Washington, DC-area hospitals preparing triage for budgets

Washington, DC-area hospitals are bracing for what could be a budget crisis in coming months resulting from funding cutbacks by Virginia and Maryland. Hospitals throughout the region are experiencing soaring demand from uninsured patients who cannot pay for their care and plummeting revenue from reductions in investment income, charitable giving, and elective surgery. If the economy doesn't improve, there could be "ugly scenarios that would require wrenching changes and scaling back of services," said Chris Bailey, senior vice president of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.