HOSPITAL PAY INVESTIGATION SOUGHT; ADMINISTRATOR BLASTS COMPLAINT, CITES RETURN OF MONEY.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

An Antelope Valley Hospital director is calling for an independent investigation into why administrator Bob Harenski was paid $33,000 more for time off and sick leave than he was entitled to get under his recently expired contract.

In December, Harenski was paid nearly $80,000 for cashing in 417 hours of vacation time and 16 hours of supplemental sick leave.

That was based on a salary rate of $184 per hour rather than the correct rate of $108 per hour, board members said. He has since paid all money back.

``This is the second time he's been caught overcharging and forced to return the money,'' said director Deborah Rice, who wants an investigation by an independent auditor. ``There's something not right here.''

Rice noted that Harenski returned more than $100,000 after he was overpaid last year for a retirement plan in exchange for a new contract. The new contract was approved in a 3-2 board vote Dec. 21.

Harenski said the overpayment was the result of a payroll mix-up and characterized Rice's comments as a personal vendetta against him.

``Deborah Rice wants to investigate everything. There was a glitch that occurred,'' Harenski said. ``Everybody knows we have a 3-2 board here. The majority has felt I have done a good job.''

The overpayment revolves around a change of retirement plans in 1996 for Harenski and four other administrators. In Harenski's situation, money was taken out of the old retirement plan and given to him as an annuity in a one-time payment of $150,000, board members said.

Harenski and the board disagree as to what was the proper way to continue funding his retirement plan. Harenski said the board agreed in 1996 to have a portion of the $150,000 carried on in subsequent years with an increase in his base pay to calculate future benefits. The board said that was never the intent.

``There was an increase to his hourly rate to compensate for the loss of the retirement fund. Paid time off is tied to the hourly rate, but the board intention was not to have the paid time off and supplemental sick leave tied to the new hourly rate. The intent was to tie it to the old hourly rate,'' said director Dr. John Manning.

In September, the board passed a resolution stating the paid time off and sick leave was to be paid at the lower rate.

Board member Shirley Sayles said she faxed a memo instructing the hospital staff to implement the resolution Dec. 19, but a secretary never received it.

The error was not discovered until mid-January when the secretary saw a copy of the memo that Sayles had given to hospital vice president Donna Meyer, officials said.

``I had taken in the hard copy of the memo and left it for Donna Meyer, who was on vacation,'' Sayles said. ``The secretary went through (Meyer's) mail and organized it and saw the hard copy. She realized she had never gotten the fax.''

On Dec. 20, a day before the new contract was approved, Harenski signed a memo asking to cash in his hours, and the request was processed Dec. 22, officials said.

Harenski had no reason to think he would be paid at the higher hourly rate, Sayles said. With a new contract coming in, Harenski wanted ``to clean everything out of his PTO bank and start with a new slate,'' Sayles said.

Harenski paid the money back sometime in mid-January, officials said.

Harenski said he did not pay it back sooner because it was the holiday season, and he waited for people to come back from vacation.

``It was right in the middle of the holidays. When I got the amount and saw it was more than it should have been, my intention was to get it paid back as quickly as I can,'' Harenski said.

Harenski added that about a year ago, the payroll department cashed in 300 hours of his paid time off that he did not want to cash in. He repaid the money then, too.

``I didn't tell anybody about it. Now we have a glitch. I pay it back, and they want it investigated. It's a continuation of a personal vendetta,'' Harenski said.

Rice said board members Sayles, Manning and Larry Chimbole found out about the overpayment in early January, but did not tell her. Rice said she found out about it Jan. 29 from a hospital employee, whom she declined to name.

``I'm upset this has happened. This is the the second time Bob Harenski has had to pay back funds to the hospital within a month. A month later we have to ask to pay back funds again,'' Rice said.

The other board members also didn't tell director Steve Fox about it, Rice said.

Manning said Harenski still is entitled to be paid for the hours cashed in, based on the correct lower rate. Harenski paid back the entire amount rather than the difference because he indicated he didn't know what the base pay was, Manning said.

``Those who have allegations against individuals, they should state the allegations and be prepared to support them with facts and not innuendo,'' Manning said. ``Otherwise, such accusations are really only personal attacks that are designed to destroy one's reputation. You can quote me on that.''

CAREER HISTORY AND SALARY HISTORY

Following are career highlights of Bob Harenski, chief executive officer of Antelope Valley Hospital:

December 1997: Hospital board votes 3-2 to renew Harenski's contract for four years at up to $379,419 a year, less than the $536,000 he made this year. Board also asks him to repay - over four years - the $100,513 they say he was overpaid.

January 1993: Hired for $180,000 a year, Harenski succeeds a Florida-based management firm that had run the hospital for $400,000 a year. He was recommended unanimously by a search committee of five hospital board members and four doctors. Harenski took over the 341-bed hospital that had experienced more than a year of turmoil: the ouster of former administrator Jack Evans in a $179,000 contract buyout; a recall election removing two board members; the resignations of two more directors; and the re-election of recalled director Steve Fox.

1988-91: Chief operating officer for the Daughters of Charity Health Services in Austin, Texas, a nonprofit health care network that operated the 505-bed Seton Medical Center and the 82-bed Seton Northwest Hospital.

1984-88: Executive vice president and chief operating officer at the 300-bed Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, operated by Palomar Pomerado Hospital District.

1978-84: Administrator at 130-bed Pomerado Hospital in Poway, operated by Palomar Pomerado Hospital District.

1977-78: Assistant administrator at Pomerado Hospital.

1974-77: Administrative assistant in charge of radiology at University Hospital in Pittsburgh.

1974: Earned master's degree in public health from University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Health.

1972: Earned bachelor's degree in economics from University of Pittsburgh.

1966-68: Served in U.S. Army.

Antelope Valley Hospital Chief Executive Officer Bob Harenski's salary history:

Date Amount % increase

Jan. 4, 1993 $180,000 ---

June 26, 1994 $195,660 8.7

March 31, 1996 $213,257 9.0

Nov. 24, 1996 $279,147 30.9

Nov. 24, 1996 $363,000 30.0 (x)

March 30, 1997 $384,779 6.0

Dec. 17, 1997 $285,000 -26.0

(x) Related to termination of retirement plan.

CAPTION(S):

Box

BOX: (Ran in AV Edition only) Career and salary history (See text)