The watchdog appointed to ensure patients receive proper care while Steward Health’s bankruptcy proceeds through court is staking her funding claim, which she says is needed to do her job.

Suzanne Koenig was recently appointed Patient Care Ombudsman for Steward’s hospitals in Warren, Howland, Sharon, Massachusetts, and Dade County, Florida.

A limited objection filed in bankruptcy court by Koenig notes that she wants assurances that some of the $300 million proposed loan to Steward will be available to pay any professionals she needs to protect patients.

Koenig’s job is to monitor the quality of patient care provided to Steward’s patients, including interviewing patients.

Koenig will report the quality of care to the court every two months. If Koenig finds that the quality of patient care is declining significantly or being compromised, she must notify the court.

The ombudsman must notify the bankruptcy trustee about her findings and post them in the health care facility two weeks before submitting her report to the court.

Steward has announced plans to sell its 31 hospitals, including Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren, Ohio; Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Howland; and Sharon Regional Medical Center in Sharon, Pennsylvania.