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Can Hospitals Break Even with Medicare?  Elyas Bakhtiari, for
HealthLeaders Media, December 13, 2010 Are you a health leader?
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it isn't totally about costs. There's room for improvement on
the revenue side, though it isn't as easy to control. Part of
Floyd Medical Center's success with Medicare is because of the
add-on disproportionate-share payments the hospital receives for
serving a low-income population, says Rick Sheerin, CFO of the
304-staffed-bed not-for-profit community hospital. A provision
in this year's healthcare reform legislation could cut into
those payments.  There has also been an effort in recent years,
however, to grow successful service lines---those built around
procedures with higher-margin Medicare reimbursements---that
will offset a portion of costs, he says. The hospital has seen a
boost from newly add