Cleveland Clinic to decrease charity care, cites weak economy

Cleveland Clinic next year will stop providing charity care for most patients who live more than 150 miles from Cleveland, a cost-cutting move the health system says is necessitated by a weak economy.

Still, that leaves open the possibility for Columbus and Toledo residents who are eligible for government assistance to receive treatment at the Clinic. In some cases, Cleveland Clinic will accept patients from outside the 150-mile area, but those patients will need referrals from their physicians, the Plain Dealer reported.

Cleveland’s MetroHealth System made a similar move in recent years, limiting charity care at the taxpayer-supported hospital to Cuyahoga County residents.

In addition, the Clinic will require insured patients to pay for the portion of their care not covered by insurance. The changes are expected to take place as of Jan. 1, Clinic spokeswoman Eileen Sheil told the Plain Dealer.

She attributed the changes to a tight economy that’s stretched the Clinic’s resources.

“Both of these initiatives are designed to preserve the resources needed to take care of patients in our region,” Sheil said.

Last year, the Clinic provided $120 million in charity care, an increase of about 20 percent compared to the prior year. The system said it provided a total of $497 million last year in “community benefit” — a loosely defined term that refers to charity care, Medicaid shortfalls and educational programs and other expenses.

The Clinic last month announced plans to cut about 200 jobs, which the health system attributed to decisions to consolidate service lines at certain locations in its nine-hospital system.