Montana’s hospitals play huge role in economy

When you walk the streets of the medical corridor in downtown Billings, you’re looking at the fruits of $600 million in hospital-related revenue every year.

This fistful of money buys top-flight health care, say those who work at these 70-plus acres of medical services operated primarily by two of the largest hospitals in the state, St. Vincent Healthcare and Billings Clinic.

It’s also part of the revenue stream behind some of the biggest businesses in Montana, with hospital executives earning up to a half-million dollars a year and millions of dollars of investment in medical equipment, personnel and constant building projects.

"We think it ends up creating outstanding health care, which is the end game," said Nick Wolter, chief executive officer of Billings Clinic and its 3,100 employees. "I hope people find that as we’re growing and bringing state-of-the-art medical care to the state, that there is a lot of value in the size that we have."

By Mike Dennison
Gazette State Bureau

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/03/news/state/35-hospitals.txt

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Market drives hospital salaries

Billings Clinic CEO highest-paid hospital exec in Montana

By MIKE DENNISON
Gazette State Bureau

Billings Clinic Chief Executive Officer Nick Wolter is the highest-paid hospital executive in Montana, with annual compensation last year of $501,700 – but he’s not the highest-paid hospital employee in the state.

That honor goes to two heart surgeons on staff at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, with salaries in fiscal year 2004 of $721,000 each.

Physicians specializing in cancer treatment also earn as much as $600,000 a year at Montana hospitals.

While these salaries may seem stratospheric by Montana standards, hospital executives say they reflect the national and regional market in a high-paying profession that’s in demand.

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Montana’s 9 largest hospitals at a glance http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/03/news/state/43-glance.txt

Decoding hospitals’ costs, bills no easy task http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/04/news/state/35-costs.txt

Hospitals’ mark-ups depend on variables http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/04/news/state/40-variables.txt

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Online Extra: A federal fact sheet on specialty hospitals http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060904/NEWS01/609040303/1002

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