The Guam Memorial Hospital Authority is closer to implementing 36 new fees after it submitted them to the Guam Legislature.
The 38th Guam Legislature held a public hearing on the new fees on Thursday, but no one testified other than GMH officials.
The new fee package, dated June 19, 2025, lists 36 total fees amounting to $52,291.73. It was received by the Legislature on Aug. 13.
Local law requires GMH to submit new fees to the Legislature to conduct a public hearing and approve them within 45 days of receipt. If the Legislature doesn’t disapprove or amend the proposed new fees within 45 days, then it will immediately become effective.
Representatives from GMH answered questions from senators during the Thursday hearing.
Fees listed were for supplies, medicine, and professional service to its emergency room, radiology, interventional radiology, podiatry, cardiology, pharmacy, and the operating room.
Apart from GMH Chief Financial Officer Yuka Hechanova and general accounting officer Sydie Taisacan, there were no other GMH representatives, community members, patients, or representatives from the Department of Public Health and Social Services present.
Sens. Shawn Gumataotao, Telo Taitague, and Therese Terlaje all asked Hechanova and Taisacan housekeeping questions about potential delays in updating billing systems and charge codes, accurate recordings of use of services, and quarterly reports for GMHA’s use of its $40 million bailout.
All concerns were addressed and settled.
Terlaje asked for more information about the largest fee on the hospital’s summary, $25,630.95 for interventional radiology.
This fee was clarified to have been for use of the hospital’s brand-new angiography suite. Taisacan said “there was something that happened where it turned out they didn’t need to use it”; however, the charge code had already been created.
Taisacan added that item number 17, THORA GRFT 20F 19.5 26MMXIOCM, is a consignment and was returned to its vendor sometime after the cancelled procedure.
“It was supposed to be used for procedure, but we’re not sure if it was cancelled or what, but every time there is a new supply to be used for any procedure, we need to create the charge code as requested by that department,” she said.
The final concern addressed came from Taitague, who shared with Hechanova and Taisacan a public concern about the $40 million bailout for GMH being appropriated for salary increases, above-step hiring, changing titles, and reducing overtime hours.
“I want to make sure this money is for vendors and capital improvement and not toward salary increase or above-step recruitment,” Taitague said.
Hechanova assured the Legislature that all of the $40 million to be allocated is going to vendors and capital improvement, “as stated in the public law.”
She added that GMH is required by Public Law 38-59 to provide a quarterly report of all uses of funds.
It submitted an interim report and is expected to provide the Legislature with an official report by the end of October.
Original source: gu