ONLINE POLLS

A recent Wall Street Journal article (April 4) indicated that many non-profit hospitals are awash with cash, yet some are not providing the level of charity care expected. Does your hospital give enough to justify tax-exemption?

• Yes, through direct charity care. 50%

• Yes, but through harder to quantify "community benefit" services. 16.67%

• No, but we really don't have the resources or funds. 0.00%

• No, and there's no excuse. 33.33%

Poll Comments

04/09/2008

I think the WSJ article will cause unnecessary scrutiny of many hospitals that are doing good work.

04/10/2008

Believe me, I work at a Critical Access Hospital and we are far from being “awash” in cash. We are more like being “awash” in debt! One thing we do is screen our Private Pay patients for Charity or make them appointments with DHHS to apply for Medicaid. One of the biggest problems we have is getting the patients to bring the needed information back to us for the Charity screen or getting them to show up for their appointments at DHHS.

04/15/2008

Yes, we run around 35 percent true charity care for indigent patients.

• No. We're OK. 30.77%

• Not yet, but I'm sure it's coming soon. 19.23%

• Yes. I've been asked for a reduction of less than 10 percent. 30.77%

• Yes, I've been asked for a reduction of more than 10 percent. 19.23%

Poll Comments

04/16/2008

Except for the non-profits benefitting from the largess of wealthy donors, I see now way around cutting budgets in light of the economic downturn

04/21/2008

Our goal this year was to implement an Anesthesia Documentation Program. This was cut from 2008 Budget.

• CMIO. 0.00%

• CNIO. 16.67%

• VP-Clinical Informatics. 8.33%

• All of the above. 16.67%

• None of the above. 58.33%

Poll Comments

4/30/2008

I have all of the above, but with different titles. Three informatics physicians, two nurse informatics directors and their teams, and as a physician CIO, I also wear the CMIO hat. As such, I have regular and direct interactions with the CMO, three regional medical directors, their assistants, and VPMAs at our community hospitals. We have a substantial footprint in clinical informatics and clinical computing at Ochsner.

5/5/2008

Small facility — I am the IT.