Pennsylvania hospitals are in declining financial health, underscoring the need for providers there to hold frank discussions with internal audiences, the community and the
media about the consequences of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997. Four out of five hospitals are unable to cover operating expenses with patient revenues, according to a
survey by The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP).
The survey of 141 hospitals for FY 99 paints a dire economic picture, projecting the five-year financial toll of the BBA in Pennsylvania to be nearly $4.1 billion.
(HAP, Deborah S. Saline, 717/761-5160)