Opinion ID: 1773893
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Services Contract

Text: The Services Contract was a written contract between the Foundation and the City of Austin. Under its terms the Foundation agreed, through its interns, residents, and faculty, to provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care to patients at Brackenridge Hospital and other locations in the Austin area. The Services Contract was not limited by its terms to the provision of surgical services, but also included services to be rendered by residents in other specialties. The financial provisions of the Services Contract are important to the issues before us, and we look at them in some detail. The City agreed to pay the Foundation a maximum amount specified in a Current Operating Budget addendum to the Services Contract. [28] In return, the Foundation agreed to treat, at no charge to the City or the patient, so-called MAP Patients, who were patients eligible to receive medical care at Brackenridge Hospital and other facilities under the City Medical Assistance Program. Although the Foundation could not charge the City or the MAP Patients for their health care, it was authorized to charge or make claims against any public assistance programs or private insurers that might be responsible for those health care costs. As for non-MAP Patients, the Services Contract provided that the Foundation could charge them individually or through their third party coverage for services rendered. The Services Contract specifically provided that all funds collected by the Foundation shall be the property of the Foundation. [29]