Submitted to the Tillamook Headlight Herald (a teeny tiny weekly newspaper on the Oregon Coast) January 19, 2022 - Covid-19 Treatments and Financial Incentives in Hospitals
For over a year now State and federal hospital have been receiving and are still receiving subsidies and reimbursements for Covid-19 treatments. Many of these treatme…
Submitted to the Tillamook Headlight Herald (a teeny tiny weekly newspaper on the Oregon Coast) January 19, 2022 - Covid-19 Treatments and Financial Incentives in Hospitals
For over a year now State and federal hospital have been receiving and are still receiving subsidies and reimbursements for Covid-19 treatments. Many of these treatments have been regulated by the doctors and medical professionals without input or approval from the patient and the family of the patient. All hospital treatments for Covid should be at least partially tied to patient consent and outcomes.
During the height of the pandemic, when no one knew exactly what was going to work to eradicate this virus for each individual patient, hospitals could only do what they thought was appropriate, timely and cost effective. Now that proven treatments exist, and the dominant variant is far less severe, hospitals should be paid more for better outcomes. Hospitals should be paid the most if the patient lives. Hospitals should never, ever receive financial incentives for patient death even if the more serious cases require far more work. There is no justification for any medical facility receiving incentives for dead patients. Hospitals should be paid the least of any kind of incentive if a fully-vaccinated person dies. There should never be an increased payment if the patient dies. An alternative would be to completely remove state and federal subsidies for Covid and begin treating it the same as influenza.
Submitted to the Tillamook Headlight Herald (a teeny tiny weekly newspaper on the Oregon Coast) January 19, 2022 - Covid-19 Treatments and Financial Incentives in Hospitals
For over a year now State and federal hospital have been receiving and are still receiving subsidies and reimbursements for Covid-19 treatments. Many of these treatments have been regulated by the doctors and medical professionals without input or approval from the patient and the family of the patient. All hospital treatments for Covid should be at least partially tied to patient consent and outcomes.
During the height of the pandemic, when no one knew exactly what was going to work to eradicate this virus for each individual patient, hospitals could only do what they thought was appropriate, timely and cost effective. Now that proven treatments exist, and the dominant variant is far less severe, hospitals should be paid more for better outcomes. Hospitals should be paid the most if the patient lives. Hospitals should never, ever receive financial incentives for patient death even if the more serious cases require far more work. There is no justification for any medical facility receiving incentives for dead patients. Hospitals should be paid the least of any kind of incentive if a fully-vaccinated person dies. There should never be an increased payment if the patient dies. An alternative would be to completely remove state and federal subsidies for Covid and begin treating it the same as influenza.