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Photo by HDOur nations health care system is on high alert. Understaffing and communication errors mean that we, the patients are getting caught in a cross-fire of errors and communication breakdown. Here are a list of 10 things that will help you to traverse the maze and find your way to the end of the tunnel.
"We made a mistake, wrong kidney."
Over the last several years treatment errors in hospitals have been skyrocketing, ranging from medication errors all the way to surgeries on the wrong parts of the body.
The IMNAC (a watchdog group) states that one and a half million patients are hurt every year from being administered the wrong drugs. (That’s a whopping 1 person per hospital per day in the U.S. alone) One reason that these mistakes exist in such frequencies are that 10% of hospitals are computerized to their maximum capabilities and have some sort of centralized database to track allergies and other such diagnoses.
Though the systems are slowly improving, they still have a long way to go. If you are a patient you should always have a friend, or relative at your side to jot down notes and make certain that the correct medications are being dispensed to you.
Over the last several years treatment errors in hospitals have been skyrocketing, ranging from medication errors all the way to surgeries on the wrong parts of the body.
The IMNAC (a watchdog group) states that one and a half million patients are hurt every year from being administered the wrong drugs. (That’s a whopping 1 person per hospital per day in the U.S. alone) One reason that these mistakes exist in such frequencies are that 10% of hospitals are computerized to their maximum capabilities and have some sort of centralized database to track allergies and other such diagnoses.
Though the systems are slowly improving, they still have a long way to go. If you are a patient you should always have a friend, or relative at your side to jot down notes and make certain that the correct medications are being dispensed to you.
After researching many of the Internets health chambers, I have compiled a list of issues that hospitals will not tell you are occurring in alarming frequency.
"Best of luck finding the person in charge."
Julie Sigorski constantly told nurses something was not right with her daughter Sandra, who was recuperating from a surgical procedure to repair a defect in her chest wall. For virtually three days she kept asking for an experienced person, or "attending," physician when the first-year resident's evaluation appeared off. But Sigorski couldn't persuade the right people that her daughter’s health was deteriorating. "It was surreal," she says. "I had no clue on where to go."
Thirty-two hours after her daughter initially complained of severe pain, New Hampshire teen died of a perforated ulcer. In an ocean of blue scrubs, receiving the right attention can be easier said than done. Who's the individual in charge? Nurses don't report to a nurse supervisor and not a doctor. And your doctor has no say over radiology or the laboratory administering your tests, which are in charge of by the hospital.
"You might leave sicker than when you initially came in."
A week after Jimmy Walls had surgery to take out a benign tumor, the college freshman felt well enough to throw a party. But later on in the week he was running a fever and vomiting. Thinking it may be the flu, his folks took him back to the hospital but Jimmy never came home. He didn’t have the flu, he had a deadly surgical infection. Two million people every year contract infections from the hospital, and about 90-95 thousand die according to the CDCP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) For all of our modern scientific advances the best way to guard oneself from infection is decidedly low-tech: Ask that any hospital staff who come in contact with you have washed their hands. Catheters and tubes are another source of bugs and patients should ask if they are necessary.
“Your hospital bill is only one thing that’s negotiable."
When it’s time to get their money, hospitals are running an uphill battle. Medical bills are a main reason for bankruptcy in the United States, and when bill collectors are assigned to a case, they receive up to 25% of what is recouped, and that leaves some room for bargaining.
A close friend of mine had no health insurance when he was hurried to the ER due to appendicitis. The uninsured usually pay up to three times more for procedures according to the Medical Billing Advocates of America.
He was billed $24,000. "He was like, holy crap!" he said. "That's almost three times my net worth." After I suggested him getting advice from the advocacy group The Access Project he had spoken with the hospital administrators, advising them he couldn't pay the bill in full. Hospitals regularly work with their patients, offering payment options or even money off the bill. But to obtain them, you have to bang on the correct door. Look up the financial-assistance office. It really worked my buddy said, whose bill was sliced to $4,200.
"Yes, we take your particular insurance, but we don’t know if the anesthesiologist does."
The very last thing on your mind prior to surgery verifying every doctor involved is within your network. The problem is most often no for anesthesiologists, radiologists, and pathologists.
A lawyer that I know constantly fired out-of-network doctors on a recent hospital visit. You don't really need to go as far as he had gone, but be certain to ask for someone in your network prior to the treatment or surgery. If it's an emergency and you're trapped with an out-of-network physician, contact your insurance to help resolve your issue. If the surgery is elective, ask the scheduling nurse to find specialists within your insurance plan. If you think your medical procedure is not in your network, contact the hospital billing area to discuss and negotiate the bill. It will more than likely lead you to a director of billing or patient representative. Once you've worked with the hospital, try the surgeon and other specialists as well -- some hospitals will stand behind you.
"Sometimes we will bill you twice."
Break the code of medical billing and you will discover some surprises, charges for services never received or charges for everyday items such as gloves and gowns that shouldn’t have been billed individually. Clerical errors are the reason for these types of mistakes. A single transposed digit in a billing system can end up in a bill for inserting a catheter in an artery vs. a catheter in a vein, a difference of more than $3,800.
So how do you know if your bill has incorrect codes or any duplicate charges? Quite simple really, ask for an itemized bill with any "miscellaneous" items plainly defined. Some common mistakes include: a circumcision for your newborn girl, drugs you never received, and charging for four days when you stayed in a hospital one night. Ask the hospital's billing department for a sheet to deciphering your charges or hire a medical billing expert to spot billing errors and work with the doctors and insurance. (Go here- Medical Billing Advocates of America). Their skill on average will cost up to $67 per hour, a proportion of the savings or some grouping of both. If you don’t want to pay and be your own detective try talking to the top-ranking administrator in the hospital accounts or finance department to help you untangle
"Best of luck finding the person in charge."Julie Sigorski constantly told nurses something was not right with her daughter Sandra, who was recuperating from a surgical procedure to repair a defect in her chest wall. For virtually three days she kept asking for an experienced person, or "attending," physician when the first-year resident's evaluation appeared off. But Sigorski couldn't persuade the right people that her daughter’s health was deteriorating. "It was surreal," she says. "I had no clue on where to go."
Thirty-two hours after her daughter initially complained of severe pain, New Hampshire teen died of a perforated ulcer. In an ocean of blue scrubs, receiving the right attention can be easier said than done. Who's the individual in charge? Nurses don't report to a nurse supervisor and not a doctor. And your doctor has no say over radiology or the laboratory administering your tests, which are in charge of by the hospital.
"You might leave sicker than when you initially came in."A week after Jimmy Walls had surgery to take out a benign tumor, the college freshman felt well enough to throw a party. But later on in the week he was running a fever and vomiting. Thinking it may be the flu, his folks took him back to the hospital but Jimmy never came home. He didn’t have the flu, he had a deadly surgical infection. Two million people every year contract infections from the hospital, and about 90-95 thousand die according to the CDCP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) For all of our modern scientific advances the best way to guard oneself from infection is decidedly low-tech: Ask that any hospital staff who come in contact with you have washed their hands. Catheters and tubes are another source of bugs and patients should ask if they are necessary.
“Your hospital bill is only one thing that’s negotiable."When it’s time to get their money, hospitals are running an uphill battle. Medical bills are a main reason for bankruptcy in the United States, and when bill collectors are assigned to a case, they receive up to 25% of what is recouped, and that leaves some room for bargaining.
A close friend of mine had no health insurance when he was hurried to the ER due to appendicitis. The uninsured usually pay up to three times more for procedures according to the Medical Billing Advocates of America.
He was billed $24,000. "He was like, holy crap!" he said. "That's almost three times my net worth." After I suggested him getting advice from the advocacy group The Access Project he had spoken with the hospital administrators, advising them he couldn't pay the bill in full. Hospitals regularly work with their patients, offering payment options or even money off the bill. But to obtain them, you have to bang on the correct door. Look up the financial-assistance office. It really worked my buddy said, whose bill was sliced to $4,200.
"Yes, we take your particular insurance, but we don’t know if the anesthesiologist does."The very last thing on your mind prior to surgery verifying every doctor involved is within your network. The problem is most often no for anesthesiologists, radiologists, and pathologists.
A lawyer that I know constantly fired out-of-network doctors on a recent hospital visit. You don't really need to go as far as he had gone, but be certain to ask for someone in your network prior to the treatment or surgery. If it's an emergency and you're trapped with an out-of-network physician, contact your insurance to help resolve your issue. If the surgery is elective, ask the scheduling nurse to find specialists within your insurance plan. If you think your medical procedure is not in your network, contact the hospital billing area to discuss and negotiate the bill. It will more than likely lead you to a director of billing or patient representative. Once you've worked with the hospital, try the surgeon and other specialists as well -- some hospitals will stand behind you.
"Sometimes we will bill you twice." Break the code of medical billing and you will discover some surprises, charges for services never received or charges for everyday items such as gloves and gowns that shouldn’t have been billed individually. Clerical errors are the reason for these types of mistakes. A single transposed digit in a billing system can end up in a bill for inserting a catheter in an artery vs. a catheter in a vein, a difference of more than $3,800.
So how do you know if your bill has incorrect codes or any duplicate charges? Quite simple really, ask for an itemized bill with any "miscellaneous" items plainly defined. Some common mistakes include: a circumcision for your newborn girl, drugs you never received, and charging for four days when you stayed in a hospital one night. Ask the hospital's billing department for a sheet to deciphering your charges or hire a medical billing expert to spot billing errors and work with the doctors and insurance. (Go here- Medical Billing Advocates of America). Their skill on average will cost up to $67 per hour, a proportion of the savings or some grouping of both. If you don’t want to pay and be your own detective try talking to the top-ranking administrator in the hospital accounts or finance department to help you untangle
their codes.
"All hospitals are not the same."How do you tell? That’s easy, the nurses. When it comes to their families, medical workers gravitate towards institutions that catch the attention of nurses. But they're increasingly harder to find as this country's nursing shortage grows; by the year 2020, 45 states could be facing a serious shortage. Low nurse staffing affects patient outcomes, leading to more troubles such as infections, shock and gastrointestinal bleeding, according to Harvard and Vanderbilt university professors. If you are one of the unfortunate ones that needs open-heart surgery forego your local hospital for one with the longest track record, highest procedural volume, and best survival rate.
Surf on over to the website HealthGrades, which rates hospitals.
"Most ERs need urgent care themselves."According to a 2006 study from the IOM (Institute of Medicine) it was established that hospital emergency rooms are underfunded, overburdened, and not prepared to handle disasters as the amount of people using Emergency rooms for their primary care continues to rise On average, one ambulance every minute is turned away from an due to overcapacity, according to the same study; the situation is getting worse due to shortages in the number of the "on call" support services for orthopedists, neurosurgeons and cardiologists. ( it’s only growing worse.) If you are able to, avoid the Emergency Room between the hours of three p.m. and one a.m., the busiest times. For the shortest wait, anywhere between four a.m. to nine a.m. is your top option. If you are having severe problems, alert the triage nurse manager, so that you get seen sooner. (Triage nurses are the in charge of the ER and your chance to getting seen much sooner.)
"Avoid hospitals in July."If you’re able, keep out of the hospital during the summer, in particular during July. That's the month that medical students are converted into interns, interns then become residents, and residents become doctors. In other words, a large portion of the staff at any teaching hospital is a newbie on the job. Summertime hospital horror stories are not only medical myth: Mortality rates go up four % in July and in August for the typical teaching hospital, (as documented by the National Bureau of Economic Research.) That equates to 9 to 14 more deaths happen at major teaching hospitals than would normally happen without the turnover.
Another scheduling tip: Book your surgery first thing in the morning and if possible near the beginning of the week, that’s when doctors are at their finest and before schedules get clogged up.
"Sometimes we don't keep our mouths shut."Contrary to what you you’ve been led to believe, sharing your patient information with another party is perfectly legal. In some cases, the regulation allows your medical records to be shared without even notifying you. For example, hospitals will give your patient record information regarding your treatment to other physicians, and they in turn will willingly share those details with insurance companies for re-imbursement payment purposes. That means nearly 600,000 entities that are involved in the health-care structure have right of entry to that information. They might even pass on the information to their big business partners according to the( Patient Privacy Rights Foundation.)
If you want to access your records, you are lawfully permitted to see, photocopy and request for corrections to your medical records.
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1 comments:
Good God this is a scary article. You would think with technology that all of this would be a thing of the past.
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