Evening star., 1948-06-20
Hospitals Seek
Early Payments
.For|ndigentCare
Meeting This Week
Expected on Contracts
For Six Institutions
By George Beveridse

WAshington's private hospital
heads expect to meet this week with
Health Department officials in an
effort to get early payments from
the District for treating INDECENT
patients.
The District supply bill, signed by
President Truman yesterday, author.
lied the District to pay six addi-
tional hospitals for treating persons
whose circumstances are such as to
qualify them for treatment at tax
supported Gallinger Hospital. Agree
ments already exist between the
Health Department and Casualty,
Emergency and Children's Hospitals.
Hospital ofiicials. plagued by
mounting operating costs and large
financial deficits, praised the move
and called for contracts that would
allow them to begin receiving pay
ment soon after the fiscal year begins
on July /.
Gives District S735,0O0. j..
The supply measure gives the Dis
+trict $735,000 to carry out the pro.
gram.
District Health Officer George G.
Ruhland warned that he will insist
the hospitals cooperate fully to
make this carefully controlled and
honestly operated program" Even
then. he said he feared the District
might not have enough money to
pay for the program all year.
New hospitals eligible for the pay
ment are Columbia, Episcopal,
Georgetown. George Washington,
Providence and Garfield.
Under the program, the six hos
pitab and those already drawing
payments will be eligible to receive
up to 50 day for treatment of In
patients and 50 a visit for out-pa-
tients. Casualty. Emergency and
Childrens now receive $3.50 and 81.
Meeting Likely This Week.
DR.. Ruhlands said there very
likely" would be a meeting this week
between oficials of the hospitals, the
Health Department and the Hospi-
tai Permit Bureau The latter
agency certifies patients who are
eligible for public aid.
The health officer said he in
tends to cooperate fully with The
institutions. but he said private hos
pitals must realize that at times
they may have to supplement inade-
quate Federal appropriations.
William r. Castle, president Of
the Hospital Council of the National
Capital Area, said the private hos
pitfalls, even with the new payments.
do not intend to take any District
people who should 60 to -Gallinger.
He said hospitals often have been
forced to take these when they
need immediate treatment.
Fowler Puts Cost at Million.
Attorney Daniel w. ODonoghue,
jr.. chairman of special committee
that has campaigned for the new
payments, predicted that nearly all
OF the nine hospitals will be eligible
for the maximum payment of SO .
day. The measure provides that hos.
pitals receive 50 or cost and in near.
ly each case the cost per day ex.
ceeds that amount, the attorney said.
He said the hospitals probably al
so will have to decide with Health
Department officials whether they
are to receive the full 50 for treating
children.
In testimony before Congress on
the INDECENT aid program, Budget
Officer Walter Fowler estimated the
plan would cost the District 81 ,00O,-
600 year. Health officials, however,
said they definitely intend to stay
within the available budget.
During 1947. Mr.. O'Donoghue said,
the six District hospitals had to
write of as a loss" s698 900, their
cost for treating the District indi-
gent. patients. The average cost, he
said, was Sl2.56 daily.