Health News
- Beshear Must Reject Hospital Merger, C-j Argues In Huge Editorial
Gov. Steve Beshear must say no when it comes to the merger of University Hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and St. Joseph Health System because it jeopardizes the separation of church and state, contends a lengthy editorial in...
- Critics, Proponents Debate Louisville Hospital Merger
Questions regarding ectopic pregnancy, end-of-life care and funding for indigent care were addressed Wednesday by proponents and critics of a proposed merger between University Hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and St. Joseph Health...
- University Hospital Files Suit Saying It Is Not Public; Could Affect Merger, Open Records
Attorney General Jack Conway may have ruled it a public entity and thus subject to open-records laws, but University Hospital officials are insisting that's not the case and have filed a lawsuit saying it should not have to turn over documents...
- University Hospital Is Public, Not Private, So State Has Say On Merger, Conway Says
Louisville's University Hospital is a public institution, not a private one, which means the state gets a say about the proposed merger between the hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and Lexington-based St. Joseph Health System,...
- The Courier-journal, Continuing To Explore Louisville Hospital Merger, Says Many More Questions Still Need Answering
The proposed merger of the University of Louisville hospital with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary?s Healthcare and with St. Joseph Health System of Lexington, which follows the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, continues to draw heavy attention from...
Health News
Baptist Hospital East would allow U of L docs to perform tubal ligations there after merger with Catholic system
Since the merger between Jewish Hospital, University Medical Center and Saint Joseph Health Systems will prevent female patients from getting their tubes tied there ? because St. Joseph is owned by a Catholic-based parent company ? Baptist Hospital East will provide a facility where University of Louisville doctors can perform the procedure.
"This will ensure our ability to provide reproductive services for our patients after the merger occurs," said Dr. David Dunn, U of L executive vice president for health affairs, addressing perhaps the largest single concern about the merger. University Hospital CEO James Taylor called it a "very small" compromise. "We compromised only a location, not a population."
Through a $15 million fund "that will be set aside from the assets of University Hospital and given to U of L for that purpose once the merger closes," uninsured women will be able to have tubal ligations at Baptist, whether they're being done after giving birth via C-section or vaginally, reports Patrick Howington of The Courier-Journal. They can also be done even if the procedure is unrelated to childbirth. University of Hospital performed 301 tubal ligations last year.
University Hospital has historically provided care for indigent patients who cannot afford to get care elsewhere. Because these patients are not wealthy enough to choose which hospital they go to, they have no choice but to adhere to Catholic directives. Though the issue of female sterilization has been addressed, there is still the issue of how end-of-life care will be handled at University Hospital. That includes how living wills and the removal of a feeding tube will be dealt with.
The merger, which would create Kentucky's largest health-care system, still needs the approval of Gov. Steve Beshear and the Catholic Church. "We have a public institution with a public mission that has been supported by the public dollars and public leadership for many years," said state auditor Crit Luallen. "And we have to look at how a merger with a religious organization changes the public's access and the public's protection." (Read more)
The merger, which would create Kentucky's largest health-care system, still needs the approval of Gov. Steve Beshear and the Catholic Church. "We have a public institution with a public mission that has been supported by the public dollars and public leadership for many years," said state auditor Crit Luallen. "And we have to look at how a merger with a religious organization changes the public's access and the public's protection." (Read more)
- Beshear Must Reject Hospital Merger, C-j Argues In Huge Editorial
Gov. Steve Beshear must say no when it comes to the merger of University Hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and St. Joseph Health System because it jeopardizes the separation of church and state, contends a lengthy editorial in...
- Critics, Proponents Debate Louisville Hospital Merger
Questions regarding ectopic pregnancy, end-of-life care and funding for indigent care were addressed Wednesday by proponents and critics of a proposed merger between University Hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and St. Joseph Health...
- University Hospital Files Suit Saying It Is Not Public; Could Affect Merger, Open Records
Attorney General Jack Conway may have ruled it a public entity and thus subject to open-records laws, but University Hospital officials are insisting that's not the case and have filed a lawsuit saying it should not have to turn over documents...
- University Hospital Is Public, Not Private, So State Has Say On Merger, Conway Says
Louisville's University Hospital is a public institution, not a private one, which means the state gets a say about the proposed merger between the hospital, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and Lexington-based St. Joseph Health System,...
- The Courier-journal, Continuing To Explore Louisville Hospital Merger, Says Many More Questions Still Need Answering
The proposed merger of the University of Louisville hospital with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary?s Healthcare and with St. Joseph Health System of Lexington, which follows the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, continues to draw heavy attention from...