New law funds Guam Memorial Hospital's e-records system upgrade
By Ron Rocky Coloma
Guam Memorial Hospital has secured $21 million to upgrade its electronic health record system, which currently runs on obsolete hardware and software.
The appropriation is authorized by Bill 1 (11-S)—an emergency measure designed to address critical technological vulnerabilities at Guam’s public hospital—which Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero signed into law today.
Bill 1 (11-S), now Public Law No. 38-142, was in response to GMH's urgent funding request on Sept. 14, citing the need to update its existing healthcare infrastructure, which lacks vendor support.
GMH officials warned that its current system lacks security updates, posing a severe risk of failure that could disrupt access to patient records and hospital billing operations.
Public Law 38-142 amends Section 84 of the 2027 budget law, which initially appropriated the first $21 million in unobligated general fund revenues to GMH for operations.
The newly signed law expands the scope of that appropriation, establishing clear legislative intent that the entire $19.8 million in excess Section 30 revenues must be dedicated to acquiring and deploying the new EHR platform.
"As a nurse, I understand the importance of dependable systems that give healthcare professionals timely access to the information they need to treat patients safely," the governor said.
"A modern EHR system will improve coordination of care and help GMH more efficiently collect reimbursements for services it provides. Our healthcare professionals need dependable systems, and our people deserve a hospital equipped to care for them," she added.
The technology upgrade will consolidate Guam's public healthcare network, allowing authorized providers at the Department of Public Health and Social Services, the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center and the Department of Corrections to share and access patient information.
The new law allows GMH to pursue sublicensing arrangements with private clinics and healthcare providers, creating a new potential revenue stream for the hospital.
GMH expects to issue a request for proposals for the EHR system within a week or two. The full procurement and implementation timeline is projected to take 15 to 18 months. The hospital's current software contract is set to expire in 2028.
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As it prepares for a system upgrade, GMH is also seeking to raise fees for 168 surgical supplies, with some individual items carrying charges of nearly $2,900.
Of the fees presented at a public hearing last week, 160 are supplies for the operating room, surgery and recovery department. Five are for interventional radiology, two are gastroenterology supplies and one is a laboratory technical fee.
The surgical fees cover a range of specialized products, including plates, screws and other components. Several individual items are priced above $1,000, while some exceed $2,000. Among the highest-priced items on the list are Matrix surgical products at $2,892.93 each.
The listed amounts are hospital fees and do not indicate how much an insured patient would ultimately pay.
The 168 new fee items were submitted by hospital departments and became effective from July through September, according to GMH.
“The authority may establish interim fees for new untariffed services, medication and supplies without prior legislative approval,” Yuka Hechanova, GMH chief financial officer, said during the hearing.
GMH is required to petition the Guam legislature for approval within three months of establishing an interim fee.
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