By Malcolm Butler
Two steps forward. One step back.
Or maybe it’s one step forward and two steps back.
Regardless, the healthcare roller coaster that has become Northern Louisiana Medical Center took another turn Thursday.
An email sent to local physicians and other healthcare providers announced that NLMC was immediately stopping all outpatient procedures and all elective and urgent cases until further notice, with emergent cases to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
A subsequent email containing correspondence from Interim CEO Arnie Young said the decision was made because of a “significant decline in available supplies” and concerns about the hospital’s ability to safely provide certain services.
“Given the recent significant decline in available supplies, we felt it was appropriate to temporarily limit these services rather than place our patients, physicians, or staff in a position where we could not maintain the standard of care we expect,” Young wrote.
Young described the situation as temporary.
“We are actively working to correct the supply situation,” Young wrote. “We anticipate that our supply levels will return to normal ranges over the next week, and we will resume these services as soon as we are adequately stocked and confident that we can maintain those levels consistently.”
The Lincoln Parish Journal reached out to Young and NLMC administrative assistant and medical staff coordinator Kristy Howard Thursday seeking additional information and comment. Here is what Young responded to the request with.
“I wanted to provide some context regarding the temporary suspension of certain services and procedures at Northern Louisiana Medical Center
“We are currently experiencing a short-term decline in the availability of certain medical supplies. As an administration, we have made decisions based on our ability to safely care for the patients currently in our hospital, as well as those who may come to us requiring urgent or emergent care. Our priority is ensuring we have the necessary supplies available to provide safe, high-quality care.
“As a precaution, we have temporarily suspended certain elective services and procedures that could further reduce available supplies and potentially affect our ability to respond appropriately to patients requiring urgent or emergent care. Outpatient diagnostic procedures and clinic visits have not been affected.
“We are receiving supplies daily and actively working with our vendors to address these shortages. We expect our supply capacity to be substantially restored by early next week and will continue evaluating our inventory daily. Suspended services and procedures will resume as soon as we are confident we have sufficient supplies to sustain safe, high-quality care.
“We expect this to be a short-lived situation and appreciate the understanding of our patients, providers, staff and community as we work through it.”
The two emails differed somewhat in describing the scope of the service reductions.
Howard’s initial email stated, “Effective immediately we will be stopping all outpatient procedures, all elective or urgent cases until further notice.”
It added that emergent cases would reportedly be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Young’s subsequent message referred more broadly to a temporary pause of “certain services.” He also addressed what he described as rumors about possible job losses and the future of the hospital.
“These rumors are not accurate,” Young wrote. “The temporary pause is not an indication that NLMC is closing, nor is it a signal that widespread job losses are coming.”
He characterized the supply shortage as a “temporary operational challenge” and said the hospital was being “cautious and deliberate” in its response.
The latest development comes during a turbulent year for the hospital.
State and federal regulators identified numerous deficiencies at the hospital earlier this year. A July follow-up survey found progress in several areas but determined NLMC remained out of compliance with the Medicare Condition of Participation for Patient Rights. NLMC subsequently submitted a Plan of Correction addressing the remaining deficiencies.
Former CEO Monica Adams told the Lincoln Parish Journal in August that the Louisiana Department of Health had returned for another survey and that all condition-level deficiencies were reportedly cleared during that revisit. At the time, NLMC had not received the official survey report.
Requests by the LPJ directly to the Louisiana Department of Health have gone unanswered in regards to the latest report.
NLMC announced last month that Adams had resigned for personal and family reasons after less than three months as CEO. Young, who had been serving as chief operating officer, was named interim CEO.
The latest developments come as local governmental and community leaders are taking a more active role in determining the future of healthcare in Lincoln Parish.
The Lincoln Parish Police Jury recently created Hospital Service District No. 1, whose five-member Board of Commissioners has begun organizing and evaluating potential paths forward for healthcare delivery in the parish.
For now, Young said NLMC’s immediate focus is resolving its supply problem and restoring the affected services.
“Our objective is to protect our patients, support our physicians and providers, and ensure that NLMC continues to deliver a high standard of care,” Young wrote. “I recognize that decisions such as this can create uncertainty, particularly for our medical staff.”
Young said administration is “actively addressing the underlying issues” and pledged to continue communicating with physicians and providers.
