Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne...
by oneoff786 on Saturday October 08, 2022 @10:48AM
(#33132737)
I would question whether extra treatments for an end of life patient is really a profitable venture for a hospital vs the opportunity cost of more lucrative elective stuff.
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Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne...
by londons_explore on Saturday October 08, 2022 @11:02AM
(#33132875)
End of life treatments are, I assume, very profitable, because either they'll be covered by insurance, or they'll be paid by the deceased's estate. They'll probably get paid the full asking price rather than having to give a discount too.
Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne...
by refurb on Saturday October 08, 2022 @11:10AM
(#33132948)
I wouldn't argue they aren't profitable, but there is a good chance Medicare is covering it, which is substantially lower reimbursement than private insurance.
If they have a limited volume of beds, I'm sure a focus on profit would drive a private patient getting care versus an elderly Medicare patient.
Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne...
by oneoff786 on Saturday October 08, 2022 @12:11PM
(#33133506)
If the estate can’t pay then the debt is just written off though.
That aside, ability to pay is not going to be the top consideration of the baseline profitability of a procedure.
I don’t know any specifics though.
Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne...
by londons_explore on Saturday October 08, 2022 @12:48PM
(#33133846)
But most people do die with an estate of some kind