The hospital arms race continues

December 5, 2008

Which is good, for patients with insurance.

The hospital arms race continues Those without, aren’t so lucky. Some of the amenities rival 5-star hotels, as a new suburban Detroit hospital illustrates, with a former Ritz-Carlton executive in charge.

Atriums costing in the hundreds of millions contain stores resembling an upscale mall. Patient rooms are wired for high-speed internet access and adorned with flat screen televisions. Some have patient concierges able to buy groceries or run errands. Others have almost half a million dollars in artwork on the walls.

The tiering arises from Medicare and Medicaid ratcheting down hospital and physician payments. This increases the pressure to attract those with private insurance, to make up the shortfall that is caused by government stinginess.



Related posts:

  1. The medical arms race
  2. The medical arms race
  3. Health portal arms race
  4. The sperm bank arms race
  5. Grady Hospital and race
  6. Is a hospital bailout coming?
  7. How to write off a $1.2 million hospital bill


KevinMD.com on Facebook


  Follow on Twitter   Subscribe



{ 3 comments }

1 Anonymous December 5, 2008 at 12:41 pm

Our local hospital has a waterfall and rain forest plantings in the lobby along with a lot of marble. Wish all of that contributed to better patient care…..

2 Anonymous December 6, 2008 at 10:00 am

Clearly, we better extend tort “reform” to cover these poor struggling medical facilities as well!

3 Anonymous December 7, 2008 at 5:59 pm

Wherever freedom is found, inequality will be found.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post: Big Pharma realizes their folly on direct to consumer advertising

Next post: The consequences of limiting resident work-hours

Site Meter