Washington County Hospital in Plymouth, N.C., reopened May 1 after being shut down for more than two months.
The hospital, owned by an affiliate of Kansas City, Mo.-based EmpowerHMS, entered bankruptcy in February and suspended all services Feb. 14 after missing payroll. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina appointed Thomas Waldrep as the bankruptcy trustee, and he helped the hospital reopen, according to a National Association of Counties report.
Mr. Waldrep helped the facility reopen by finding substantial accounts receivables related to Medicare payables. He also helped ensure employees who returned to Washington County Hospital after it reopened received all of their backpay. Not all employees were asked to return to the hospital, as the facility is now operating with a smaller workforce, according to the report.
Mr. Waldrep told the National Association of Counties that the hospital is on an upward trajectory and said he's confident in the new management team.
"Time will tell over the next few months, but I believe that it [the hospital] will have positive cash flow and will have value that we will use to pay the creditors of the hospital," he said.
Access the full National Association of Counties article here.
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