Parkland Is Doing Better Financially, Thanks to a Change in the Way Feds Count

A subtle shift at the federal level is changing how hospitals are reimbursed for treating low-income patients. And for hospitals that serve a high number of uninsured or low-income patients, like Dallas’ Parkland Memorial Hospital, this change is a welcome improvement. While the federal and state health care scene is complicated, we applaud the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for better responding to the needs of community hospitals. The difference is hard to discern, but it has a significant impact on hospital funding. Since the 1980s, hospitals that serve lots of low-income patients, also known as “disproportionate-share hospitals,” have been eligible for federal reimbursement through Medicaid. This reimbursement has been calculated using different metrics for measuring what percentage of a hospital’s care is spent on people who don’t have private insurance.   Continue reading...