In defense of UNMH

We at the Rio Grande Foundation have had our differences with UNM Hospital for planning to invest a lot of taxpayer money into a project that we questioned.

However, the controversy, started by Rep. Michelle Lujan-Grisham over the Hospital’s outsourcing of transcription services is just silly. Another article appeared in the Albuquerque Journal with the headline “UNMH Outsourcing an economic decision.” Well, duh!

Of course, the author is with a union representing transcribers and Lujan-Grisham has a political interest in keeping those 57 people (and their families) happy. She’s got 100+ solid votes now. Who is going to vote against her BECAUSE of this effort? No one.

But the outsourcing is saving UNMH (or taxpayers) $500,000!!! That’s a decent amount of money even at UNMH. Now, imagine hundreds of potential cost-savings decisions made throughout UNMH’s budget and the budgets of government entities around New Mexico. Unfortunately, you can always count on a concentrated group looking out for their own best interests, but who defends the taxpayer?

So, kudos to UNMH. Stick to your guns on behalf of taxpayers. To the Laid off transcribers, it is time to either find another job in the field or get trained to do something that is more economically-viable and doesn’t need the intervention of a Congressperson to preserve your job. That may not be easy in New Mexico, but may I recommend North Dakota?