Dr. McGuff
McGuff did mention EMTALA, the federal mandate that forces all hospitals to receive patients in the Emergency Rooms regardless of ability to pay or whether the individual has insurance. Their website states,"A resource for current information about the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, also known as COBRA or the Patient Anti-Dumping Law. EMTALA requires most hospitals to provide an examination and needed stabilizing treatment, without consideration of insurance coverage or ability to pay, when a patient presents to an emergency room for attention to an emergency medical condition." But apparently, with Obamacare, the rules have changed. A friend observes that ". . . now with Obamacare, we all are supposed to have insurance so the theory teaches that no one will be without the ability to pay. At least here, all hospital systems are building newer, larger, more modern facilities. The building boom is unmistakable. Some of it [is] due to population shifts like a new medical center in the middle of a cow pasture or corn field. These areas are expected to be communities in the next decade or two and they want to have the facilities in place to accommodate the rise in population. Mostly, I think, it is the profit motive, however. Like I stated, we are all supposed to now be in a position to pay our bills and very little if any charity work will be needed to cut into profits. Hospitals are becoming "resorts" and people are taking full advantage of this by becoming "frequent flyers" and for some of these people, a hospital stay is a vacation from the stresses of their . . . lives."
Interesting review of government protocols in
healthcare. According to Dr. McGuff (his
website is here), most of what puts people in the hospital in the
first place is the diet recommended by the USDA. And when you're in the
hospital, the food that they give you is set by USDA guidelines. One
interesting point he made was that doctors are obligated to adhere to
protocols. Come in with chest pains, you're going to be discharged on a statin.
If you're not being discharged on a statin that is going to cause the physician
to be flagged in the system as an outlier. Not even the Soviets had this kind
of control.
McGuff did mention EMTALA, the federal mandate that forces all hospitals to receive patients in the Emergency Rooms regardless of ability to pay or whether the individual has insurance. Their website states,"A resource for current information about the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, also known as COBRA or the Patient Anti-Dumping Law. EMTALA requires most hospitals to provide an examination and needed stabilizing treatment, without consideration of insurance coverage or ability to pay, when a patient presents to an emergency room for attention to an emergency medical condition." But apparently, with Obamacare, the rules have changed. A friend observes that ". . . now with Obamacare, we all are supposed to have insurance so the theory teaches that no one will be without the ability to pay. At least here, all hospital systems are building newer, larger, more modern facilities. The building boom is unmistakable. Some of it [is] due to population shifts like a new medical center in the middle of a cow pasture or corn field. These areas are expected to be communities in the next decade or two and they want to have the facilities in place to accommodate the rise in population. Mostly, I think, it is the profit motive, however. Like I stated, we are all supposed to now be in a position to pay our bills and very little if any charity work will be needed to cut into profits. Hospitals are becoming "resorts" and people are taking full advantage of this by becoming "frequent flyers" and for some of these people, a hospital stay is a vacation from the stresses of their . . . lives."
