Editing 77-20-A6 (section)

= Hospital Costs =

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=== Transcript ===
Why are hospital costs so high? And can they be made lower by simply issuing
a White House order that they shouldn’t be so high? I’ll be right back.

The White House has proposed placing a 9% limit on the increase in revenue
a hospital can get—from private patients. One reputable and respected
hospital admin, has said the goal is laudable but the proposal itself is unsound,
unfair, unrealistic, unworkable and will result in hospitals being less able to
serve the people. That-is-a rather all inclusive That’s a rather positive statement
that and doesn't tiptoe around the subject. And he is right.

First of all such a
blanket price fixing makes no allowance for hospitals that are presently being
run on an efficient, economical basis. It doesn't allow for the fact that about
70% of hospital costs are payroll directly affected by inflation. And what of
the hospitals faced with bringing buying expensive new
equipment up-to-date to keep pace with new medical procedures?
Then there
is the effect inflation has had on restocking supplies. One hospital supply
officer pointed out that in 1976 24 cases of sterile water used in surgery cost
$63.48. By the spring of ’77 10 cases cost $64.45.

Probably the best example of shortsightedness or perhaps just plain “lets
not talk about it” was the failure of the White House to touch on how much
govt, has to do with increased hospital costs. For example the increase in government
decrees demanding changes in laboratory safety standards, in laboratories,
and regulations covering electrical, fire and elevator rules which require expensive
renovations. Govt, programs also boost the number of health care recipients
and the amount of service provided those recipients.

Lets take a look at some of the rules and reporting requirements mandated by
not one but several government agencies. Hospitals must report monthly and annual
days of inpatient care, by age group, by services and by type of financial coverage.
Outpatient visits must be reported in the same manner. Also emergency
room visits.

Total annual minutes of anesthesia administered must be
reported as well as the number of x-ray exams and the number of films used in
these exams. Report the number of births for the year; The number of children
served. Report the number of physical therapy treatments, the number of
blood transfusions (and here is one)—report the number of outpatients admitted
as inpatients.

Each hospital must give a certain amount of “charity care” each year & have
multi-lingual signs posted telling the patients this charity is available.
Operations must be reported by type & number. Are you beginning to understand
why when you ring for the nurse she’s a sometimes a little while in getting
there? It’s all that paperwork.

And oh yes about half of reimbursement
rates are set by government at less than actual cost so the private patients
have to pay more to make up the difference. In socialized medicine there
wouldn’t be any private patients to be tapped so guess who’d pay then?

Hospitals must obtain a signed certificate as to
need for hospitalization and establish a “time limit” for hospital stay. Detailed
records must be kept on services provided, by date and by individual performing
the service. Periodically the “race” of each patient must be reported for a
given day.

These are only a few but of many requirements and I’m sure as you heard
them you wondered what of what use all that paper work was could be to
govt, except to make work for bureaucrats.

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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=== Details ===
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>09/27/[[Radio1977|1977]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[[Radio_Commentary_Books#Reagan.27s_Path_to_Victory|RPtV-200]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
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===Added Notes===

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