Non Profit Hospitals: Fraud, Abuse & Death

Op Ed News has:

Doctors Demand Justice For Patient Advocate Whistleblower

Washington- No one is safe when hospitals put profit before patients. Recent revelations of continued fraud at hospitals belonging to the chain of for-profits known as the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA, formerly known as Columbia-HCA) continue to shock the conscience of a people already reeling from fraud in the banking, mortgage and financial sectors. Will a medical meltdown be next? Public safety advocates have asked Congress to mandate special protections for medical whistleblowers. HCA has faced the largest false claims suits in history, and had paid more than $1.7 Billion dollars in fines for bilking taxpayers and patients. Despite these huge payouts, HCA apparently continues the misconduct that led to its already enormous fines. With 17% of the US GNP devoted to medical care, and with increasing amounts of bailout money going to health, the need for protection has never been greater. .......

This report details a Doctor receiving Death Threats, for exposing extensive evidence of false billing, patient endangerment, and death in Grand Jury Documents.

"Evidence shows a shocking alteration of charts, and that HCA-Virginia may actual(ly) have put patients in jeopardy in order to frame Dr. Vuyyuru."

Baltimore Sun has:

Congress Seeks To Have Hospitals Justify Their Tax-Exempt Status

"..... The Sun reported that hospital debt-collection lawsuits spiked sharply between 2003 and 2006 before falling slightly in 2007. In all, hospitals filed more than 132,000 of these suits in the past five years, winning at least $100 million in judgments and placing liens on more than 8,000 homes."

WSJ has:

Non Profit Hospitals Take Heat Over Charity At An Inopportune Time

A recent IRS report found that Under 20% of 489 Non-Profit hospitals provided 78% of the Charity care provided by the whole group. Further, the Majority, of Hospitals in the US are Non-Profits, and therefore Tax Exempt.

The IRS also determined that the average compensation, from these Non-Profit's top officials averaged a Non-Profit $490,000 a year. In 20 Large hospitals they found top execs compensation averaged $1.4 Million per year, ...... for Not making a Profit because they provide Charity Care. See Above.

also of interest:

WSJ has: (Jan 22 2009)

Pete Stark Vs Doctor Owned Hospitals

And Also under the heading of Non Profit: I.E. State Owned:

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has:

Audit Cites Flaws In Georgia's Mental System For Youths

"Last week, the state reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to make major improvements in its state psychiatric hospitals — and to spend what’s necessary to protect patients from harm. Federal investigators last year concluded that the hospitals’ failure to address critical errors caused unnecessary deaths and injuries.


The Justice Department investigation was prompted by articles in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which found at least 136 suspicious deaths of hospital patients and almost 200 confirmed cases of patient abuse from 2002 through late 2007."

Hmmm. For Profit And Non Profit, ...... These Hospitals are looking pretty Non Profitable to the Patient.