Containing hospital labor costs--a separate-industries approach.

Steadily increasing costs in hospitals and other health care facilities have been of increasing concern to government agencies and the public alike. In recent years state legislatures and state cost review boards have acted to control these ever-escalating costs. The role played by these third parties in the collective bargaining process, the impact of cost control laws and regulations, and the constraints thus imposed upon the parties directly involved are the subjects of this thought-provoking article.