Medical school's deficit to disappear

The University of Nevada School of Medicine is confident it will be debt free by the end of the year, the Southern Nevada dean was to tell the Regents Health Care Education Committee today.

Dr. David Schapira, senior associate dean in Las Vegas, said the school currently has a deficit of $845,000, which is down from $1.9 million in March. He's projecting it will be reduced to $300,000 by June 30 and eliminated in December.

Schapira credits the deficit reductions to changes to the school's "practice plan," through which faculty physicians treat patients and generate money for the school.

The change increased the patient-collection rate to 44.2 percent in December, up from 28 percent the same period last year.

Also, Schapira said a complicated computer billing system was abandoned, which cut operating expenses from $1.6 million in December 1997 to $450,000 in December 1998.

The school has also been able to reduce its insurance claim denials from 55 percent in December 1997 to 35 percent in December 1998.

"We also improved the efficiency of the Mountain View Clinic, (3150 N. Tenaya Way) by reducing operating expenses from $210,000 to $136,000," Schapira said. That was while increasing the patient load per week from 50 to 120.

The treatment faculty physicians provide generates between $22 million and $24 million a year. Most of that money is now being collected from insurance companies.

"We are very pleased to have a solid program," Schapira said. "The mechanisms are now in place to make sure we are profitable."

Progress has been steady for the past year, he said. The deficit for 1997-98, there was a deficit of $2.2 million. But in July through November last year, the deficit had been whittled to $697,000.

In fiscal year 1998-99, departmental operations expect only a $128,000 deficit. Schapira expects revenues to surpass expenses for the first time in June.

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