A yearlong dispute over the adequacy of Massachusetts payments to Boston Medical Center has resulted in an open and pointed disagreement between the hospital's outgoing president and Governor Deval Patrick, the Boston Globe reports. In a letter to the hospital's board chairman, Patrick wrote that, during a speech to wealthy hospital donors, Boston Medical Center president Elaine Ullian made comments that were "wrong" and "unhelpful" when she asserted that the state is neglecting its financial responsibility to the hospital. In July, Boston Medical Center filed a lawsuit against the state health and human services secretary, accusing state officials of illegally cutting payments made to the hospital for treating thousands of poor patients.
