Managing Safety-Net Hospitals

Safety-net hospitals provide healthcare services to America's underserved and uninsured population - the medically indigent, the working poor, and the newly unemployed. What distinguishes these hospitals from others is a commitment to treating needy members of the community, regardless of their ability to pay for the care they receive. Many are public hospitals, others have private or mixed governance structures, but all offer a wide range of services to the patient. Managing Safety-Net Hospitals has nine cases - developed from experiences in actual hospital settings throughout the country - that portray scenarios and circumstances unique to this kind of hospital, ranging from financing to the impact of healthcare reform. The cases guide healthcare executives and managers to connect with their peers, heighten their managerial style and skill, and develop a sense of the evolution of their professional lives.