Economic downturn hits Maryland hospitals hard

A report shows that 34 of Maryland's 58 hospitals lost a total of $466 million during the fourth quarter of 2008 and, officials said, the picture has continued to be grim in the first months of this year. The Maryland Hospital Association, which compiled the data, said hospital finances in the state have slid to "unprecedented low levels," far worse than hospitals nationwide. The fourth-quarter loss was 10 times that for the same period in 2007, the association said.