Consumerist
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charity
Want Your Name On A Building? Now It Costs Less
Have you always dreamed of having your name on a building to honor your philanthropy and general awesomeness, but just didn't have the cash on hand? You may be in luck: the threshold for building or wing names at colleges, hospitals, and other nonprofits is falling as charitable giving slumps. If you have money, now may be the best time for immortality. More » -
your health
Homes With Cats 8 Times More Likely To Contain MRSA
You may have thought you could only get MRSA at hospitals and the beach, but apparently researchers have discovered that it can be transmitted via pets and lead to repeat infections, reports the New York Times. One recent case involved a baby elephant and 20 human caretakers at the San Diego Zoo last year, but at the domestic level it looks like cats (and dogs, but not to the same degree) somehow contribute to cycle of infection at home. More » -
health
Forget Co-Pays, Your Bill Is Due Now
$10 copays are history in some doctor's offices these days, as some clinics are requiring the entire out-of -pocket cost up front. But what if you get overcharged? More » -
stop scaring my grandma
Note To Seniors: Proposed Medicare Reform Does Not Include Plans To Kill You
Yesterday, Consumer Reports noted that an anti-health reform politician is trying to convince senior citizens that they'll be required to take lessons in euthanasia if any reform is passed. Regardless of what side you come down on with health care reform, this is flat out wrong. We care about this lie, which is still bouncing around the media, because it might interfere with the very real and useful tasks of setting up living wills and determining health care proxies—things that matter to both the elderly and the terminally ill. More » -
kansas
Need An Ambulance? If You're Overweight, It's Going To Cost An Extra $543
An ambulance ride with American Medical Response in Topeka, Kansas will soon cost an extra $543 for folks weighing 350 pounds or more. Though AMR already owns cots that can support up to 500 pounds, they claim that because of rising demand from so-called "bariatric patients," they now need to buy winches and "extra large and reinforced cots." More » -
A cancer unit at the V.A Medical Center in Philadelphia "operated with virtually no outside scrutiny and botched 92 of 116 cancer treatments over a span of more than six years." The team even continued to perform surgeries for a year after a key piece of equipment broke. [New York Times] (Photo: OakleyOriginals)
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human terrariums
Mayo Clinic: Coming Soon To The Mall Of America
The Mayo Clinic is planning on opening a clinic at Minnesota's enormous Mall of America as part of the mall's expansion. It's unclear what services will be offered, although speculation includes basic screenings, health education, and processing for Mayo's larger facilities nearby. We don't know what's scarier: that this is one step closer to Idiocracy, or that the Mall of America is planning an ominous-sounding "Phase II Expansion."
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No health insurance? The emergency room usually shouldn't be your first stop. Here's where you should go for help.
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Hospitals are expanding their growth into supermarkets, says the New York Times. Despite some lingering professional distaste for them among care providers, the clinics ease demand on emergency rooms, and bring in "customers" who will hopefully then go on to use the hospital affiliated with the clinic. Also, you can pick up salad dressing and taco shells while you're there, whereas at a hospital all you can pick up is an extra case of MRSA. [New York Times]
(Photo: yinnxp) MORE » -
twitter
Blue Cross Blue Shields On Twitter
A few Blue Cross Blue Shield divisions recently started Twittering, talking about health issues, saying nice things about their company and proactively reaching out to patients complaining about their services: @BCBSIL, @BCBSNM, @BCBSTX, @BCBSOK.
If you have a claim you think was unfairly denied, it's worth giving them a shout.
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downsizing
Nurse Laid Off In The Middle Of Surgery
When Dean Health System in Madison, Wisconsin announced last week that it "planned to 'immediately' lay off 90 employees," it wasn't kidding around. One of them was a nurse who was pulled out of surgery to be told the news. More » -
how to
Haggle With Hospitals
Medical bill too high? Have you tried haggling? NYT writes:
STRIKE A DEAL, THEN CHECK IN If you need shoulder surgery, for instance, but don't have insurance - or are facing a high hospital co-payment - call the hospital's billing department and explain that you would like to discuss getting a discount and why. Dr. Moritz suggests saying, "I'd like to pay the lowest rate you give an insurance company."
Bargaining Down the Medical Bills [NYT via Consumer World Blog] (Photo: Todd Ehlers)
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health
"Affordable" Health Insurance Can End Up Costing Big Bucks
Some health insurance plans marketed as "affordable" are as affordable as buying a "cheap" car that doesn't have any wheels or seats. While the price is low, they can offer extremely limited coverage. One plan for instance, has a max of 30 hospital days at a max of $750. I think that about covers the cost of getting pushed from your room to the OR. for what to look for when considering these plans.
Be wary of "affordable" plans [Consumer Reports Health Blog] (Photo: Listener42)
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insurance
Hospital Bills Woman For Waiting 19 Hours Without Seeing Dr
Amber Joy Milbrodt waited for 19 hours in a Dallas emergency room to get her broken leg fixed without seeing a doctor before she finally left. Two weeks later, she got a bill for $162. The hospital says it was for when a nurse checked her vital signs. "She's not paying for waiting...She's paying for the assessment she received." said Rick Rhine, the hospital's vice president in charge of billing. "It should have been more like them paying me for having to sit in the emergency room for 19 hours," Amber told The Dallas Morning News. Amber says she's not going to pay the bill.
Dallas hospital bills woman who waited 19 hours and never saw a doctor [Chron] (Thanks to Chester!) (Photo: xxxlps)
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privacy
New Color Coded Hospital Bracelets Save Lives, But Raise Privacy Concerns
Confusion about what those color coded bracelets mean can cause deadly medical mistakes, but if the bracelets are standardized — is everyone going to know your business? More » -
health
Beware Balance Billing
When insurers don't pay the full amount of the bill, health-care providers are going after patients to make up the difference. It's known as "balance billing," and it's often illegal, BusinessWeek reports. Under state and federal laws, doctors and hospitals generally need to be dealing with the insurers, instead of pressuring vulnerable patients. Have you had any success with fighting balance billing? Leave your story in the comments.
Medical Bills You Shouldn't Pay [BusinessWeek] (Thanks to Eric!) (Photo: jgodsey)
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insurance fraud
Los Angeles Hospitals Accused Of Using Homeless 'Patients' In Insurance Fraud Scams
Earlier this year we noted a story about an LA hospital caught dumping a paraplegic homeless patient on the sidewalk without a wheelchair. At the time, everyone assumed the hospital was stuck in a bad situation—they couldn't keep a patient forever after treating him, and he had no physical address, so what were they supposed to do? It turns out incidents like this, which one LA-based reader said "happens all the time," may not be so 'innocent' after all: More » -
theft
Meet The Man Who Faked Heart Attacks To Escape Dinner Bills And Cab Fares
Police arrested Robert Farnham for "habitual criminality" and "fraud on a restaurant" after his doctor reported him for faking heart attacks to avoid paying bills. The Wisconsin resident, who has been caught pulling the same routine five times this year, most recently keeled over in Applebees to avoid paying $22.66 for a "steak, salad, mashed potatoes, a soda, a strawberry smoothie and a brownie." More »
hospitals
New York, 4:40 PM
Mon Nov 9
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