Sarasota Hospital Board At Large Seat 3: Finolia Idahosa

Name: Finolia Idahosa

Age: 43

Family: I have three boys and one big dog, and I am married to a wonderful Nigerian man.

Bio: I have a B.A. from Saint John"s University, a medical degree from Mexico and am working on my MBA at Everglades University. I am the CEO of Safe & Guard Home Health Care. I am a real estate investor and a health/mindset/transformational coach.

Why are you running for office?

I am running for office because there is a need for diversity in the board.

What are three priorities you hope to accomplish if elected? 

1. COVID-19/flu/vaccination and patient/employee safety;
2. Getting funding for the hospital; and
3. Environmental changes/new hospital project.

Compared to other not-for-profit hospital companies nationwide, Sarasota Memorial’s operating margins — 7.3% — are more than 3 times better than the national average. What, if anything, would you suggest the hospital and hospital board should be doing differently to improve the hospital system’s nationally recognized operations?

The hospital is doing a good job at its current operating margins, but there's always room for improvement. We can see what the hospital has done right, continue to do that and make some adjustments to what is not working. Having a charismatic and transformational leader will help create a great atmosphere for clients and employees. 

What skill set will you bring to the board that is not there now?

I worked with a diverse population in New York and traveled to many countries to learn about cultural diversity and how different cultures behave. I am knowledgeable in hospital policies and procedures, sentinel events, clinical documentation improvement, ICD9, ICD10, medical coding, patient care, treatment, diagnosis and follow-up, CMS regulations, fundraising and many more. My knowledge, skills and experiences are unmatched.

SM Health Systems reported $193 million in uncollected/bad debts last fiscal year. That’s 20% of total revenues and twice what the hospital system generates in operating profits. What’s your comment and reaction to that?

We can set up a new system to gather information about every patient including demographics, relatives, proper address and other information to track a patient to get payments after discharge, set up payment plans with the patients, create strategies to encourage patients to pay their medical bills before they become write offs. Re-check patient insurance eligibility. Reduce out-of-pocket cost for patients, decrease poverty level by creating more job opportunities. Create better revenue cycle management, better reimbursement model. Better health insurance reforms, lower copays and decrease deductible. Create an in-house debt recovery program and hire outside debt recovery vendors. Educate patients on the importance of paying their bill and the effect it has on the hospital and the community as a whole.

SM Health System is opening its new hospital in Venice in 2021. What’s your view on whether SMH should have a hospital in North Port?

The new hospital is a wonderful idea. It will be more convenient for people living in Venice and the surrounding areas. North Port is growing as more people are moving to the area, so there might be a need for a hospital there.