Hospitals are becoming part of the Gig Economy as administrators turn to staffing apps to fill shifts when internal staffing is low. The transition to more temporary nurses is fueled by a shortage that has given nurses more control over their schedule. Nurses are turning to the apps to manage when they work or pick up extra shifts as the gig work invades hospitals like it has other areas of the economy.
Category: Health Reform
Beyond House Calls, the Next Big Thing is Hospital Care in the Home
Hospitals are the most expensive place to get medical care in the health care industry. Hospitals consume nearly one-third of health care expenditures, accounting for more than $1.33 trillion a year. I often advise people to never get anything done at a hospital if they are physically able to go anywhere else. For example, my wife unknowingly started to make an appointment for an outpatient CT scan at a nearby hospital.
Wednesday Links
- Health advocacy groups: the unwinding of the health emergency Medicaid coverage rules could be a “health equity and civil rights disaster.” InsideHealthPolicy (gated)
- Ruling from the nanny state: FDA okays dogs at outdoor dining.
- Study: What If tax-subsidized, employer-provided health insurance were instead financed by a universal payroll tax? The wages of college-educated workers would be 11% lower and those of non-college workers would be 3% higher.
FDA: Eye Surgeons Need to Inform Patients about Lasik Risks
Ophthalmologists tend to view corrective eye surgery as routine, something which everyone with poor eyesight can benefit from. Although there are many types of corrective eye surgery Lasik is probably the best known and most widely used. My wife went for an eye surgery consultation only to discover the surgeon’s waiting room was about as busy as Grand Central Station. The ophthalmologist viewed the surgery as so routine that he didn’t really spend much time consulting with her. She ended up talking to him briefly and his staff for much of the overview. The experience did not sit well with her, and she decided against the surgery.