The 14-member board of trustees of the Greenville Health Authority, which oversees the lease agreement between trustees and the Greenville (S.C.) Health System board of directors, unanimously voted March 19 to approve several measures designed to end discussions regarding the potential sale of the health system, according to the Greenville News.
Here are four things to know about the situation.
1. Among the measures approved by the board of trustees was the increase in the amount in funding the health system received from $80 million to $100 million during a 25-year period. The health system also agreed to create an Office of Ombudsman to help patients navigate the system, and for Greenville County legislative delegation representatives to provide input on community needs in the grant process, according to the report.
"We thank the members of the South Carolina General Assembly who have been working to pass Senate Bill S1116, which will ensure that we maintain a strong local not-for-profit healthcare system for all communities served by Greenville Health System," said Lisa Stevens, chairman of the Greenville Health Authority board of trustees, according to an emailed statement from GHS to Becker's Hospital Review March 20.
2. Eight state lawmakers wrote an op-ed in the Greenville News last month calling for the sale of the health system to the highest bidder, and to redistribute proceeds from the sale, which officials estimated would amount to between $2 billion and $3 billion, among various governmental, educational and other groups. The proposal created controversy among Greenville County officials, community members and GHS physicians and leadership.
3. GHS restructured from a public nonprofit into a private nonprofit in 2015. However, legislators have argued the restructuring was not official. To remedy the situation, legislators crafted an amendment to the bill proposed earlier this month, effectively ending the legal controversy surrounding the health system's restructuring and removing the option to sell GHS. Instead, the health system would maintain a master lease agreement, according to the Greenville News.
4. The negotiations occurred amid GHS' merger with Columbia, S.C.-based Palmetto Health, which the systems finalized last November.
To access the Greenville News report, click here.
Editor's note: This story was updated March 20 at 1:40 p.m. to include comment from Greenville Health System.