Hospitals seek to cut costs, compete smartly

Apr 30 2012

In Colorado, New Hampshire, Florida and Kansas, hospitals are trying to be strategic to beat marketplace challenges.

Denver Post: Colorado Hospitals' Competition Has Eye On Bigger Health Care Forces
The fierce battle for patients between Poudre Valley Health System and Banner Health is a glorious competition for quality and convenience across northern Colorado. Or it stands for all that is wrong with the careening spending in the U.S. health system. ... The competition is echoed across Colorado and the nation, as hospitals acquire, merge, build, affiliate and swallow doctor practices (Booth, 4/29).

Modern Healthcare: N.H. Hospital Trustees Seek CMS Help On Medicaid Reimbursements
The trustees of 10 hospitals in New Hampshire that have sued the state over reductions in Medicaid reimbursements are now asking the CMS to intervene. In an April 26 letter to CMS Deputy Administrator Cindy Mann, 166 trustees said that the state cut Medicaid funding and disproportionate share payments by more than $130 million in the current fiscal year (Lee, 4/29).

The Miami Herald: Strong Leaders, Wise Investments Keep Baptist Healthy
It may seem illogical -; a healthcare system actively working to keep patients from spending heavily for the hospital care that has long been its bread-and-butter business. But that's exactly what Baptist's newest mission is all about, said longtime Baptist Health CEO Brian Keeley. The reason: Preventive medicine and primary care improve the public health of the community, cut healthcare costs and reduce hospital expenditures for nonpaying or uninsured patients (Tate, 4/29).

The Associated Press/Kansas City Star: Its Certification At Risk, Larned State Hospital Seeks $2 Million From Kansas Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is being asked to appropriate about $2 million to Larned State Hospital, which is threatened with losing federal certification because of chronic problems with staffing. Losing the certification from the Joint Commission, a national organization that accredits hospitals, would cost the state $14.5 million in federal funds each year….The Joint Commission recently cited Larned for a number of deficiencies related to inadequate staffing at the hospital for the mentally ill (4/28).