I was speaking to a surgeon friend from Russia the other day, he said two things that I found interesting: 1. He doesn't even waste time or resources billing medicaid. He gets paid on average $15 per. 2. He left his country for what he sees happening here in the US.
On Nov 8, 8:21 am, "mike [move on] 532" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hospitals See Drop in Paying > Patientshttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/business/07hospital.html In > another sign of the economy’s toll on the nation’s health care > system, > some hospitals say they are seeing fewer paying patients — even as > greater numbers of people are showing up at emergency rooms unable to > pay their bills. > > Michael Falco for The New York Times > Dr. Richard Friedman, a surgeon, is among those who say hospitals may > be seeing fewer inpatients because of the ailing economy. > > The EssentialsWhile the full effects of the downturn are likely to > become more evident in coming months as more people lose their jobs > and their insurance coverage, some hospitals say they are already > experiencing a fall-off in patient admissions. > > Some patients with insurance seem to be deferring treatments like > knee > replacements, hernia repairs and weight-loss surgeries — the kind of > procedures that are among the most lucrative to hospitals. Just as > consumers are hesitant to make any sort of big financial decision > right now, some patients may feel too financially insecure to take > time off work or spend what could be thousands of dollars in out-of- > pocket expenses for elective treatments. > > The possibility of putting off an expensive surgery or other major > procedure has now become a frequent topic of conversation with > patients, said Dr. Ted Epperly, a family practice doctor in Boise, > Idaho, who also serves as president of the American Academy of Family > Physicians. For some patients, he said, it is a matter of choosing > between such fundamental needs as food and gas and their medical > care. > “They wait,” he said. > > The loss of money-making procedures comes at a difficult time for > hospitals because these treatments tend to subsidize the charity care > and unpaid medical bills that are increasing as a result of the slow > economy. > > “The numbers are down in the past month, there’s no question about > it,” said Dr. Richard Friedman, a surgeon at Beth Israel Medical > Center in New York, although he said it said it was too early to call > the decline a trend. > > But many hospitals are responding quickly to a perceived change in > their circumstances. Shands HealthCare, a nonprofit Florida hospital > system, cited the poor economy and lower patient demand when it > announced last month that it would shutter one of its eight hospitals > and move patients and staff to its nearby facilities. > > The 367-bed hospital that is closing, in Gainesville, lost $12 > million > last year, said Timothy Goldfarb, the system’s chief executive. “We > cannot carry it anymore,” he said. > > Some other hospitals, while saying they have not yet seen actual > declines in patient admissions, have tried to curb costs by cutting > jobs in recent weeks in anticipation of harder times. That includes > prominent institutions like Massachusetts General in Boston and the > University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, as well as smaller systems > like Sunrise Health in Las Vegas. > > “It’s safe to say hospitals are no longer recession-proof,” said > David > A. Rock, a health care consultant in New York. > > A September survey of 112 nonprofit hospitals by a Citi Investment > Research analyst, Gary Taylor, found that overall inpatient > admissions > were down 2 to 3 percent compared with a year earlier. About 62 > percent of the hospitals in the survey reported flat or declining > patient admissions. > > Separately, HCA, the Nashville chain that operates about 160 for- > profit hospitals around the country, reported flat admissions for the > three months ended Sept. 30 compared with the period a year earlier, > and a slight decline in inpatient surgeries. > > Many people are probably going to the hospital only when they > absolutely need to. “The only way they are going to tap the health > care system is through the emergency room,” Mr. Taylor said. > > And now, as the economy has slid more steeply toward recession in > recent weeks, patient admissions seem to have declined even more > sharply, some hospital industry experts say. “What we have not seen > through midyear this year is the dramatic slowdown in volume we’re > seeing right now,” said Scot Latimer, a consultant with Kurt Salmon > Associates, which works closely with nonprofit hospitals. > > While the drop-off in patient admissions may still seem relatively > slight, hospital executives and consultants say it is already having > a > profound impact on many hospitals’ profitability. As fewer paying > customers show up, there has been a steady increase in the demand for > services by patients without insurance or other financial > wherewithal, > many of whom show up at hospital emergency rooms — which are legally > obliged to treat them. > > “It’s disproportionately affecting the bottom line,” Mr. Latimer > said. > > 1 2 Next Page --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
