Commission Completes Regional Hearings - Moves to Closed Door Discussions

Hearings of the Regional Advisory Committees (RAC) of the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century have been completed throughout Upstate New York. Hearings included three in the Western region, four in the Central region, two in Northern New York, and three in the Hudson Valley region. Interest among rural providers and constituents has run high, with many testifying on the challenges of assuring health care services for rural New Yorkers and suggesting ways to facilitate delivery of care in light of the Commission’s charge to streamline the health care system.

Hospital and nursing home administrators cited accessibility to health care for all individuals, economic benefits both in terms of employment and in purchasing goods from local vendors, and their institutional roles in being active participants in the community. Out of date nursing home reimbursement methodologies were noted, together with the need for more cost-effective, alternative settings in long-term care. Also emphasized was the importance of assuring that criteria used by the Commission in rating hospitals as merger or closure candidates do not disadvantage rural hospitals but recognize unique rural hospital factors.

Findings from the hearings are being conveyed to the Commission for “rightsizing” recommendations in each region. The Commission developed a set of guidelines for voluntary rightsizing which can be accessed on its website at http://www.nyhealthcarecommission.org/. "We do have a number of voluntary applications from across the state," said David Sandman, executive director of the Commission. He declined to name the hospitals whose sensitive plans are being reviewed for antitrust implications.

A significant portion of Commission meetings are now being conducted in executive session to address in detail the medical, financial, or credit history of particular facilities.