UofL Board of Trustees Deemed Powerless, Left Hanging by Governor.

The process of replacing a trustee who resigned to allow appointment of an additional racial minority to the Board of Trustees of the University of Louisville and replace a number of trustees whose regular terms in office are expiring is invalid on its face for exactly the same reasons that the UofL Board was neutered.  Governor Bevin has not filled the open position with a minority candidate.  Although my reading of the statute that controls gubernatorial appointments to our state Universities allows a Governor to fill unexpected vacancies without having to wait for nominees from the Governor’s Postsecondary Nominating Committee (Nominating Committee), the Governor has not explored that route but neither has he called for a meeting of the Nominating Committee to present him with names.  A sceptic like myself might wonder if he was stalling to further protect his coreligionist, embattled UofL President James Ramsey.  After all, it was by declaring the Board of Trustees was illegally constituted that Governor Bevin derailed an earlier attempted vote of no-confidence in Dr. Ramsey by the Board.  By failing to appoint a replacement trustee and failing to involve the Nominating Committee, the Governor now finds himself in the happy place of being able to replace or reappoint five of the seven-member Nominating Committee itself, thus shaping it to his own policy and preference. Continue reading “UofL Board of Trustees Deemed Powerless, Left Hanging by Governor.”

Soaring Insulin Prices Highlight Broken Pharmaceutical Policy.

Just business– or greed?  You be the judge.ky-medicaid-insulins-2015-treemap-lg

Discovered and patented almost 100 years ago, insulin is a critical drug for the treatment of both childhood Type I and adult onset Type II diabetes mellitus.  Diabetes is a costly disease for our society in more ways than one.  In 2015, the cost to the Kentucky Medicaid program for insulin alone annualizes to $101.8 million.  Insulin consumed 9.1% of Kentucky Medicaid’s entire non-hospital drug expense while making up only 1.1% of all prescriptions.  In 2013, the last year in which Medicare Part-D drug utilization data are available to me, insulin consumed 7.3% of total Medicare reimbursement for drugs in Kentucky costing a total of $141.8 million.  In both federal programs, insulin consumed a larger portion of the drug budgets in Kentucky than nationally.  A review of several reasons why insulin has become so expensive illustrates what is very wrong with our national drug policy. Continue reading “Soaring Insulin Prices Highlight Broken Pharmaceutical Policy.”

Who Paid UofL’s Legal Bills In Its Dispute With Norton Healthcare?

Why does it matter?

[The University responds. See Addendum and comment.]

The dispute over control if not ownership of Children’s Hospital was a traumatic event for our community. It damaged the reputation of the hospital. The cost of the consequent litigation must also have been great. My guess is that the financial cost to both parties must have been in the millions of dollars.  Although details of the legal strategies are masked behind attorney-client privilege, as a state institution, the amounts paid by the University of Louisville to its attorney, Stites and Harbison of Louisville, are subject to open records inquiry – and so I asked. What I learned was both surprising and of concern. Even with heavily discounted legal fees, the cost of their confrontational and ultimately unsuccessful initiative was more than the University anticipated.  Additionally, the bills provide insights  into the internal financial management of the University.

In short, the University admits to paying for only about one third of the many months of formal court proceedings itself, all of which were within the first 15 months of a 29 month period. The University has not yet been willing to disclose where the money for the majority of billing periods came from, or who wrote the checks. I have been dependably informed, but have not yet confirmed, that the money came from the University of Louisville Foundation and University of Louisville Physicians, Inc. (ULP).  This litigation came at a time of considerable turmoil at the University of Louisville, including the turnover of senior administrative personnel.  It is possible to speculate that lack of consensus over the University’s path in this matter played a significant role.  How this litigation was directed and financed offers a window into the administrative and financial workings of the University and illustrates the background from which today’s lack of confidence in the presidency of Dr. James Ramsey arose. Continue reading “Who Paid UofL’s Legal Bills In Its Dispute With Norton Healthcare?”

Only 24% of Reporting UofL Faculty Support President James Ramsey.

Many fewer supporters in undergraduate units.
Re-boot of reputation desired.

I attended the Wednesday meeting of the Faculty Senate of the University of Louisville where the most anticipated topic on the agenda was the upcoming vote of no confidence in the leadership of James Ramsey by the Board of Trustees.  At an earlier meeting, individual senators were asked to discuss with their fellow unit faculty how their representatives – and in particular their faculty appointee to the University Board of Trustees – should cast their official votes.  In summary, only 24% of the faculty whose votes were reported recommended that the faculty trustee oppose a vote of no-confidence.  Reciprocally, 64% overall recommended a vote of no confidence, and 11% abstained from giving an opinion..

The discussion of a vote of no confidence was originally planned for a closed session limited to only senators and from which from which both news media and other faculty were to be excluded.  Apparently because of objections from the American Association of University Professors and number of faculty members (including me), the discussion was held in public in front of at least three or four television cameras and an unknown number of reporters.  Approximately 50 of the 64 Senators were in attendance and about 28 guests also signed in.  In the time available, only senators were recognized to speak.  There is no doubt that the public nature of the discussion altered its conduct and content.  A few senators noted they were uncomfortable speaking before the cameras, and concerns about retaliation were in evidence.  Most senators present remained silent during general discussion.  Those that did speak were polite, respectful, and earnestly honest.  Most of their comments have been rather fully quoted elsewhere, some with video,  and I will not repeat them here. (I recommend the Courier-Journal.  WDRB-Television . Insider Louisville.  WLKY-Television.)  Individuals spoke up both for- and against recommending a vote of no-confidence.  A minority of commenters were supporters of President Ramsey, a handful ardently so.  In my view, the more convincing arguments were made by those who believe that President Ramsey has been unable to reverse the cascade of worse-than-unfortunate events that is dragging the University down, and would be to unable to turn things around and take us into a better future. Continue reading “Only 24% of Reporting UofL Faculty Support President James Ramsey.”