6Dec 12 NYTimes Health Care Services' Gaps to be Filled by Interest Groups
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/health/interest-groups-push-to-fill-margins-of-health-coverage.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121206&_r=0
3Dec12 NYTimes: Leery of a Merger, a Hospital in Brooklyn Plans to Declare Bankruptcy
Interfaith Medical Center, serving Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, has been in and out of financial trouble for decades. http://nyti.ms/TD17AK
2Dec12 60 Minutes on Financial Pressures in Health Care
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50136261n
NYTimes on Financial Incentives for Doctors
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/business/a-hospital-war-reflects-a-tightening-bind-for-doctors-nationwide.html?ref=health
I believe that chiropractic visits should be covered by insurance, but I am not sure about the acupuncture. It makes it difficult for all the states to have different coverages. Where weight loss surgery is covered in one state, it may not be in another. I am not sure that this makes sense. Although the states probably like that they get to choose what will and what will not be covered, it may not be in the best interest of the people in the state.
ReplyDeleteHospitals have become so busy that for a hospital to have to close it can be detrimental. It is sad that this hospital in Brooklyn no longer has the funds necessary to stay open. People depend on this hospital and if it goes bankrupt they will be forced to transfer somewhere else. Hopefully another hospital in the area will have rooms for all the patients.
It is absolutely ridiculous that doctors were urged to admit patients who did not need to be in the hospital just to increase revenue. More patients admitted means more money for the hospitals so the doctors were pressured to put the patients in beds in their hospital. This is wrong and looks very bad on the healthcare system. This episode of 60 minutes exposed HMA. the fact that doctors were possibly fired for not meeting the admission quota in unbelievable. Good for these doctors for standing up to the system and not admitting patients just to gain money. The memos that were shown illustrate exactly what has been going on. Tests were ordered for patients and when doctors saw this they could not understand why these tests were run. HMA obviously didn't care about the patients, only money. Doctors were given a very hard time and being told to do things that were against their morals and policies. This is not what they signed up for when they went to medical school because they wanted a lifetime of helping people. HMA made them go against all this which is infuriating. Of course HMA denies the allegations, but I do not believe that different doctors from different hospitals would just make this all up.
The consolidation sounds like it is causing some serious problems. If the costs are going up by quality of the care is not, then something is wrong. Once again, doctors are being pressured by these hospitals to perform in a certain way measured by quantity, not by quality.
With the possibility of a merger or closure, Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn is declaring bankruptcy after being in financial troubles for decades. The only way Interfaith has stayed open is through state aid, but now that the government is looking for "savings" in the medical field, they wanted to merge interfaith with two other local hospitals; with one of the other two (more financially stable hospitals) taking the lead. Interfaith believes that it is the governments plan to merge them into closure within the next 2 years, rather than give them a grant to stay open long-term. They fear that a merger will also not allow the community to be served appropriately.
ReplyDeleteThis article opened my eyes to the financial needs of hospitals in trouble and the fear that many have with merging with bigger and more stable hospitals.
About HMA and the encouraged admission percentage goals, if true, I find this to be an abhorrent and unethical practice. HMA encouraged emergency physicians to increase revenue by admitting patients which may not necessarily need admission. This practice increased the cost of care for the patient and exposed the patient to unnecessary risks in the form of hospital acquired infections. Several physicians protested this practice and confronted hospital management which often resulted in termination. Following their termination these doctors brought the situation to the government. I think that the source of this issue can be traced back to issues with those who are uninsured. Hospitals are required to provide care to all individuals in need, regardless of insurance coverage or not. Those who are uninsured and lack medicare or medicaid coverage often lack the means or the intention to pay bills. This creates a situation where hospitals are forced to spend money without any return, adding to the budget constraints. In the situation of HMA, this hospital group choose an unethical approach to attempt to solve a pressing issue of the U.S. health care system.
ReplyDeleteSt. Luke’s hospital is monopolizing the area of Boise, Idaho. The hospital is buying out all other places around, so that it is the only place for people to go. With no competition the hospital can set the prices and patients must pay them if they want treatment. In the article it said that colonoscopy prices have quadrupled. It used to be that the area was a tight group who referred people to specialists to get the best treatment possible. Now hospitals and insurances are driving up prices and limiting patient services. Patient care is now, not always the best interest of the hospital. Meeting quotas and having the biggest profit seem to be the driving force now. However, not all hospitals are able to keep up with the demanding insurances and do not have enough money to stay open because they must treat patients even without insurance. A hospital should be running in the best interest of the patient not the demand of money.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is outrageous that doctors are having to admit patients to keep up with quota. It is not right and not why they went to med school. The idea of a doctor is to help those who are sick and need it not to make quotas. If they keep filling beds with patients that dont need to be there that means less beds for the people who do need them. I agree with Emily that this is wrong and something needs to be done to stop it. I also agree that it is unlikely that multiple doctors from multiple hospitals would all have the same story.
ReplyDeleteI personally as a patient would be outraged to find out that the doctor ordered test on me just to help the hospital make money. That would be taking money from me or my insurance which i probably dont have. Its like taking the hospitals dept and just transferring it on to the people which is just wrong
I agree with both Kelsey and Emily that it is completely ridiculous that doctors are expected to meet a quota of patients admitted to the hospital. Meeting quota should not be the driving force of hospital admissions. There are many people in the world who are genuinely sick and need to be admitted, but instead doctors are admitting people who really do not need to be in order to keep their job safe. This is not fair that the doctors are put under that kind of pressure and it is not fair to the patients who are wrongly admitted to the hospital. It is extremely expensive to be put in the hospital and these people are being forced to believe that it is a necessary part of their care. Not only is there the issue of expenses, but spending time in the hospital makes you more susceptible to diseases. This puts patients at more of an unnecessary risk.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Megan. Nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections are much more common that one would think. To hospitalize a patient when they do not necessarily need care is not only charging them for something they most likely do not have money for, it is also taking up hospital beds for those that are genuinely sick and need that care, as well as putting the "well" patient at risk for acquiring an illness. I do not feel that this is fair for the physicians or the patients being admitted. Hospital equipment that costs money is being used on these patients for problems that do not even exist. It is a waste of time and money.
ReplyDeleteWell, Megan and Brittany could not have said it any better. The idea that doctors should meet a quota is absolutely outrageous. The main focus of the hospital should be to take care of the needs of the patients, not to make a profit. Too often both education and medicine are viewed in the wrong way by business professionals. Neither of these services should be used for profit. They should be used to benefit the community. Patients should be taken care of when necessary, not admitted for no reason just to meet quota. Just as this is true, students should be given a wonderful education no matter where they are or what their income level. Students should not be seen as a means for getting money for the business or school.
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