Grady to give Fulton County, GA, a patient count

Grady Memorial Hospital officials expect to release patient numbers they hope will clarify a lengthy, continuing dispute with Fulton County, GA, on what services the hospital provides and how much taxpayer money Fulton should contribute. How many indigent patients Grady treats, and where they live, have been in question for at least five years as the hospital and the county work under a 25-year-old contract for financial support that each agrees is vague and flawed. Efforts to rework the deal gained new energy when Fulton voted to withhold $26.5 million from the public hospital until it showed greater transparency and accountability.