[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1697-E1698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         POUDRE VALLEY HOSPITAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 11, 1998

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, during the most recent 
district work period, the Poudre Valley Hospital opened its doors with 
an invitation to speak with administrators and view the first-rate care 
the hospital provides to the residents of Fort Collins.
  Built 70 years ago, the Poudre Valley Hospital has grown with the 
community to become a regional medical provider with 27 staff 
specialties, 1,888 employees, and a multitude of special services 
serving communities in northern Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western 
Nebraska. The hospital maintains a Level 2 regional trauma center, a 
regional heart center, a regional neurosciences center, and a regional 
orthopedic program in addition to standard hospital services. Through 
affiliations with smaller clinics throughout its service region, the 
hospital is able to provide comprehensive care to many people. As a 
non-profit entity, Poudre Valley also sustains community programs for 
the poor, the elderly, and the general population.
  While proud of the success and growth experienced by the hospital, 
administrators are frustrated by the Medicare system which comprises 
42% of their business. Not only does the Medicare system provide 
inadequate reimbursement, its labyrinthine regulations make it 
difficult to work within the system. Regulations and supplemental 
information bound in black books fill the administrator's cabinets. 
Additionally, government workers and intermediaries often have 
different interpretations of the rules or no clear answers at all to 
the hospital's questions.
  Medicare must be reformed. The burdens and inefficiencies of Medicare 
must also remind us that any attempt to socialize any other facet of 
health care must be resisted. There is a better way.

[[Page E1698]]

  In spite of these difficulties, Poudre Valley Hospital continues to 
provide a great service to Fort Collins and the surrounding area. 
Additionally, I would like to thank Army Hall, Carl Smith, and Lesley 
Fagerberg for their time and for their commitment to the health care 
profession.

                          ____________________