EpiEMS
Forum Deputy Chief
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NYT wrote a typically biased article about HCA (which is quite an interesting business), very much worth reading:
:EDIT: Forgot the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/b...in-creates-a-windfall-for-private-equity.html
I particularly enjoyed:
"HCA decided not to treat patients who came in with nonurgent conditions, like a cold or the flu or even a sprained wrist, unless those patients paid in advance. In a recent statement, HCA said that of the six million patients treated in its emergency rooms last year, 80,000, or about 1.3 percent, “ chose to seek alternative care options.”
And all I have to say is props to HCA for rationing care properly!
This (as far as Medicare goes) surprised me:
"A patient who walks into the emergency room with a simple case of indigestion would be classified by the hospital as using very little of its resources. The hospital would be reimbursed just $50 by Medicare for its evaluation.
A patient who might be suffering a heart attack might require oxygen, be placed on a cardiac monitor and transported for a CT scan. The hospital would classify those services at the highest level, earning it a $323 reimbursement from Medicare."
From the perspective of a business-minded fellow, this is absolutely NUTS.
:EDIT: Forgot the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/b...in-creates-a-windfall-for-private-equity.html
I particularly enjoyed:
"HCA decided not to treat patients who came in with nonurgent conditions, like a cold or the flu or even a sprained wrist, unless those patients paid in advance. In a recent statement, HCA said that of the six million patients treated in its emergency rooms last year, 80,000, or about 1.3 percent, “ chose to seek alternative care options.”
And all I have to say is props to HCA for rationing care properly!
This (as far as Medicare goes) surprised me:
"A patient who walks into the emergency room with a simple case of indigestion would be classified by the hospital as using very little of its resources. The hospital would be reimbursed just $50 by Medicare for its evaluation.
A patient who might be suffering a heart attack might require oxygen, be placed on a cardiac monitor and transported for a CT scan. The hospital would classify those services at the highest level, earning it a $323 reimbursement from Medicare."
From the perspective of a business-minded fellow, this is absolutely NUTS.