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Originally Posted by wolf
There is more than one way, Mari, to get treatment covered.
Many of the folks I see are uninsured, or just have medical assistance. We apply for MA for patients who don't have any coverage, and if that falls through we apply to the county. If an insurance company refuses to admit someone we feel needs admitting, we tell them we'll appeal and admit the client anyway. We also don't discharge at the behest of the insurer. They aren't treating the client. We are.
We eat about $1 Million a year in unpaid services.
We also don't bill line item for things that most hospitals do ... like medications (yes, even the really expensive ones), meals, linens, physician and psychologist sessions, medical care, dressings, popsicle sticks for activities projects, etc. Our posted day rate is around $1,000.
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Your facility sounds more humane than many, and if you are in the Philly area you also have the good fortune to reside in a state and a county that are somewhat more generous about funding services for the working poor/uninsured, etc. Colorado is not only an extremely conservative state (it really is, Wolf, influx of yuppies to Vail and Aspen have hardly made a dent in the political scene here), but once outside the metro Denver area, the various counties lack the population and/or the desire to fund medical services for lower income people. I, personally, have seen some tragic cases as a result.
