Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-05-19
Chest Refuses 10 Pay
Hospital Fees Of Needy
Until After June |
By George Beveridae

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Approval of hospital care for
the city's needy patients at Com
munity Chest expense has been
shut of until June /. in a drastic
economy move to string out the
Chests inadequate disqualification
fund.
The word that they will get no
more money this month was
flashed to Washington hospitals
late yesterday by the Hospital
Service Agency. which decides If
patients are eligible for care at
Chest expense, and pays hospitals
for treating them.
The abrupt move closely fol-
lowed Chest demands that HSA
stop certifying certain patients so
that the monthly Chest allotments
will not be exceeded.
Only Bed Patients.
The shutdown applies only to
bed patients, officials said, not to
those who visit hospital clinics.
Reaction from hospitals checked
by The Star was that they will
continue to admit emergency"
patients, regardless Of the Chest
action. The prospect is less clear
for those who can wait for hos
pital care.
"We1l take emergencies, one
administrator said. land just not
get paid for it. There's nothing
else we can do.
ANY who don't need immediate
care, we'll send back to HSA with
word that doctors don't consider
them emergencies.
Some Face Deferment.
Another hospital chief said
Elective" surgery and other
PLANNED admission" cases will be
considered on their individual
merits, with a likelihood that some
will be held off until HSA resumes
payment of Chest funds.
HSA officials said they could
not estimate the number of poten-
tial patients who will be affected.
but that the cutoff is expected to
save expenses of about 1000 days
Of hospital care"
Since patients stay an average
Of about 10 days, he said, this
would indicate that the care of
about 100 patients. who ordinarily
would be certified for care by
HSA. will be handled entirely at
the discretion of hospitals.
Payment Point Raised.
A spokesman for the city's hos
pitfalls said the institutions want to
establish these two points in their
relations with the Chest:
/. That no patients be certified
for care without payment in full
to hospitals at rates agreed upon
by the Chest.
2. That hospitals be under no
"contractural obligation" to treat
non-emergency patients. unless
they are certified and paid for at
the agreed rates.
Last year. when the Chests hos
pitalization money dwindled
sharply, hospitals were paid at
reduced rates during the latter
part of the year. Rates were in
creased this year, adding to the
problem Of hospital fund far
below the size estimated as needed
by HSA and the hospitals.
HSAs Administrator Willard c.
Smith. in his wire to hospitals.
said the message sis known to and
approved by the Chest federation" u
He said the $4,000 allotted to
HSA by the chest this month
plus about $11,500 HSA expects
to collect from patients who can
pay part of their bills-was all
committed as of the start Of bust
ness Tuesday.
No New Extensions.
No new patients will be ap-
proved until June !, he declared,
and no new extensions" Of Chest
payment will be made for patients
already under hospital care.
Only exceptions to the hospital
patient close-down, officials said,
will be cases in which HSA has
specified payment to certain dates
beyond last Tuesday, or in limited
cases where HSA has set aside
money for patients due to enter
HOSPITALS later this month.
Mr.. Smith urged hospitals to con-
tinue referring patients "as usual
to provide a basis for possible
certification after the first of each
successive month, and to estimate
the measure of total indigency
problem as the basis for estimat-
ing next years need"
Annual Meeting Tuesday.
The Star earlier this week dis
closed that HSA had committed
its entire May fund and that pro-
posals were under study to tighten
the agency's standards for approx
ing patients.
Presumably these proposals will
be put into effect in June, in order
to prevent a recurrence of yes
terday's cutoff action.
That situation is expected to
come up for discussion at HSA's
annual meeting next Tuesday. To
reach a decision on this months
crisis, the HSA Board of Trustees
met Wednesday night but made
no comment until the kilograms
were dispatched to hospitals.