A federal judge appointed a special master on Jan. 29 to oversee Ripley, Tenn.-based Lauderdale Community Hospital's finances for two weeks, according to WMC Action News 5.
During the hearing, employees highlighted the hospital's financial troubles, including issues with payroll. A head nurse at the hospital testified that nine nurses quit the week of Dec. 14 because they were not getting paid, according to the report.
Lauderdale Community Hospital is managed by Kansas City, Mo.-based EmpowerHMS. During the hearing, an official for EmpowerHMS testified that the hospital's cash flow problems began in September. However, he said many of the hospital's financial issues will be resolved when EmpowerHMS receives a back payment of $1.9 million from the federal government. The company expects to receive the payment before April 1, according to the report.
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