hospital association

Nearly all of Wisconsin's hospitals--a full 95 percent--are not-for-profits that enjoy a state property tax exemption. Despite resistance from the hospitals, the state is continuing to look at recouping some of that revenue with a separate hospital-specific tax. State governor Jim Doyle (D) wants to impose an 0.8 percent tax on the state's 109 non-profit hospitals, which he says will generate $418 million in revenues for the state over the next two years. The proposal has been posted by a …

With hospital industry pricing policies under increasing pressure, the Wisconsin Hospital Association has taken the bull by the horns. The hospital trade group is now recommending that uninsured patients automatically receive fee discounts similar to those enjoyed by managed care plans. The group is also suggesting that members work harder to let the uninsured know about charity care and financial assistance options.

WHA's recommendations aren't being made in a vacuum. Not only do …

As IRS scrutiny of non-profits continues, it makes sense for hospitals to proactively prove that they're justifying their tax-free status. That's why, in part, that Missouri hospitals have come together to report on their charity-care and community efforts, which they say were worth $1.1 billion last year. The new report, which was prepared by the Missouri Hospital Association, calculates that the state's hospitals contribute $7.8 billion in salaries, benefits, taxes and capital …

Bowing to the pressures created by the consumer-driven healthcare trend, the Tennessee Hospital Association has created a website offering service prices for most of its 136 member hospitals. The site, which draws on data reported to the state from October 2003 to September 2004, list average prices for common procedures. HCA hospitals aren't included in the tally, but the site does link to HCA's own price disclosure sites. (HCA recently decided to disclose prices for common procedures at …

Proposals for expanding coverage to the uninsured are taking many directions, all of which generate controversy within some interest group, and this is no exception. In Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle is proposing to fund Medicaid and other health programs for the poor with a tax on hospitals. What makes this tax particularly interesting is that it would create winners and losers, deflating profits for cozy suburban hospitals and helping the Medicaid-reliant hospitals improve their bottom …

> Texas' governor is being urged not to mandate HPV vaccine for young women. Article

> PatientsLikeMe, a healthcare social networking Web company, has raised $5 million in venture funding. Blog

> The Voluntary Hospital Association …

After years of going it on its own, Tennessee has gotten back its share of Disproportionate Share Hospital payments, at least for fiscal 2007. The state will get $131 million, which will be distributed to hospitals that treat a particularly high percentage of poor and uninsured patients. The state had given up these funds in the early 90s when it created its expanded Medicaid program, TennCare. However, since the state cut back TennCare, it has been lobbying to get the funds back. …

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) kill 90,000 U.S. patients per year, generate billions in expenses and greatly prolong hospital stays. Luckily, they're also avoidable. Well aware of the problem, the Voluntary Hospital Association said this week that it was launching a three-year program aimed at reducing the rate of HAIs among its member hospitals. The program will focus on six key approaches to HAI reduction:

• Preventing central line infections
• Preventing …

> It's a rare victory for a Medicaid plan. Rhode Island's Neighborhood Health Plan has been voted the best Medicaid HMO in the country in healthcare quality ratings issued by the NCQA and U.S. News & World Report. Article

> The Wisconsin Hospital Association has added a list of outpatient procedures to its list of hospital prices. …

While Minnesota providers continue to improve their performance on a set of key quality measures, substantial gaps remain between the best and worst performing groups, according to a set of quality ratings just released by a community non-profit group. MN Community Measurement, which is backed by the Minnesota Medical Association and the state's health plans, issues quality ratings on the majority of health systems in the state. Among the positives the non-profit found was that health …