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Post by OutlawwithaSnipeSniper on Jul 8, 2015 21:03:32 GMT -6
There's the answer............. As more and more money losing patients come in, the ability to overcharge those with Insurance is less, and financial losses increase, causing them to cut services, and pull the death spiral tighter.. Don't bet on that Sniper. It's pretty lame when you go there for blood tests & you have to pay $225.00 for your share of ins. ie 20% of the bill, when you can get the same tests @ Streator Drugs for $50.00!! That's precisely the death spiral I speak of. Each day, more and more of us with Insurance elect to pay the cheaper 50 dollars.........And St. Fleeces has that much less revenue to offset the deadbeats.
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Post by no1inparticular on Jul 8, 2015 22:32:40 GMT -6
This is part and parcel to Obamacare and its implementation, whether one likes it or not... I moved to Streator from Southern California in 2010, and for at least 3 years prior - hospitals were closing at alarming rates throughout the country...It matters not if they're rural, the doors shut all the same because they KNEW what was coming... The paper pretty much summed up what many of us already know - Streator cannot attract Physicians that are above the D/F grade level (meaning the bottom of the barrel)... There's NOTHING in town to attract more competent Dr's (they like their off work lives too, and there's nothing to lure them here - not even golf LOL!)... The $$$ involved in such a venture is mind-boggling, and clearly this is not a lucrative deal (once again, referring to the Times article)because they've already lost too many levels of care (OB/GYN, etc...)...
Don't get me wrong, I hope we have the luxury of keeping the hospital...However, if it falls through, then I have zero problem with going elsewhere...
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Post by oldtimer on Jul 9, 2015 5:41:37 GMT -6
There's the answer............. As more and more money losing patients come in, the ability to overcharge those with Insurance is less, and financial losses increase, causing them to cut services, and pull the death spiral tighter.. Don't bet on that Sniper. It's pretty lame when you go there for blood tests & you have to pay $225.00 for your share of ins. ie 20% of the bill, when you can get the same tests @ Streator Drugs for $50.00!! You just proved his point.
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Post by dive61364 on Jul 9, 2015 7:19:04 GMT -6
my wife started getting her blood work done at Streator drugs also because of the price.
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Post by rocket on Jul 9, 2015 7:33:35 GMT -6
My Drs office has there own lab. You can have blood or urine test right In the office during your appointment.
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Post by Blue Star on Jul 9, 2015 7:47:27 GMT -6
My Drs office has there own lab. You can have blood or urine test right In the office during your appointment. So does mine, but ... they can't DO many tests, aside from the basics ones!
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Post by toshiko on Jul 9, 2015 8:32:45 GMT -6
I was just charge over 1000 bucks for tests and when I called St. James, those same tests were under 700!!! When I called the HSHS biller in Colorado, she said the worst complaints were about St. Mary's and St John's in Springfield. Seems the Sisters of the Third order, have all kinds of problems w/ their hospitals!!!
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Post by dumdave on Jul 9, 2015 10:25:44 GMT -6
There's the answer............. As more and more money losing patients come in, the ability to overcharge those with Insurance is less, and financial losses increase, causing them to cut services, and pull the death spiral tighter.. Don't bet on that Sniper. It's pretty lame when you go there for blood tests & you have to pay $225.00 for your share of ins. ie 20% of the bill, when you can get the same tests @ Streator Drugs for $50.00!! I really Hate to say this about St Mary's, but Blue is right. Twice it took over 6 months to settle w/ hospital. This has never happened in any hospital my family has ever been at. If anything, most hospitals want to get to bill all settled ASAP. I don't have Roman's ability to walk up to the billing desk and pay like I just had a lunch @ a cafe.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2015 12:24:46 GMT -6
In my opinion, the decline has to do with insurance companies will pay for this but not for that. Insurance companies has alot to do with decline in the hospitals.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2015 12:25:10 GMT -6
St. Mary's on the decline: Admissions drop at local hospitals Story Comments Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size A look at La Salle County's hospitals Patient Admissions 2004 2013 Illinois Valley 2,575 1,860 St. Elizabeth 2,359 1,669 St. Mary's 2,141 1,326 Average daily number of patients 2004 2013 Illinois Valley 26 21.5 St. Elizabeth 22.9 17.1 St. Mary's 32.4 16.4 Average length of hospital stays (in days) 2004 2013 Illinois Valley 4 4.2 St. Elizabeth 3.3 3.7 St. Mary's 5.5 4.5 Number of emergency room visits 2004 2013 Illinois Valley 16,497 14,974 St. Elizabeth 18,098 18,039 St. Mary's 11,845 12,174 Source: Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board Posted: Wednesday, July 8, 2015 10:42 pm | Updated: 10:56 pm, Wed Jul 8, 2015. David Giuliani, davidg@mywebtimes.com, 815-431-4041 | 0 comments La Salle County's hospitals have seen declines in admissions for years, with Streator's St. Mary's Hospital suffering the biggest drop.
Annual admissions at St. Mary's fell nearly 40 percent from 2004 to 2013, according to reports that hospitals are required to file with the state. In 2013, the hospital admitted 1,326 people, far fewer than the 2,141 in 2004.
On Tuesday, St. Mary's officials announced they put the hospital's facilities up for sale. St. Mary's parent organization, Springfield-based HSHS, determined that St. Mary's was too far away from headquarters, the officials said.
The drop in admissions is at least partly the result of the increased popularity of less expensive outpatient services.
At Ottawa's OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Peru's Illinois Valley Community Hospital, admissions have fallen about 30 percent over a decade's time.
St. John's Hospital in Springfield, the flagship hospital for HSHS, has seen a 20 percent drop over 10 years.
Admissions declines are common around the state, including the Chicago area, said Tommy Hobbs, Illinois Valley Community Hospital's CEO. Still, he said, the Peru hospital has seen a "significant" increase in revenue over the last 10 years.
"The curve is going up," he said.
Indicators show that St. Mary's is on the decline. Its total revenue dropped from $61 million to $52 million from 2010 to 2013, according to its publicly available federal tax forms. Its red ink totaled $2.6 million in that time.
In the same period, the number of full-time equivalent employees fell from 433 employees in 2010 to 310 in 2014.
Less of the hospital's revenue comes from private insurance, which provides greater reimbursements than Medicare and Medicaid, slipped to 28.8 percent in 2010, from 31.1 percent five years earlier.
"That really hurts," said John Flanders, St. Mary's CEO.
Flanders said his hospital has lost market share to others in the area, largely because it has fewer primary care doctors and specialists. Hospitals are typically more successful as the number of doctors increases.
In the last 10 years, Flanders said, the hospital has recruited 28 doctors, none of whom was retained.
"In my three years here, I have recruited two physicians. Neither is here yet," he said.
A standalone outpatient center?
An overwhelming percentage of the hospital's revenue comes from outpatient services, which is far more than most places, Flanders said.
"I would guess that most rural hospitals are in the same situation we are in. They are the outpatient facilities for their markets. This is how they are staying viable," he said.
Some hospitals around the country have been converted into outpatient centers with emergency rooms. If that happened in Streator, it probably would be a reduced operation with fewer employees. That would be better than an outright closure of St. Mary's, which some residents feared in the days leading up to the announcement that the hospital was up for sale.
Under state law, though, an emergency room cannot be standalone; it must be part of a hospital, Flanders said. A bill in the state legislature would end that requirement, he said.
Because of the law, an outpatient center is especially unwelcome. Last year, St. Mary's emergency room recorded more than 12,000 visits.
"The community would be very concerned about not having access to emergency care," Flanders said.
More hospitals joining chains
St. Mary's officials say they are confident they'll find a buyer. Since 1980, 14 hospitals have closed in Illinois, according to the Illinois Hospital Association. But none of the closures since 2011 have been in rural areas.
Some independent hospitals are joining chains, as was the case with Ottawa's hospital a few years ago.
Illinois Valley Community Hospital is one of the few that remain independent. Its CEO, Hobbs, said joining a chain is not one of the hospital's goals for now.
"With the national environment and pressures, to rule that out as a possibility in the future, you would be wrong to make that statement," he said. "We are developing our future plans as if we are to remain an independent hospital."
More Coverage OSF HealthCare comments on potential St. Mary's sale
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Post by toshiko on Jul 9, 2015 12:26:51 GMT -6
It kinda reminds me, of Immaculate Conception,spending all that money on a rectory and community center, just to consolidate, close the church, and now let those building sit in ruin!!! Made no sense to me, either. You make valid points about the hospital. Or shoot, what about some VA services?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2015 12:28:54 GMT -6
It's sad. We have this large Hospital that was built to meet our growing needs back in the 60's. Our population has slowly shrunk instead of grown since then. Hospital stays are far shorter now. Patients get shipped out, sent home or to the Nursing home. There just isn't a need for so many rooms. Entire floors have not been used for patient care for a long time, perhaps decades and yet they have built on, added services, built Heliports, Cancer treatment centers, redone the ER. Instead of spending all that money, why not bill the patient a little less money and use all that underutilized space they already have. Why not have some measure of cooperation between local Hospitals? If Streator can offer some treatment for Cancer Patients, maybe Ottawa could specialize in Heart problems and LaSalle in Kidney treatment. They could all offer some specialties and serve a larger area, and not have the expense of trying to be all things to all people. Instead they build a clinic in South Ottawa to try to compete with the big Hospital already over there. It is beyond my understanding. I know they all have to keep the lights on. They have to be relevant and serve patients needs that have money to pay for the services. I guess it's time for a re-boot to the system. Well, in my opinion, instead of building on they should of kept the floors open and think about how to use those floors more effectively than to spend money on building on. But, like me, going to Bloomington for my diabeties, I'm sure that others go out of town for their doctors also. Just your primary doctor are not specialist. So that takes effect also.
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Post by toshiko on Jul 9, 2015 12:33:11 GMT -6
In my opinion, the decline has to do with insurance companies will pay for this but not for that. Insurance companies has alot to do with decline in the hospitals. Insurance companies, negotiate prices, for all services rendered, at hospitals. Some companies may pay, for example, 2000 for cataract surgery,while another may only pay 1700. Many companies followed what medicare paid for and did not pay. As for other hospital services, those, too, are negotiated w/ the companies. It also has to do w/ how the medical records department codes said bills.
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Post by dumdave on Jul 9, 2015 12:38:32 GMT -6
"OSF HealthCare is not going to speculate on any interest on our part at this time. We continue to focus on the services we already offer in Streator and meeting the needs of the community through coordinated care sites in central Illinois."- TIMES newpaper. I was stunned to see how amany floors were VACANT at St Mary's.
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Post by antamaleen on Jul 10, 2015 6:49:40 GMT -6
Their billing system is either a nightmare or a joke. I've had the nightmare part the last two years. Don't get me started on the Drs. there. NEVER send a check thru the mail or charge it! Go to the hospital to pay your bill. That's how you avoid their billing system! Thanks for the warning. I was going to send a check. Not now!
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