charity hospital

It's been 18 months since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, but 11 hospitals remain closed in the wake of the storm. Officials continue to argue over how the healthcare system should be reshaped, most notably over whether indigent care dollars should remain the Charity Hospital system or follow patients as part of an insurance scheme. Meanwhile, many of the city's …

An advocacy group dedicated to reform in Louisiana has come under fire from the university which manages the state's Charity Hospital System, which charges that the group is arguing for changes its sponsors want rather than serving as an independent voice. Leaders of the Louisiana State University, which runs the state's Charity Hospital System, contend that despite some limits on funding it will accept, the non-profit Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) is too beholden to …

Disagreements over the future of the Louisiana healthcare system temporarily came to a halt yesterday, when Gov. Kathleen Blanco and U.S. Sen. David Vitter agreed to begin planning for a new teaching hospital in downtown New Orleans. Vitter and Blanco intend to give Louisiana State University an initial $74 million to buy land and hire architects, the first steps in the building process. Gov. Blanco expects to give LSU another $226 million in federal money, once the school has developed a …

Sure, the idea that Louisiana already has enough money to cover most low-income residents may sound good from the 50,000 foot view enjoyed by HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt. But down on the ground, things looked different to state legislators, who strongly disapprove of the idea of moving money from the state's Charity Hospital System into government-subsidized private health insurance. The legislators, who listened to Leavitt speak on Wednesday, aren't even willing to consider the idea …

For obvious reasons, the health system in New Orleans is under reconstruction, and still hasn't reached pre-Katrina service levels. While things are bad enough for the medically ill, the mentally ill are facing, if anything, an even worse crisis. While mental health cases shot up in the wake of Katrina, climbing to an estimated 11.3 percent of the population, the city's ability to treat them …

The level of charity care not-for-profit hospitals provide is under fire once again. In an in-depth study of 10 charity hospitals, Senate finance committee investigators have found that although charity hospitals offer free care, they often don't inform patients that assistance is available. Some charity hospitals also charge poorer patients more for care while charging well-off patients with coverage less. Additionally, hospital CEOs enjoy expensive perks, which calls into question …

Despite the fact that some Hurricane Katrina-affected regions lost half of their population after the disaster, all types of healthcare providers are in short supply for those who remain. This has led to long wait times, particularly for emergency care. A survey conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) reports that many Gulf Coast physicians think that their patients have been harmed by the long wait to receive treatment. Among their primary concerns: staffing …

Louisiana State University and the Department of Veteran's Affairs announced a plan to build a new $1.2 billion medical center in New Orleans. The hospital will probably take over the role played by historic Charity Hospital, although no official announcement has been made yet on the older hospital. Construction is slated for October 2008. Some doctors groups have criticized the plan as unnecessary, arguing that damage to the first floor and basement of the hospital could be repaired …

Doctors and healthcare workers rallied in New Orleans in an attempt to stop a plan that would shut Charity Hospital. Opponents say the damage the hospital suffered is nowhere near as extensive as officials say it is. Louisiana State University and the VA have developed a plan that calls for the old facility to be replaced by a medical center that would be jointly operated by the university and the government.

- see this article from the Houston Chronicle

> Doctors are fighting a plan to abandon historic Charity Hospital in New Orleans and construct a completely new facility, saying the project is a power grab by local officials. Article

> A Swiss hospital announced that it will allow assisted suicides, rekindling intense debate. …