Indigency, ethnicity, and hospital viability. The growth of racially diverse communities challenges Catholic providers and sponsors.
A Catholic Health Association study analyzes correlations between the ethnic and racial composition of communities served by Catholic hospitals and these hospitals' viability and capacity to serve their communities. It also describes the extent to which Catholic hospitals serve racially homogeneous communities, on the one hand, and racially and ethnically diverse communities, on the other. For comparison, the study focuses on hospitals in two groups. Group A consists of hospitals in the top quartile based on their proportion of care for the poor and top-quartile percentages of black and Hispanic residents in their local communities. Group B consists of hospitals with bottom-quartile levels of care for the poor and bottom-quartile percentages of black and Hispanic residents. The study found that, from 1985 to 1990, group A hospitals continued to provide high levels of care for the poor (between 28 percent and 32 percent on average) while average margins fell from about 4 percent to below 1 percent. During the same period, the amount of care group B hospitals provided to the poor remained between 5 percent and 6 percent; although their margins declined, these hospitals were significantly more profitable than group A hospitals. The financial stress currently being experienced by many hospitals that serve communities with relatively high percentages of ethnic and racial minorities is troubling. Without basic reform of the healthcare system, many of these facilities may have to close, leaving many in their communities without access to adequate healthcare.
Catholic Health Association, St. Louis.
L A
LA
Hammond
B
B
Tang
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016361:Bankruptcy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002410:Catholicism; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016519:Hospitals, Religious / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008489:Medical Indigency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data