美国病

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  • 小磊
    2021-04-02
    1948年,世界卫生组织接过主管职责,为反映更加广泛的关注焦点,将贝蒂隆系统重新命名为《疾病、损伤和死亡原因国际统计分类(ICD)。这套编码成为一种重要的工具,是流行病学家和统计学家在追踪全球性灾难事件时普遍采用的共同语言。但在美国,这套编码逐渐具备基础性财务功能,成为医疗收费的基础因素。1979年,在对 Medicare和 Medicaid开出的报销单进行裁定的过程中,美国政府决定采用ICD编码;出于这一商业目的,并适当进行了专门的修改,美国将其版本命名为1CD-CM。其他保险公司则如法炮制。美国的ICD版本卷帙浩繁不但对症状进行分类和数字编码,同时对治疗手段也进行了编码。编码过程中的经济收益巨大。如果你能把“急性收缩性心力衰竭”的编码(ICD-9-CM编码42821)换成“心脏病”的编码(编码428),差额会有好几千美元。一位编码专业人士说过:“为了编成更能赚钱的代码,你必须明白编码的定义,确保病历上描述的治疗过程,与高收费代码的治疗标准,也就是与编码的定义相吻合。”(“急性收缩性心力衰竭”的标准包括,病人的心脏在每次动时泵出的血量少于25%,需要接受超声波心动图检査,需要服用水丸降低血压。)用不符合上述标准的高收费代码报送账单的行为可能构成诈骗。为医院工作的编码员会想方设法地捞钱。受雇于保险公司的编码员则尽量以外延过广为由,对报销单作出驳回处理。参与 Medicare病历听证的编码员,会伺机寻找需接受处罚的滥权行为。突然间,医疗编码意味着大把的钞票,一种新的产业蓬勃兴起。逐利型大学开设了医疗编码专业,并很快要求必须接受实践练习。有三种不同的字母数字编码语言,分别是CPT、 HCPCS(医疗保健常用治疗程序编码系统)和ICD;它们之间的区别,有如汉语和俄语,俄语和法语的区别。如此一来,就必须有不同的学位路径,以及由相互竞争的专业组织提供的各种专业考试、专业认...
  • 小磊
    2021-03-29
    健康保险一旦推开,就会产生多米诺骨牌效应:医院要适应营利动机,医生的执业行为随之发生变化,厂家生产并推广的药品和器械类型也会产生根本性变化。对金钱的追逐开始了:不再有人保护病人。
  • Cong
    2017-12-17
    Pharmaceutical coorporations manipulate patent laws and prices to keep profits flowing.For example, a monthly dose for the ulcer-treatement drug Mesalamine goes for around $12 in UK. In US, patients pay between $700 and $1200 for the same amount. Even patients whose lives depend on this medication have no choice but to pay full price.
  • Cong
    2017-12-17
    The transition from charity to big business took place in the 1970s, when hospitals began hiring business consultants from firms lik Deloitte&Touche, which introduced concepts like " Strategic pricing." From this point on, hospitals were in the business of manipulating their bills and raising prices in an effort to optimize profits.Hospitals also started treating doctors like investment bankers and giving them incentives known as " productivity bonuses". The more they charged their patients, the higher their paychecks.Hospitals have become greedy conglomerates, eager to earn profits through unncecessary tests and services.they make the real money from testing and ancillary services, such as physical theraphy sessions.