University Hospital in Louisville, Ky., will form a committee and hire a consultant to address questions about the safety-net hospital's future after its participation in a proposed merger was halted by state officials, according to a Courier-Journal report.
The new committee will be comprised of state and local government representatives as well as hospital board members. The review may explore whether the hospital needs a partner. Its proposed merger with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare in Louisville and Lexington, Ky.-based St. Joseph Health System was denied by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear last month. Those two systems have since merged to form KentuckyOne Health without University Hospital.
University Hospital officials have said more funds are needed to grow, but an alliance with a larger company is necessary to achieve those funds. Officials have also asked the state for more funding by pointing to its charity care spending. The new committee will also examine how University Hospital compares to other academic hospitals — such as University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University Medical Center — in charity care spending and financial performance, according to the report.
The consultant's analysis, which is expected to be complete by April, could also be used to propose affiliations with potential partners, according to the report. Officials have denied comment on whether University has been in discussions with KentuckyOne.
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The new committee will be comprised of state and local government representatives as well as hospital board members. The review may explore whether the hospital needs a partner. Its proposed merger with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare in Louisville and Lexington, Ky.-based St. Joseph Health System was denied by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear last month. Those two systems have since merged to form KentuckyOne Health without University Hospital.
University Hospital officials have said more funds are needed to grow, but an alliance with a larger company is necessary to achieve those funds. Officials have also asked the state for more funding by pointing to its charity care spending. The new committee will also examine how University Hospital compares to other academic hospitals — such as University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University Medical Center — in charity care spending and financial performance, according to the report.
The consultant's analysis, which is expected to be complete by April, could also be used to propose affiliations with potential partners, according to the report. Officials have denied comment on whether University has been in discussions with KentuckyOne.
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