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curious2
2012 Sep 28, 6:36pm
curious2
2012 Sep 28, 6:36pm
Thanks for the insight. Here in California, the "non-profits" behave the same way as the for-profits, in fact they are often related. For example, the Kaiseroctopus of "non-profit" hospitals linked to for-profit practice groups, all advertised by a "non-profit" HMO and Foundation whose studies coincidentally always say everybody should be required to sign up for Kaiser.
This show, which ran tonite, compared UCLA and Intermountain Healthcare. IHC is a non-profit Utah corporation that has a corner on the market of medical care in Utah and parts of Idaho. The documentary discusses how fucking awesome IHC is... cost-wise.
However, I have had many interactions with IHC. This company targets patients who are wealthy and woos them like you wouldn't believe. I've been present when their attorneys show up to nursing homes with documents in-hand, and coerce the family into siging their savings over to the corporation. I've had patients tell me they felt pressured and the salespeople they sent over were relentless in their efforts.
The documentary shows how they so sweetly set up services (claiming that they focus on the "real needs of their patients.") Their patients really need choice, the ability to choose the care they will receive and the company that will provide their end-of-life care.
They own their own home health and hospcie corporations. IHC only allows their company to visit any patient in the hospital without a doc's order, without any referral whatsoever. They allow their own company office space in the hospital. Their home health and hospice was okay - but nearly every doctor I knew referred to other companies because they felt those agencies were better. But if the patient is in the hospital, the first hospice prescribed is IHC. Same with Home Health Care. Patients are coerced into signing forms that say that they are choosing IHC Home Health or Hospice - but in reality, they're not given any choice.
This company also uses Accretive Health - a billing company that installs billing clerks in the ER and forces them to pay before the patient receives care. Didn't matter if they were in error, they created barriers to healthcare. Yet IHC, a non-profit that claims to be all about helping people, hires this aggressive company and limits patient choices about their providers.
Of course, the documentary didn't mention this. It was a UCLA bad/IHC good documentary. He discussed reducing hospital stays and the cost of care - but he certainly didn't go far enough. It was a commercial for IHC.