Assessment process helps hospitals determine what's wrong and what's to be done about it

When costs overwhelm revenues in a particular service or program, it's time to stop and get a handle on what's gone wrong. Maybe the program idea is still good but needs a course correction or two. Maybe it was a bad idea all along, or it's become a loser because of new market forces. Getting at the problem requires a systematic approach, according to Sally Berger and Sandra Wisener of Ernst and Young.