[Vision2020] Gritman's Community Service

[Mark Solomon]

Not that I'm lookin for a gift horse to do a 
dental exam on, but I have just  a teeny bit of 
knowledge of medical accounting practices.. just 
enough to make myself foolish occasionally.

So here goes: How  much of the $11M is truly care 
for indigent patients and how much is the 
difference in the amount the hospital receives 
from Medicaid/Medicare and what they would charge 
a willing private patient paying cash?

Mark

At 12:05 PM -0800 3/1/05, Tom Hansen wrote:
>Impressive.  Very impressive.
>
>Consider the alternative, Moscow without Gritman.  Scary, isn't it?
>
>We shouldn't be thankful to Gritman, not criticizing them.
>
>Over $11 million in non-reimbursed medal care?  WOW !
>
>The city of Moscow . . . No . . . Latah County owes Gritman Medical Center
>an immeasurable debt of gratitude.
>
>Many of those at Gritman are volunteers whose names we will probably never
>know.
>
>Thank you, Gritman, for your selfless contributions to this beautiful
>community.
>
>Take care, Moscow.
>
>Tom Hansen
>Moscow, Idaho
>
>We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are
>dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all
>exist very nicely in the same box.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
>On Behalf Of Barbara Richardson Crouch
>Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 11:46 AM
>To: bjswan at moscow.com; Shelly; Vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: [Vision2020] Gritman's Community Service
>
>Mark and Community,
>
>I have reviewed Gritman's Form 990 from the year 2003 (the latest
>available).  And I think it is important for the community to know the
>exact amount of Griitman's Community Contributions.  In 2003 Gritman
>provided $11,699,750.02 in direct patient care that was not reimbursed. 
>Gritman absorbs these costs for the community.  In addition to this
>amount, Gritman provided another $1,223,791 to promote health care in the
>community by providing services such as Gritman Adult Day Health, CPR
>classes, smoking cessation clases, etc.
>
>As a community board member, I have been very impressed with Gritman's
>concern for the cost of health care.  I know the baord does everything in
>their power to ensure that our community receives the best health care at
>the best price.  The costs associated with Health Care are a concern
>nationwide.  Moscow is no exception.  But because Gritman and its Board of
>Directors have been fiscally repsonsible and carry a fund balance, they
>are able to keep the increases to a minimum.  As a not-for-profit, it is
>imperative that reserves be maintained to ensure the long-term viability
>of the organization.
>
>As for Donovan's comments.  Gritman did not play a role in the University
>requiring health insurance for its students.  We all know that one injury
>or illness can create thousands of dollars in medical bills.  If a student
>is not insured, they run the risk of ruining their credit for many years,
>plus the rest of the community pays for their health care.  I know that
>college is expensive, however, when I attended the University of
>Mississippi in the early 1980's I paid more per semester than resident
>students pay in fees today at the Univeristy of Idaho!  
>
>Barbara
>
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