http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/04/23/hot-springs-hospitals-apparently-to-merge Comments On: Hot Springs hospitals apparently to merge by Max Brantley en-us Copyright 2013 Arkansas Times. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Arkansas Times readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Arkansas Times. robert@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Webmaster) Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:01 -0500 Sat, 25 May 2013 18:45:00 -0500 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by David Cohen]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:14:59 -0500 Arkansas Times
Sure single payer is the way to go, but only if Congress has the balls to reign in Pharma, Device makers, Malpractice, Insurance Company profits, and Physician Imaging.

So many groups have to be paid off, there's no money left for health care.
Posted by olddoc]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:55:59 -0500 Arkansas Times Posted by couldn't be better]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:05:42 -0500 Arkansas Times
What about single payer?

Nope, too simple.
Posted by Citizen1]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:36:57 -0500 Arkansas Times I noted both are acute care facilities. Merger would allow one to shift to more long-term, rehabilitative care instead of competing for the very same dollars in the same relatively small town. You're right on the expensive equip and duplication of services, merging should lower that total cost.
Posted by eLwood]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:07:15 -0500 Arkansas Times
The first thing I can think of is to reduce costs by not duplicating as many services, but that only works well if you can close one of them down, then one ER, one set of ORs, and better utilization of mega expensive imagining equipment. It’s possible that having two hospitals has allowed doctors, nurses, patients and insurance companies to get the two of them into an unwinnable bidding war (ala US USSR in military spending).

Sorry elwood, don’t have any good information yet……but it seems the opposite direction of Conway which repeated talks about building a second and competing hospital.

Posted by olddoc]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:47:25 -0500 Arkansas Times Old doc, can we get some perspective on the underlying reasons?
Lowering administrative costs? Going for a lower break even per bed?
Posted by eLwood]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:44:20 -0500 Arkansas Times
On the subject of issues important to women and the men who love women, how are these two stories different except in degree? Wasn't there something in the news a few months ago about the Topeka City Council not prosecuting cases of domestic violence to save money?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/g…

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012…


Posted by the outlier]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:03:28 -0500 Arkansas Times