"That is expensive to do, that is not done by community hospitals and that is what is under threat of disappearing because of [funding] cuts," said Jane H. Corlette, associate vice president for government, community and public affairs.
The Balanced Budget Act was projected to cost the seventeen major Massachusetts teaching hospitals a total of $2.1 billion over five years, according to figures provided by the Massachusetts Hospital Association.
After the cuts were mandated, all hospitals affected cut costs as much as possible, while still running deficits, according to Jennifer A. Watson, a spokesperson for Partners Health Care.
Partners manages Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, two of Harvard's main teaching hospitals.
"As the Balanced Budget Act has crunched bottom lines, teaching hospitals have had to pay more attention to the delivery of health care and not teaching," said Martin.
Harvard's major teaching hospitals also include Beth Israel Deaconess and Children's Hospital. All except Childrens's--which serves few Medicare patients--were affected drastically.
"After the first quarter of last fiscal year, the hospitals realized that they were bleeding red ink, they approached Rudenstine and Fineberg and asked for help," Corlette said.
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