Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 24, 1991 TAG: 9103240189
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
The hospital stands to lose $49 million this year by providing health care to patients who cannot pay for it, university officials said Friday.
The hospital also may delay or eliminate some elective services for indigent patients, Don Detmer, vice president for health services, told the school's board of visitors Friday.
"About half of our indigent patients have acute illnesses, while the other half receive semi-elective services," said Robert Reynolds, senior associate vice president for health sciences. Semi-elective operations include artificial joint replacements and treatment for long-standing hernias that don't demand immediate attention, he said.
"We need to decide if we are going to give care without regard to patients' abilities to pay or if we will give care with regard to the availability of indigent-care funds."
Indigent care could cost $49 million for the fiscal year ending in July, administrators said. Indigent health-care costs were set at $35.6 million so far for this year, up from $26.6 million for the same period last year.
Rising unemployment and increased insurance costs have increased indigent-care costs nationally. While indigent-care costs are increasing, state funds for the school's hospital are decreasing.
This fiscal year, the hospital received $39.5 million in state funds, down from $42.1 million in fiscal 1990.
Reynolds said hospital administrators would look closely at indigent-care needs and report back to the board of visitors in May.
by CNB