51.   Last Tuesday, he was speaking to local officials and hospital executives over dinner here.

52.   Meanwhile, Knapman spoke to a group of visiting high-school students in January at the request of hospital executives.

53.   No one is sure where other collaborations will occur, but hospital executives said it could involve anything from a joint neurosurgery residency to combining blood or bacteriology labs.

54.   Nurses, hospital executives and health care experts say that a shortage of nurses across the country is becoming so severe that it threatens patient care.

55.   Other hospital executives minimized the disagreements.

56.   Some hospital executives wonder whether Premier could return still more money to hospitals if it had better control over its spending.

57.   Sorry, hospital executives.

58.   Some hospital executives admit that, in the past, the industry has overstated the effects of previous Medicare cuts.

59.   That has caused hospital industry executives to turn to the Senate, where they were scheduled to meet today Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi.

60.   The commission would also include HMO chiefs, hospital executives, and leading physicians.