Two Reasons it's the Era of the Woman in Healthcare

At least to the extent that the uninsured affect your hospital's prospects as a going concern, those numbers don't create panic in the hearts of many of the CEOs I know. Still, the share of discharges billed to private insurance fell from 39% to 35% between 1997 and 2007, reflecting the decline in the population with private insurance coverage. So I'm not minimizing the struggles you're facing in getting paid, just that facts and statistics have a funny way of helping you discover the truth behind the hype—and helping you make strategic decisions based on reality and not noise level.

And the truth is this:

• Maternal discharges increased to 5 million in 2007, a 16% increase since 1997.
• Infant hospitalizations increased to 4.7 million in 2007, a 21% increase since 1997

So what does that tell you about where you should be investing your capital dollars? I thought so. And you can take that straight to the board.