I guess we are not the only ones feeling the squeeze...

[UnderwaterDoc]

---

Members do not see this ad.

One more dose of reality.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/business/a-hospital-war-reflects-a-tightening-bind-for-doctors-nationwide.html?hp&_r=0

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Thanks for posting that.

 

[RustedFox]

TL : DNR


No, just kidding. Its three AM, and I'm waxed from my last shift. Will read tomorrow. Synopsis would be nice.

 

[8654Marine]

Competition is good.

Monopoly is bad.

"Consolidation" is just another word for monopoly.

The squeeze has just begun.

 

[Birdstrike]

.

 

[Cynic]

I thought Healthcare Reform was designed to protect us from evil insurance companies and big businesses and to help provide affordable healthcare to everyone.

 

[UnderwaterDoc]

Quoting the article about current trends to employ physicians:

"Laser eye surgery, for example, can cost $738 when performed by a hospital-employed doctor, compared with $389 when done by an unaffiliated doctor, according to national estimates by the independent Congressional panel that oversees Medicare. An echocardiogram can cost about twice as much in a hospital: $319, versus $143 in a doctor’s office."

Obamacare is designed to spend more, money not less. Don't be fooled. $1 trillion more spent over 10 years? That's nothing. Everything points towards a massive uncontrolled explosion of spending. Mark this bird's words.


They also note this trend:

"In one manifestation of the trend, hospitals, private equity firms and even health insurance companies are acquiring physician practices at a rapid rate."

Why do private equity firms and insurance companies live to do? (whisper..."make lots of money")

Why do they want to buy up doctors practices all of a sudden? (whisper..."make lots of money")

What have they quietly noticed that Obamacare will do?

Make certain people very, very, rich.

I think it is going to be interesting, to say the least, once ACA goes into full effect. I foresee physician strikes. What happens when all these giant consolidated practices stop taking those with Medicaid? Public hospitals will be overrun, even more than they are now.

 

[GeneralVeers]

I thought Healthcare Reform was designed to protect us from evil insurance companies and big businesses and to help provide affordable healthcare to everyone.

I like you.

 

[GeneralVeers]

I think it is going to be interesting, to say the least, once ACA goes into full effect. I foresee physician strikes. What happens when all these giant consolidated practices stop taking those with Medicaid? Public hospitals will be overrun, even more than they are now.

This is one of the myriad problems with the law. All of the unintended consequences are predictable if you simply ask: "What would human nature make people do in this scenario?".

We are going to have a huge number of new Medicaid patients, but no new Medicaid clinics. Where did Obama and Pelosi think they would go for care? Do they even know where Medicaid patients go for care now? The answer is the ER, and already over-run public health clinics.

I hope all of these hospitals stop taking Obamcare insurance. It will lead to one of two things: Either Obamacare will get a drastic overhaul, or the government will simply nationalize the health system.

 

[EctopicFetus]

I think it is going to be interesting, to say the least, once ACA goes into full effect. I foresee physician strikes. What happens when all these giant consolidated practices stop taking those with Medicaid? Public hospitals will be overrun, even more than they are now.

Mayo Clinic comes to mind. Already done..

 

[EctopicFetus]

This is one of the myriad problems with the law. All of the unintended consequences are predictable if you simply ask: "What would human nature make people do in this scenario?".

We are going to have a huge number of new Medicaid patients, but no new Medicaid clinics. Where did Obama and Pelosi think they would go for care? Do they even know where Medicaid patients go for care now? The answer is the ER, and already over-run public health clinics.

I hope all of these hospitals stop taking Obamcare insurance. It will lead to one of two things: Either Obamacare will get a drastic overhaul, or the government will simply nationalize the health system.

Hospitals wont stop taking medicare. While they lose they were built to care for large numbers of patients. Medicare spending makes up over 50% of spending in the US. They cant shut themselves out to 50% (and growing) of the money out there. I think it would be great as well but at least around here they are trying to figure out ways to make outpt medicare profitable and try to at least break even on them on the inpatient side.

 

[RustedFox]

I like you.

Haaa.... 🙂

 

[xenakis]

We are going to have a huge number of new Medicaid patients, but no new Medicaid clinics. Where did Obama and Pelosi think they would go for care? Do they even know where Medicaid patients go for care now? The answer is the ER, and already over-run public health clinics.

I hope all of these hospitals stop taking Obamcare insurance. It will lead to one of two things: Either Obamacare will get a drastic overhaul, or the government will simply nationalize the health system.

I think it is going to be interesting, to say the least, once ACA goes into full effect. I foresee physician strikes. What happens when all these giant consolidated practices stop taking those with Medicaid? Public hospitals will be overrun, even more than they are now.

Interestingly, this is similar to what happened in my hometown and I'm sure just about everywhere else:

The downtown hospital moved out of the city since it no longer wanted to carry high% of un/underinsured. Family docs/etc are supposed to be taking ~30% medicare patients, but they don't...most of them outright refuse to take more than 5% despite policies from the city.

As a result, our local ED has been pounded with huge numbers of pts and fasttrack and urgent care centers have been ballooning up everywhere. According to my peds preceptor, there is *maybe* 1 other place for their patients. And this is in a city of 88k downtown, 411k metro served by 2 hospitals in 50 minutes radius (#5 largest in the state)

Freaking ridiculous....

 

[GeneralVeers]

The downtown hospital moved out of the city since it no longer wanted to carry high% of un/underinsured. Family docs/etc are supposed to be taking ~30% medicare patients, but they don't...most of them outright refuse to take more than 5% despite policies from the city.

As a result, our local ED has been pounded with huge numbers of pts and fasttrack and urgent care centers have been ballooning up everywhere. According to my peds preceptor, there is *maybe* 1 other place for their patients. And this is in a city of 88k downtown, 411k metro served by 2 hospitals in 50 minutes radius (#5 largest in the state)

Freaking ridiculous....

Entirely predictable. If you don't pay people for their services, as Medicaid effectively doesn't, then people won't provide services. Why does the government think that doctors are going to voluntarily see patients with Medicaid when seeing them won't even cover the cost of care?

The answer is that the governments at the state levels will start forcing participation in Medicare/Medicaid as a condition of state licensure. Caught refusing to see/treat a Medicaid patient? You lose your license to practice medicine. Scary, huh?

 

[UnderwaterDoc]

Caught refusing to see/treat a Medicaid patient? You lose your license to practice medicine. Scary, huh?

EMTALA for all specialties, it will be the end of the sole provider clinic.