To some, Genesee Hospital's demise is a case study in fiscal mismanagement. But many health care experts consider it just another victim of deregulation and federal budget cuts.
Hospitals are in financial turmoil across upstate New York and across the country.
Bankruptcies, failed mergers and closings have become more common as institutions in every state struggle with reduced reimbursements, costly technology and staff shortages. The Genesee closing is symptomatic of the entire industry. These aren't flukes. Batavia's United Memorial Medical Center announced last week that it would sell its St. Jerome Hospital building and consolidate services, about a year after the two hospitals merged. Last fall, Massapequa General Hospital on Long Island announced it would close after financial pressures became too much to bear.