Journal of health care finance
-
This article describes the principal channels of reimbursement for hospital-based emergency departments, and considers the impact of these funding streams on the organization and delivery of emergency care. We describe the services offered in the emergency department setting, reimbursement methodologies, factors affecting reimbursement, and the costs of hospital-based emergency services. We examine hospital financing and the contribution of the emergency department to the hospital's patient and service mixes and to its financial bottom line. We identify perverse payment incentives in terms of quality, efficiency, and broad system goals, and consider how payment incentives can be used to improve patient safety and quality of care.
-
J Health Care Finance · Jan 2007
Complementary and alternative medicine: opportunities and challenges.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has emerged as a significant sector within the health care industry as patient demand has increased, as the number and diversity of providers has grown, and as more providers deliver evidence-based CAM modalities to patients. The challenges confronting health care organizations that offer CAM are both similar and dissimilar to organizations that do not offer CAM. ⋯ Not only will the unique challenges be described but the distinctive opportunities to finance CAM will be highlighted. These opportunities will be discussed from both a financial perspective and innovation perspective with the aim of providing academics and health care financial practitioners with a rationale to offer CAM to patients and get compensated for providing these services.
-
Private payers and many industry analysts claim that hospital pricing strategy typically shifts health care costs from government payors to private payors. Economists believe, however, that hospitals would have maximized prices with previous market power, preventing any current opportunity to increase prices and shift costs. ⋯ Given issues such as hospital mission and governance, and the responses of hospitals to changing industry conditions, both parties may be correct in their cost-shifting assessment. Furthermore, understanding both viewpoints may be necessary to address adequately the cost-shifting issue and the future financing of health care.
-
J Health Care Finance · Jan 2007
National trends and determinants of hospitalization costs and lengths-of-stay for uterine fibroids procedures.
Uterine fibroid admissions in the nation's hospitals have grown more than 20 percent over the past five years. Substantial variations exist in inpatient treatment patterns. In spite of this dramatic growth, there are no national studies of the hospital costs associated with the treatment of uterine fibroids in the hospital setting. ⋯ Bedsize and teaching status are generally positively associated with lengths of stay and costs per day; for-profit status always had a significant positive association with LOS and cost per day. Hospital costs for treating women with uterine fibroids are continuing to grow. Further research on the determinants of the resource utilization could be helpful in predicting and alleviating these costs and improving patient care.