The drama unfolding in the past week during which acute care hospitals struggled to find ways of participating in a reworked plan to provide care to Minnesota beneficiaries of the GAMC plan continues to unfold. Once balking at the state’s human services department’s plan overhaul as being too risky to guarantee care, HCMC — Minnesota’s largest acute care safety net — has decided to come on board. This naturally had the effect of bringing smaller hospitals along for the cost-sharing ride. HCMC’s participation at the last minute came as a result of a provision which will set limits on the numbers of patients they can see — a move made possible provided other acute hospitals sign on.

With a limit of 9,400 patients a month and $32 million to finance their care, Hennepin County Medical Center and the Hennepin County Board voted Thursday to participate in the revamped program, which starts in three weeks. A few weeks ago, only one of the 17 key hospitals, Regions Hospital in St. Paul, had said it might participate.

Interestingly, Governor Tim Pawlenty thought the Democratic-controlled legislature were being obstinate — pushing for this action in spite of his veto protestations on the matter. At that time, the governor had thought that HCMC, the anchor hospital here, already knew about the cap on beneficiary care. Apparently, the hospital didn’t.

That was news to Hennepin County negotiators, who had sought such a limit but weren’t offered it until that day, according to Hennepin County Board Chairman Mike Opat. “We’ll still lose money on every patient,” Opat said Thursday. “But with the cap on patients, we decided we were better off taking the money.”

Good move, and one which saves the GAMC program, which begins June 1. This blog will be watching how the state delivers this care in spite of decreased funds with which to provide it. Here’s hoping innovation trumps rote necessity in getting this done. | LINK

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2. Minnesota Hospital May Be Ultimate Arbiter in State’s Ability to Provide Safety Net Care to Poor The state’s largest acute care medical safety net, Hennepin County...
3. Developing Story: Minnesota’s Largest Acute Care Safety Net Rejects Alternate State Proposal for Indigent Care The board of the state’s largest publicly funded acute care...
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