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Day Kimball Hospital
Posted inHealth, Money

Small community hospitals struggle to avoid a downward spiral

Avatar photo by Arielle Levin Becker

Many in health care say joining larger systems is key to small hospitals’ survival. But some policymakers are wary of the trend, saying it can raise prices without necessarily improving quality. And leaders of the state’s few remaining independent community hospitals say their organizations are facing stresses that could jeopardize their viability.

Posted inHealth, Money, Politics

Hospitals say state puts them between a rock and a hard place

Avatar photo by Arielle Levin Becker

As hospital officials describe it, state policy is pushing them in two opposing directions. Higher state taxes and funding cuts have added to the factors pushing independent community hospitals to join larger health systems, they say. But at the same time, legislators concerned about the growth of large health systems have been pushing for new restrictions on changes in hospital ownership, which hospital officials say makes it harder for them to adapt.

Posted inHealth

Trying for a breath of fresh air in treating asthma

Avatar photo by Arielle Levin Becker

Asthma affects Connecticut residents at higher rates than the nation’s population as a whole, and it’s on the rise. Several local efforts are trying to make headway in changing the course of the disease, using approaches some say could serve as a model for addressing other chronic illnesses that are more heavily influenced by what happens in a patient’s daily life than treatment in the medical system.

Posted inHealth

Hospitals could face larger cut

Avatar photo by Arielle Levin Becker

The governor cut $192 million in Medicaid funding for hospitals last month, but the actual hit to hospitals could end up being 25 percent higher. The state is holding back additional payments that weren’t part of the cost-saving measure, and the governor’s budget office said decisions about whether to pay them will be “based on whether we have enough money to keep the budget in balance.”