the groundbreaking ceremony for the UNMH expansion project Wednesday carrying signs that read, "Paid for all, made for all?" - referring to the tax money that funds the hospital.
Gail Evans, attorney for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, said the documents would help the coalition get a better idea of how many indigents are being cared for at UNMH.
She said about 13,500 receive services from UNM Care, which is a number that hasn't changed, although mill levy taxes have doubled since 2000. She said 70,000 people in the county are eligible for the services.
But Sam Giammo, UNMH spokesman, could not say how many people receive UNM Care services. He said the mill levy money, which has no line item for expenditure, goes directly into the hospital's general operating fund.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Last year, UNM provided $101 million in uncompensated care and the mill levy gave $52 million back. Basically, it's used as a reimbursement for hospital expenses, Giammo said.
The coalition was granted 1,000 documents, but Giammo said most requests were for documents that simply did not exist.
The Inspection of Public Records Act does not require a public body such as the University to create a public record.
The group requested 21 documents, and six appear on the complaint.
"While individual doctors and nurses who work at UNMH are working very hard to care for poor people in our community, what we have found is that the hospital as an institution is failing, and that the hospital practices are abysmal," Evans said.
The coalition also raised concerns about the number of translators and interpreters at UNMH.
It asked for documents on requests for translation services, the number of translations provided and evaluations for interpreters.
Giammo stated in a letter to Evans that evaluation documents do not exist, because evaluations are done every three years, and on-site translators were hired in 2001.
Rosie Carillo, coalition member, said in Spanish that when she has an emergency, the hospital does not offer fast service because they lack interpreters.
"It's always a battle," she said.
There are six translators and more than 100 interpreters at the hospital.
Alma Olivas, coalition member, said the group thanks the hospital for hiring the translators, but more needs to be done. She said she has repeatedly seen people having trouble communicating with hospital employees.
Giammo said the hospital is in the middle of a recruitment program for more translators.
It will pay for a 5-week medical terminology course for people interested in becoming translators once they have passed an oral proficiency exam.
The course will begin in January.
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations for the past five years
Giammo: Covered by the New Mexico Review Organization Immunity Act that states those reports are confidential.
Press Ganey reports for the past five years
Giammo: Also covered by the New Mexico Review Organization Immunity Act that states those reports are confidential.
Accounting of actual costs and expenses of UNM Care program for last five years
Giammo: The report does not exist, but would contain private patient information and therefore would not be public.
Accounting of how UNMH spent the Bernalillo County mill levy revenues for the past five years
Giammo: Reports do not exist.
Raw data concerning interpretation and translation services from the past two years
Giammo: The raw data is on patient sheets, which are not available to the public. It would be extremely burdensome to produce those records.
Documents that reflect the number and nature of collections actions executed against UNMH patients during the past two years
Giammo: Summary reports do not exist. One would need to go through medical records to seek specifics.
