United Medical Center in Washington, D.C., may need a second taxpayer bailout to overcome its financial troubles, according to The Washington Post.
The public hospital has faced financial problems for years, but recently discovered Medicare billing errors could make its financial picture worse. Although it's not yet clear how extensive the overbilling was, United Medical Center CFO Jeffrey S. DeWitt told The Washington Post the hospital has put aside $5 million in its budget to pay back Medicare.
The hospital is supposed to be financially independent, but the city has provided millions in subsidies to the facility in recent years as the hospital struggled to provide care to some of Washington, D.C.'s poorest residents. Under a plan put into place by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, the goal is for the hospital to make it through 2018 without additional subsidies. However, that may not be possible if its deficit widens due to the billing errors, according to the report.
Despite United Medical Center's financial problems, Mr. DeWitt is pleased with the progress the hospital has made.
"The hospital is in probably better financial shape now than it's been, ever," he told The Washington Post. "It's above water for the first time, because we're monitoring it very closely."
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