Evening star., 1946-11-14
3 3HospitaIsAsk
$50 Daily as
Fee
Begin Contract
Tolks With D. c.
For 50% Increase
by Harold r Rnneyx
By Harold B. Rogers

VI 0VIO tHSIS0SS
By Harold B. Rogers
4 $3.50 per day increase for the
are Of INDECENT patients is being
sought by three Washington hos
pitals from the District government
lor the fiscal year beginning next
July.
Preliminary negotiations alons
This line already have begun, 1t was
learned today from an authorita.
tive source. The hospitals-Emer-
gency. Casualty and Children's--
which now have contracts with the
District Health Department for SIS
q day for charity hospital patients.
are seeking raise to S7.50. The
present contracts run to June 80, un.
der the current District appropria.
ton act.
These institutions feel the IN
creased cost Of hospital care Justify
them In attempting TO get an in
crease from the District govern.
ment.
Higher Costs Recognized.
The higher cost of hospital care
already has been recognized by the
District Commissioners at GaIlinper
Municipal Hospital. The former
rate of S. a day charged to full
pay" patients at Gallinger, was
raised to STA October /. These paw
patients admitted to Gallinger in
clude only emergency and psycho-
pathic cases.
The three private hospitals plan
to use this action OF the Commis-
sioners in asking for increase In the
rates paid by the city for care of
indigents in private institutions.
Their move for an increase u
separate from a similar attempt to
get "at least 81 day" next calendar
year from the Community Chest
Federation to pay for the care Of
INDECENT patients sent to hospitals
here through the admissions bureau
operated by the Health Security Ad.
miniStration, private agency.
The Chest disqualification fund.
under contract with the health
agency, pays hospitals IS per day
for such care.
Meanwhile the long controversy
over Health Security Administers
ton, which has been strongly .criti-
cized and as stoutIy defended, was
under study today. with q view to
ironing out its difficulties as CEN
trail figure in the whole hospital and
health picture of the city,.
A conference was scheduled for
this afternoon between the health
agency's Executive Committee and
q special subcommittee Of the Conn
munity Chest Federation's. Budget
Committee on the general question
OF the agency's future.
Action Up to Federation.
The Chest group is headed by
Chester Morrf.l, secretary of the
Federal Reserve Board, who repre-
|sents the Washington Community
Chest on the Chest Federation
Budget COMMITTEES. Five other mem
bers Of the Chest subcommittee
were chosen to represent the five
Iother Community Chests In the
federation. While they have no
nnal power to act, 1t was learned
they plan to study the whole struc-
lture Of Health Security Administers
ton, and its possible place in the
future of the community. They win
report back to other ofiicials Of the
Community Chest Federation, which
later viii take action.
The future. Of the heath agency
also was discussed at two other
meetings yesterday afternoon. The
first session was that of the Executive
Committee of Health Security Ad-
ministration itself, and the second
was that of the Executive COMMITTEES
of the new Hospital Council of the
National Capital Area.
The Health Security Administers
tion's committee agreed to ask the
Community Chest Federation to IN
crease the per diem pay for indigents
in hospitals from the present SIS TO
"at lease ST." bat decided not to press
the demand until after the current
Chest campaign for funds.
The health agency,s Executive
Committee decided also to call Joint
conference of representatives from
each hospital and from each of the
nearby Virginia counties, and Alex
andria to negotiate a contract under
which hospitals would be paid for in
patient care at not less than 81 day.
There is some difference of opinion
in nearby Virginia, however, over
this issue.
Health Security Administration
also moved to work out its new status
in the future, under recommends
tions made recently by the Metro.
politan Health Council, as a result
of the health and hospital survey Of
last spring.
The health agency had been
sharply criticized by the outside sur
veyorS last june as q .'misfit" in the
hospital picture. But 1t was de-
tended, in part, by the health corn-
Gil. as q worthy enterprise, which
could serve useful role in the COM
munity, with certain changes In its
status.
Health Security Administration
consequently decided to request the
Hospital Council to join with Health
Security Agency in the establishing
a committee to study the most eff.
fective way of co-ordinating the ac-
tivities Of central admitting and hos
pital admitting; that admitting pro-
cedures shall be as simple as possible,
consistent with good practice"
The agency further decided to
invite the Chest Federation and
Hospital Council to join with it
in establishing a joint committee
to act on other recommendations
of the Health Council. First Of these
win be the negotiation of the HSA-
Chest Federation Hospital agrees
|ment effective January /.
To Be Named Later.
willard G. Smith, administrator
LOT the Health Security Agency, an
|nounced after the meeting that its
two proposed committees on mutual
problems would be named later BY
DR.. Henry C.. Macatee, health
agency president.