I just returned from a very pleasant and relaxing eight-day vacation and used some of the time to conduct an informal poll about the debate currently raging in Congress and in the media around health care reform.
Although unscientific, the result of my poll was not good news for hospitals. You see, most people I spoke with – very educated and politically aware – saw hospitals as no different than private insurers, pharmaceutical companies and physician groups by ponying up millions of dollars to defeat Obama’s health care reform proposal.
The majority of folks I spoke with told me that hospitals cared more about the bottom line first, and caring for patients second.
One woman told me a story about a friend of hers who was rushed to the ER and admitted overnight at a Southern California hospital. (I don’t remember the exact cause of his admission since I had had several marguerites and my mind was a bit fuzzy at the time.) So what is the bottom line? He received a bill for $10,000 from the hospital.
“How could an overnight stay in a hospital cost $10,000?” the woman asked in amazement. “I could spend seven days at a luxury resort in Maui for less than that.”
And here we all were at a less-than-luxury resort in Palm Springs.
Other than telling you how I spent my summer vacation, why am I writing about this?
Because the great irony is that the perception of hospitals as money-grabbers among the people I spoke with couldn’t be further from reality.
Hospital ERs are being overrun by the uninsured and are left with the bills. Private insurers are decapitating hospitals at the knees, paying pennies in reimbursement for services. And, hospital costs for labor, equipment and other vital services are skyrocketing. Hospital profit margins are thin, if non-existent in many cases.
So why are hospitals viewed first as bottom-liners and secondly as caregivers based on my little poll?
Simply put, hospitals do a poor job of telling their story.
I recently did some work in California during the ongoing budget crisis, where the impact of potential budget cuts would have a devastating affect on hospitals.
More often that not, hospitals were reluctant to talk about the financial straits they faced. The reasons were as perplexing as their decision.
So, hospitals are left with a public perception — $10,000 overnight bills, $85 dollars for a Tylenol – that is far less than accurate.
No wonder it is so hard for hospitals to get third-party endorsers in their community to advocate on their behalf.
It’s hard to support an institution that makes millions and overcharges its customers, isn’t it?
The following post is from Robert Polzoni.
I just returned from a very pleasant and relaxing eight-day vacation and used some of the time to conduct an informal poll about the debate currently raging in Congress and in the media around health care reform.
Although unscientific, the result of my poll was not good news for hospitals. You see, most people I spoke with – very educated and politically aware – saw hospitals as no different than private insurers, pharmaceutical companies and physician groups by ponying up millions of dollars to defeat Obama’s health care reform proposal.
The majority of folks I spoke with told me that hospitals cared more about the bottom line first, and caring for patients second.
One woman told me a story about a friend of hers who was rushed to the ER and admitted overnight at a Southern California hospital. (I don’t remember the exact cause of his admission since I had had several margaritas and my mind was a bit fuzzy at the time.) So what is the bottom line? He received a bill for $10,000 from the hospital.
“How could an overnight stay in a hospital cost $10,000?” the woman asked in amazement. “I could spend seven days at a luxury resort in Maui for less than that.”
And here we all were at a less-than-luxury resort in Palm Springs.
Other than telling you how I spent my summer vacation, why am I writing about this?
Because the great irony is that the perception of hospitals as money-grabbers among the people I spoke with couldn’t be further from reality.
Hospital ERs are being overrun by the uninsured and are left with the bills. Private insurers are decapitating hospitals at the knees, paying pennies in reimbursement for services. And, hospital costs for labor, equipment and other vital services are skyrocketing. Hospital profit margins are thin, if non-existent in many cases.
So why are hospitals viewed first as bottom-liners and secondly as caregivers based on my little poll?
Simply put, hospitals do a poor job of telling their story.
I recently did some work in California during the ongoing budget crisis, where the impact of potential budget cuts would have a devastating affect on hospitals.
More often that not, hospitals were reluctant to talk about the financial straits they faced. The reasons were as perplexing as their decision.
So, hospitals are left with a public perception — $10,000 overnight bills, $85 dollars for a Tylenol – that is far less than accurate.
No wonder it is so hard for hospitals to get third-party endorsers in their community to advocate on their behalf.
It’s hard to support an institution that makes millions and overcharges its customers, isn’t it?
