![]() |
|
April 27th, 2010
12:09 PM ET
Surgical equipment price a shockerBy Sabriya Rice, CNN Medical News producer When Dr. Linda Galloway learned she needed surgery to save her vision, she scheduled the procedure immediately with her ophthalmologist. What an eye-opener it was when the hospital bill arrived. She noticed several high-priced items, including a charge of $863.20 for disposable forceps. "Surgical instruments can be expensive but I think $863.20 is really outside of the realm of realistic prices," she complains. Then Galloway, an obstetrician in Orlando, Florida went online and found similar forceps for $1,155 for a box of six, or $192 each. "I was outraged. I tried to get an explanation as to why I was charged that amount of money," she said. When she called the billing department, the answer upset her even more. "They said when you signed consent for the procedure, you allowed us to charge anything we wanted to and therefore, this is what it is," she recalls. Galloway says she was especially upset because with her insurance plan, she has to pay 20 percent of her medical bill and if the hospital is going address her as a consumer, then she wants them to level the playing field. "I need to be in power to do things. If you're going to charge me this amount of money, then I need to know exactly what instruments you're going to use and what medications you're going to use. Because I can then buy them outside and bring them to the hospital." Florida Hospital, the place where Linda had her surgery says their charges are fair and compatible with other hospitals. "Like all other hospitals across the country, [Florida Hospital] bases charges on a charge master that serves as a guide,” a spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail. She says that an independent contractor compares Florida Hospital’s charges with those of other hospitals and that the results show “we are in the mid-range in that pricing structure." But is markup of more than four times the market rate really reasonable? According to the American Hospital Association, the prices increases are necessary. “A hospital is a very expensive enterprise to keep open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and ready for any medical need or emergency. And that does lay out a basic level of cost that has to be captured through the charge structures," says Rich Umbdenstock, president of the AHA. Umbdenstock says that hospitals have to compensate for programs such as Medicare and Medicaid that traditionally underpay, and that each hospital has to set prices in a way that helps their bottom line. "The hospital has to be able to bring in more money than it spends or else it won't be there for the next patient.” Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation. |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. |
|
在沙特,阿联酋,土耳其,俄罗斯,意大利和西班牙的VPN网络中添加了6个新位置。 http://www.djsamone.com/
You made certain good points there. I did a search on the issue and found the majority of people will go along with with your blog.
http://www.yeezy.com.tw/home.php?mod=space&uid=440296&do=profile&from=space
cheapest tadalafil cost tadalafil cost walmart buy generic cialis online with mastercard cost tadalafil generic https://cttadalafil.com/ – cialis at canadian pharmacy
brimonidine side effects combigan uk
combigan side effects combigan
https://www.flickr.com/people/193019585@N05/
Any individual that's familiar with these watches would certainly be aware of just how challenging it is to limit upon a solitary watch from the Citizen's Nighthawk line. It's almost similar to squeezing water from a stone, we think.
https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maria215
Anybody that recognizes with these watches would certainly understand just how hard it is to limit upon a single watch from the Citizen's Nighthawk line. It's nearly similar to pressing water from a rock, we think.
https://visual.ly/users/jodierodenth/portfolio
buy tadalis https://tadalafilol.com/ – tadalafil daily online tadalafil tadalafil online https://tadalafilol.com/
Anybody who recognizes with these watches would know exactly how challenging it is to limit upon a single watch from the Citizen's Nighthawk line. It's nearly akin to pressing water from a stone, we believe.
https://ahveichiel7.dreamwidth.org/profile
Great article. I will be dealing with many of these issues as well..
http://www.leningradskaya.org/d/user/profile/188359
Good article. I am going through many of these issues as well..
http://ls-city.com.pl/user/s8bogtw280
tadalafil liquid lowest price cialis cialis without a prescription https://cttadalafil.com/
buy generic cialis online with mastercard https://tadacipetadalafil.com/ – buy tadalis tadalafil online with out prescription prescription tadalafil online https://tadalafilol.com/
prescription tadalafil online where to buy cialis without prescription generic cialis online fast shipping https://tadalafilww.com/
Very good article. I will be dealing with a few of these issues as well..
http://login.tiscali.cz/?url=https://zenwriting.net/massage7u5ksjit183/h2-how-to-alleviate-stress-using-body-workout-a
cialis at canadian pharmacy https://tadalafilww.com/ – side effects of tadalafil tadalafil online with out prescription buy cialis pills https://apcalisetadalafil.com/
avanafil avanafil 50mg
https://tadacipetadalafil.com/ tadalafil cost in canada cheapest tadalafil cost tadalafil goodrx cheap generic cialis for sale
tadalafil online with out prescription tadalafil dosage tadalafil brands https://tadalafilww.com/
buy avana usa buy avana usa
generic tadalafil from uk cialis cost lowest price cialis where to buy cialis without prescription https://tadacipetadalafil.com/ – tadalafil
tadalafil liquid https://tadalafilww.com/ – cheapest tadalafil cost prescription tadalafil online tadalafil online with out prescription https://tadalafilol.com/
https://tadalafilol.com/ tadalafil cost in canada https://apcalisetadalafil.com/ – tadalafil order online no prescription cialis cost
https://tadagatadalafil.com/ generic cialis tadalafil lowest price cialis tadalafil without a doctor prescription canada generic tadalafil
Greetings, There's no doubt that your web site may be having internet browser compatibility issues. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in Internet Explorer, it's got some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, excellent blog!
http://www.nyumon.net/script/sc/redirect.php?id=393&url=https://massage7fredinpqev.shutterfly.com/29
brimonidine generic buy generic brimonidine
There is certainly a great deal to learn about this issue. I love all of the points you've made.
http://anma0felonyseat8.bravesites.com/entries/general/massage-therapy-the-many-advantages-of-this-healthier-therapeutic-practice
avanafil vs cialis avanafil 50mg
generic tadalafil from uk buy tadalis side effects for tadalafil https://tadalafilww.com/
brimonidine use buy generic brimonidine
avana india avanafil pill
tadalafil side effects where to buy generic cialis online safely where to buy generic cialis online safely tadalafil cost in canada https://tadalafilol.com/
best price usa tadalafil cost tadalafil generic side effects for tadalafil tadalafil generic where to buy https://tadalafilol.com/
where to buy cialis without prescription tadalafil online tadalafil liquid https://tadalafilol.com/
I blog frequently and I genuinely thank you for your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I will take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I opted in for your Feed as well.
https://www.strobe-bookmarks.win/15-up-and-coming-trends-about-chuljangmasaji-6
Itís nearly impossible to find experienced people in this particular topic, however, you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
http://aoao.tw/forum/home.php?mod=space&uid=146852
This site definitely has all the information and facts I needed about this subject and didnít know who to ask.
https://www.nyticketdeals.com/members/massage8lycrasky0/activity/147707/
https://tadalafilww.com/ cheap cialis pills for sale tadalafil online tadalafil brands tadalafil generic
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you can be a great
author.I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will eventually come back very soon. I want to encourage
that you continue your great writing, have a nice morning!
tadalafil order online no prescription https://tadalafilww.com/ – cialis tadalafil tadalafil side effects tadalafil price walmart https://tadalafilww.com/
The information you have actually offered right here is remarkable. You placed it into perspective for me, and also it is something I appreciated. I can not wait to go through more of your messages both future and previous. Thanks for the excellent interest to information that you have provided.
http://www.X7wFVYZgcs.com/X7wFVYZgcs
Love the manner you cover this subject.
https://zenwriting.net/sportingbelt15/why-paddle-boarders-is-popular-today
Hello there, You have done a fantastic job.
I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends.
I am sure they'll be benefited from this web site.
I just like the helpful information you provide to your articles.
I will bookmark your weblog and take a look at once more right here
regularly. I'm relatively certain I'll be informed lots of new stuff right right here!
Good luck for the next!
My blog post :: taxi nice airport
This is a topic that's near to my heart... Cheers! Exactly where are your contact details though?
https://casino5e1asamd742.creator-spring.com
Aw, this was a really nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a very good articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I put things off a lot and don't manage to get nearly anything done.
http://www.bookmerken.de/?url=https://www.bonanza.com/users/48605600/profile
Very good information. Lucky me I ran across your blog by accident (stumbleupon). I've saved it for later!
http://johnnys.jocee.jp/jump/?url=https://blogfreely.net/massage8x5nvjrq977/h2-the-benefits-of-massage-therapy-h2-massage-therapy-is-the-manipulation-of
What's up, its fastidious piece of writing regarding media print, we all be aware of media is a fantastic source of data.
I used to be able to find good information from your content.