Surgery with a 90-day warranty

This is what a hospital system in Pennsylvania is trying out:

The group, Geisinger Health System, has overhauled its approach to surgery. And taking a cue from the makers of TVs, washing machines and other products, Geisinger essentially guarantees its workmanship, charging a flat fee that includes 90 days of follow-up treatment.
Even if a patient suffers complications or has to come back to the hospital, Geisinger promises not to send the insurer another bill.

(via White Coat Notes)

Comments

Anonymous
90 days of postoperative care is generally included in the global surgical fee for most major procedures, especially under Medicare. They are advertising as a “warranty” what has almost always been required. The only exceptions are unanticipated second procedures and staged operations that must be done within the 90-day global period of the initial operation.
I think this is a silly and pointless gimmick. People don’t choose hospitals based on a 90-day warranty. They choose based on where their doctor happens to work or where their insurance coverage dictates where they must go.
Anonymous
What they also don’t tell you is that in substantial number of cases, the insurer is Geisinger itself. In other words, they’ve always eaten the bill on unexpected outcomes,complications, re-do’s etc in a large number of their patients anyway. thier staff doc’s are salaried,so it doesn’t matter (from a monetary prespective)if the patient needs aditional work in the global period. Work is work is work,and it doesn’t affect the doc’s bottom line.
I suspect what they’re really trying to do is set this as a precedent so that the (non-Geisinger staff)doctors who accept their insurance product, and occasionally find themselves having to re-operate on, or re-admit a patient will then have to eat their bills for service.

Surgery with a 90-day warranty

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