A family practice physician at Delta Memorial Hospital cleared more than $830,000 during the fiscal year that ended in 2011, making him one of the highest paid nonprofit hospital-employed physicians in the state, according to Mark Friedman’s Arkansas Business story reprinted here courtesy of Arkansas Business:
A general surgeon at Baxter County Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home made nearly $900,000 in 2010. And a family practice doctor at Delta Memorial Hospital in Dumas cleared more than $830,000 during the fiscal year that ended in 2011.
These salary figures come from the hospitals’ Internal Revenue Service 990 tax forms, the tax returns filed by nonprofits and which are open to the public.
In the reports, hospitals have to list the compensation of officers, directors and highest-paid employees.
Not all nonprofit hospitals in Arkansas file separate Form 990s. Arkansas Business recently reviewed the 990s filed by 38 Arkansas hospitals and found a wide range in doctor compensation, which could include deferred compensation, benefits and other allowances.
For a list of the Highest-Paid Physicians at Nonprofit Hospitals click here.
Some tax filings were more detailed than others. Delta Memorial paid Dr. David Chambers $833,251 for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011. The filing said he was paid a certain dollar amount for each patient seen at Delta Health Services, a health clinic owned and operated by Delta Memorial. Also included in his pay was $172,500 for his emergency room coverage.
Chambers made more money than the hospital, which reported profit of $542,417 for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011. Delta Memorial’s total patient revenue was $28.9 million.
Delta’s administrator, Cris Bolin, didn’t return a call for comment.
The list of highest-paid physicians at nonprofit hospitals shows a disparity between doctors who have the same specialty. An internal medicine doctor made $564,677 at White River Health System in Batesville for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2010, while another physician with the same specialty made $302,730 at Washington Regional Medical Center in 2009.
Several medical associations told Arkansas Business that there was no formula to determine what a physician should be paid. The Arkansas Hospital Association doesn’t track physician pay at hospitals, Executive Vice President Paul Cunningham said.
Arkansas Business found 30 physicians around the state who received more than $300,000 annually from their hospitals.
Is this why Delta Memorial has trouble paying the other doctors? Delta Health Services is owned by Delta memorial, right?
Delta Health Services is part of Delta Memorial Hospital and is owned by the hospital.
This is so sad for a small town hospital that has been in dire straits since the very beginning of this new hospital being built and has kept the town wondering and worrying if it was even going to be able to stay open. It was just a few weeks ago that there was an article in the Dumas local paper about bringing in another organization such as Baptist or UAMS to help the hospital, but the administrator didn’t seem to keen on the idea unless it could be done with them still remaining somewhat independent and now we know why! She is the same person who also worked for this doctor as his Chief Financial Officer at his business in Warren. This makes it even more suspicious knowing that she was in charge of his finances then as well and apparent why he brought her along with him when he came to work for Delta Memorial. It’s very unsettling how one single doctor can make more than the entire hospital and is probably something that needs to be looked into more deeply.
They have had six administrators in there in the past six years and all the doctors has left except Dr. Chambers and Dr. Lewellen. Dr. Maxwell is the latest to leave and he’s a great doctor and this is a great loss to our town! What is going on up there? Just a few years ago there was 6 doctors working there! Something is bad wrong and folks need to support the hospital by asking questions to the board and the city council before it’s too late to save the place. Is this hospital being run in the best interest of the community or is it being run for the benefit of a handful of greedy folks who have no ties to Dumas and will walk away from it when the well runs dry? Wake up and smell the coffee before this gross mismanagement closes our hospital! I have listened to folks say please support the hospital and act like if you question anything you aren’t supporting the hospital but that’s a crock. I’ll not send a donation up there to keep a doctor in high cotton while the hospital suffers. I WILL donate to help the hospital if the board will tend to its business like it should and stop this foolishness. This just isn’t right!
I fault the hospital board for this mess!!! Several weeks ago I attended a town hall meeting in Dumas. The community spoke up for what they wanted and begged the board for answers as to why the CEO is allowed to run the hospital in such a deplorable manner. For the most part the members of the board just sat there and said nothing that made any sense. The board should be representative of what the community wants. There was only one person of the board that spoke and the remaining members never once tried to offer any answers. The community begged for the administrator to be GONE!!!!! In my opinion I think that board needs to be GONE!!!! BEFORE THE HOSPITAL IS GONE!!!! I think that the hospital got rid of the wrong doctor. The Dr Chambers need to be gone and not Dr Maxwell!!