Quote:
Originally posted by Roguish Lawyer
Questions for providers:
Is it not true that there are very substantial mark-ups of drugs provided at hospitals, lab tests, disposables, etc.?
If the recovery rate is only 10% and we don't have widespread bankruptcies, doesn't that mean that there is excessive billing on the provider side as well? If so, why? If not, why not?
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without a doubt there is excessive markups in some things... the price you pay for a drug though includes it being mixed up into solution in the pharmacy, transported to the floor, given by the nurse,etc...not just the drug but what goes into it from time its ordered to time its given.
most county hospitals mark up more than the private ones...why? to cover for non-funded patients. I brought this up earlier I believe. The county hospital where I trained was the most expensive hospital in city when I was there and many insurance companies wouldn't cover being an impatient there.... And it was done purposefully to have the paying patients offset some of the costs of the nonpayers. The hospital was still going broke...and yes, hospitals often run with a bare minimal margin...usually less than what it costs to run for less than a week ...in the public market.
So no, not a lot of surplus like you might think...hence things like taxing alcohol and cigerettes to give money to money to indigient care, 1/2 cent tax in Miami, extra fines for drunk drivers to go into a trauma fund in texas... every little bit helps hospitals from going BROKE.... it is a real thing. Jackson Memorial Hospital used to run 20-30 million in debt each year prior to the 1/2 cent tax.... it threatened the existence of something that couldn't go away.
doc t.