So far in 2011, six of 14 critical access hospitals in Arizona have negative operating margins, and four of them are at risk of closure, according to a Cronkite News report.
The rural CAHs that are running thin to negative profit margins will also soon face steeper Medicaid cuts, which some hospitals believe will cause "significant and irreversible harm," according to the report.
Officials at the Arizona State Office of Rural Health at the University of Arizona think that nine CAHs in the state could possibly face closure after more Medicaid cuts take effect. "You can only crash a system down so far before you've imploded it entirely," said Jim Dickson, CEO of Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee, Ariz., in the report.
The rural CAHs that are running thin to negative profit margins will also soon face steeper Medicaid cuts, which some hospitals believe will cause "significant and irreversible harm," according to the report.
Officials at the Arizona State Office of Rural Health at the University of Arizona think that nine CAHs in the state could possibly face closure after more Medicaid cuts take effect. "You can only crash a system down so far before you've imploded it entirely," said Jim Dickson, CEO of Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee, Ariz., in the report.
Related Articles on Hospital Operating Margins:
Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pennsylvania Posts $80M Profit
HCA, CHS-Owned Alaska Hospitals Post Profit Margins Higher Than 25% in 2010
Two Sides of the Coin: The Good and the Bad of Community Hospital Finances