New York State Governor's Committee on Hospital Costs Correspondence, Research, and Report Files

Arranged by subject or record type.

On May 25, 1964, Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed seven prominent citizens as a Committee on Hospital Costs. The Committee was charged with studying hospital costs and the alignment of state responsibilities regarding hospitals in order to develop recommendations for improving the quality of hospital care while moderating hospital costs and their impact.

During the course of its investigation, the Committee met with hospital administrators, hospital physicians, labor and management purchasers of hospital benefits, insurance company officials, hospital efficiency management consultants, hospital financial officers, hospital association officials, and regional and state hospital review and planning councils. The Committee also solicited information and suggestions from over 200 national and state agencies involved in hospital care and its financing; reviewed existing reports, studies, and data; and conducted some original studies for new data on hospital care costs, components, and trends.

In its 1965 report to the Governor, the Committee made a number of recommendations, including: full use of hospitals on weekends; pre-admission testing; increased patient self-care and ambulatory care; effective drug formularies and generic prescription programs; cooperative purchasing and service programs among hospitals; close hospital-physician relationships in the community; and enactment of a state hospital insurance law to establish minimum standards of coverage for hospitalization and related services.

This series is the central file of correspondence, background materials, and report drafts maintained by the Committee in carrying out its investigation and producing its final report.

The records reflect issues related to hospital costs studied by the Committee, such as: hospital operating costs; patient charges; scope of insurance coverage; unnecessary medical procedures or hospitalization; duplication of services; alternatives to hospitalization; responsibilities of regulatory agencies; and existing statutes and new legislation.

The series contains: 1) correspondence with physicians; hospital administrators; medical insurance benefits providers; local, state, and federal government officials; and other interested individuals and organizations, commenting on reasons for rate increases and ways to moderate the increases; 2) correspondence among Committee consultants and staff regarding suggestions for and preparation of findings and recommendations; suggested readings; and meeting dates; 3) hospital cost reports, studies, statistics, fact sheets, and other data; 4) minutes, agendas, notes, correspondence, and other materials from Committee meetings and Committee seminars held with physicians and hospital administrators; 5) draft findings and recommendations on various issues, such as: hospital reporting; pre-admission testing; hospital joint purchasing; duplication of services; home care; consolidation of Blue Cross plans; improvement of hospital internal management; and reallocation of responsibility among state agencies; 6) report notes and drafts; 7) press releases, newsletters, articles, and clippings concerning the Committee or the issues under investigation; and 8) legislative bills and bill proposals.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.