The reason for my stay was to connect an extra lead to my pacemaker.
I had a pacemaker installed few years ago and I believe it saved/prolonged my life.
In last 2 years there was a noticeable degradation in my heart's capacity and my cardiologist suggested connecting another lead to my pacemaker to activate more thoroughly my heart's muscles.
It was a bit surprise for me that my old, but not so old, pacemaker has been replaced by a new one. I asked what happened to the old one? Apparently there is a rule that this type of devices must not be recycled so it has been returned to manufacturer to make a best possible use of it.
While in hospital I watched TV, ABC 7:30 report, and there was a report which made my heart pacing faster.
They reported, that hospitals or companies running them receive kickbacks from manufacturers, up to 50% of cost of the device.
That means, that the hospital buys a device for say $25,000, installs it and sends a bill to the insurance company, which pays the price. Than, some time later, the hospital receives $12,000 back.
It explains why private insurance premiums are rising so fast.
Transcript of the 7:30 Report - HERE.
What puzzled me is that on one hand - few companies mentioned in the report responded with statement, that they just selected pacemaker from the official listing. On the other hand some doctors said that there should be more transparency in pacemaker choice, that patients should be more involved.
I do not see it as the main issue. I trust my doctor and do not feel qualified to verify technical details of his/her decision. In my opinion whole issue is about money circulation. If the hospital received any money from the manufacturer then it should be returned to the party which paid the bill - private health insurance, Medicare, patient.
For the time being I feel as a mule - an ignorant carrier used to channel money between some secret players.
No comments:
Post a Comment