The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-25

with a view TO reducing what is known
acceptarfce, not TO say demanding, of free
medical service by persons. who II not
abundantly able to pay for treatment are
yet not - be ordinarily classed as In
need of charity aud who. indeed, would
scorn tho charity expressed in offers OF
food and clothing though quite ready TO
accept advice, treatment and free medicine
at the hospital door
1t was in New York dispensary, we
believe, the other day. that an out patient
upon her departure left her pocketbook on
the table and upon examination it was
found to contain fifty dollars. This was,
perhaps, an extreme case But hospital
officials everywhere seom TO have had ex-
periencos of this kind in varying degrees
which compel the assertion of tho right of
the hospital TO make discrimination in ac-
ceptiug patients The regulations recently
put in force looking to this at our leading
Rhode Island institution have been OF
radical and novel kind it seems while the
results are interesting, informing and
apparently satisfactory.
Before the recent sessionsof the Ameri-
can Academy of Medicine In PhiladeI-
pnia, Dr. +. Il. Rogers of this city gave
an account of the years trial of the new
plan and we find summary thereof in
Weekly. The paper demonstrates that
the dispensary abuse as practiced here.
abouts had not been overestimated and
that it is possible, with little difficulty
and no hardship to worthy applicants, to
reduce 1t amazingly The basis of the
plan was TO make known to all applicants
for service that they were recipients of
charity and to great extent, as may be
believed, this of itself was enough to
considerably reduce the number who ask
for aid while 1t Is not believed that It
added any embarrassment to the really
worthy who need the assistance offered by
| the dispensary service There is list of
pertinent questions put to applicants and
form of statement for such to sign, but
I'm emergencies, accidents and sudden ILL
ness these are waived. the dispensary
management properly preierring to take
the risk of error on the side of the
sufferer.
Space will not permit a review of the in
teresting details of the experiment which
DIR. Rogers paper affords. But 1t Is a
matter of public qualification that so
great success has been already achieved.
1t is thus fact OF record that, working
no hardship to any deserving applicant
so far as can be known, and indeed, as
Df Rogers attests, giving the benefit of
every doubt to such applicant applioa-
tIons for. service in the first half of the
year covering the trial were reduced in
number by about two-ffths and of these
more than twenty-five per cent were
denied admission, WHILE in tho second
half of the year. the beneficial, effect of
the rules Is discoyerable In tho fact that It
was necessary to deny only about one balf
of the number refused in the first half,
though the number found to be deserving
remained practically tho same. IL appears
further that Of the total number of appli-
cants, sixteen per cent were found not
to be deserving on their own admission
and statements
Summarizing this gratifying result of
the trial, il appears that tle attendance
upon the dispensary has been lesscned
over 1000 new cases per year. II one
| quarter OF these be allowed TO be un-
worthy, the plan adopted by the hospital
has weeded from the ranks of hospital
pauperism over forty-one per cent of un-
worthy applicants.
From those results, Dr. Rogers is
plainly justified In assuming that under
such regulations neither the hospital nor
the public can suffer. Indeed, it Is diff
cult to seq how they can be anything but
gamers 1t Ia matter OF peculiar signifi-
canoe, as to the rejected applications, that
lsi OF them were taxed in the city of
Providence for aggregate property posses
sions amounting 20 S53S. 3SO an average
property representation of S2027 and IL
seems clear. as Dr. Rogers puts il in con.
clusion, that under such discriminating
regulations rs those now enforced at the
Rhode Island Hospitals
l. The class OF people who frequent chart
table clinics because they can get free treat.
~. 4s L.