Random Rants

[TooFarTampa]

BR, I am sorry for this! Kudos to you and Beach Jacket for being on top of things.

I had absolutely no idea that hospice care could be for-profit. This seems 100 percent counterintuitive. I found an interesting blog entry with the following paragraph:

What’s so frightening about the case of for-profit hospices in particular is that cutting corners undermines the whole mission of hospice care. As Dr. Bradley’s team notes in their 2005 study, for-profit hospices risk losing sight of “the fundamental principles of hospice” because they are not doing all they can to support and comfort patients and families during the final stages of life. There’s really no way to do a half-way job with hospice care: you’re either doing everything you can to make dying people and their families feel better, or you’re not. This is not a calculus that comes down to dollars.

Health Beat: The Danger of For-Profit Hospices

It was bad enough when big hospital companies became for-profit enterprises; the idea of a for-profit hospice is sickening to me. Seems like outlawing this would be a good way to save some bucks on Medicare. Might be a good time to shoot a letter to the Obama team.

Continued well wishes to your mom and family.

 

[Beach Runner]

BR, I am sorry for this! Kudos to you and Beach Jacket for being on top of things.

I had absolutely no idea that hospice care could be for-profit. This seems 100 percent counterintuitive. I found an interesting blog entry with the following paragraph:



Health Beat: The Danger of For-Profit Hospices

It was bad enough when big hospital companies became for-profit enterprises; the idea of a for-profit hospice is sickening to me. Seems like outlawing this would be a good way to save some bucks on Medicare. Might be a good time to shoot a letter to the Obama team.

Continued well wishes to your mom and family.

I will definitely send this info to sister. Thanks.

 

[TooFarTampa]

I will definitely send this info to sister. Thanks.

BR now I am all worked up on your behalf.

It seems wrong to me that the representative of a for-profit hospice company is allowed to come to a hospital and pressure family members into signing a contract, at such a sensitive time.

Drug and device companies get a lot of flak, but they work with the physicians and hospitals and do not sell their products directly to patients or families. Plus those companies are limited in the way they can sell their products -- it is supposed to be based only on efficacy and price structure, not junkets or pressure. I wonder what kind of regulations these for-profit hospices are operating under?

I am seriously considering writing my Congresswoman about this, with a note to the Obama people too. This seems like such an obvious area to set up strict regulations and save money for the taxpayers. Maybe I am missing something. I am a strong believer in palliative and hospice care and it should be supported by Medicare, but not seen as a profit opportunity for companies and shareholders.

 

[scooterbug44]

Hospice was a total godsend when my grandpa was sick - these people sound QUITE different! :angry:

 

[Beach Runner]

What's so unsavory is that because they got their 90 days of money from Medicare, it was in their financial interest for Mom to die because they could stop paying their employees and stop paying for Mom's meds and supplies, yet keep the money.

And the hospital case worker is just a fox in the henhouse.The thing is, TFT, the case worker is a hospital employee who used to work for Company X. My guess is that Company X wasn't allowed in the hospital until we agreed to talk to them after great pressure.I'll ask sister.

 

[Matt J]

My mother's hospice care was absolutely wonderful. However we used a non-profit Hospice organization. I can't imagine trying to turn a profit on this type of care.

 

[NoHall]

BR, I'm so sorry you're going through this. It's bad enough to endure the stress and pain of serious illness in your family without having to deal with vultures...

 

[Rita]

Hospice was a total godsend when my grandpa was sick - these people sound QUITE different! :angry:

My mother's hospice care was absolutely wonderful. However we used a non-profit Hospice organization. I can't imagine trying to turn a profit on this type of care.

We also had a wonderful experience w/hospice last winter.

BR, I was getting concerned that you were "broadbrushing" hospice care, but I did not realize that for-profit hospices existed. It does not seem right and I am sorry your family and your mom had to deal with all this. I'm glad she and your family are where you are all comfortable now though. Sending my thoughts and prayers.

.

 

[scooterbug44]

Nothing I love more than incompetent morons talking down to me and explaining how things work like I am a 4 year old.

Really, I had no idea! I only do this for a living, so thank you SO MUCH for explaining how it works (incorrectly BTW) and clearing that up for me. :angry:

 

[kitlit]

If they're going to call them "Smart Cars" shouldn't they be required to sell them to smart drivers? Just saw one on 98 weaving in and out of (very tight) traffic. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should...