Local voters have rejected a ballot measure that would have raised about $9 million for St. Bernard Parish Hospital in Chalmette, La., to implement an electronic medical record system, purchase new billing software and hire additional clinical staff members.
While the hospital will still be able to operate financially, plans for the IT upgrades and the additional staff have been put on hold, according to a report in The New Orleans Advocate.
St. Bernard Parish Hospital, which opened in 2012, replaced Chalmette Medical Center, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Since its opening, the hospital has struggled financially.
In February, Louisiana's bond commission approved a $3 million loan to the hospital to tide it over until it receives about $10 million in insurance payments that were delayed due to the hospital's faulty billing software.
Hospital officials estimate the EMR along with updated billing software would cost $4.2 million, though officials planned to select a vendor after the passage of the tax proposal, according to the report.
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