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Source: Modern Healthcare, by Roger Schillerstrom
Well, this hospital pricing thing obviously ain't going away. After the 60 minutes piece on the uninsured and pricing, AHA president lambasted the show. See his letter and CBS's response here. I'm no PR man, but I think CBS got the best of 'em.
Meanwhile, ModernHealthcare is running a poll this week on pricing transparency. Looks like 65% of respondents believe "increased transparency, especially regarding pricing practices, is critical to solving the industry's cost problems. I find that statistic quite amazing. I assumed most would agree with Paul Ginsberg of HSC who posted this opinion on the Healthcare Blog. Essentially, pricing will increase comparison shopping, but less people will shop than we think because:
(1) 10% of folks make up 70% of costs. and most of them won't be subject to financial incentives, so they won't be shopping too much.
(2) lots of folks just won't have time to shop given healthcare's urgency
(3) for a lot of services that would be very "shoppable" (e.g. a nose job), a face-to-face with the doc to get an estimate is necessary, adding too much work to shop
(4) healthcare just isn't that simple; one size does not fit all; price ranges (very big ones) seem appropriate.
(5) well, the cartoon above says it. oh, and one minor detail, what about quality of care?
Don't get me wrong. I think all hospitals should:
- be more transparent w/ pricing, mostly in regards to having a more consistent uninsured & discount policy
- report charity care and bad debt consistently (HFMA is in the process of establishing an industry standard)
- overall, pay more attention to community & have a compelling community benefit statement.
As I said last time, hospital pricing will continue to rise to the forefront - the story is just too easy for the mass media to tell, and hospitals are too easy of a target. But come on, this whole pricing transparency thing - if folks want real results in healthcare reform, they're barking up the wrong tree here.
Safety TipHospital facilities built today do not include asbestos, but many older buildings still have asbestos components in them. Steam pipes, boilers and furnace ducts were often insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape because of their fireproof and insulating properties. Resilient floor tiles were made from vinyl asbestos. Asbestos cement was employed in roofing, shingles and siding materials. The hazard of this carcinogen increases when the fibers become airborne, and untrained contractors can inadvertently increase risks by cutting, tearing, sawing, scraping, or sanding asbestos materials. Elevated asbestos levels can occur in hospitals where old materials are damaged or disturbed. It is best to leave undamaged asbestos material alone if it is not likely to be disturbed. Inhaling asbestos fibers is known to cause mesothelioma and other diseases. Be sure to use an experienced asbestos removal contractor when you need to get rid of old materials that might contain asbestos. |