R.I. launches Community Hospital Task Force

PROVIDENCE – The creation of a state Community Hospital Task Force was announced yesterday by Gov. Donald L. Carcier and Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts.
The panel will be led by Jane Hayward, secretary of the R.I. Office of Health and Human Services, and Dr. David Gifford, director of the R.I. Department of Health. Its mission will be to examine the financial health of Rhode Island’s community hospitals and recommend changes to help ensure continued delivery of core services.
“Our community hospitals play an important role in Rhode Island, but many of them are experiencing serious financial difficulties,” Carcieri said. “It is crucial that we work together to address this pressing issue.”
According to financial data submitted to the Department of Health, the state’s community hospitals are losing money. In general, they rank low on financial performance indicators such as profitability, leverage and liquidity. These weaknesses affect their ability to borrow money, invest in services and infrastructure and maintain solvency.
“Our hospital system in Rhode Island faces a crisis,” Roberts said, “and an important step in implementing solutions to the problems of the community hospitals in our state is to bring the necessary problem-solvers together at one table.”
The Community Hospital Task Force is charged with examining the reasons for the hospitals’ weak financial condition; defining the core services a community hospital should provide; examining payment methods and levels for these services; and examine the number, distribution and organization of community hospitals necessary to provide them. “A collaborative plan for the distribution, financing, and service mix of community hospitals, supported by local payers, will best serve the public’s interest,” the announcement said.
The task force is expected to issue a preliminary report – to the governor, lieutenant governor and General Assembly – within three months.
Additional information is available at ri.gov.

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