Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-05
COMMUNITY CHEST
REVAMPS AUDITING
New Accounting System Has
Provision to Make D. c.
Pay Full Hospital Cost.

The new accounting system worked
out for nine local hospitals by the Com
munity Chest, 1t was announced yes
terday, not only will harmonic their
accounting methods with the uniform
plans of other organizations affiliated
with the Chest, but also will make rad
1cal changes in the methods OF pay
ments to the hospitals.
The system was worked out by the
Chest Auditing Committee, consisting
of James A. Councillor, chairman; Will
liam Deviny, G. P. Graham, w. G..
Buchanan, Wayne Kendrick, A. j.
Clendenen, T. Delos Paxman and J. E.
Gillis. The plan was put into effect
on July l.
d. C. Must Pay Full Costs.
One factor In the new plan, it was
trict government, as represented by the
Board Of Public Welfare, to pay full
cost for patients sent to these hoSpi-
tails or to send them to Gallinger, the
municipal hospital, instead. Under
present arrangements Chest hospitals
charge 50 per day for patients sent
them by the Board of Public Welfare.
whereas, according to the accountants,
the actual cost per patient IS about
04.5Z DGT Gay, UIlC ul11CIcLCC UCA4B
made up by Community Chest funds.
As the budget for 1892 for the District.
which will be acted upon by Congress
this Winter, already Is made up, this
provision will not apply to Board of
Public Welfare patients until July /,
1888, at the beginning Of the Districts
fiscal year.
Similar provisions are made for full
cost payment by the governments OF
nearby Maryland and Virginia, which
at the present time are given the 81
pitfalls. It Is held that there Is no
known condition to prevent the public
welfare authorities Of these two States
from paying the full cost for patients
sent here for disqualification. This
provision is made effective after Janu-
airy l, 1882.
Would Raise Prices Of Care.
The new plan also provides that the
Chest shall not assume responsibility
for services rendered at less than cost
to members of the employed personnel
or other groups directly or indirectly
connected with the hospital. The cost
of such services cannot logically be re-
garded as a community responsibility,
as Is pointed out in the health and hos
pital survey recently completed by the
American Public Health Association.
On the other hand, the Chest offers
no interference with profits received
from the treatment of pay patients.
These profits, the plan provides. may
be used to buy buildings or equipment
or to make up deficits in any other in
come producing departments. The plan
also suggests that hospitals revise their
rates as published for wards and semi
private rooms and make them approx
mately equal to the costs of such care,
so that II the patient pays less than
that rate because of his need, he may
know that he Is accepting a price con-
cession and not think he Is paying the
full cost of his care when not doing so.
The whole idea. it is explained, is
to use the gifts Of Washingtonians to
pay for actual cases Of need and not
to carry the deficits of departments
which should pay their way. Through
this plan, 1t Is said, the contributor may
know that every dollar paid to hospi-
tai Is used for actual needs Of some per-
son deserving Of that help.