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A major problem for hospitals and other medical providers is maintaining focus on the business side of the business. We like to concentrate on the humanitarian efforts, curing the ill, saving lives, dealing with natural and manmade disasters. That is our purpose, our mission, our reason for existing. However, that cannot be done without adequate financial support. Health insurance payments provide a lifeline, but these companies' focus on the bottom line often results in a tug-of-war between Finance Departments. Patients are responsible for paying what their insurance doesn't, but this butts head with a hospital's responsiibility to provide services regardless of a patient's ability to pay. Healthcare is expensive -- to provide and to pay for -- but those costs must be paid or the provider cannot afford to pay the doctors, nurses, aides, and support personnel or purchase the equipment and supplies needed to fulfill its mission. Would a US govt. takeover of the nation's health system -- similar to UK and Canada -- be the answer? Is Uncle Sam's pockets so deep it could fund what needed to be funded? Would American taxpayers be willing to pay higher taxes for a "womb to tomb" government-funded system? Or do we continue with a patchwork quilt that allows the affluent access to the best treatment and condemn the poor to basics or less?
I do agree with this assessment, and theoretically speaking yes - Uncle Sam should be funding our healthcare services and negating the power of the insurance companies. However, this will never happen under the current form of government that is the American government. Healthcare has been politicized and weaponized as a Democratic issue rather than an everybody issue being touted as a socialist concept, considering low-income Republicans would also benefit from healthcare legislation. Every first world country is way ahead of us due to this idiocy. Until everyone gets on-board, change will never happen. If it does, we'll likely lean towards a Germany form of healthcare - where there's a tiered system. Everyone gets the base, ie, regardless of your income you're covered and don't have to risk bankruptcy for an emergency but you still have longer wait times for care due to immense demand. For those employed, you qualify and pay for supplemental coverage by private companies so for a fee you get better care and skip the lines. This way, everyone wins. But again, all of this will forever be hypothetical until American politics gets it together.
Personally, I think that the biggest issues are that we are not appreciated and underpaid. Despite what people may believe, doctor and surgeons are some of the only people in the healthcare industry that are actually paid well.
Healthcare regulations are always changing and I don't feel like there's enough communication on it, at least at my establishment. We have to constantly be on top of things
Everything at the end of the day comes down to the bottom line because healthcare is a business.