NY health system restructuring moving ahead

As FierceHealthcare readers know, the New York state health system underwent a historic shock last year, when state health planners named a list of hospitals and nursing homes which would be required to close or restructure. The announcement, though expected, still generated massive protests. Nonetheless, despite these protests, it appears that the restructuring is moving along nicely. According to the state health department, efforts to close nine hospitals, restructure 50 more hospitals and cut almost 3,000 nursing home beds are progressing, with three of the nine hospitals already having closed and several long-term care facilities having eliminated beds ahead of schedule. Of course, the $550 million in transitional aid the state has provided can't have hurt things any, but such progress is still a bit surprising given how controversial the restructuring plan was. Previously, some providers had demanded that the state boost its transitional funding to a much-cozier $2.5 billion, and others had sued the state to prevent forced closures.

To find out more about the transition:
- read this Associated Press piece

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New York health system sues to prevent hospital closure. Report