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Question.
One of my residency friends (yes I have one or two) went into pp and he was telling me his group just renewed their contract with one of their hospitals. He said it was HCA hospital (some corporate chain of hospitals) and embedded in the contract was that the laboratory directing was worth 90 bucks an hour. And that the hospital paid them the percentage of medicare billing vs overall billing (as a DRG thing) but basically offset it by saying that it equalled the rent for their offices and furniture and stuff. So they got paid nothing for it. My friend, who is trying to learn this management aspect, said to one of his seniors, why don't they claim to work more hours in their timing studies to earn some extra money. He was told that if they did that, then the hospital admins would get the money back by increasing the charge for processing their outpatient cases for which the group was able to bill the global. I don't know if I explained it very well, but basically, his group has no chance of getting paid anything from the hospital administration.
He told me he thought that 90 an hour was really low, but HCA says that is what the federal govt says a lab manager should get paid. He went on-line and on craigslist and found all these jobs/services that cost more than 90 an hour. Things like at home dog trainers ($95), speech therapists(120), Accupuncture ($100), reading tutoring ($60), Massage at a spa (100), Private golf lesson (110), balloon artists for birthday party (100), all make more than hospital laboratory medical directors. Well not tutors but the rest did.
I think that 90 an hour must be from 1988 or something like that. Surely it should be a lot higher.
Anyone have any comments, experience or insight into this?
One of my residency friends (yes I have one or two) went into pp and he was telling me his group just renewed their contract with one of their hospitals. He said it was HCA hospital (some corporate chain of hospitals) and embedded in the contract was that the laboratory directing was worth 90 bucks an hour. And that the hospital paid them the percentage of medicare billing vs overall billing (as a DRG thing) but basically offset it by saying that it equalled the rent for their offices and furniture and stuff. So they got paid nothing for it. My friend, who is trying to learn this management aspect, said to one of his seniors, why don't they claim to work more hours in their timing studies to earn some extra money. He was told that if they did that, then the hospital admins would get the money back by increasing the charge for processing their outpatient cases for which the group was able to bill the global. I don't know if I explained it very well, but basically, his group has no chance of getting paid anything from the hospital administration.
He told me he thought that 90 an hour was really low, but HCA says that is what the federal govt says a lab manager should get paid. He went on-line and on craigslist and found all these jobs/services that cost more than 90 an hour. Things like at home dog trainers ($95), speech therapists(120), Accupuncture ($100), reading tutoring ($60), Massage at a spa (100), Private golf lesson (110), balloon artists for birthday party (100), all make more than hospital laboratory medical directors. Well not tutors but the rest did.
I think that 90 an hour must be from 1988 or something like that. Surely it should be a lot higher.
Anyone have any comments, experience or insight into this?