Nashville’s safety net hospital will get an independent audit on its finances and operations, Mayor Megan Barry announced Friday.
The head of Metro General, Joseph Webb, says the study was Barry’s idea, but he doesn’t see it as a problem. If he were mayor, he says, he’d suggest the same thing.
“This will give us a good indication of where we are and where we need to go and how we can strategically plan around that,” he says. “Now don’t get me wrong, we already have strategic initiatives in place. This will certainly enhance that.”
The hospital is getting $35 million from the city this year to cover its finances. Webb told Barry during budget hearing that Metro General is
trying to become less reliant on city money by attracting more patients who are not indigent — meaning, more patients who can afford to pay for their health care.
The outside audit will be led by Kevin Crumbo, an accountant at Kraft CPA who worked with the Nashville Symphony during its
financial troubles. The cost of the study will be “minimal,” according to the mayor’s office.
Barry says she hopes to see the finished report in the next couple of months.
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