2013
Part of Obamacare imposes a penalty on hospitals for excessive re-admissions of Medicare patients. The idea is that hospitals need to do a better job preparing patients for discharge and also to provide better follow up after discharge.
There is considerable controversy over the program. Is it working, is it necessary, is it having an adverse affect on some hospitals, is follow up care the hospitals responsibility?
I don’t know the answers, but like most people I assumed patients were discharged appropriately and their doctor followed them from that point. Apparently, faith in the health care system is misplaced.
Read this excerpt from a letter to the editor in support of the program:
Supported by the right financial incentives, hospital leaders are organizing systems of care that didn’t exist before to help patients get the care they need after they leave the hospital.
Who knew financial incentives (penalties) could create new systems for health care?
Of course I am kidding, we all knew our blind faith in all aspects of the health care system were misplaced … didn’t we? Nevertheless, to think we are getting less than optimum care because there was no incentive to do so is scary stuff.
Just remember, if there are incentives to not provide care, there are just as strong incentives to provide too much care. Obamacare contains several programs to lower costs by changing how health care is delivered which means somebody is making less money. That may be desirable for both savings and better health care, but the real test is how those with less income compensate for the loss. Think about it.
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