Safety Net Hospitals Studied as They Prepare for Health Care Reform Implementation - Aug. 7, 2012

The Kaiser Family Foundation released a study yesterday examining five leading safety net hospitals (also NAPH members) as they prepare to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The hospitals are Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City, Denver Health Medical Center in Colorado, Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, San Francisco General Hospital in California and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond. The hospitals were selected because of their nationally recognized care and their common characteristics of being large urban academic medical centers with high levels of uninsured and Medicaid patients. The study, which includes reactions to the Supreme Court’s ACA ruling, found these hospitals will have both great opportunities and challenges with reform implementation, which will involve investing in systems, employees and infrastructure; establishing accountable care organizations and different payment systems and improving care delivery. The study hopes to provide other safety net hospitals insight and strategies as they prepare for the changes of health reform.