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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (24287)	7/19/2012 4:29:59 PM
From: skinowski	2 Recommendations Respond to of 42652

I don't know very much about it. I've seen some pretty heavy consolidation up in NY, where giants like North Shore University Hosp. where buying up everything in sight for the past 20 years or so. Large holding / management companies are becoming the norm. I work for a CHS hospital. How ObamaCare will impact the hospital business is hard to tell, IMO. Some cuts may take place. They expected a big drop in free care - but with the Medicaid expansion possibly slowing down, this may not happen, at least in some states.

To: i-node who wrote (24287)	7/21/2012 2:46:32 PM
From: skinowski	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

>>>> >> Billing revenues do not cover the costs of running a Hospitalist program. I'm surprised, I guess.<<<< Charges for individual services may be overblown, but the vast majority of patients are Medicare, Medicaid, those insured by plans with "negotiated" rates, and self pay (aka no-pay). Some patients who are outside these groups are subject to those unduly high rates. Patients who are hospitalized are much sicker and require far more time and attention - but Medicare rates are just about the same as for office visits. When all is said and done, I'd think 95% of Hospitalist programs would not survive without additional financial infusions from the hospitals. Examine any dealings between physicians, groups, and hospitals, and you will (almost) always find arrangements designed to compensate for the misallocations of funds between Medicare parts A and B. And I say "almost" just to be careful; I've never seen any. Not that hospitals would be rolling in dough, but in relative terms part A is more generous.