Image Credit: Ballad Health / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
On Monday, Tennessee held its annual public hearing on the Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) that governs the Ballad Healthcare system which has come to monopolize a whole slew of counties across the state.
The COPA is technically supposed to supply advantages that outweigh any negative effects present due to lack of hospital competition, a problem created by a healthcare system merger back in 2018.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Ralph Alvarado, alongside two Tennessee Department of Health personnel and a representative from the Attorney General’s office were all present at the hearing and witnessed firsthand some of the division present in Northeast Tennessee when it comes to Ballad Health and its various programs.
Healthcare cost, quality, accessibility, and overall population health are the four main areas where Ballad was supposed to make improvements following the merger.
While some praised the healthcare system for its work, others voiced their frustration at Monday’s hearing.
“We were lied to in our town, we were never given a voice, and you say Ballad’s helping?” asked Carter County Commissioner Angie Odom. “We have no pediatric care, we have no birthing center […] Ballad Health is not serving the people.”
Blake Denton, a mother who struggled at length with drug and alcohol abuse spoke in support of Ballad’s “Strong Futures” program.
“I was provided with a doctor and a case manager and even a peer,” she said. “I’ve been able to get my own apartment and really start a life for myself and my children and I could not have done that without Strong Futures.”
Kingsport Chamber of Commerce CEO, Miles Burdine, says programs like Strong Futures are a positive tradeoff for consolidating other services that have frustrated many Tennesseans.
Despite this narrative though, the complaints continue to roll in.
“Physicians know, patients know. This community knows and deserves more options in health care,” said OB/GYN Dr. Ginger Carter.
Longtime critic of Ballad, Dani Cook, pointed out the baseline COPA quality scores for things like post-operative hip fractures, sepsis, etc.
“You are required to either meet that baseline or do better,” Cook said. “According to Ballad Health statistics, Johnson City Medical Center passed 53%, they failed 47%.”
When the hearing concluded, several people vocalized complaints that despite arriving early to sign up, they were not permitted to speak during the meeting. Those who did not get the chance to speak were encouraged by state officials to submit a written statement.
Tennessee Stands’ Danielle Goodrich wrote that, “The majority of those who spoke in favor of Ballad didn’t have anything to do with the monopoly’s compliance,” but instead “spoke about how happy they were to be receiving funding for their community service or initiatives.”
Goodrich stated that in summary, “Ballad Health is really good at funding community initiatives, but not […] what they are intended to provide the community – healthcare.”
Read Danielle Goodrich’s full Letter to the Editor.
Transcripts of the hearing and any written comment submissions should be posted to Tennessee’s COPA website by the end of June.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
4 Responses
Went in to Franklin Woods recently with a joint injury. From check-in to release, the staff was noncompassioate, and did not try to meet my comfort while waiting. I requested the charge nurse, who was cold and obviously bothered by my complaints. No apologies. During followup at an orthopedic clinic, I was told the x-rays were not properly covering the injury area.
This is NOT acceptable care!
Yup, Ballad sickness care system. SURE ain’t healthcare.
A Monopoly it is with services being cut all the time. A very good time for Balad to be SOLD or took over by a system that will not run it in the ground. Balad is drowning in RED tape after they have WASTED all the FREE COVID money and cutting services and jobs to stay afloat!!!!
Lockdown Lee took away 70% of their business in 2020 with his “executive orders”. Vast majority of their business was elective surgery. My elderly neighbor couldn’t get his pacemaker battery replaced…but if he needed an abortion…TN kept those going. Essential!
Then Ballad forced the killer MRNA medical experiment on employees and lost a ton of them, and ran billboards in the Tri-cities promoting the killshots. Then after the shots started doing their thing, the inoculated testing positive for covid at 4x the rate we were before the shots, Balld then feign that they need the national guard to help…when 99.99% of their service area is just fine, at home, and covid free. They suffer from self-inflicted wounds. The state enables them to stay the only game in town….same as they do with public schools.