Budget cuts affect two MA safety-net hospitals

Dan Bowman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:38:29 -0400

According to an article published in last Friday's Boston Globe, Boston Medical Center and Cambridge Health Alliance will lose more than $100 million combined due to budget cuts by the state of Massachusetts. Boston Medical, which won't be reimbursed for care to low-income Medicaid patients from the last fiscal year, loses out on $64 million. Cambridge Health Alliance was expecting $40 million in state funding.

What does this mean for the two hospitals? In the case of Boston Medical, it means they will cut services. Among services currently on the chopping block are interpreters, transportation to the facility, and asthma, diabetes or primary care--all for low-income patients. As for Cambridge Health Alliance, it already was reported that for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the hospital was on it's way to losses of $26 million.

Juan Martinez, a spokesman for Governor Deval Patrick (who, with the cuts, is attempting to close a $1.1 billion budget gap), said that the cuts "allowed us to preserve all currently funded MassHealth populations and services. We understand the important role these hospitals play and remain committed to supporting them as best we can through this difficult economic time for everyone."

For more on the budget cuts in MA:
- here's the Boston Globe article

Infected MA transplant kills one patient, sickens another

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Two patients received kidneys infected with a difficult-to-detect virus after agreeing to accept organs from a high-risk donor, authorities at Boston hospitals said this week. A 70-year-old woman has died, and a 57-year-old man is critically ill after receiving organs from a 49-year-old homeless man who carried the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). The homeless man, who suffered terminal brain damage after cardiac arrest, was checked for diseases that can be tested for quickly, including the AIDS virus, hepatitis and a common herpes germ. However, LCMV screening is not part of the standard battery of rapid-fire tests done in the short period before organs perish, as there's no quick test for it available.

When the organs became available, the potential recipients were warned that this was a high-risk donor, but decided to go ahead with the transplant, as the risk of waiting for another suitable organ could have been even higher. The woman received a transplant at Boston Medical Center and the man at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Later, when the woman came back to the hospital and died, a physician with Boston Medical informed the CDC of the possibility that this could be LCMV. The man is now in treatment for the disease.

To learn more about this situation:
- read this article in The Boston Globe

Related Articles:
IL transplant patients infected by donor
Woman infected by transplant considers legal action
CA struggles with transplant costs for illegal immigrants
Uninsured patient dies after transplant is denied