Hospitals represent the largest chunk of U.S. health care spending, and hospitals are acquiring more market power and commanding higher prices — bills that every American pays for in some part. A report funded by the American Hospital Association claims hospital mergers result in better care and savings for patients. But all independent studies show…
The amount of money Americans have to pay out of pocket for healthcare expenses before their insurance kicks in is now double what it was a decade ago. The average deductible for an individual is $1,655 a year, roughly double the $826 workers paid about a decade ago, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual…
Understaffing right? Same thing happens in hospitals. The intended purpose of midnight census is to determine revenue (i.e. support a hospital’s ability to bill for that day). When calculating census, “every patient counts” is our mantra. Call us and we’ll share how using true census leads to more accurate staffing and improved finances.
Healthcare expenses forced 8 million Americans into poverty in 2018, according to the Census Bureau, an improvement from the past several years, when an annual average of 11 million people fell into poverty because of medical costs! The Census Bureau tracks how social programs and expenses influence poverty rates. Social Security, SNAP benefits and housing…
One alternative to sky-high monthly health insurance premiums for many Americans is opting for a high-deductible plan instead. Those plans come with lower monthly premiums, but their elevated deductibles create other problems. Deductibles can reach into multiple thousands of dollars — causing some people to skip care altogether. Foregoing preventative care or not filling prescriptions…
Average ER prices increase by 89%, that is well over 6 times the cost of leaving 13.85%. Emergency rooms are collecting more money from private insurance plans, and at the same time, they’re also surprising patients with the news that their care wasn’t covered. So whether you’re covered or not, you’re paying more. Hospitals get…
The disparities on physician specialty average pay versus their average revenue contribution show another reason of how healthcare fails to manage its financial imperatives. Regardless of how specialty scarcity, procedural margins, and other competitive factors play into each specialty, is clear that the average gap is a reflection of the lack of good analytics on…
Discussions about the cost and complexity of America’s healthcare, don’t normally account for the labor cost provided by friends and family. But those supports are large and a growing part of the U.S. healthcare. Millions of dollars are raised every year in donations to help with medical bills, and care provided by family and friends…
