Surviving Hospitals
Our good friend Betsy McCaughey is in The Wall Street Journal this morning:
Until recently, infection was considered an unavoidable risk. But now there is proof that nearly all hospital infections are avoidable when doctors and staff clean their hands and rigorously practice proper hygiene and other preventive measures.
The full editorial is here.
There is an NCPA solution to this problem. I believe it was in a Wall Street Journal editorial by John Goodman (and maybe also Mark McClellan) back in February.
Basically, hospitals would be encouraged to rebundle their services and propose different payment schemes. So, for example, a hospital might offer a warrany against any readmission — caused by an infection, say. In return, Medicare and other payers would agree to pay more for the initial surgery. In this way, hospitals would find safety in their financial self interest.
The editorial is here: http://www.ncpathinktank.org/prs/cd/2008/022308_WSJ.pdf
Hospital infections, most of which are preventable, continue as a source of debate and concern. Read the today's Wall Street Journal comments topping the letters section.