Is NUMC headed toward a fight with the state?

Daily Point

NUMC agenda sparks speculation

A Nassau University Medical Center board meeting scheduled for Thursday includes a brief item on its proposed agenda that took many observers by surprise:

"Resolution of CEO position" the third item states, coming after the call to order and roll call. Next to the item is the person who will handle it at the meeting: NUMC Chairman Matthew J. Bruderman.

The notice is vague but the import could be significant. Multiple sources speculated it could be an opportunity for the NUMC board to appoint current interim president and chief executive Megan Ryan to the permanent slot. Sources noted that it may also be a chance for the board to approve an employment contract for Ryan as well.

Any such move comes as New York State officials are considering an effort to take over the hospital by appointing a temporary operator, a move that likely would include removing Ryan and Bruderman from their respective positions.

It’s unclear whether Bruderman would appoint a permanent CEO to try to stymie the state’s efforts — or whether it could serve as a way of providing Ryan with a golden parachute in case her position is ultimately eliminated. Neither Ryan nor anyone affiliated with a NUMC Public Affairs email address that often replies to The Point’s inquiries responded to requests for comment.

Also unclear: whether Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman knew about or approved the CEO position resolution. Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle did not return a call for comment to The Point. State officials met with Blakeman in August to discuss the future of NUMC and were scheduled to follow up with him this month.

But sources told The Point that depending on what the NUMC board does, the state — or the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the financial control board that has approval power over many Nassau County contracts — could take further action in response. The state may be able to reject the appointment — and NIFA may be able to reject an employment contract if the board votes on one, those sources said.

State officials also have other tools in their arsenal. In March, the state Department of Health sent Bruderman and Ryan a letter that detailed requirements necessary for the state to provide NUMC with future funding, which the hospital has requested. Among them: "Conduct a professional and public search for its next CEO."

To date, there has been no concrete evidence of a public CEO search. NUMC said it employed Korn Ferry to help with the search, but recent and previous looks at the Korn Ferry website have not turned up a NUMC job listing. The CEO job has not been listed on NUMC’s own website recently, either.

Then there’s the New York State Health Insurance Program. NUMC owes the program $350 million, and state officials previously have said that a failure to pay could lead to the termination of health insurance coverage for employees or retirees. NYSHIP has so far held off on going after the hospital for those funds — or on following through with such threats.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

The day after

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Final Point

The odds on Trump and Harris — before and after the debate

It might take some time for polling to reflect voters’ views on how former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris performed in Tuesday night’s debate.

But there was one kind of instant numerical feedback: the betting markets. And those who wager on presidential politics clearly thought the night belonged to Harris.

Within 15 minutes of the debate’s end, the online sportsbook BetOnline.ag flipped its odds on the race, making Harris the choice over Trump, who was favored on Tuesday morning. Harris had been at +100, meaning a bettor would have to wager $100 to win $100. After the debate, she was at -120, meaning you’d have to bet $120 to win $100. Trump went from -120 to +100.

The flow of money being wagered also shifted, from 50.9% being placed on Harris minutes before the debate to 54.4% on Harris after it was over, a BetOnline.ag spokesman said.

The prediction markets — where users can bet on the outcomes of elections by buying shares of candidates — were even more responsive, moving in real time as the debate proceeded.

On Polymarket, a blockchain-based site that explicitly bans U.S. users, bettors favored Trump before the debate but Harris climbed into a tie during the proceedings. Then she moved ahead of Trump after Taylor Swift’s endorsement was posted on Instagram. By late afternoon Wednesday, Trump had nudged back into the lead.

But at PredictIt, a kind of stock market where users buy and sell shares of propositions and win $1 for each share if they’re right, Harris’ surge stuck. A share of the vice president to win the election cost 53 cents before the debate while Trump went for 52 cents. After the debate, Harris was at 56 cents and Trump was 47 cents.

Given the volatile nature of our politics and the fire hose of news these days, it’s a safe bet that there will be many more fluctuations in the days and weeks ahead.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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