Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Here in northern New England emergency departments are being staffed by National Guard troops. Hospitals’ ER staff – trained to handle critical care patients – are being shifted to critical and intensive care units already short-staffed due to burnout and … Continue reading Our healthcare system is breaking – part 3
Read More...Three days ago President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a notable accomplishment coming after bipartisan support in Congress. Pretty remarkable that this happened at all; past Administrations – both Democratic and Republican that enjoyed majorities in Congress … Continue reading Infrastructure = jobs = premiums and claims
Read More...Some hospitals are efficient – defined as delivering excellent care at relatively low cost, while others are quite inefficient – high cost, not great care. Then there are the high cost and unknown quality of care facilities – but the … Continue reading for hospitals, Cost ≠ Quality
Read More...CMS – aka Medicare – has published details on the pending cut to physician reimbursement and some physician groups are howling. The cuts aren’t uniform; Any changes to the fee schedule done via rulemaking must be budget neutral; if some payments … Continue reading Reimbursement is changing – nerd alert…
Read More...Hospitals in Idaho, Alaska, Alabama, Montana and other states are rationing care – a painful decision necessitated by unvaccinated patients suffering from severe COVID infections overwhelming available facilities. In Idaho, the State Department of Health and Welfare now “allows hospitals … Continue reading COVID, care rationing, and consequences thereof
Read More...Warning – I am really pissed off. We are very close to several clinicians that work in medical facilities. They are overwhelmed with COVID patients – almost all of whom are unvaccinated. It is devastating to talk with these medical … Continue reading Get a goddamn vaccination and wear a goddamn mask.
Read More...Hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent on heavy construction and everything that goes into that – steel, aluminum and concrete; wire and cable; glass and pipes; rail cars, track, and signaling equipment; heavy equipment; electric vehicle charging stations; … Continue reading Infrastructure’s implications for workers’ comp
Read More...Is coming from hospital trauma centers vacuuming thousands out of your wallet. Trauma centers are supposed to handle the worst trauma cases – those from major car accidents, gunshots, airplane crashes, building collapses – you get the picture. Smelling gold, … Continue reading that giant sucking sound…
Read More...Didn’t happen. That’s the result of a just-published study conducted by Olesya Fomenko PhD, one of WCRI’s talented researchers. Not only were there no delays during the first half of 2020, when the pandemic was raging – but there was … Continue reading Well, I got that one wrong…COVID-related treatment delays
Read More...President Biden’s HHS Secretary announced a major new Rule addressing surprise billing for out-of-network emergency services last week. While not yet final, the Rule – and subsequent modifications – may address a major cost area for workers’ comp. To be … Continue reading Surprise billing in workers’ comp
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