Rural Georgia Hospitals To See Financial Benefit From New Tax Increase
In other state hospital news, executives for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health tout the economic benefits of merging the two facilities. And a Philadelphia hospital brings in puppies and kittens to relieve the stress of its medical staff.
Georgia Health News:
Recent Events Hearten Advocates Of Georgia’s Rural Hospitals
Voters in Monroe and Jefferson counties Tuesday approved tax increases to help preserve their rural hospitals, which are in financial danger. And a proposed tax credit upgrade for donors to rural hospitals, an idea that had appeared dead in this year’s Georgia General Assembly session, is alive again less than two weeks before the legislators are expected to adjourn. (Miller, 3/22)
Boston Globe:
Beth Israel, Lahey CEOs Say Merger Will Help Contain Health Care Costs
The chief executives of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health on Wednesday pitched their proposed merger as an antidote to the state’s high health care costs, arguing that coming together would allow them to grab market share from pricier hospitals. In their first sit-down interviews with The Boston Globe since going public with their merger negotiations nearly two months ago, Dr. Howard R. Grant of Lahey and Dr. Kevin Tabb of Beth Israel Deaconess said the deal would also help them weather coming changes in the health care market, including shrinking reimbursements from insurers and the government, and changes to federal health care policy. (Dayal McCluskey, 3/23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
RX For Hospital Stress: Hug A Puppy, Cuddle A Kitten
Wednesday’s event was Paws for Pennsy (P4P), a popular program that was started last year at the Philadelphia hospital. It was the creation of Care for the Care Provider, a hospital committee whose mission is to look at ways to address the stress and even sorrow that can come with being in the medical profession. Losing a longtime patient, experiencing the unexpected death of a patient or colleague, or other on-the-job losses can be so traumatic, the consequences have come to be known as "second-victim phenomenon." (Giordano, 3/22)
