Testing has become to the United States’ medical system what liquor is to the hospitality industry: a profit center with large and often arbitrary markups. From a medical perspective, blood work, tests and scans are tools to help physicians diagnose and monitor disease. But from a business perspective, they are opportunities to bring in revenue — especially because the equipment to perform them has generally become far cheaper, smaller and more highly mechanized in the past two decades. (New York Times, 12/15/2014)
Hospitals With Pricing Power Don’t Necessarily Provide High-Quality Care
Large urban hospitals can have tremendous pricing power in their markets, with the ability to drive up healthcare prices. These hospitals are typically the area’s largest employer, and can include teaching facilities, sprawling “healthcare campuses” and Level I Trauma Centers. But do the high prices they demand from their patients and communities equate to higher quality care? As discussed in this article, the answer is NO. (HCPLive.com, 2/20/2014)
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Testing has become to the United States’ medical system what liquor is to the hospitality industry: a profit center with large and often arbitrary markups. From a medical perspective, blood work, tests and scans are tools to help physicians diagnose and monitor disease. But from a business perspective, they are opportunities to bring in revenue — especially because the equipment to perform them has generally become far cheaper, smaller and more highly mechanized in the past two decades. (New York Times, 12/15/2014)
Hospitals With Pricing Power Don’t Necessarily Provide High-Quality Care
Large urban hospitals can have tremendous pricing power in their markets, with the ability to drive up healthcare prices. These hospitals are typically the area’s largest employer, and can include teaching facilities, sprawling “healthcare campuses” and Level I Trauma Centers. But do the high prices they demand from their patients and communities equate to higher quality care? As discussed in this article, the answer is NO. (HCPLive.com, 2/20/2014)