European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 7, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes thursday january 7,1988 Hospital costs jumped 16% last year Nashville Tenn. A patients up Cal nearly the same amount of Lime in hospitals Lail year As in i98fi. Hill the Cost per Day jumped an average 16 per cent nationwide according to a Survey of 1,863 Hospi tals. The Survey released tuesday by Nashville based , found that the jump in rates was due largely to a 20 percent Rise in Hospital charges Tor services other than room and Board. The Siudy found he average Cost of an Overall stay in the Hospital increased by 19 percent. The larger increase Tot the Cost of an Overall stay above the in crease of the Cost per Day Wos attributed largely to a 2 per cell increase in the average length of stay in the Hospital. While the stabilization of Hospital lengths of stay is very Good news a 19 percent increase in the Overall cosi of that slay is disturbing especially in Light of a general economic inflation talc of floss than 5 percent said William t. Hjorth Equi Cor president. The a Crane daily Cost of Hospit Bizalion ranged from s353 in Danville va., to 11,487 in san Jose calif., according to the Survey. The study was conducted for the i ill year by Equi Cor a join venture of Hospital corporation of Ameri Ca and the equitable group and health insurance co. That Sells Benefit packages to employer the amounts charged for All types of rooms deluding geriatric psychiatric and Nursery wards were aver aged Tor each Hospital. Hospitals in 46 states showed an increase in the amount they charge per Day those in 17 slates reported i nor rasps of 20 Perten i or More Equilar found. The american Hospital association of Washington ., said Equi Cor should Hove studied the actual amounts hospitals collect rather than what they charge because there it a big difference Between inc figures. It eau lot s study l reflect the True rates that arc paid by medicare for example or other third party payers said Clay Mickel director of communications for the 5,400-Membcr aha the nation s largest health Industry group. I Don t think anybody s going to argue with the fact thai ancillary charges arc increasing More rapidly than other ancillary charges usually fees paid radiologists pathologies or for other Laboratory work Are often Only partly under the control of hospitals. He . The study also found Hal Hospital Beds in 31 slates were comply As often As they were occupied. The average length of slay incr card just 2 percent ranging from length est average Al 8.3 Days in Washingion , to 3.8 Days in Alaska according to the study. In metropolitan areas the average length of Hay ranged from �.7 Days in the Albany n.y., area 0 3.6 Days in the Richland Wash,.ana. The Survey care were in " the slates with hospitals with the Lawsl average a nil charge were Rhode Island with an average of s42s Delaware. S474 new Jersey. Its new York and non h Carol Ina Boih s512. The Stales with hospitals charging the highest aver age daily charge were Nevada. S1,204 California Al 10" Hawaii sto6 Oregon $ss3. The average daily charge for the District of Columbia was$9z4. Richland e also found Hal the highest changes for Western slates and the lowest were in Ibe red gives trash Crews Bagful of trouble Rockville my. A the Chic red garbage bags used by some suburban homeowners Are sending the wrong signal to local trash haulers who Are ruined to recognize red color coding As a warning for infectious wastes. A was a dumb thing for Ciman mar its to do said Alan Borg Stan chief of Montgomery county s Divi Sion of solid waste management of the red bags emblazoned with the and Man Marcus logo in Block Levering red hags mean something very special Louv As tar As 1 know it is a nationwide said bar Glen. In a generally accepted item in inc solid waste business. If there arc a whole lot of them out there they re going to Jive Usa i the trash sack is advertised As the Cal. Convenient and fun Way to Dis pose of trash by Neiman Marcus a Texas based upscale retailer which has a store just across the county line in Northwest Washington. A sales clerk said the bags Are a hot seller this season Al is a packet for inc 13-gallon size and $6.25 a packet forthc33-gallon sire. Do health officials see nothing hoi about them. It s going to cause a problem no double about it said Ray Feldmann of the stale department or environment in Baltimore. Store spokeswoman Barbara Ann Kelly said corporate policy forbade her from discussing the Mailer and referred questions to store Headquarters in Dallas. Associates of Jan Roberts Neiman Marcus corporate vice president for Public relations said she was unavailable. Waste management officials fear some garbage workers May become squeamish about inc bags because of rising fears of coming in Contact with waste materials from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome raids related illnesses. This stuff is not even supposed to leave a Hospital a Crosien said. A red bag Means that bag slays in he said that in the three or four cases annually that the Hospital bags Lurn up in the county workers sort through the items 10 identify the hos Pital Hen ask inc Hospital to retrieve the materials. Two Heads better than one Wulw exotic Pel Mure owner Ken Robertson of for lib mutant red or Siwwi Turtle r1lh Winter Haven Kul T offered 10,000 two Heads. But be Woolin l �1l Kennedy acted quietly to Force Murdoch Choice Lexington. Mass. A sen. Edward a Ken Nedy said Hal he acted quietly to enact i Law thai could Force Rupert Murdoch to choose Between news papers find television stations because Murdoch could have blocked the legislation otherwise. Whal we did was the right thing to do it was Chr Only thing to do Kennedy said in a speech delivered in Lexington on tuesday. The provision Kennedy pushed Inlo Law bars the Federal communications commission from granting or Clending exemptions to a Rule thai forbids ownership of both a daily newspaper and a television Sia Tion in the same City. Murdoch is the Only publisher holding such an Etem lion. Kennedy said thai if he and informal inc Boston Herald ahead of Lime ii would gel someone to Block the legislation with a filibuster. That Way the acc co ild have slipped through with a special interest exemption far or. Murdoch and Congress would have been confronted with a fait a comply. A statement issued tuesday by Murdoch said. We Are Only seeking an Opportunity to make our Case openly according to precedent and the Law. Before h was changed by Kennedy so furtively on the night of . 18." the amendment was quietly attached by Kennedy and sen. Emu f. Hollmes , to a Catchall Buff Murdoch Kennedy gel Bill Al the end of the 1987 session. The Herald ran a front Page editorial tuesday blast ing Kennedy for his action and accusing the senator of being sneaky in gelling the amendment passed. But Kennedy said Murdoch has a Choice he can keep his newspaper or he can keep his broadcasting nation instead of attacking me. They should try to Diplain Why they think they re emitted to an exemption from inc antitrust he said inc Herald s editorial never referred to Lac fundamental question whether he owner of the her Ald is emitted to be the Only newspaper publisher in America who can buy a television Stalion and obtain an co emotion to keep his newspaper under the and Murdoch owns both the Herald and a fat Chan Nel 2i in Boston and would be forced o sell one of the two under ensling acc rules. Murdoch also owns the new York Post and a new to Channel 5, in new York and sen. Alfonse d Avalo d-n.y., has said he will introduce legislation to reverse Kennedy s Clion. In remarks made to reporters in Braintree following a visit to a High Inch ology company tuesday Kennedy denied carrying on a vendetta against the new spa Kennedy said inc Herald has been b major source of information in the City Over Many Many Yean. He added it s a profitable inf Tulion and there Are Many buyers around who Are interested in purchasing Kennedy accused Murdoch of being sneaky in trying to win an acc rules change. The newspaper has criticized political stands taken by Kennedy but in its editorial said it did so openly. The Herald also said it has praised Kennedy s hands when in approved of them
