Colorado woman Lisa French had back surgery in 2014. The admissions clerk at the hospital, St. Anthony North, mistakenly estimated her cost-sharing at $1,337. What the hospital clerk failed to realize was the hospital was out-of-network. Because the hospital was out of network it was not bound by a negotiated rate for the surgery. The hospital could bill at its so-called chargemaster rates, which are often two to three times typical rates health plans negotiate with in-network providers.
Author: Devon Herrick
You Think Covid is Bad? Smallpox Killed 30% of its Victims
America has just passed 1 million deaths from Covid-19. The death toll globally may have surpassed 15 million, according to the World Health Organization. That sounds bad and for the families and loved ones of those who have died it is horrendous. However, it could have been far worse. For those who contracted Covid-19 (as I have) it kills only about 0.7 percent of the people it infects. The most susceptible are those individuals with pre-existing conditions, the elderly, the frail, etc.
Is Telemedicine on its Way Up or Out?
TelaDoc, the largest telehealth firm in the United States, saw its stock price nosedive by more than 60% in the past month. TelaDoc’s stock price is down 78% from its high last year. This is significant considering health care experts predicted telemedicine would get a huge boost from Covid and telehealth visits become mainstream. What’s behind the stock slide? Was it profit-taking by early investors or has the public’s interest in telehealth waned? By the way, TelaDoc was founded in Dallas in 2002 and funded my early policy work on telemedicine 15 years ago under different leadership.
Covid Forced Nurses’ Salaries Higher; Hospitals Hated It
It is common for hospitals to use nurse staffing agencies, sometimes called “rent-a-nurse” to fill shifts when needed. The downside is temp agency nurses costs more per hour than staff nurses who are hospital employees. During times when nurses are in short supply, as was the case with Covid, nurses are in such high demand they can safely work for staffing agencies knowing they will have plenty of work and higher pay.