Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

To: JerseyanExile

doctor owned hospitals is a good idea, so of course they oppose it


7 posted on 05/22/2013 3:39:48 PM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: GeronL
doctor owned hospitals is a good idea, so of course they oppose it

Depends. If - and say if - hospital services are anything like clinical laboratories or nuclear imaging, it may not be such a good idea.

Pre-Stark, doctors who owned clinical laboratories were referring several hundred percent more clinical laboratory tests that those who didn't, according to the GAO report that initially led to the Stark Law. Perhaps those physicians who owned clinical laboratories better understood the use of them, but it's hard to argue with the claim that the reason those physicians ordered so many clinical laboratory tests is because they profited from them.

It was the same thing with nuclear imaging, when it was added as a 'designated health service' under the Stark several years ago. Cardiologists who owned nuclear imaging equipment were ordering 800% more nuclear imaging tests than those who didn't have an ownership interest. At least that's what the GAO report said.

9 posted on 05/22/2013 4:14:40 PM PDT by Scoutmaster (What happens over the rainbow stays over the rainbow)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson