Doctors Encouraged to Discharge Patients Early
May 12, 2001
In a trend that may be spreading throughout the country, doctors at New Jersey's JFK Medical Center Hospital have been told to reduce the number of days their patients remain hospitalized or risk losing their permission to practice in the hospital. Critics charge that the hospital is sacrificing patient health for the bottom line. The hospital denies such charges pointing out that it hired an independent consultant to evaluate patient stays. According to the consultant, JFK Medical Center patients exceeded the national average of hospitalization time.
Doctors at the hospital hired an attorney to argue their case that extended stays are sometimes required. "This is just an overt effort to pressure doctors into discharging patients quicker than the doctors believe is safe," said Stephen Kern. Many believe that hospitals are trying to reduce patient stays because insurance companies that pay the patients' bills are increasingly refusing to pay for extended care.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
More ...
- Doctor Ordered to Pay $26 Million for Botched Delivery
- Doctors Cited in Girl's Death
- Patients Given Nitrous Oxide Die
.