HRMC chief: Ambulances favor Florida Hospital

Florida Hospital unfairly gets more ambulance patients than Highlands Regional Medical Center, Robert Mahaffey contended. However, he couldn't get the Highlands County commissioners to agree.

The reason, HRMC CEO Mahaffey contended, is that Dr. Donald Geldart, who practices family medicine at Florida Hospital but not at Highlands Regional Medical Center, has a conflict of interest. Mahaffey listed Geldart's conflicts for several minutes.

A potential conflict of interest, County Attorney Ross MacBeth pointed out, but he and County Administrator Michael Wright found Geldart has no actual conflict. They also saw little evidence that EMS crews had steered patients to one hospital or another.

EMS Director Steve Coltharp said his investigation - made after Mahaffey complained last year - had found only two instances in the past year where EMTs had driven patients to a hospital they did not request.

In every case, Coltharp said, patients or family members are asked to choose the hospital. About two-thirds sign forms.

However, if the paramedic determines the patient's condition is too life threatening to make it to the hospital of choice, the patient is taken to the nearest or best facility, Coltharp said.

Geldart does not decide where ambulance patients are transported, Coltharp said.

All heart attack patients are not automatically routed to Florida Hospital Heartland because it has a cardiac center, Coltharp said.

If the county commissioners did not act by Feb. 1, Mahaffey said he would file a complaint with the state ethics commission.

"I don't think we can resolve this, short of removing Dr. Geldart," Wright said.

"We think this is not a valid complaint," Commissioner Guy Maxcy said.

The commission did not act.