This is something I have not heard of until reading this article. It appears this hospital is making strides in the right direction to ensure safe and successful surgeries. BD
A nurse at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., counted sponges after surgery to ensure none were left in the patient.
Even if a patient suffers complications or has to come back to the hospital, Geisinger promises not to send the insurer another bill.
Under the experiment, the hospital charges a flat fee for the surgery, plus half what it has calculated as the historical cost of related care for the next 90 days. Instead of billing for any additional hospital stays — which typically run $12,000 to $15,000 — Geisinger absorbs that extra cost.
But hospitals have been slow to focus their attention on standardizing the way they deliver care, said Dr. Arnold Milstein, the medical director for the Pacific Business Group on Health, a California organization of large companies that provide medical benefits to their workers. Geisinger “is one of the few systems in the country that is just beginning to understand the lessons of global manufacturing,” Dr. Milstein said.
Source: In Bid for Better Care, Surgery With a Warranty - New York Times
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