LBJ’s multi million dollar Electronic Health Record system came under scrunity at the House Health Committee hearing with LBJ officials last week,Rep. Larry Sanitoa asked how LBJ Hospital acquired the expensive IT system that was never budgeted.
The hospital’s Chief Financial Officer, Pauline Gebauer was not sure if the system, provided by Medsphere Systems Corporation, was budgeted.
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The faipule referred to the hospital’s accounts payable report where LBJ already owes $2.4 million to the company which is providing the system.
Identifying that another serious problem at the hospital is its collection system, Rep. Larry asked the CFO if the system has a billing functionality.
The CFO responded that is what the hospital is working on right now.
Because the Faipule is still hearing issues with billings, he asked the when LBJ expects the system to be in place.
Gebauer gave this reply
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The CFO said LBJ is making a monthly payment of $53,000 to pay down the IT package.
She informed the hearing in the past LBJ was using a Computerized Patient Record System so it was already electronically on board.
However Medicaid required LBJ, along with all other medical services nationwide, to use the EHR system with incentive money of just under $6million for the 3 phased project.
In December 2014 lbj received $2.9 million for the first phase and the are waiting for next amount of $2.3 million.
Gebauer says she’s looking forward to receiving this funding so LBJ can use it to pay some of their bills.
CEO Taufete’e John Faumuina told the committee that he has asked the Director of the American Medicaid Samoa Medicaid Office, Sandra King Young, to speed up payment of this money.
