Under Obama's new $650B healthcare reform plan, hospitals (most of which are already understaffed and under water) will be penalized if an elderly patient has to be readmitted within the first 30 days of original hospitalization.
I'm sure there will be huge incentives to ensure that a patient is not allowed back into the hospital for the following two reasons:
1) The hospitals readmission stats will go up and cause overall govt reimbursement to go down.
2) They won't get paid for readmitting patient.
How is this going to HELP patients receieve proper healthcare? Come on now.
From Washington Post:
"The budget figures also represent significant shifts in how the United States will pay for medical care in the future.
For example, experts have identified hospital readmissions -- especially for elderly patients -- as a sign of inadequate care and unnecessary expense. About 18 percent of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their original visit. The new approach would establish flat fees for the first hospitalization and 30-day follow-up. Hospitals with high readmission rates would be paid less."
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More evidence that politicians on the left simply do not UNDERSTAND the free market...they truly do not understand how it works. Simply put, all money transactions are incentives OR DISINCENTIVES to business! Subliminal Man is exactly right: the government will get its desired effect of reduced readmission rates (you can guarantee that!), but it will be at the cost of elderly patient care.
ReplyDeleteHere's one scenario I can foresee: (patient) "Doc, that infection hasn't gone away yet, in fact I think its getting worse"...(Doctor reading his chart and seeing that it has only been 25 days since his first procedure) "Here is a prescription for some more antibiotics...take it for a week and well see how things are progressing".
In response to Biochemical-Jimbalance, (By the way, just for the sake of brevity, can't we give him a new handle, like Biochemical-Ali)?....(Just joshing). His logic right on, and I'm all for it. Because when this service becomes a freebie, these old flogies, winos, layabouts,and scrimpers of every sort,will be treating these hospitals like free hotels,with a whole lot of amenities.
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