NJ Senate President Seeks Financials On Every Hospital In The State

TRENTON, N.J., (CBS) -- New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney has asked every hospital and health care system in the state for financial information for the last decade, and wants that information in the next week and a half.

The one page form letter follows Sweeney's stated goal to find the proper balance between quality care and lowest cost. He wants documents dating back to 2005 by March 18.

"Much of this information is already publicly reported," New Jersey Hospitals Association spokeswoman Kerry McKean Kelly told KYW Newsradio. "The hospitals report their audited annual financial statement to the State Department of Health and that's public information that would be accessible to anybody."

She doesn't envision an issue with the hospitals complying with the request on Sweeney's timetable.