Where's the Sun-Sentinel?

       Broward Health is not very healthy!

       Fact is, the one of the nation's ten largest public health care systems is suffering from a potentially terminal cash flow problem.

       Which the District's politically-appointed governing board of seven Commissioners don't want either the news media, or the pubic to know about.

        Which is how and why the Commissioners have scheduled a series of emergency closed door meetings this week (Wednesday, March 16).

        Not that South Florida's news media might grok the irony. 

        Especially in the midst of Sunshine Week  which celebrates the importance of "open government" and a Free Press. 

        So what is the story the Sun-Sentinel -- as South Florida's self-proclaimed "most valued information provider" -- will ignore?

   Mounting costs v decreasing revenue

    plague nation's tenth largest public                                  hospital system

        Which, reductio ad absurdum, looks like this: 

   

      North Broward Hospital District

                dba Broward Health

                 Revenue per Adjusted Admission

   Fiscal Year*            2015*       2016*                       

   Gross Revenue       $33,090    $33,385       

   Deductions

   Bad Debt              ($3,366)    ($3,742)      11.2%

   Charity Care         ($1,410)    ($1,355)       (3.9%)

   3rd Party/Other    ($20,425)  ($20,703)       1.4%

   Total Deductions  ($25,201)   ($25,800)      2.4%

   Reimbursement

     Partial Breakdown
   Medicare

   (Traditional)          $1,818       $1,597        (12.1%)    Medicaid
   (Traditional)          $541          $424           (21.6%)

   Medicaid Other

      (DSH)                $503           $412           (18.1%)   Private Insurance    $5,763       $5,756               0%

  Grants, etc.            $136          $168             23.5%
  Tax Revenue          $1,185       $1,138           (3.9%)

  Other Revenue       $424          $512             20.7%

   Investment 

       losses                ($44)        ($468)            ! ! ! 

  Total Revenue      $10,309    $9,996     
  Total Expenses     ($9,809) ($10,889)   

  Surplus (Loss)      $500       ($893)     (278.6%)   Minus Investment

     Losses                $466       ($425)     (191.2%)       *Comparison - first seven months of fiscal years