According to the New York Times, sports leagues, large employers and colleges are turning to devices that could usher in more invasive forms of surveillance. Questions: What are the benefits of these devices? What are the costs of these devices? What fact in this article was the most interesting to you? How would you feel… Read more »
Posts Tagged: medical costs
Shaking up Pricing
Because the costs of health-care are rising, along with higher insurance deductibles and co-pays, the way medical services are being delivered is changing. unlike hospital ERs and urgent care centers, retailers, such as grocery and drugstore chains, who operate in-store clinics are displaying pricing information upfront for consumers paying cash. Questions: 1. What are the… Read more »
New Study on Hospital Costs
Twenty of the 50 U.S. hospitals that charge the most for their services are located in Florida — and all but one of them are for-profit, according to a study released Monday. Questions: 1. Which facility is at the top of the list for charging the most and how many times more do uninsured patients… Read more »
Don’t Pay that Medical Bill: The Truth about Balance Billing
As health-care costs continue to soar, millions of confused consumers are paying medical bills they don’t actually owe. Typically this occurs when an insurance plan covers less than what a doctor, hospital, or lab service wants to be paid. The health-care provider demands the balance from the patient. Questions: 1. Explain why balance billing is… Read more »
Ouch! Sometimes Consent Forms Hurt!
According to the New York Times, an increasingly common practice used by hospitals is that some medical experts call drive-by doctoring assistants, consultants, and other hospital employees into cases and these incidents are charging patients or their insurers hefty fees. Most times patients do not realize these individuals have been involved or are charging until… Read more »
Billing Outlier or Fraud?
According to the Washington Post, Medicare spent $152 per member in the Huntsville, Ala., medical marketplace — 38 times the national average — for “unclassified” drug injections, including a type of injection used rarely around the country but used thousands of times a year at the Alabama Pain Clinic in Huntsville. Questions: 1. Why is… Read more »
An Epidemic or A Disorder Proliferated by Marketing?
The sales of prescription stimulants for A.D.H.D. have more than quadrupled since 2002. Is it an epidemic? According to Dr. Keith Conners, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Duke University, who has been fighting to legitimize A.D.H.D diagnoses for the past 50 years, the rise is probably due to successful marketing campaigns that feed on… Read more »