The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A prominent medical practice yesterday confirmed that it will halt the provision of laboratory services to National Health Insurance (NHI) patients with effect from February 15 but denied this was due to non or late payment by the Government-run scheme.

Oak Tree Medical Centre, in a social media post, said: “We wish to inform the public that Oaktree Medical Centre will no longer offer laboratory services within the OMC Network under the NHI programme.”

While the notice did not state why NHI laboratory services were being discontinued, Enesca Smith, Oak Tree’s human resource manager, confirmed the move is not due to delayed or a lack of NHI payments. 

“In regards to doing the lab services it's just we're taking the lab in a different direction, not necessarily due to non-payment,” she said.” Ms Smith said Oak Tree has discontinued NHI laboratory services for the time being but has “left the doors open” to resume those operations should it choose.

She added that Oak Tree is still providing primary care physician services under NHI. Meanwhile, Dr Arlington Lightbourne, founder and chief executive of Bahamas Wellness Health System, while unable to speak to NHI payments for physicians, confirmed that these are, at minimum, two months behind schedule.

He added that he does not know when doctors will receive payment, but he and his team remain committed to their patients even though profits are being affected and “hopefully we're not forced to walk away”.

“We're just like everybody else,” Dr Lightbourne said. “We're very behind on payments. At minimum, we're two months behind, currently not told when the next payment will come. We remain committed to taking care of our patients, so we're not going to leave them out in the cold, but it's certainly been incredibly difficult trying to manage without knowing when revenue comes in. 

“It's affecting the bottom line. It's affecting our ability to pay staff, to pay rent and to keep the business going. It's really difficult. We're committed to our staff. We're committed to our patients, and so we continue to push forward until we find some solution. Hopefully we're not forced to walk away. But that's nowhere near our decision at this point.”

Dr Lightbourne believes most physicians involved in the NHI scheme are committed to taking care of their patients, and it would be a difficult decision if they had to discontinue it. However, overhead expenses and employee salaries have to be paid, and having no “no rhythm or rhyme” to when NHI monies can be expected adds to the challenges.

“I think it's getting harder and harder as they stare down unpaid bills and things, and expenses in arrears,” he added. “And I think the difficult thing about it is not just being paid late. It is not knowing when you're going to be paid. I can't even say to a bill collector that, ‘Hey, I'm going to be able to pay you in two weeks or a month,’ because I have no idea when they're going to pay. 

“There's no rhythm or rhyme to it. And every time we ask, they can't tell us anything. And usually it's like the day before they will say, ‘Expect a payment.’ I think that's what makes it difficult. How do you run a business like that? Your expenses are not so chaotic. They are regular, every month like clockwork. But you have no way of predicting what your income is going to be, even though this is income you worked for.

“And I think this needs to be clear, is that… this idea that physicians are all wealthy, and therefore they're being greedy for wanting to be paid on time, that people forget that physicians are employers and they have overheads, like everyone else. And so many physicians have restructured their practices around NHI, meaning they have added on people and resources in order to allow for NHI,” Dr Lightbourne said.

“So when this major restructuring is not working out financially, it means that you're in a bind. You've already structured your practice around it. How do you move forward now? And, thankfully, Bahamas Wellness operates multiple services and we have things that are not totally dependent on NHI. That doesn't make it easy, but I can imagine those who are only dependent on NHI must have a very difficult time making ends meet.”