Accardo, Caffery, Degeyter vote against new contract

A new one-year contract for Dr. Steven McPherson at Franklin Foundation Hospital was approved by the hospital board Wednesday following an hour and a half executive session.
McPherson, an internal medicine specialist whose practice is in the hospital’s medical office building, had been granted a 30-day extension through April on his contract after he had been terminated without cause some seven months ago. His contract was eventually reinstated through March.
But also in March, the board declined to extend general surgeon Dr. Donna Tesi’s contract. She had also been terminated in October before being reinstated through March. Instead of the extension the board approved a “termination agreement.” Her practice in the medical office building is scheduled to close on June 30.
Many local residents have attended special and regular meetings over the past seven months and voiced their support for McPherson and Tesi. Their numbers had dwindled Wednesday to just one – Franklin resident John O’Niell.
In December, the St. Mary Parish Council retained the mediation services of attorney Gary McGoffin of the Durio, McGoffin, Stagg & Ackermann law firm to negotiate new contracts. An original $10,000 cap on his fee was later extended to $25,000 at a rate of $300 per hour. Wednesday, FFH interim Chief Executive Officer Craig Cudworth said the hospital will pay one-third or just under $15,000 of the mediation expense indicating that the cap had been exceeded.
The parish council appoints members to the Hospital Service District 1 Board of Commissioners that oversees the publicly owned hospital.
McPherson’s contract was approved on a 4-3 vote with Didi Battle, chairman Eugene Foulcard, Bobby Judice and Allan Von Werder in favor and Nick Accardo, Clegg Caffery and Dr. Roland Degeyter in opposition. Cudworth said terms of the contract were based on agreements reached by both parties during the mediation process.
The board also approved a new five-year contract on OB/GYN physician Dr. Rebecca Accardo as well as on an unnamed local family practice physician and on Dr. Caroline Battles, a family practice physician and headache specialist considering relocating her practice from Franklinton, Louisiana.
Nick Accardo left the executive session and abstained from voting when the board took up the issue of a contract renewal for his wife, Rebecca Accardo.
Following the meeting, Cudworth noted that none of the contracts have yet been signed by the physicians.
In other business the board approved amendment of the 2015 fiscal year budget and heard from Chief Financial Officer Ron Bailey that the hospital realized a $1.45 million net profit in March. The bottom line midway through the fiscal year is at $774,000. Bailey said the monthly revenue was boosted by receipt of $1.08 million in full Medicaid capacity funding from the state as well as $321,000 of Medicare Electronic Health Care Record incentive payments. Without those receipts, the bottom line would have been about $80,000 in profit, he said.
Bailey also noted that the board would accept public comment during its May 28 meeting prior to adopting the 2015 millage rates.