§ 128 — General powers and duties of managers

§ 128. General powers and duties of managers. The board of managers\nshall:\n 1. Elect from among its members annually a president, a\nvice-president, and a secretary. It shall appoint a superintendent of\nthe hospital, who shall not be a member of the board of managers, and\nwho shall hold office at the pleasure of said board.\n 2. Erect all necessary buildings; make all necessary improvements and\nrepairs and alter any existing buildings, for the use of said hospital,\nprovided that all expenditures for new buildings or alterations, other\nthan ordinary repairs, shall first be authorized by the governing board\nof the county, town, city or village and the plans therefor approved by\nthe state board of charities.\n 3. Fix the salary of the superintendent and the number and salaries of\nall other employees, within the limits of the appropriation made\ntherefor by the governing board, and such salaries, together with\nmaintenance when provided, shall be compensation in full for all\nservices rendered. The board of managers may determine the amount of\ntime required to be spent at the hospital by said superintendent in the\ndischarge of his duties, and may also determine in what cases\nmaintenance shall be provided for nurses and other employees of the\nhospital.\n 4. Provide for the medical care and treatment of all persons admitted\nto the hospital; and shall appoint and may at pleasure remove resident,\nvisiting and consulting physicians and surgeons; and shall establish\nrules and regulations governing the service thereof.\n 5. Have the general superintendence, management and control of the\nsaid hospital and of the grounds, buildings, officers, employees and\ninmates thereof; and of all matters relating to the government,\ndiscipline, contracts and fiscal concerns thereof; and make such rules\nand regulations as may seem to them necessary for carrying into effect\nthe purposes of such hospital; and may designate the purchasing agent of\nany municipality as the purchasing agent of said board for the\npurchasing of all necessary furniture, appliances, fixtures and other\nneeded facilities for the care and treatment of patients and for the use\nof officers and employees thereof, and all necessary supplies, and said\npurchasing agent shall render a monthly report of his activities to said\nboard.\n 5-a. Institute actions at law and in equity for the collection of\nclaims and obligations due to the hospital from any and all causes, and\nto prosecute, compromise or settle such claims and obligations, and to\nretain counsel to conduct such litigations, provided that a board of\nmanagers may contract with a private collection agency for the\ncollection of overdue claims and obligations.\n 6. Maintain an effective inspection of said hospital, and keep itself\ninformed of the affairs and management thereof; shall meet at the\nhospital at least once in every month, and at such other times as may be\nprescribed in the by-laws; and shall hold its annual meeting at least\nthree weeks prior to the meeting of the governing board at which\nappropriations for the ensuing year are to be considered.\n 7. Keep in a book provided for that purpose a proper record of its\nproceedings, which shall be open at all times to the inspection of its\nmembers, of the members of the governing board and of duly authorized\nrepresentatives of the state board of charities.\n 8. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other general law, and\nsubject to such rules and regulations as the governing board may\nprescribe, audit all bills and accounts payable out of funds within its\njurisdiction and order their payment by the fiscal officer of the\ncounty, town, city or village. Fixed salaries and the compensation for\nservices of employees or officers regularly engaged by the hospital at\nagreed wages by the hour, day, week, month or year may be paid without\nprior audit. When authorized by resolution of the governing board the\nboard of managers may appoint a treasurer in the manner provided in\nsubdivision four of section one hundred twenty-six of this chapter.\nNotwithstanding the provisions of any other general law, the treasurer\nshall pay the bills and accounts ordered paid by the board of managers\nand at least once in each month shall transmit to the governing board an\nitemized statement thereof, which statement shall also include all\npayments made by the treasurer for fixed salaries and wages.\n 9. Make to the governing board of the county, town, city or village by\nwhich the hospital is maintained, at such times as said board shall\ndirect, a detailed annual report of the operations of the hospital, the\nnumber of patients received, the methods and results of their treatment,\nand such other matters as may be required of them. Such reports, except\nin the case of counties, shall include full and detailed estimates of\nthe appropriations required during the ensuing year for all purposes,\nincluding maintenance, erection of buildings, repairs, improvements and\nother necessary purposes.\n 10. Provide at their discretion ambulance service to bring patients to\nor remove them from said hospital, and to adopt a schedule of\nappropriate charges and collect the same for said service, and in so\ndoing to establish, own and operate said service itself or to contract\nwith a county in which said hospital is located, or with a city, town or\nvillage included in the hospital district, or with a private concern,\nfor the supply and operation of such ambulance service for said hospital\nand its district. Any such contract may include provisions for purchase\nof equipment, hiring and payment of necessary employees, establishment\nof a schedule of charges and collection of the same, payment by the\nhospital of said collections or other costs to the county, city, town,\nvillage or private concern, supplying the service, reimbursement to any\nsaid county, city, town, village or private concern supplying said\nservice by the city, village or town using such service, and for\ncoverage with insurance or by existing provisions of law of all\nemployees engaged in, and persons using such service, and other\nnecessary matters.\n