How healthy is WNC’s hospital industry?

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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This International Herald Tribune story caught my eye today. It offers a round-up of the financial troubles of hospitals across the country. It made me wonder how WNC’s hospitals are faring.

I’m not a financial expert, so I’ll have to do some research to get a handle on this. If anyone has any tips on how to research this, please let me know.

The pertinent parts:

Hospitals around the country are struggling to stay afloat amid the recession, although many have had financial problems for years, often blamed on Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs that don’t fully cover the costs of care for millions of patients.

Numerous hospitals have filed for bankruptcy, including Charlotte, N.C.-based Hospital Partners of America, which operates four hospitals

Some hospitals have been posting multimillion-dollar losses or had credit rating agencies put their bonds on credit watch or downgrade their ratings. Some investor-owned hospital companies have seen share prices plummet, missed Wall Street forecasts or lowered their own financial performance predictions. Along with trimming expenses and delaying capital projects, some are discussing mergers or selling medical office buildings to raise cash.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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