Hospitals in the Kansas City area have increased their uncompensated care by 15 percent from 2008 to 2010, providing $185 million in charity care and chalking up $104.5M in bad debt, according to the Missouri Hospital Association, reported The Kansas City Business Journal.
Like many hospitals across the country, changes in reimbursements have forced Carondelet Health in Kansas City to explore partnerships for a financial boost to continue operating its two Kansas City-area hospitals. Carondelet CEO Fleury Yelvington said a potential merger would benefit the quality of patient care and assist with healthcare expenditures, particularly in the face of the impending healthcare reform. Like Carondelet, other providers are preparing for losses from uncompensated care, reimbursement gaps and operation policy changes under health reform. Article