Evening star., 1948-10-01
D. T.. Holds Up
PaytoHospita|s
For |ndigents
Thousands of Dollars
Needed by Institutions
Wait on Contract
By George Beveridee


bills, it was disclosed today.
The money is being held up, Of
ficials said, until contracts covering
the payments are prepared and sub
mitted to the hospitals.
The contracts will spell out con-
ditions under which the District will
reimburse nine Washington hos
pitals for treating indigents who are
eligible for care. Congress gave
the District $735,000 to pay the in
stitutions beginning July lat the
rate of 50 for each day of bed care
and 81 for each clinic visit.
The situation is further aggra-
vated by the failure of Congress to
appropriate sufficient funds for the
year ending last June 80 to care for
the service rendered by the three
hospitals which had contracts at
that time.
This shortage can be cared for
only by a deficiency appropriation
which cannot be expected until
some time next year when the new
Congress convenes.
Dispute Over Responsibility.
Delay in letting the contracts, it
was learned, has been caused mainly
by differences of opinion in the
Health Department and the District
Building about how far the govern
ment should 60 in accepting respon-
sibility for such treatment.
Most hospitals already have sub
mitted claims for July and August
and some claims have been ap-
proved tentatively by the Health
Department. But the three-month
delay in coming up with the con-
tracts has held up all payments,
officials said.
Affected most are hospitals like
Emergency. Childrens and Casualty,
which handle most of the reimburs-
able patients.
$4,000 at Children's.
John Martin, assistant admins
traitor of Children's. said the two
month claims from his hospital
totaled about $4,000.
And we need the money" he de-
clared. We're being pushed by our
own creditors. They have to pay
their bills, too, and we don't want
to face the possibility Of being put
on a c. o. D. basis by the people
we buy from
James G. Capossela. administrator
of Emergency, which submitted
claims of about $4,000 for each
month, said that if his hospital
doesn't get paid by the District
within month, "our operating
fund will be down to point that
we won't be able to meet some of
our bills"
Robert P. Bryant. secretary of the
Hospital Council of the National
Capital Area. said he was EN-
barrassed for the municipal govern
ment."
Terms Not Known.
Its a disgrace that it can't get
out a contract by the end of Sep
tember that should have been out
by the first of July" he stated. I'VE
don't even know whether hospitals
will sign the contracts. We haven't
been consulted lately on them
Arkell E. Cook, Garfield admins
traitor, said he was concerned chiefly
about what the contracts will in
clude. While Garfield claimed less
than $500 for the two months, he
said that I'VE don't have any idea
where we stand"
Health Department officials have
contended that the District should
pay only for patients who can meet
very low income standards, who
have lived here for at least a year
and who are emergency cases."
who could not have been sent to
Gallinger.
The hospitals, meanwhile, have
demanded a clear-cut definition of
just what an "indigent" is, and have
asked the Health Department to
pay for all emergency patients who
are indigents, regardless of their
residency here.
"Indigency," the hospital council
contends, should be determined in
individual cases by inability to pay
hospital bills-not by rigid income
standards alone.
Commissioner Guy Mason said the
1nol nf rNilol (t0r-
poration Counsel Vernon E. Vests
Office was responsible for the delay
in getting the contracts drafted.
Revision Drafted.
Mr.. West, however, said they have
been revised to meet policy ques-
tions." He said he thought the
questions" now have been settled
and that what he hoped was a
final draft" now is being drawn.
Before last July, only Emergency,
Casualty and Children's had such
contracts with the District. Con-
gress ordered that Garfield, Colum-
bia, Episcopal Providence, George
Washington and Georgetown Hos
pitfalls also be added to the list.
Officials of several hospitals ques-
toned by The Star said they weren't
expecting payments until October
is, because they understood pay
ments were to be made on a quar-
terly basis. Henry S. Gavens, Health
Department budget officer, said that
possibility was discussed but that
officials have decided to make
monthly payments. |
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