Guam - Representatives from the Guam Memorial Hospital were first up this morning to present their Fiscal Year 2014 budget requests.

Unlike previous years, this is the first time GMH's request had included staff input as well as included expenditures historically overlooked, including appropriations for vendor payments and patient liabilities.

GMH chief financial officer Alan Ulirch says of the $144 million requested, $115 million is estimated to come from collections based on the assumption GMH is able to receive appropriate reimbursements from CMS.

GMH administrator Joseph Verga said, "We are prepared to make adjustments in our spending plan if you will based on if that does not happen. So for example we are prepared to make various adjustments through the service size and levels of the hospital to compensate accordingly. Whether it's defunding vacancies, reducing staff or reducing some services."

Looking ahead, Verga says GMH is prepared to be nimble as the new hospital in Dededo is set to come online summer of 2014.