The New York Department of Health has issued a report blaming hospital boards and management for the financial problems occurring at Brooklyn hospitals, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The panel recommended the state health commissioner assume power to replace hospital board members who are deemed ineffective and reorganize management at facilities that risk the safety of patients. One panel member said some of the hospitals in debt may not be in trouble if board members had improved their governance strategies.
The panel's recommendations are advisory but have already signaled some opposition. The president of the Greater New York Hospital Association has responded to the report, saying the organization will work to ensure new legislation doesn't give the DOH "excessive powers," according to the report.
The panel also said six Brooklyn hospitals lack the business model and margins "to remain viable," while three of those hospitals are experiencing financial crises that "require aggressive action," according to the news report. Those facilities are Interfaith Medical Center, Wyckoff Heights Hospital and Brookdale Hospital Medical Center.
Combined, those three hospitals have a combined long-term debt of $276 million. The panel has recommended the state Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center take over Brookdale, while Brooklyn Hospital Center would take over Interfaith and Wyckoff.
Health Commissioner Nirav Shah is expected to reach out to local officials and hospital administrators about the recommendations.
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The panel recommended the state health commissioner assume power to replace hospital board members who are deemed ineffective and reorganize management at facilities that risk the safety of patients. One panel member said some of the hospitals in debt may not be in trouble if board members had improved their governance strategies.
The panel's recommendations are advisory but have already signaled some opposition. The president of the Greater New York Hospital Association has responded to the report, saying the organization will work to ensure new legislation doesn't give the DOH "excessive powers," according to the report.
The panel also said six Brooklyn hospitals lack the business model and margins "to remain viable," while three of those hospitals are experiencing financial crises that "require aggressive action," according to the news report. Those facilities are Interfaith Medical Center, Wyckoff Heights Hospital and Brookdale Hospital Medical Center.
Combined, those three hospitals have a combined long-term debt of $276 million. The panel has recommended the state Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center take over Brookdale, while Brooklyn Hospital Center would take over Interfaith and Wyckoff.
Health Commissioner Nirav Shah is expected to reach out to local officials and hospital administrators about the recommendations.
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