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The Business of Health Care Report
Today, I'll discuss health care niche
services and their effect on full-service hospitals. So-called niche services, which provide
a narrow array of procedures, are springing up across the country - often in the form of
short-stay surgery, endoscopy and imaging centers. Several operate in the Metroplex, and
Harris Methodist HEB Hospital, a Texas Health Resources facility, has planned a specialty-care
hospital in Southlake. The benefits of these facilities go beyond customer service. They also
are a cost-effective way to extend access to communities where full-service hospitals are
consistently at or near capacity or are not feasible to build. There are concerns, however, that niche
providers add to the economic burden of hospitals by siphoning away the most-profitable
procedures, such as orthopedic surgery, and by catering to the well-insured. As a result,
full-service hospitals may be left with needed but less profitable services or have less
money to offset the cost of indigent care. As an example, Texas Health Resources
hospitals provided $117 million of uncompensated charity care last year to patients who
did not pay for services, and we expect that amount to grow by to over $130 million this
year. Another difference? Specialty care
providers are not required to offer emergency services, while community hospitals offer
full-service emergency rooms and 24-hour care. Without a doubt, our communities are
best served by having both full-service and specialty care hospitals. But they must work
to each other's benefit, not at the expense of one over the other. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO
Doug Hawthorne
with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio 1080 KRLD.
©
2003 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 