Southwest General Health Center, the 336-bed local hospital, reported that it will pay a fee of more than $2.8 million this fiscal year.
The fees are offset by a 5 percent increase in Medicaid payments to Ohio hospitals using money from the fees, enhanced by a federal match rate of more than 3 to 1. But since Southwest General has a relatively low Medicaid population, its extra Medicaid payments amount to $100,000, well short of what it pays in fees.
To pay for its losses, Southwest General restructured its debt, froze pay for all of its 2,500 employees, altered vacation schedules and reduced discretionary spending for items like travel and education.
Read the Sun Star Courier’s report on Southwest General Health Center.
