Nashville General mulls halting inpatient services

Losing money and market share, Nashville General Hospital may stop trying to compete for inpatient hospitalizations and focus entirely on outpatient and clinical services. That is one of four options presented to the hospital board Tuesday by a consulting firm hired to devise a new business model for the publicly owned, safety-net hospital. Meharry Medical College leaders said closing inpatient beds would harm its mission. But hospital officials say Nashville General has a building too big for its needs and too many uninsured patients.