[kimmiejs]

Has anyone heard any news about slow Medicare reimbursements causing hospitals, especially rural ones, to cut corners which ultimately causes lay offs? I know all the hospitals in my area has a hiring freeze on right now. Once again because of government and Insurance companies with their bureaucracies as nurses we are forced to care for more patients with less staff and auxiliary staff to boot. It is a sad and scary situation no matter what angle you look at it

[cassioo]

On the front page of our paper today one of the hospitals is going to have some layoffs. It doesn't say in which dept but they interviewed one man and he's from IT and said others in that dept had been laid off. The same hospital has just opened another hospital on the other side of town that's running about 50% full now. But the reimbursement is low and slow. All governement insurance is slow. My husband is retired USAF so we have that insurance and it takes forever to pay and we have a supplement because of the low payment. My GYN quit taking Tri-care because it is so slow to pay so I pay cash upfront and let them pay me but everyone can't pay upfront.

[medi]

Eastern Ozarks Regional Medical Center -- rural Arkansas- closed down because of the same problem. Shut. Finished. No hospital left there now at all.