FOR-PROFIT CONVERSIONS: Regulators Meet In Boston

      Regulators from around the country are meeting in Boston this week to discuss the "thorny issue[s]" that arise when for-profit hospital companies buy non-profits. The Boston Herald reports that state regulators are closely involved in such transactions to ensure that taxpayers are adequately compensated for hospitals' prior nonprofit tax protections. Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger (D) said "an aggressive approach in protecting community health care" has given nonprofits in Massachusetts "a better chance to compete in the marketplace." Harshbarger said he hopes "this conference will help other states maximize their leverage to protect community health care." More than 100 regulators representing 46 states are expected to participate in the conference this week. The meeting is sponsored by a $295,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Convey, 7/18).