Debt-ridden hospital wants cash for some treatments

By The Associated Press

WYNNE — A hospital in Cross County where patients have built more than $1 million per year in bad debt says it now demands up-front payment for non-emergency care.

Folks who don't owe money to the hospital in Wynne will be treated as always. But CrossRidge Community Hospital administrator Gary Sparks says the facility has already begun collecting in advance from people with delinquent bills. He says no one has complained about the policy, so far.

Sparks says the hospital will follow the law and treat all emergency patients, regardless of ability to pay. Sparks says patients who are at four times the federal poverty level are eligible for medical care without paying, about two-thirds of the hospital's patients.

Sparks says bad debts have been rising the past few years at hospitals around the country and are putting a strain on budgets.