Cyclones come more often and the sea is rising, says this activist. Livelihoods and lives are threatened. Here's what she'd like to tell the nations gathered in Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit.
Read more on NPR
So I had a virus for a few days and after not being able to consume water and becoming delirious and confused my family convinced me to go to the hospital. I have a history of Crohn's disease and OCD.
After being triaged and placed in a room at the hospital, the physician decided to administer a medication called droperidol as an anti-emetic, in conjunction with fluids.
Shortly after receiving the medication, my body went into a contortion, which I later learned is a condition called dystonia. Simultaneously I was experiencing physical and cognitive restlessness.
When the nurse came to check on me, I explained that I was crawling out of my skin... that was the only way I could put it. She told me it does sometimes happen that people feel uneasy after getting that med. But I felt beyond uneasy. I was ready to rip off my monitors and IV. I could tell she could see it. She made a few recommendations that she was going to run by the doctor, but it seems as though he was choosing not to follow those. I didn't hear the conversation, but she had some pretty clear ideas as to what my treatment might look like and none of them came to fruition.
The doctor came back an hour later and I told him the same thing. His response was "ahh yeah, sometimes that medication can do that. sorry. I'll get you "a whiff of" benadryl and see if it helps". He also kept reminding me to straighten my arm so my IV worked... and I explained "I'm trying" but I couldn't.
An hour later, with my back fully and uncontrollably seized in a sideways position, they administered benadryl. If it worked, I couldn't tell. I was wanting to jump off a building.
Next thing I knew, I was being sent home because "the virus should work itself out". But I am still physically and cognitively restless as a side effect of that med, contorted. They unhooked my IV and handed me discharge paperwork.
I went home and continued my contortion (it's pretty much involuntary) and took some medication to try to fall asleep. I woke up a little bit better but was still experiencing moderate physical restlessness and difficulty controlling my body movement. According to my parents I was also somewhat incoherent still.
I thought, shot in the dark, why don't I call my psychiatrist. I called him and called back immediately. He said "That feeling cannot be overstated in regards to how uncomfortable it is. In the hospital when that happens they are supposed to give you Cogentin... I will write you a prescription for it."
So he did and over the next few days I began improving slowly.
I don't know if I have a leg to stand on to make a complaint, but I feel like I went in there with nausea and left with a temporary movement disorder and completely traumatized, all the while still experiencing many of the symptoms I was experiencing when I went in. But frankly, there is only one hospital in town and I don't want to blackball myself. And to make things more complicated, I am a healthcare provider in the city who takes referrals from the hospital (but not the ER).
I also don't believe anyone was trying to make me feel bad, I just feel like they could have addressed my symptoms in a way that didn't cause me physical and psychiatric anguish, especially when a simple solution could have been easily utilized. If they are guilty of anything it is of simply not doing enough or paying close enough attention.
I would be curious as to people's thoughts.
I am pretty sure it's a very common scenario. You might end a job on a Friday and start the next one on Monday. My company's coverage ends on your last day - not the end of the pay period. I just can't help but worry about what happens if some accident occurs over the weekend? It's not enough time to justify signing up for COBRA or Marketplace insurance. What is the right way to handle this situation so that you don't end up bankrupt because of an accident during this gap period?
Hi redditors, I urgently need help with an insurance question. Specifically about Child Only Insurance Plans in Texas and if it will cover NICU expenses.
I'll try to keep this to the point. I am a single dad who had twin boys through surrogacy. They were born very premature on Oct 24 and will be in NICU for 2-3 months. I live in California but the babies were born in Texas and I just found out that my CA insurance won't cover expenses outside of CA.
The first 30 days will be covered under the surrogates insurance but after that it's on me. Does anyone know if I can purchase a Child Only Insurance Policy in Texas that will cover their NICU expenses? Or any other solutions besides taking up residency in Texas immediately so I can apply for my own insurance here and add the twins? Medicaid and Medical wont work I don't think cause the income threshold is too low.
I feel like an idiot for taking my agents word that I'm covered and not checking myself. The NICU office said Baby A's expenses for the 4 days so far has been $65k and Baby B's $41k.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Say I have $1,000 on an HSA from 2019 (we had an HDHP plan). In 2020-2021 we had a regular, FSA eligible plan (which we used up). For 2022 we are going HDHP again. More accurately, due to a life changing event, we started the HDHP in September (so we couldn't contribute yet, since we had a non-HDHP plan in 2021). Question if - let's say we had visits in the last couple of months which cost us $2,500, we don't have enough in our current HSA to cover all of them. Can we use HSA funds from 2022 (future contributions) to pay for them? (For example we go on a payment plan so we can pay some next year)? Or can we only use up the amount of money we have on our previous HSA?
Thanks
This is long and happened in the US. I had my husband call an ambulance. I was in excruciating lower lumbar pain and I was trying to breathe through it. I was concentrating on my breathing and my pain. One of the 2 EMT guys was asking my husband what medication I was on. My husband opened my nightstand drawer. I have a ton of bottles in there. I don’t take most of them and some are “as needed” so they just sit there. Not a priority to get rid of them.
The EMT starts looking at all the pills. Asks my husband about them. He told the guy several times that I didn’t take all of them. Like 4. But this guy decides that I’m either a druggy or having a psychotic episode. They give me a shot of something to help with the pain. They are all trying to get me to talk. Not asking me if I could talk. They are making me try to choose a hospital and I’m having difficulty speaking and I’m still all curled up with pain. All my joints seized up. Including my jaw. I managed to say that I hadn’t taken any pills but they weren’t listening. They ended up getting the fire department to carry me out of the house so they can put me on the gurney. I tell them I’m going to throw up. I was retching like I’m going to throw up. EMT guy tells me not to throw up on his bed. I’m also moaning loudly because I’m being moved while in excruciating pain. So they load me into the ambulance and take off. The EMT didn’t say one word to me in the ambulance and I couldn’t see him. I was so scared because of how they were treating me and my husband wasn’t allowed in the ambulance. When we arrived at the hospital, they were wheeling me somewhere in the ER. EMT guy told me to be quiet because there were sick people there. I was moaning loudly and I started asking loudly for someone to help me because this guy was terrifying me. So while he’s checking me in, I start retching again. But they had put a mask on me. I started throwing up. I was afraid I was going to choke so I was trying to lean over to get the puke out of my mouth and face. Well, they got mad at me for puking and because I was able to get a few words out, that I could really talk. Nobody believed that I couldn’t talk and I was just being dramatic and making this up. When the EMT was ready for me to move to the ERs bed, he put his hands on his hips and told me to get off his gurney. This set a precedent for the ER staff thinking I was on narcotics and having a mental problem. I was lucid the entire time. And so what if I was on narcotics or having a psychotic episode! All people matter! All of the ER staff were rude to me. They did a drug abuse test on me and a test for any illicit drugs.
Of course it all came back negative. ER doctor gave me Haldol! They give that to psychotic people. ER doctor ordered a CT scan of my lower back and my damn head. Still nobody has asked me if I could talk. Everyone was rude to me. I desperately tried to communicate with my eyes. Nothing. Staff didn’t become courteous until my husband showed up. I know damn well this couldn’t have been the first time nor will it be the last time something like this will happen. Is this a common problem? I feel so bad about people who don’t have anyone to advocate for them! I’m currently dealing with PTSD because it happened so recently. I now have a lot of trust issues with healthcare workers. I know everyone in healthcare has a LOT to deal with these days. I didn’t plan on needing to go to the ER. It was a horrible, traumatic experience and I didn’t feel safe.
I just started working for an internist and have been asked to go to assisted living facilities and ask to have him put on staff and given patients. I have been calling assisted living facilities in the area and just asking what the process would look like, but I could really use some help on what to do and how to make this as easy as possible. The internist also has 4 other doctors and 3 nurse practitioners on staff.
My mom is 62, and has heart and health problems (high blood pressure, has blacked out/fallen and has chest pains, and sodium level issues). She recently moved near me and does not have health insurance. I tried to add her to mine, but they do not allow it. I'm trying to explore options to get her health insurance so she can get the to doctor because she desperately needs it. She is not eligible for Medicare/Medicaid for 3 more years. Any suggestions?
Hi there!!
I’m looking for multiple healthcare workers from different areas to jump on a podcast and discuss what your experience at work has been like over the past year. I’ll provide basic questions, or we can just have a conversation or you can share whatever you’d like to share.
Im also looking for people who specifically know the in’s and out’s of the vaccines who can have a conversation about the fears of those who won’t get vaxed. I wanna lift up the voices of the professionals, if youre interested, shoot me a message.
Thanks for all your hard work 💕
In some cases, manufacturers of healthcare products have to pay up to 94% of product sale back to GPOs.Of course companies just tack all of those unnecessary middleman GPO costs into the price of the product. In the end, patients, taxpayers, and companies pay billions of dollars for these useless middleman shenanigans.
My healthcare provider has dramatically decreased my outstanding balance within the last two weeks. From around $12,000’s closer to $3000, and the reasoning behind which?
I was informed today, that they have acquired copies of my last two tax returns to garner information about my income and my ability to pay for the outstanding balance.
Problem is, I never gave them verbal or written consent to do so. Nor have I ever mailed,faxed, or delivered my returns to them in any way shape or form.
Silly question 🙋♂️
Are you’re tax returns public information? Because when responding to the initial response ℹ️. I was verbally told that they were acquired through a 3rd party.
Help?
I hear that Centene and Humana count as MCOs but how is that different from just health insurance companies?
Hello,
Having some trouble getting clarification on income qualification in colorado for their expanded medicaid program.
I am $150 dollars above the income threshold for a family my size. My question is do 401k or traditional ira contributions reduce my income for qualification purposes?
I have called colorado health first, and the only answer I can get is "they look at your gross income" i could not get them to clarify if there were any deductions from gross that were allowable.
Thanks
I went to a wellness/preventative care visit with my doctor which is covered at 100% with my insurance. Next thing I know, I get a bill as an office visit co-pay, when I inquired about it, they said it's because we discussed something that made the office visit more "complex." I am a little annoyed because she asked me the questions and I answered honestly and then it became an "issue," but there was no action done or anything. She didn't think it was a big deal but she said she had to mark a diagnosis code so I am like okay. Has this happened to anyone? What did you do in this case? Are they allowed to turn preventative care visits into office visits so patient now receives a bill that was unintended?
It makes me violently angry that so many people are still doing this, especially in the wake of a global pandemic. It bothers me so much that I become visibly angry for a good while after I see it and have trouble interacting with other people politely because I’m so disturbed by it. It’s to the point that I cringe whenever I even hear someone cough knowing there is a 95% chance they are doing it into their hands.
There is literally no excuse for it, toddlers know to cough into the crook of their arm. And before you say it, yes it is most DEFINITELY preferable to cough into the open air as most of those droplets dissipate and fall to the ground almost immediately, whereas when you cough into your hand you literally go on to infect every surface you touch for 6 hours or more or until you wash/gel your hands. Ditto on coughing into a paper thin Kleenex, same thing. It is absolutely impractical to count on being able to wash/gel your hands immediately every time you cough or sneeze, even if you are a woman carrying a purse.
If there was ever a time to put a stop to this idiotic practice that probably predates lobotomies, it was a global pandemic. Yet not a word was uttered by any of the multiple political leaders or global health experts that had the entire world’s attention reinforcing the importance of correcting this moronic behavior.
What are your shocking cost stories when it comes to cost?
Picked up a prescription and it was $170 with insurance. The pharmacy lady brought up GOODRX & it was $13 one mile away.
Before Obama care examples;
Viagra was 60 cents a pill online after Obama care $20 dollars a pill.
Needed a walker assist. Was told I could have insurance pay for it as a rental for $300 a week, OR I could buy one for $125. After Obama care, you can no longer buy these. You have to rent one for over $600.
My parents are in their 50s and hoping to retire early, but healthcare is holding them back. They went on a government site related to the healthcare market, put in some information, didn’t get anything useful back, and since then have been bombarded with calls from extremely aggressive salespeople. How does one navigate finding healthcare outside of a job and/or find a reliable health insurance professional to guide them?
Hi Im an immigrant live in US since 2017. I don’t have a medical insurance but i got humana dental insurance last month. I am looking for buy an affordable health insurance. Can you recommend me a good one? I don’t have a proper knowledge about the US insurance tho. I have migraine headache and mild depression. I have to meet a doctor like 4 or 5 times a year. I am a student work at McDonald’s as a fulltime worker but I don’t have much money. My cost range is 0-100$ monthly. I live in Georgia. Humana has 32$ premium plan im not sure is that a good one for me or no. Also my college offer health insurance range 2000-3000$ per year. Should i go with school insurance or buy other cheaper one by my own?
Hey all, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for my FIL. He lives in FL and makes very little $, only working the occasional Uber or Amazon delivery shift. He's well below the poverty line, but isn't eligible for Medicaid due to not raising any dependents. Since he makes so little money, the government marketplace won't subsidize premiums, expecting him to pay > $600 / month for the worst plan. He obviously can't afford this.
Unfortunately, due to his age (60+) and lack of English, he has no clear path to a "good" job that would either provide healthcare or get him above the poverty line. Thankfully, he's been healthy, but we really want to get him some coverage. Are there any options for people that are in that coverage gap?
The rules for posting to this subreddit have been updated to make things a little easier and less confusing for new posters. You are no longer required to write a tag in the title, you can simply select the appropriate flair when submitting your post.
You must select flair before clicking submit, or automoderator will remove the post (automoderator cannot check flair after the post is submitted, so flair must be included beforehand).
This is a trial run to see if the new system works better for submissions. One of the challenges with this sub is we get a massive amount of posts that need to be removed due to health product spam, surveys, and personal medical questions. The old system was (mostly) effective but causes a lot of confusion that we're hoping to clear up.
You still cannot post personal medical questions. There is a 'personal medical question' tag because people tend to not read the rules and post their own questions anyway, so this is a secondary way to filter out those posts. If you have a personal medical question, please see a doctor or visit one of the other subreddits linked in the sidebar.
If you notice any issues/ find automoderator is inappropriately removing your posts, feel free to message the mods and we'll try to update.
Hello Friends,
This is an odd post. I may get some hate but I promise I mean well.
I had a close friend whom I lost to Cancer weeks before we were set to marry.
You see, she didn't have proper health insurance and that contributed to the type of treatment she was receiving. Our marriage would hsve gotten her on my Health Insurance.
My friend told me she met a lot of people on this and other subreddits where she would talk to people about some of her illnesses. She once joked "if this doesn't work, I have a dozen reddit friends who need help"
I guess I'm here to find one of her reddit friends who are in need and I can pay it forward
Hello Friends,
This is an odd post. I may get some hate but I promise I mean well.
I had a close friend whom I lost to Cancer weeks before we were set to marry.
You see, she didn't have proper health insurance and that contributed to the type of treatment she was receiving. I was going to marry her to get her on my Health Insurance. I would also benefit from the arrangement, because it would fast track me to permanent residency.
My friend told me she met a lot of people on this and other subreddits where she would talk to people about some of her illnesses. She once joked "if this doesn't work, I have a dozen reddit friends who can help you out"
I guess I'm here to find one of her reddit friends who are in need
Is that safe??? It sounds kind of crazy to do, and it also sounds very unhealthy. He was wearing the rubber band around his bicep for the entire school day (7:30AM - 4:30PM). Is that safe???
I fell and broke my knee a few weeks ago. I was not offered a brace by my orthopedist until the MRI results came back (7 days between my initial appointment with him and the follow-up to look at the MRI, all of which time I walked without a brace and was never told to be careful or buy one), at which time he gave me a brace that he had in-office that cost me $400. I have a high deductible HSA plan, so have paid for this whole injury with my HSA savings. I went on Amazon and found a brace from the same manufacturer that appears to have the exact same function and features, for $130. As soon as I was handed the brace, I knew from 40 years of being a consumer that this brace was not worth $400, and even jokingly told the nurse that it looked like it had cost $30 to make. I feel really duped.
I’m also 5’3”, and after researching braces and different lengths, this brace length is ideally suited for someone who is closer to 6’ tall. While the nurse was adjusting the straps she told me it was never going to fit well, because my legs were too skinny and even though it was one size fits all it was made for larger legs. It’s extremely uncomfortable, doesn’t stay up unless I hold it up as I walk, and I have to loosen the straps every 5 minutes because it’s pressing on nerves in my leg and causing my leg to tingle for several minutes after I remove it. I’m going to assume I won’t be given a refund for the brace, since it’s now used and has been in my possession for 3 days. What should I do?
I need to get the covid vaccine or at least the rapid test. I moved to Alberta from Ontario earlier this year. I have my Alberta ID, however, I don’t have my Alberta health care card. I have my Ontario health card still.
Thing is, I live out in the country and I am only able to get vaccinated at Alberta Health Services and that’s in the city, which is quite the drive for me. If my Ontario health card is valid/usable, I would be able to get it done at Walmart in the next town over.
So my question is, is my Ontario health card valid to receive the vaccine/rapid testing if I moved to Alberta earlier this year? TIA
I’ve sought healthcare from various providers, and noticed that they usually offer half hour appointment times. That is not nearly enough time to discuss a complex chronic condition. That’s not enough time to discuss most health concerns, in my opinion.
I think major healthcare companies are trying to cut costs and cram in as many appointments as possible in a day, but I don’t think that’s an effective approach to delivering quality care.
I sent one primary care physician a comprehensive summary of my experience with Long Covid so far. I included my symptoms, medications I’ve already tried, and medications I’m interested in trying. I also included lab work and x-ray information, as well as vaccine info.
Hopefully that will make my next appointment much less stressful for me and the doctor. If I hadn’t sent a written summary, we would probably spend half an hour just discussing my symptoms and previous healthcare experiences.
PutVicks in my nose, will I be ok? (been doing it for years just now realizing it’s harmful and lately I’ve felt pressure in my chest but the doctors say I’m ok. I’m pretty scared, and I’m only 13)
[Question - Other]
If you sat cross legged for a while your knee would have this tightening feeling, then when you straighten it it clicks. Ive had the feeling but without the click and it happens whenever i move my left knee. What is it and how do i stop it
I was hyperventilating, and in a panic I rushed to the ER, where they did an EKG and radiology exam, and found nothing conclusive.
Today I got a statement saying I owe $2.5k for the visit.
I looked at the itemized bill, figuring the cost must have been mostly the X-rays and EKG.
Nope - $2.9k before insurance for "emergency room".
I am new to US healthcare - is this real? I knew ambulances were about $3000, but I was not expecting to be billed the same amount of money to drive myself and take a seat in the waiting room. Is there any way I am able to fight / dispute this charge, or is this reality?
There have been many studies on the same topics but we are still young in this sector, I think. Well, AI obviously can't interfere with humans' immune systems or detect possible diseases in advance accurately but it can certainly help us accelerate in the drug discovery process. We already have witnessed how crucial it is in this COVID era.
But Innoplexus is doing something innovative leveraging blockchain technology. The drug discovery process is not moving fast enough to bring patients the therapies they need. Urgent change is needed to improve drug discovery, and patients are at the core of this change. Through the Ecosystem, patients participate in virtual studies, licensing their data on the blockchain. With digital, real world data from patients, we can augment AI to get more precise target identification, deliver faster insights throughout the clinical trial process, and integrate real patient opinion into ongoing drug evaluation.
What do you think of this solution?
I apologize for any lack of knowledge,, I'm still young and have never had to personally contact the hospital.
I need to recieve medical information for my MMR vaccines for school and send them to my school on short notice. I've read about medical records taking up to a month to recieve and my deadline is a good deal sooner than that. If I call or email the hospital should I be able to recieve a quick follow-up?
Hospitals and health systems in the U.S. are undergoing a dramatic shift in their business models due to a number of forces that are expected to eventually turn the industry on its head — from providers concerned with the volume of services they provide, to providers who focus on offering high-value services that emphasize keeping populations healthy. For those unfamiliar with this shifting industry, or those who simply want to know more, here are 50 facts and statistics about the hospital industry in 2013. 1. There are 5,724 hospitals in the U.S., according to the American Hospital Association.1 2. Of these, 2,903 hospitals are nonprofit and 1,025 are for-profit. Additionally, 1,045 are owned by state or local (county, hospital district) government entities.1 3. Of all hospitals in the U.S., 1,984, or 35 percent, serve rural communities and are considered rural hospitals.1 4. Of rural hospitals, 1,328 have been designated as Critical Access Hospitals by CMS.2 CAHs are rural hospitals with no more than 25 beds and are at least 35 miles (15 miles in areas with mountainous terrain or only secondary roads) away from another hospital. CAHs are paid differently by CMS than traditional acute-care hospitals; their payments reflect their operating costs, rather than volumes. 5. Academic medical centers are hospitals and health systems with a close affiliation with a medical school. AMCs feature residency and often fellowship training programs and pursue clinical research in addition to direct patient care. They also often are considered tertiary care centers, because of their ability to treat a full range of complex conditions and access to subspecialists. There are currently around 400 AMCs in the U.S.3 6. Safety-net hospitals are a category of hospitals that provide a disproportionate level of charity care compared to other facilities.4 These hospitals receive Hospital Disproportionate Share Payments from CMS to help offset the cost of caring for large numbers of Medicaid, Medicare and uninsured patients who result in uncompensated care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act calls for DSH payments to be significantly reduced over a period of years; this reduction was written into the law under the assumption that the expansion of Medicaid coverage would reduce the number of uninsured individuals, meaning safety-net hospitals would, in theory, have less uncompensated care costs to offset. However, the Supreme Court's decision to make states' expansion of Medicaid optional could create a financial challenge for safety-net hospitals in states that forgo expansion. 7. A slight majority of hospitals in the U.S. are part of a health system. According to the AHA, 3,007, or roughly 53 percent of hospitals are part of a health system.1 Note: Statistics from AHA's Hospital Statistics, 2013 Edition reflect 2011 data. The number of hospitals in a system is likely higher today due to the large amount of merger and acquisition activity within the industry that has taken place since 2011. 8. In 2012, 94 mergers or acquisitions took place in the hospital industry worth a total of $1.88 billion, the highest value of M&A activity within the industry over the last decade, according to Irving Levin Associates. 9. For hospital sales/acquisitions occurring in 2012, the average price-to-EBITDA multiple was 9.5x, and the average price-to-revenue multiple was 0.76x, according to Irving Levin Associates. The average price-to-revenue multiples for distressed or bankrupt hospitals ranged from 0.3x to 0.4x.5 10. The five largest for-profit hospital operators include:Hospital Corporation of America (162 hospitals),Community Health Systems (135 hospitals), Health Management Associates (71 hospitals), LifePoint Hospitals (57 hospitals) and Tenet Healthcare Corp (49 hospitals).6 11. The five largest nonprofit hospital systems include:Ascension Health (100 hospitals), Catholic Health Initiatives (86 hospitals), CHE/Trinity (newly merged entity between Trinity Health in Novi, Mich., and Catholic Health East in Newton Square, Pa. — 82 hospitals), Adventist Health System (43 hospitals) and Dignity Health (38hospitals). 6 12. The five largest nonprofit hospitals in America (by bed count) are: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (New York City) — 2,292 beds; Florida Hospital Orlando — 2,141; Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami) — 1,724; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian — 1,590; and Orlando (Fla.) Regional Medical Center — 1,483.6 13. The largest for-profit hospitals in America (by bed count) are: Methodist Hospital (San Antonio) — 1,536 beds; Edinburg (Texas) Regional Medical Center — 816; Henrico Doctor's Hospital (Richmond, Va.) — 812; North Shore Medical Center (Miami) — 775 and CJW Medical Center – Chippenham Campus (Richmond, Va.) — 762.6 14. Hospitals vary greatly is size, from small rural facilities with just a few key service lines to large, tertiary care facilities. Here is a break out of U.S. hospitals by bed count in 2009, the latest year for which data is publicly available.7 6-24 bed — 402 25-29 beds — 1,164 50-99 bed — 991 100-199 beds — 1,063 200-299 beds — 582 300-399 beds — 348 400-499 beds — 192 500 beds or more — 266 15. There was an average of 111.8 inpatient hospitals admissions per 1,000 people in 2011, down from an average of 123.2 days in 1991. This data suggests on ongoing shift from inpatient to outpatient care, which has been driven largely by advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques as well as advanced anesthesia techniques that allow patients to recover more quickly from surgical procedures.8 16. The average length of stay for an acute-care hospital admission is 4.8 days.9 17. The average cost per inpatient day is $2,025 for nonprofit hospitals and $1,629 for for-profit hospitals.10 18. There was an average of 2,105.6 outpatient visits per 1,000 people in 2011, up from an average of 1,273.4 days in 1991, further supporting the trend of inpatient surgeries moving to the outpatient setting.8 19. Emergency departments are critical units within hospitals as they account for the majority of inpatient admissions. In 2010, there were 42.8 ED visits per 100 persons in the U.S., according to the CDC's National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The number of emergency department visits resulting in hospital admission was 17.2 million, and number of emergency department visits resulting in admission to a critical care unit was 2.1 million. 20. EDs at half of all urban hospitals and 51 percent of all teaching hospitals are "at capacity" or "overcapacity," according to a 2010 survey by the AHA.11 21. The American Hospital Association is the leading association representing U.S. hospitals. It is led by President and CEO Richard (Rich) Umbdenstock. 22. The Federation of American Hospitals represents for-profit, investor owned hospitals. It was founded in 1966 and is led by President and CEO Charles (Chip) Kahn. 23. America's Essential Hospitals represents safety-net hospitals, including many large, urban facilities. It is led by President and CEO Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH. 24. A variety of factors have pressured hospital finances over the last several years, and these forces are unlikely to let up. In addition to the volume shift from inpatient to outpatient visits, the recession and growth in high-deductible heath plans and other health insurance benefit design elements that increases costs for consumers has resulted in some patients delaying or withholding medical care. For 2012, the latest data available, the average operating margin for a nonprofit hospital was 2.5 percent, according to Moody's Investors Service. 25. In 2012, the average nonprofit hospital had 165 days cash on hand and a cash-to-debt ratio of 117.7 percent. However, cash-to-debt ratios vary widely in the industry:
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "Aa2"-rated hospitals: 214.5 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "Aa3"-rated hospitals: 185.8 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "A1"-rated hospitals: 146.9 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "A2"-rated hospitals: 143 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "A3"-rated hospitals: 104 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "Baa1"-rated hospitals: 91.6 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "Baa2"-rated hospitals: 74.6 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for "Baa3"-rated hospitals: 93 percent
Median cash-to-debt ratio for hospitals with ratings below "Baa": 107 percent12
Medicare: 40.9 percent
Medicaid: 17.2 percent
Blue Cross Blue Shield, other private insurance: 16.5 percent
HMO or PPO: 14 percent
Self-pay: 4.9 percent
Worker's compensation and other government programs: 2 percent13
Small hospitals (less than $100 million expense): 7.3 percent
Medium hospitals ($100 million to $299 million expense): 8.0 percent
Large hospitals ($300 million or more expense): 9.8 percent
Systems (more than one licensed hospital): 9.3 percent
Title 25th percentile 50th percentile 75th percentile System president/CEO – Market base salary $787,300 $917,500 $1,028,100 System president/CEO – Market total cash Compensation $912,300 $1,131,600 $1,405,700
46. For standalone hospital president and CEOs, the pay is reduced to reflect the fewer number of facilities overseen.
Title 25th percentile 50th percentile 75th percentile Stand-alone hospital president/CEO – Market base salary $480,000 $613,500 $715,800 Stand-alone hospital – Market total cash compensation $518,500 $620,000 $872,400
47. Health system CFO pay in 2012, also according to Mercer's 2012 Integrated Health Networks Compensation Survey, is detailed below:
Title 25th percentile 50th percentile 75th percentile CFO – Market base salary $160,600 $204,900 $306,400 CFO – Market total cash compensation $171,800 $227,700 $335,000
48. Hospital and health system chief information officer compensation was slighter higher than CFO pay. Here is a snapshot of CIO in 2012, according to Mercer's 2012 Integrated health Networks Compensation Survey:
Title 25th percentile 50th percentile 75th percentile CIO – Market base salary $239,500 $296,100 $362,400 CIO – Market total cash compensation $250,700 $324,400 $415,400
49. The number of hospitals in each state is influenced by population, of course, but also by other factors. State certificate of need laws are one of the biggest influencers of hospital development in a state. Certificate of need laws require that a state-governed board review and approve the development of any new healthcare facilities in the state. Generally, approval requires proof of need — that is, a current lack of access to healthcare services or a future one, due to projected population growth. For a summary of CON laws (or lack thereof) by state, click here. 50. The top five states with the most hospitals, according to Kaiser Health Facts,17 are:
Texas — 426
California — 343
Florida — 210
Pennsylvania — 196
Illinois — 189
Footnotes: 1 American Hospital Association. "AHA Hospital Statistics, 2013 Edition." 2 Rural Health Research Centers at the Universities of Minnesota, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Southern Maine. "CAH List." Available online at http://www.flexmonitoring.org/cahlistRA.cgi 3 PWC. "Academic Medical Centers." Available online at http://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/providers/services-solutions/academic-medical-centers.jhtml 4 America's Essential Hospitals. "About Our Members." Available online at http://www.naph.org/Main-Menu-Category/About-NAPH/About-Our-Members/what-is-a-safety-net-hospital.aspx 5 Irving Levin Associates. "Health Care Services Acquisition Report, 2012." 6 Figures are based on CMS cost report data analyzed by American Hospital Directory. Note: The hospital bed counts reported here include all medical/surgical and special care beds as reported to CMS by the hospitals in their most recent cost reports and, in some cases, may include bed counts from other facilities that share a provider number with the main hospital. 7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Table 116. Hospitals, beds, and occupancy rates, by type of ownership and size of hospital: United States, selected years 1975–2009." Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2011/116.pdf 8 Avalere Health. Analysis of American Hospital Association Annual Survey data, 2011, for community hospitals. U.S. Census Bureau: National and State Population Estimates, July 1, 2011. 9 National Hospital Discharge Survey: 2010 table, Number and rate of hospital discharges. 10 Kaiser State Health Facts, 2012. 11American Hospital Association (May, 24, 2010). "The State of America's Hospitals: Results of AHA Survey of Hospital Leaders, March/April, 2010." 12 Source: Moody's Investors Service, "U.S. Not-for-Profit Hospital Medians Show Operating Stability Despite Flat Inpatient Volumes and Shift to Government Payers," August 2012. 13 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "National Hospital Discharge Survey." Figures reflect payor mixes from 2009, the latest year available. 14 PWC Health Research Institute. "Health Reform: Prospering in a Post-reform World." 15 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002" Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/hai/infections_deaths.pdf. 16 American Hospital Association. "AHA Survey on Hospitals, Ability to Meet Meaningful Use Requirements of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records Incentive Programs, February 7, 2011." 17 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. State Health Facts. Available online at http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-hospitals. Latest articles on leadership & management: 4 ways for CEOs to tackle polarization in their teams&n
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