Kentucky nonoprofit hospitals devote little to charity care; Massachusetts lawmakers hold hearings on hospital pricing disparities;

News From Around The Web

> A review of overall expenses among Kentucky's nonprofit hospitals concluded that just 3.3 percent is devoted to charity care, Watchdog.org has reported. Unreimbursed Medicaid averaged 3.5 percent of the Kentucky nonprofit hospitals' total expenses in 2013. Bad debt was, on average, 7.3 percent of total expenses. Article

> Lawmakers in Massachusetts held a hearing on hospital pricing disparities in the Bay State and have concluded that action is required to address them, the Boston Business Journal has reported. Concrete solutions, however, are proving elusive. Article

> A rainy winter season in the Austin area has added about $15 million to the cost of constructing a new teaching hospital in the city, pushing the cost to around $310 million, the Austin American-Statesman has reported. Article

Provider News

> After decades of working for free, a Florida hospital's board of directors has voted to begin paying itself, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The philanthropists and doctors on the board of Tampa General Hospital will be paid between $15,000 and $30,000 a year, according to their responsibilities. Only one board member voted against the proposal, David A. Straz Jr., who resigned in protest after the measure passed. Article

Healthcare IT News

> Despite already having used video visits for a number of years, adoption by both clinicians and patients remains a challenge for Kaiser Permanente, according to Angie Stevens, executive director of telehealth IT. Article

And finally... Did West Virginia lawmakers become ill at fete for raw milk? Article