Healthcare corporation selects CFO candidate

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. is finally looking at the possible acceptance of one individual to become the corporation’s financial chief.

CHCC chief executive officer Esther Muña told Saipan Tribune yesterday that they have already selected a candidate.

“We have interviewed somebody already. We have a candidate and we are just waiting for her acceptance of the job. We’re providing an offer letter before the end of this week with the same benefits that we usually offer and we ask that she try to come here before the end of the year,” Muña said.

She said the chosen candidate is from the U.S. mainland but her name can’t be disclosed yet because of her current job and she still has to give notice to her employer.

The chosen candidate for CHCC’s chief financial officer position has experience in working for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ finance and reimbursement department. She has also experience in working with hospitals.

Former CHCC CFO Jack Taitague resigned from the post In August.

In addition, CHCC recently inked a financial management contract with the Pacific Island Health Officer Association, or PIHOA. The association gave CHCC a grant to hire a contractor that will work on the financial management side of CHCC.

Muña said that CHCC will split responsibilities between the contractor under PIHOA and the incoming financial chief.

Muña said the contractor can start right away because it is arranged by PIHOA.

“We are very excited because we have that position from PIHOA and a candidate for the financial chief, if she accepts the position,” Muña said.

She said the contractor under PIHOA has a CFO experience as well and will help put the corporation in a better financial standing. The contractor under PIHOA will only be working with CHCC for about three months, with a liquidation period.

Muña said they are also looking for a controller and is hoping for the position to be funded by another grant. The controller will help with the more detailed operations of the hospital such as account payables, working with financial auditors, and assisting the financial chief.

“It is going to be great and we never had this much help. These are all support that we got from grants and if the financial team [financial chief, financial management contractor, and controller] goes through, the public can expect a faster system for payments, billings, and accuracy,” she said.