How Healthcare Became Sickcare

Of Two Minds ^ | Friday, March 18, 2022

[Scarlett156]

Oh, that’s not good!

[Scarlett156]

You’re right. This has been going on for a lot longer than most people realize.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Good for my family, since we’re already patients.

[clearcarbon]

"How Healthcare Became Sickcare"

We were warned.

[Jim Noble]

It used to take me 5 minutes - maximum - to write a note in a chart, it was easy to write as I went from patient to patient in the hospital, and when I was done with rounds, so were my notes, orders, instructions to team members, and teaching.

It now takes me 3-4 hours, at the end of rounds, to “document” everything. Now, to be a bit fair, this is how I now get paid - FedGov and the rest pay for content, not outcome, so the more “elements” in a note and the more “things discussed”, the more $$.

But the REAL story with these elaborate computer notes is that they are how HOSPITALS get paid, both per visit/per case, AND, based on how complicated the notes become and how many “problems” are on the problem list, their annual BASELINE ($$ per case type) goes up.

Explain this to a guy who has been to B-school, and then put him in charge, the effort on direct patient care falls and the effort on “documentation” rises, ESPECIALLY when they start paying bonuses for increased revenue from the computer notes.

[caww]

Understood.