$ health care $
The advertisement compares it to a 4 star hotel. Wireless computer access, HDTV, suites, whirlpool bath tubs... And I wonder why my health insurance premuim and deductable is doubling at the first of the year! I think western medicine has become nothing but the almighty dollar and very little about actual health care. |
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| That's ridiculous! Can I ask what hospital this is? |
What's wrong with making patients comfortable?  |
Got another one in Indiana that has revolving doors, a grand piano, fountains inside and out, live plants inside with a sign that says somthing like "To help keep it beautiful, please don't walk in it." The stupid things at least 2 -3 feet off the ground. 
And, another hospital with (sorry) just a regular old piano with a sign that says "Do not play." Who knows, maybe if the patients went down to the main lobby it'd take their mind off their pain while they wait on the nurses to bring them the pain shot that was on its way 30 minutes earlier. Or, they can be wheeled outside in subzero weather, to the end of the building to the smoking section, away from the general population. I'd much rather they spend that money on medicine for our seniors that can't afford and put in a smoking room with good ventilation. jmpo |
| Our hospital did all kinds of upgrades and renovations too, to the tune of almost a billion dollars. I thought it was ridiculous! The care there still sucks too... |
| I must say that lessening the clinical atmosphere in a hospital will help patients to lessen anxiety but making it look like a hotel and spending that much money is freakin' ridiculous!
A better use for that cash would be to spend it on their employees and training or medical equipment, not plush linens and HDTV. I can't speak to what nurses make (although while not enogh it's still more than the 'field' employees) but EMS people barely make enough to live on. Most ambulance people work 2 or 3 jobs to make enough to support their families. (In this area they start at $7.45 an hour with yearly increases that are less than the standard cost of living.) Turnover is also extremely high because there is only so many times that you can take someone vomitting on your shoes for that much money. Training and retention bonuses for their staff would go a long way for keeping staff that are acclimated to that hospital and would increase the level of patient care. There is a facility around here that was recently built that has cosmetic surgeons, opthometrists and out patient surgery offices in it. It's pretty amazing because once you walk inside it looks like the Death Star. "Luke, I am your Doctor!" |
Quote: EMS people barely make enough to live on. Most ambulance people work 2 or 3 jobs to make enough to support their families. (In this area they start at $7.45 an hour with yearly increases that are less than the standard cost of living.) Turnover is also extremely high because there is only so many times that you can take someone vomitting on your shoes for that much money.
That is disgusting that EMS workers only make $7.45 an hour. No wonder the turn over is so high. |
| That is also why firemen often have 2nd jobs...or in Brians case, work every overtime shift available..I havent seen him for 48 hrs straight....Bless his heart....Mandy, Ginny, Tanya and any other health care worker....Thank you guys!!! |
| Yes, my uncle works at GM as well as being a fireman....
Speaking of firemen, have you seen some of the new firemen calendars?! LOL |
| Aren't most of these new 'designer' hospitals private hospitals? (Which doesn't mean they pay their EMTs or nurses any better, but doesn't that mean that the funding for the fancy stuff comes from private parties, rather than taxes or health insurance stuff?) I'm just asking, I have no idea, but I just assumed if you went to one of these hospitals you'd know you were going to be paying more for the amenities (which I know plenty of people who would want that if they were forced to stay in a hospital for any length of time if they could afford it) |
| Not necessarily. The hospital that I used to work for was a Catholic hospital which means they weren't owned by 'corporation' so to say but they also weren't the atypical 'county' hospital, taking in every charity case. They made millions of dollars of improvements through donations by private citizens and started charging more for the extra services they were providing. Instead of passing any bonuses or even a thank you they increased the cost of our health insurance by a third and then tightened the restrictions so that you had to go to this particular hospital to be covered. If you went to any other local hospital without it falling into certain emergency categories, they didn't cover it. Also, it started out that if you needed a service that they didn't provide, they wanted you to come to this hospital and get evaluated and then be transferred to another hospital. The ambulance people actually got that fixed because we said that if we knew a patient needed a service that this hospital didn't offer there was no way we were taking a patient there and delaying their care. It was unethical and illegal!
When the improvements were made, they added an extensive cardiac related wing but decided to forgo a helicopter pad in lieu of some of their other aesthetic improvements. (Some of which were a 3 story tall stained glass window, a giant statue of the Holy Mother and marble floors.) Therefor, they increased the workload of the EMS providers because they were bringing patients in from other hospitals, most of which were emergency transfers, and we were not afforded any extra staff or any money for new vehicles even though we were putting thousands of more miles on them. That's just the tip of the iceberg too. The hospital was already understaffed. Trained nurses, especially RNs, were putting in long hours. Most of the time there was only one RN per wing. They had CNAs or newly hired, untrained people, to help them with basic patient care. If there was a code in the hospital, the 'code team' responded which pulled RNs off the floor to other wings. When the new wing opened, many of these nurses were pulled to that area leaving the rest of the hospital with temp nurses or limited staff. The new trend in healthcare is hiring nurse-type people from other countries. Paying their relocation expenses is cheaper than hiring US trained citizens. (No, not kidding!) They take an equivalency exam or they have a set amount of time to get their certifications and licenses here. Most of them had limited command of the language and many of the cultural customs were quite different as well. Health care in this country is terminally screwed. There is going to have to be a gigantic change in order to get it straightened out and I highly doubt that the people benefitting from all this junk are going to let that happen. |
| That's crazy! When I had my babies, just 3 years ago in 2 weeks for my youngest, it was a perk just having a private shower in your room (a perk I didn't have because the 2 rooms with them were taken). lol |
| We are so lucky here as we don't have the huge costs of private health insurance that you guys do. We are also covered by government funding for those that can't afford private premiums. We have just had a hospital hotel open, a new concept for the comfort of patients, for those getting treatment and has all the luxuries of a hotel but you can stay there with your family rather then in a hospital ward on your own, nurses and doctors are on call 24 hrs. It is there for everyone wether you have private health insurance or not. I know even travelling to the states that travel insurance is a huge cost for that country more so then anywhere else you travel in the world due to if something happens on your travels in the states and you have to be hospitilised then the cost there is enormous & hence the larger price for travel insurance!! |
| As a health care provider and a former case manager I can pretty much guarantee that the Insurance Companies are not paying the luxery hospital any more than they are paying the hospital without the amenities. Most medical reimbursement is based on a "DRG" system. That means there is a flat, contracted amount for any specifice diagnosis.
For example, If I am covered by a private insurance company and I have to have my appendix out my insurance company will pay the hospital $X.XX regardless of whether I am in the hospital 2 days or 5. Medicare works the same way. How the Hospital uses that money is up to them. The hospital I work for, for example, has spent a huge amouont of money on a very fancy Birthing Unit. They don't get paid any more for a delivery than the hospital down the road for deliveries. But they hope that by providing a fancy place for women to have babies MORE patients will come to our hospital to have their babies. The profit is in the numbers. In this day and age the "quality" of the care you receive has become more of a level playing field. By that I mean, there are 4 hospitals within of 100 mile radius of my hospital that all do Cardiac Surgery. All the hospital are good, surgeons are well qualified, nursing care good, outcomes excellent. So hospitals feel that they have to do something "a bit different" to get people to come to "their" hospital for their surgery. Unless this luxery hospital is a huge medical center with more than qualified staff my "prediction" is that all the hot tubs in the world won't make a difference 5 years down the road. But if this paticular hospital has a well qualified staff and excellent outcomes those luxeries just may make the difference between making money and losing it. Years ago our cataract surgery center started a simple practice of giving each patient that had surgery an african violet as a gift on discharge. You'd be amazed at the impact that made!!!! We like to think that we are sophisticated consumers when it comes to health care but I am amazed at how often the "fancy room" wins out over the higher standerd of care!!! |
| Yes and nots forget the pay for nurses.Im a LPN and the pay compared too what an insurance worker makes is sorry.I do undstand working in the insurance company is stressful,however its the nurses who are on the line,helping,and saveing lives. Making hospitals like hotels too me is senceless.Whats the point?Yes medicine has come a long ways,but does a grand piano really put someone at ease when they are faceing open heart surgery?or Some other life threatening operation.The fancier the hospital the more bucks that hospital pulls in frominsurance its all a wicked game of finance.The only ppl who pay or the paitences and w/ a huge population of ppl w/o ANY insurance shouldnt we be making hospitals more affordable instead of fanicer? My elderly ppl I have taken care of told me many stories of how the Dr. cam eout too their home,and the cost was a chicken,a home cooked meal,or some sort of baked good.I know thats unrealitstic in these days,however its really sorry we have so MANY ppl w/o insurance and ppl who go w/o meds due too lack of money and insurance.In this country NO ONE should go w/o medical care,but it happens EVERY day.SAD and pathetic. |
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