Weigh waiving charges after an adverse event
Weigh waiving charges after an adverse event
Should your program waive charges after a serious adverse event occurs? The Washington, DC-based Leapfrog Group and the Chicago-based Midwest Business Group on Health, both of which represent employers, have called on hospitals to take this stand.
The University of Michigan Health System at Ann Arbor allows patient relations representatives to review and waive charges on a case-by-case basis, says Charles Boyd, MD, MBA, FACS, associate chief of staff at the health system and system professor in facial plastic surgery at the University of Michigan. "One thing we certainly try to prevent is the never outcomes from occurring, but when they do occur, we try to do the right thing and make it better for the patient and family," Boyd says.
For its part, the American Hospital Association supports the waving of charges. In a prepared statement, Rich Umbdenstock, president-elect, said, ". . . the Leapfrog Group articulates what many hospitals are already doing — apologizing to patients and working to do the right thing for them and their families. We agree: Patients should not have to pay the costs directly related to the event, and hospitals should recognize patients' unique circumstances and work with them."1
The Leapfrog Group, in response to questions from Same-Day Surgery, has clarified that their request wouldn't necessarily apply in situations where the hospital has done nothing wrong, but an adverse event occurs anyway. An example might be a case in which a patient withholds information that would have resulted in a cancellation of the surgery. While there may be an adverse event, it technically wouldn't qualify as a "never" event, says Rachel Weissburg, program associate for Leapfrog Group. "As far as waiving charges, we would ask hospital to use its very best judgment and do what they think is the best thing," Weissburg says. "If they think a patient knowingly withheld information, we would leave that up to hospital's discretion."
Reference
- American Hospital Association. AHA Statement on Leapfrog's Policy on Health Care "Never Events." Washington, DC; 2006.
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