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magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
5. I work in a hospital with many Medicare, Medicaid and charity patients
Sun Sep 30, 2012, 08:14 AM
Sep 2012

We also have a large number of noncompliant diabetes, alcoholic and drug abuse patients. Plus a lot of tourists and "snowbirds" who we can't follow up on easily.

It doesn't matter how much treatment we give noncompliant patients; if they don't take their meds and/or don't change their behavior, they will be back. I see a disaster in the making for us, myself.

We already lose millions on the Medicare, Medicaid and charity patients. We are losing insured patients because we can no longer make up the difference on them. Along with many other hospitals in our state, we are already owed millions of dollars from our state, are cutting back staff right and left, are closing smaller hospitals in our system, with the remaining staff left being run into the ground with more patients and fewer staff.

We also have a couple of older doctors who insist on running duplicate tests -- eg the old ESR test *plus* the newer CRP test -- that give essentially the same information. They don't "get" that they only need to do one or the other. We also have a couple new, young and insecure doctors that run every test under the sun, eg a double set of (very expensive) blood cultures on everybody who walks into the ER, regardless of the obvious signs and symptoms.

Our lab assistants are so run into the ground that out of 12 of them, we've lost (and not replaced) 4 in the last year due to herniated discs and chronic illness from overwork (12+ hour days bending over patients will do that) and one quitting without notice. How many will they have to break before they realize they are running the experienced ones into the ground faster than they can replace them? It's not only inhumane, it is long term costly in recruiting and training.

Not to mention that their exhaustion and chronic pain leads them to make mistakes, which translates into more running around for the techs, with attendant snowball effect.

It's called the Readmissions Reduction Program.. sendero Sep 2012 #1
my father was shoved out of J. Hopkins & came back 24 hr. later, died a month later wordpix Sep 2012 #17
I love dipsydoodle. littlemissmartypants Sep 2012 #2
I think this is the regulation, please correct if it's wrong steve2470 Sep 2012 #3
More specifically, this section of the regulation: Moosepoop Sep 2012 #16
Conflict of interest runs rampant socialindependocrat Sep 2012 #4
And most of that money goes ultimately into paychecks for Americans who want to work. JDPriestly Sep 2012 #19
I work in a hospital with many Medicare, Medicaid and charity patients magical thyme Sep 2012 #5
I agree, this is NOT a good idea RevRN Sep 2012 #9
agreed, 100% magical thyme Sep 2012 #10
Not to worry. Igel Sep 2012 #13
this is exactly what I see happening bloomington-lib Sep 2012 #14
I agree Scairp Oct 2012 #26
I went to the website listed in the O P. dotymed Sep 2012 #6
I know that personally greymattermom Sep 2012 #12
This, of course, sounds like a good idea, but I wonder how many sick people will be valerief Sep 2012 #7
Treating symptoms does not work mikki35 Sep 2012 #8
Apparently the double script problem is now addressed. dixiegrrrrl Sep 2012 #18
I love the fact that when I go to my Kaiser doctor, he reminds me that another doctor in the system JDPriestly Sep 2012 #20
Central databank mikki35 Sep 2012 #23
Let's try it James48 Sep 2012 #11
Implementation daybranch Sep 2012 #15
Exactly! Smilo Sep 2012 #21
Two years ago we started a program eilen Sep 2012 #22
CHF patients mikki35 Sep 2012 #24
Their own condition is a death sentence, no death panel needed eilen Oct 2012 #27
It's a symptom of the problem King_Klonopin Oct 2012 #25
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