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Hospital leaders tell council state reimbursement caps, aging population squeeze Howard County General
Summary
Hospital officials described a mismatch between Howard County General Hospital’s physical capacity and state reimbursement rules, and asked council members to consider targeted financial support and state advocacy to address a constrained ability to expand services for an aging population.
Howard County General Hospital told the County Council it is operating below its licensed bed count and constrained by a state reimbursement system that limits its ability to expand services. Hospital representatives said the facility is licensed for 267 beds but currently has 244 physically available, and described a $45 million planned expansion to add a psychiatric unit and a new observation unit to address local demand.
The hospital’s spokesperson said Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) sets a global revenue cap based on a historic snapshot of the hospital’s business, which means the hospital receives little or no additional reimbursement even when its patient volume grows. The…
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