"2 Weeks Before Hospitals Are Overrun" (independent, economy, percentage)

[hbdwihdh378y9]

Originally Posted by DorianRo

Its going to suck until January/February until this freak show presidency team is out of office. By next summer things will get turned around

You can't seriously think that a Biden administration won't be far, far worse in this regard.

[Goodnight]

So is that fact that we have the number one new infection rate in the world worrisome.

We have the most deaths of any country but yes its a small percentage, it is a small percentage but the impact extends well beyond the mortality rate.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by hbdwihdh378y9

In other words, the hospitals screwed up their pricing.

As has been explained before. Medicare and Insurance set the price they will pay for a certain condition. It's called a DRG. The hospital can charge whatever the hell they want. But they will get the amount allotted from that particular DRG.

https://hmsa.com/portal/provider/zav_pel.fh.DIA.650.htm

[The Dark Enlightenment]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Because the patients that have Covid are not good for business. Medicine patients, which is what Covid patients are, are often money losers, or at least revenue neutral. And the ER, which is where most of the Covid patients are being admitted from, are certainly money losers. The revenue generators for hospitals are surgical patients, specifically patients undergoing elective (i.e. pre planned and scheduled) cases. Hospitals have had to cancel all these cases or at the very least, significantly curtail them. This is why the federal government started paying a premium to hospitals for Covid patients- it's a disproportionate share payment to make up for the fact that hospitals lose money on them.

Throw in the additional and unexpected increase in labor costs via overtime paid to nursing and ancillary staff, travelers etc and you have the potential for a lot of money being lost by hospitals. It's not necessarily good for a hospital to just have more patients, they need to be the right kinds of patients.

Covid patients are to a hospital what a couple that asks for a 4 top table, doesn't order alcohol, splits an entree, and lingers for 2.5 hours, are to a restaurant.

Thanks. Yes, I knew that hospitals were receiving an extra premium for COVID patients. I thought the hospitals losing money were the ones that saw a drop in general revenue due to patients (including surgical) staying away from hospitals, but didn't actually have the predicted amount of business from COVID patients to make up for it. So you're telling me that a hospital full of COVID patients, all bringing the extra government premium with them, is still going to lose money?

[trobesmom]

I read just today that 40 hospital ICUs in FL are at capacity in 21 counties.

[trobesmom]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Most people that have it either don't know it or mild symptoms. Jimmy Johnson has it and is just staying home treating it like a vacation. If you aren't obese or a smoker or extremely frail there is no need for a hospital stay.

There is no need until there is. And nobody knows when or if that may happen to them.

[PriscillaVanilla]

Originally Posted by trobesmom

I read just today that 40 hospital ICUs in FL are at capacity in 21 counties.

[mgdriver74]

Originally Posted by DorianRo

It will be handled far better like pretty much every other country in the civilized world is doing.. Except for us. LOL

Other countries don't have 50 fiefdoms lead by 50 Alpha Personality egotist who wouldn't do what the federal wanted even if made perfect sense.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by The Dark Enlightenment

Thanks. Yes, I knew that hospitals were receiving an extra premium for COVID patients. I thought the hospitals losing money were the ones that saw a drop in general revenue due to patients (including surgical) staying away from hospitals, but didn't actually have the predicted amount of business from COVID patients to make up for it. So you're telling me that a hospital full of COVID patients, all bringing the extra government premium with them, is still going to lose money?

Re: the bolded- yes, as you state above, I think there was/is that aspect at play. Many people were staying away from hospitals, cancelling appointments and procedures that they could have had done. And many people were avoiding the ER's as well, including people that should have been there (stroke and heart attack patients, for example).

A hospital full of patients not making money seems counterintuitive, I know, but it depends on what kinds of patients the hospital is full of and where and how they use resources (and what other things those resources can no longer be used for).

[mascoma]

Stanford expert says 80-85 percent of Texas hospital patients 'have nothing to do with COVID-19'

https://thehill.com/changing-america...texas-hospital