Tax Exempt Hospitals: Surviving Recent Attacks and the Potential Future Regulatory Environment

Matthew Roberts of the Columbia office and Mindy Staley of the Charlotte office presented "Tax Exempt Hospitals" at the South Carolina Healthcare Financial Management Association's 2006 Winter Institute in Hilton Head.

The presentation discussed the recent challenges faced by tax-exempt hospitals to their charity care, pricing and debt collection practices from Congress, plaintiff's lawyers, hospital patients, state taxing authorities and state attorneys general, and the potential federal and/or state legislation providing mandates for tax-exempt organizations' operations and governance, similar to the Sarbanes-Oxley laws governing public companies.

The presentation also addressed how tax-exempt hospitals can cope in the current environment and prepare for the future.