Catholic groups disagree on impact of mergers
Catholic groups disagree on impact of mergers
Published report sparks debate among groups
In April of 1999, the nonprofit advocacy group Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) released a controversial report, "Caution: Catholic Health Restrictions May be Hazardous to Your Health."
The report is based on a CFFC survey of almost all Catholic hospitals in the United States, as well as an interpretation of data collected by the Baltimore-based Health Care Financing Administration. The report makes several claims about the state of Catholic health care and its impact on the overall availability of reproductive services in the U.S. health system. Statistics from the report have been published widely in the national media, including several consumer magazines. Among the claims are these:
• Emergency contraception is denied to rape victims at most Catholic hospitals.
• Since 1994, there has been a 20% increase in the number of counties in which a Catholic hospital is the sole provider of health care.
• Catholic sole-provider hospitals enjoy higher-than-average rates of Medicare reimbursement and face little competition.
The St. Louis-based Catholic Health Associa tion of the United States (CHA), the national organization representing Catholic health care institutions, contends that CFFC used faulty survey methodology and presented the resulting data in an inaccurate manner. CHA has assembled a response to the report, claiming to contradict its findings. Hospital officials can obtain copies of both reports by contacting the individual organizations. (See box at right for details.)
Here are the highlights of some key areas:
CFFC claim: A survey of 589 emergency departments at Catholic hospitals found that most refuse emergency contraception to rape victims.
CHA response: CFFC surveyors called the emergency departments and asked if the "morning-after pill" was available, CHA claims. If the person responding indicated it was not, the surveyor reported that the hospital did not provide emergency contraception. CHA contends that this methodology "confused the issue of abortion and emergency contraception for the purpose of obtaining a preordained result."
Catholic hospitals do provide emergency contraception to rape victims in the form of medications to suppress ovulation or impede fertiliza- tion once a physician determines that the patient is not already pregnant, CHA states. This is in accordance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
CFFC claim: The number of Catholic sole pro viders of care (counties in which the only hospital is a Catholic hospital) grew by 20% since 1994.
CHA response: An independent analysis by The Lewin Group, an organization that tracks health care mergers, reports that the number of Catholic sole providers grew by only four, with 88 Catholic hospitals as the sole provider, representing 5% of all hospitals that are sole providers in any county. In addition, CHA claims that only 11 of the 88 hospitals are located more than 35 miles from an unaffiliated hospital in an adjacent county.
CFFC claim: The Health Care Financing Administration’s prospective payment system gives sole community hospitals special payment exceptions. Catholic sole providers receive these payment exceptions while denying legal and needed services.
CHA response: "Sole provider" is not a HCFA designation, and sole-provider hospitals do not receive special payment considerations under Medicare unless they also are the sole community hospital, a different designation, CHA claims; 41 Catholic hospitals are designated as sole community hospitals, a number that has not changed since 1994.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.