A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Decisions of Hospital Beancounters - MT

Posted: Jan 27, 2012

My friend is a long-term x-ray tech at a local hospital.

The hospital beancounters have announced sweeping new changes:

* Before, techs on call were paid for the time that they were on call. Not anymore... From now on, the techs will NOT be paid for the time that they are on call but will ONLY be paid for the time they are on the clock in the hospital. !!

* Only *1* x-ray tech (my friend) will be working the night shift. That's right -- ONE x-ray tech covers the entire hospital. She will be doing MORE PORTABLE FILMS, which means that she has to take the equipment from Radiology to the patient and x-ray them there. That means that there is more transit time involved (going back and forth) instead of the more efficient model of her staying put in the department and having transporters bring the patients to her. So, the lone tech who is working may not even be in the Rad department for a long portion of the evening because she will be transporting the portable x-ray equipment to and from the patients. !!

I told her that it will only take ONE car wreck involving a family riding in a van or something, and this entire thing will unravel on them. PROBABLY what will happen is that when the ambulance radios in, they will divert the call to another hospital -- one whose ER and supporting departements like Radcan handle that many people.

Scary, scary things are going on in medicine nowadays. This does NOT bode well for any of us in health care, either as workers or PATIENTS.

Beancounters - getting worse day by day

[ In Reply To ..]
This is slated to become much worse. I know a lot do not want to hear the awful truth, but Obamacare is driving a lot of these decisions. The cut backs to hospitals are so severe (not to mention that neurosurgeons will now be paid the same as family practitioners and all fees are determined by govt). I actually had one of my hospital acct. close their doors because they said with the new law, they were not going to be able to keep the utilities up, let alone pay their staff. Put over 600 out of work and it was a hospital in a severely depressed area (rural). It was the only hospital in the area, and now patients have to travel at least 50 miles to reach a hospital. When I lost that acct., my heart broke for those people. The people we dealt with at the hospital were very, very nice people and truly seemed to care about the patients they serviced. The higher ups said they just could not operate in the red, knowing it was only going to get worse, and could not come up with any way to increase income (most of their patients were Medicaid/Medicare).

They don't take private insurance? - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I would think you wouldn't want more government waste at your hospital. My private insurance limits payments for services through their contract. Perhaps you should blame the greedy insurance companies. Sounds like some other problem, like mismanagement, lack of need, or whatever.

"Greedy" ins. companies are to blame? - LOL

[ In Reply To ..]
Did you even READ the message you replied to? She stated that MOST of their patients were Medicaid and Medicare, and because of ObamaCare adversely affecting reimbursement, the hospital had to close its doors. And from THAT story you get that it's the fault of "greedy insurance companies?!"

What kind of drugs are you on? Or are you just drinking the Obama Kool-Aid?

OBAMA KOOL-AID - VTMT

[ In Reply To ..]
Sounds like she/he is drinking the Kool-Aid!

Why are Republicans blocking the bill that would increase funding? - BarkingUpWrongTree

[ In Reply To ..]
As usual, there are people trying to blame Obama for the Republican's actions (or inaction). Try using your Google.

BTW, MA is run by the States. Recently Governor Walker (Republican) of Wisconsin turned down health care money that would have eventually ended up in the pockets of doctors. Why is this?

Are you for the Paul Ryan (Republican) plan to get rid of Medicare?

I wonder what you are drinking.

Barking up tree - YOU ARE SO WRONG

[ In Reply To ..]
Better crank up YOUR Google. Ryan does NOT want to end Medicare. He has repeatedly stated it would not change for anyone 55 and above; it was remain as we know it today. As it currently stands, Medicare will be bankrupt in 2020s (with Obamacare sooner). I wonder what YOU are drinking...must be the Obama Kool-Aid we see all over this board.

I agree, Medicare ends for people under 55 - read post!

[ In Reply To ..]
Did you miss the question about why are Republicans blocking the bill to restore funding to physicians?

Medicare for 55 under - to Read post

[ In Reply To ..]
No, but you sure missed a lot. Did you read the ENTIRE bill, not just the part that you think fit your argument...No, didn't think so.

Apparently my questions do not fit the picture you want to paint - HoHum--nm

[ In Reply To ..]

HoHum - Your picture painting - Makes no sense

[ In Reply To ..]
You did not ask a question, just started about Medicare being ended...not what the bill states. If you want to see what it says, get the ENTIRE bill and read it end to end. Not just the part that paints your picture.

Do I have to repeat the question every post? - Why are Republicans blocking?

[ In Reply To ..]
You want to blame Obama so bad, but the House Republicans are blocking the bill that would delay phsycian pay cuts.

You are against MC physician pay cuts, yet you are for Paul Ryan's plan to end Medicare for people under 55. Now that makes no sense.

follow the thread, please.

Repeat question - Try and follow the thread

[ In Reply To ..]
As pointed out to you repeatedly, your comment is not factually accurate...You just keep repeating it. A previous poster specifically stated that you are NOT reading the entire bill. Repubs are NOT blocking what you claim. If you base a question on information that is not correct, you can repeat it a 100 times and it still will not be correct. No one on this board ever stated they were for ending Medicare- inaccurate accusation on your part. Paul Ryan's plan DOES NOT END MEDICARE. It does revise the Medicare for people UNDER 55. Everyone 55 and older stay on Medicare EXACTLY AS THEY KNOW IT TODAY. What is not understood about that? If you actually bothered to get the bill, read the bill in entirely, you would know exactly what is proposed for Medicare. You are making accusations by stating "you are" this and that without knowing to whom you are speaking or what they believe. PLEASE FOLLOW THE THREAD!

A question not a comment. - How can a question be wrong?

[ In Reply To ..]
Certainly hit a nerve with you. I guess if you could answer it in a way that does not seem absolutely ludicrous, you would, but you cannot.

I think it is very odd that you are complaining about doctor MC reimbursement being decreased, but yet you are for the Ryan plan that decimates Medicare for those who reach the age in 10 years. I think you need to do some deep breathing and go think about your logic. Good bye.

Question not a comment - Pretty clear your nerve was hit

[ In Reply To ..]
Previous poster was the one complaining of repeating a question and you answered someone that responded to her. If you are so think-skinned, why bother responding at all? If you are so intimidated by someone that does not crumble under another's rudeness, then don't post. Otherwise, you "need to do some deep breathing". Incidentally, you think you are so enlightened, but you grossly mnisquote people. If NOTHING IS DONE TO MEDICARE IN ITS CURRENT state, it will be bankrupt very shortly, in approximately the 10 years YOU MENTION, which means no one has any benefit at that point. Instead of being interested in trying to attack others, grow up. Perhaps you should actually READ the whole plan as the prior poster suggested.

"Greedy" insurance to blame - To LOL

[ In Reply To ..]
Nice to see that some of us actually READ what is posted. Too many on here jump to conclusions without any facts or read into posts things that just are not there. Tells you more about them.

Private insurance? - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Post clearly stated most of the patients were Medicaid/Medicare. Medicare services have been cut by 500-mill under Obamacare alone. Certainly would impact this hospital and their patients further. I know these hospital adminstrators very well, you do not and are making assumptions way off base. Could be chalked up to you making assumptions in regards to this hospital without any facts of what they did for the community and problems they had to deal with in a very depressed area. There are things beyond their control, but guess it is easier to jump the insurance companies throat without any knowledge on your part.

Forgot to add.. - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
Anyone who has transcribed rad reports knows that portable films are more limited and of inferior quality compared with regular x-rays taken in the department. So this is yet another way that patient care will be adversely effected.

Forgot to add - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
And...when quality is bad, we all know what happens. Repeat tests are ordered. Their idea is to cut costs? Just wait. They need some big, fat lawsuits to get their attention I suppose.

Thank goodness I didn't take out a loan to become - an x-ray tech. I think, unless - sm --

[ In Reply To ..]
some kind of drastic change is forced upon our pathetic U.S. healthcare system, that NO healthcare job will be worth learning.

I'm so tired of the dishonesty in the healthcare maintenance industry, and in the healthcare insurance industry. Recently I had an ER visit. Later, my ins. company sent me an estimate of what they would pay for, and not pay for. Then the hospital sent me the bill, stating how much the insurance paid, and what was left. I paid it.

But then, after I figured everything was done and taken care of, I get ANOTHER letter from the ins. company stating that no, actually they paid less than what they originally stated. (??? Huh ??? What did they do? Take money back from the hospital? I don't get it.)

So then, sure enough, I get yet another bill from the hospital ER for another couple hundred dollars that "insurance didn't pay". I paid that, and now am just as sure as can be that there will still be more bills forthcoming.

However, I've had it. I PAID my bills. If there is now a discrepancy, then let the hospital and the ins. co. fight it out it court, and leave me out of it!

This happens EVERY frickin time I see a doctor or a dentist. I think it's downright FRAUD. They say they'll pay a certain percentage, and then then go back on it after you've paid your share and you think everything has been settled.

And a few years ago, I once got an ER bill almost TWO YEARS after the fact! Two years after my ins. company tells me everything has been taken care of, and no more money is owed! I called the ER doc's office and told them that unless they could straighten it out with my ins. company (which I wasn't even covered by anymore - I had changed jobs!), then I guess they were out of luck. That was 6 years ago, and I never did hear back from them.

The last time I was in an ER for an injury, there was just ONE doctor covering the whole department, and one P.A. (On a Friday night?) I sat there and watched them try to cover the usual, expected, steady stream of drunks, car-accident victims, sick babies, demented elderly people, and people strung out on meth, and noted that none of them were getting very timely care. Wouldn't doubt it if there was only one on-call rad. tech there that night, as well.

Thanks to U.S. healthcare becoming all about profits and stockholders, and no longer about the patient, health care in this country has gone to U-know-where in a handbasket. I sincerely hope the Bean-Counters get sick and end up in a hospital themselves, someday. The lack of attention and low quality of care they can expect to receive will SERVE THEM RIGHT, because it's all their doing.

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