Author: P Hasselbacher

University Hospital Cuts Funding to UofL for Teaching: Or Did It?

UofL plays chicken with state and local officials.

[Addendum, June 14. On reading this morning’s printed report in the Courier-Journal, I clearly misinterpreted the University’s motivation.  This was no hat-in-hand response to community criticism, but a continuation of the threatening and even bullying behaviors of the past.]

This evening, the Courier-Journal reported on its website that at a earlier meeting with its editorial board, officials of the Medical School and presumably its Hospital, said that they will “cut in half the money they give the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, ” from $11 to $5.5 Million. They follow up with an additional statement that perhaps next year they might decrease that amount even more!  At the time I was interviewed, I initially [and incorrectly] assumed that the University felt compelled to make some  reduction in response to criticism from the community about its funding of research at a time when it was crying poor!  It was increasingly hard to swallow the Hospital’s claim of having not enough money for indigent care when they were giving in excess of $12 million to research every year! Continue reading “University Hospital Cuts Funding to UofL for Teaching: Or Did It?”

Governor Beshear Releases Critical Report on Passport Medicaid Managed Care.

Louisville’s Passport loses its Medicaid Monopoly.

Why is it, whenever the bright light gets turned on, that the University of Lousiville doesn’t look so good? Last month, a friend reported some doctors lounge gossip that the University folks were all in a tizzy over some breaking event related to Passport or indigent care. With the announcement of the release of the highly critical review by State Auditor Edelen of the University’s management of the Quality Community Care Trust which provides public money for indigent care University Hospital, I thought I had an explanation. Continue reading “Governor Beshear Releases Critical Report on Passport Medicaid Managed Care.”

Louisville Hospitals Not As Safe As In Appalachia?

Assessment of Hospital Safety by the Leapfrog Group.

One of the themes presented in this Policy Blog over the last year is that consumers should be careful about uncritical acceptance of unsupported promotional claims of quality by hospitals and other medical providers. After all, how can every hospital be “the best?” As in Lake Woebegone, at least some hospitals have to be average, and unfortunately, some even less than average when compared to their peers.

The Leapfrog Group is one of the very most respected organizations currently measuring and publicizing the safety and quality of care in hospitals. They use publicly available data and information provided voluntary by the hospitals themselves. Earlier this week, that organization made available their Hospital Safety Score derived from 26 different elements. I have not personally seen a more comprehensive panel of items rigorously assessed for this purpose. It includes, but is broader than the “Hospital Compare” scoring system published by Medicare. I would certainly have more confidence in these Hospital Safety Scores than any claims about quality or safety made by the hospitals themselves. In Leapfrog’s words, “The Hospital Safety Score is an A, B, C, D, or F letter grade reflecting how safe hospitals are for patients.” Continue reading “Louisville Hospitals Not As Safe As In Appalachia?”

Changes in Reproductive and Women’s Healthcare in Louisville.

Implications for possible future UofL Hospital partnership.

The University of Louisville offered a target date of the end of June to announce their newest life-partner-intended for clinical and academic activities. Despite my musings in the last post, most observers believe the University will try to follow through on its original plans to merge with, or be acquired by some combination of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) or KentuckyOne Health (KOH). If anyone wishes to wager on a different outcome below, I am willing to bet a martini in the favorite Louisville bar of the correct predictor. My bet is on CHI/KOH.   [So far, no one has been willing to bet against me!]

Background.
Any new proposal from the former would-be partners, or any other for that matter, will have to grapple with a number of existing thorny issues and probably some new ones. It will be interesting and probably entertaining to see how it all plays out. It would be less entertaining to write about if the outcome was not so determinative of the style and quality of medical care that will be offered on the public’s behalf to the disadvantaged of Louisville. This article will deal with the issue of how a potential new partnership with CHI/KOH might effect the way end-of-life, reproductive health, or woman’s healthcare would be delivered under UofL auspices. As the best available indicator, I base this discussion on how Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s (JHSM) and their associated medical practices provide these medical services following the creation of KentuckyOne Health. Recall that the University of Louisville fully expected to be a part of this new entity, and even while trying to downplay (some would say obscure) the changes in medical practice it was willing to make, it was clear that the University and its Hospital were prepared to follow religious doctrines of the Catholic Church in exchange for money for University programs. It was a “business decision.” Although this article deals mostly with reproductive and women’s heath, and with end-of-life care, the Religious and Ethical Directives of the Catholic Church (ERDs) cover much more ground than that. Continue reading “Changes in Reproductive and Women’s Healthcare in Louisville.”