Exponential Increase in Hospital Administrators: Solution is to INCREASE them more?

[DrCommonSense]

The Chart that Could Undo the Healthcare System | Max Borders

Considering the healthcare costs in America compared to other countries in the West is due to healthcare administrative costs, drug costs, device costs and end of life care, when did our solution to this cost problem become "add more administrators"?

So ACA's solution to "healthcare costs" is to INCREASE the number of administrators will decide where to "ration" care?

Why do we need to ration anything when we can just address the above problems and fix the healthcare costs almost overnight?

If we just eliminated most of these nonclinical people and negotiate drug/device costs as a whole, we would eliminate almost ALL of our healthcare costs per GDP difference compared to other countries.

Yet this simple solution is never discussed. Why is that?

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[pastafan]

I am reminded of the maxim: The main job of hospital administration is self proliferation.

 

[hyperalgesia]

I heard Charles Krauthammer say the problem is when a bureaucracy develops it's own interest.

 

[EtherBunny]

The Chart that Could Undo the Healthcare System | Max Borders

Considering the healthcare costs in America compared to other countries in the West is due to healthcare administrative costs, drug costs, device costs and end of life care, when did our solution to this cost problem become "add more administrators"?

So ACA's solution to "healthcare costs" is to INCREASE the number of administrators will decide where to "ration" care?

Why do we need to ration anything when we can just address the above problems and fix the healthcare costs almost overnight?

If we just eliminated most of these nonclinical people and negotiate drug/device costs as a whole, we would eliminate almost ALL of our healthcare costs per GDP difference compared to other countries.

Yet this simple solution is never discussed. Why is that?

Amen to that. I've brought this issue up ad nauseam in conversations with colleagues. I have no idea why this isn't the principal focus of health care reform (at least initially). The only potential explanation is corruption among our politicians, such that pharmaceutical companies, large hospitals, and device companies effectively control them through massive donations. Sad but probably true. I find it absolutely ridiculous that politicians focused on health care reform mysteriously ignore the elephant in the room--i.e., unnecessary administration and lack of price controls on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. It's an OBVIOUS solution.

 

[DrCommonSense]

Amen to that. I've brought this issue up ad nauseam in conversations with colleagues. I have no idea why this isn't the principal focus of health care reform (at least initially). The only potential explanation is corruption among our politicians, such that pharmaceutical companies, large hospitals, and device companies effectively control them through massive donations. Sad but probably true. I find it absolutely ridiculous that politicians focused on health care reform mysteriously ignore the elephant in the room--i.e., unnecessary administration and lack of price controls on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. It's an OBVIOUS solution.

If you just eliminated basically the unneeded administrators and negotiate big pharma/device prices, you would literally have ZERO need for "efficiency" experts or any other rationing care nonsense since prices would fall by 40% with the SAME level of care.

Yet we never do that and just waste time adding FURTHER parasites like "lean" consultants and other nonsense that can only think about cutting doctor salaries as their main goal to "reduce costs"

 

[DOctorJay]

^ meanwhile physician salaries account for something like 10% of total healthcare spending

 

[Ducttape]

the problem is that healthcare is a business. its not about quality safe ethical care any more.


once business became the primary focus of healthcare, we lost.
we may be the master builders... but Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and Admin are the President Business of Medicine.

 

[DrCommonSense]

^ meanwhile physician salaries account for something like 10% of total healthcare spending

Yeah thats why this "efficiency" crap and "cost effective" medicine is all BS considering we aren't addressing the BIGGEST cost drivers by FAR that is the MAJOR reason for the differences in per capita GDP cost.

If we just address those three areas, we would be very close to many European costs per capita.

 

[lonelobo]

Hospital industry's highest-paid CEO made more than $51M in 2016

 

[DrCommonSense]

Hospital industry's highest-paid CEO made more than $51M in 2016

Amazing how in the time of "budget constraints", we are still able to pay CEOs of hospitals literally MILLIONs of dollars.

 

[drpainfree]

Yeah thats why this "efficiency" crap and "cost effective" medicine is all BS considering we aren't addressing the BIGGEST cost drivers by FAR that is the MAJOR reason for the differences in per capita GDP cost.

If we just address those three areas, we would be very close to many European costs per capita.

100% agree!