Sullivan County Medical Wars Must End

The bitter feud between Catskill Regional Medical Center and Crystal Run Health Care could finally be over thanks to the resignation of hospital CEO Arthur Brien.

Nevertheless, Sullivan County is still in a medical mess, and it might take sometime until there is credibility on either side.

Quality affordable heath care must be the top priority of all concerned.

Crystal Run’s Director Dr. Hal Teitelbaum claimed because patients were so poorly treated at CRMC, his medical group was forced to withdraw their affiliation with the hospital. Their patients were instead sent to Orange County.

Dr. Teitelbaum insisted that his cries to the CRMC board of directors that hospital administrators provided poor health care, mismanagement and cronyism went silent. They conducted business as usual, and that is why he said his medical group was forced to withdraw from the hospital.

We should give Dr. Teitelbaum credit for bluntly saying something we all know - A major reason it is difficult to make change in Sullivan County is because there is an “good ole’ boy network here.

Although some of Dr. Teitelbaum’s oratory against the hospital might be over the top and used in warfare, there are many issues at CRMC which are very disturbing.

For instance, look at the hostile relationship between Liberty Volunteer Ambulance and the hospital.

CRMC made a decision that when Town of Liberty patients are released from the hospital and require ambulatory care to return home they use Mobile Medic and not Liberty Volunteer Ambulance, even though Liberty brought them there.

It all boils down to the mere fact that the hospital is looking for financial gains and not what costs their patients will encounter.

For example, when a person uses the services of Liberty Volunteer Ambulance, they send their insurance company a bill and accept whatever they reimburse them for as payment. If there is no insurance there is no compensation.

On the other hand, companies like Mobile Medic have a right to bill and collect from patients the costs insurance companies did not pay for. This ultimately can amount to huge sums of monies, and a person without insurance is still responsible for the bill. Obviously there is a business deal here.

All too often it seems that Sullivan County’s slogan should be “Home of the Good Ole Boys Club.” That is why many of Dr. Teitelbaum’s accusations should be taken as credible.

Although Brien fought Teitelbaum’s charges against the hospital tooth and nail, the fact remains that CRMC has many severe problems.

The facility which Teitelbaum runs in Rock Hill, on the other hand, is in fact highly respected for its medical care. Their Urgent Care unit has received a broad spectrum of praise from patients and doctors alike. They even take the time with follow up phone calls.

But, despite all this, Dr. Teitelbaum and his facility are also there to make money.

Crystal Run does not accept Medicaid. Unlike a hospital, they have the right to turn away people who cannot afford to pay for health care.

The costs of running a hospital in an area such as Sullivan County are enormous. The hospital has in fact over the years made major inroads in providing better health care. Most everyone will agree to that.

Crystal Run’s patients became a big economic asset for CRMC because of secure medical insurance payments for the hospital. With this new revenue stream, it was obvious that Dr. Teitelbaum and his physicians would want some say in the facility.

Power and some greed are always mixed into equations such as these.

I am certain that Dr. Teitelbaum was just in his concerns of patient care and in all probability his accusations were on target.

But - Art Brien could not have been all wrong. Dr. Teitelbaum and Crystal Run doctors have their own agenda as well.

It is important that the Board of Directors of CRMC put their differences aside and sit down with Dr. Teitelbaum and work out a solution.

Catskill Regional Medical Center and Crystal Run must work together for the benefit of all of us in Sullivan County and provide us with the best health care.

Otherwise - nobody wins, and we are all losers.

Email Bill