Atlanta Hospitals to Grady Memorial – Can’t Help as we have our own issues

They did come to the table with some ideas, but the five other other hospitals said no to a tax to help out. The related reading has some past articles about the history of recent and financial struggles of Grady Hospital in Atlanta. BD

Metro Atlanta hospitals turned down Grady Memorial Hospital’s request for $30 million over five years to help the safety net hospital offset its ballooning indigent care tab.

On Dec. 15, Grady made its case for more support before top industry executives at a private meeting hosted by the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA). The hospitals sent Grady a letter on Jan. 6 to give their decision.

In the letter, obtained by Atlanta Business Chronicle, area hospitals disputed Grady’s assertion that they steer uninsured and underinsured patients to Grady.

“Our own internal data shows that in these troubling economic times, all hospitals throughout Metropolitan Atlanta are shouldering the growing burden of treating those who cannot pay,” the letter noted.

Metro Atlanta hospitals, in the letter, made clear they would oppose a new tax on them, but offered Grady help in other ways, including creating a “community indigent care consortium” to direct funds and other assistance to major Grady cost centers such as outpatient dialysis and radiation therapy.