[DeTomaso] NPT Interesting Observation on Health Care Costs

[David in Durango]

Having been in the hospital "bizz" for 16 years, my opinion is:

Gov't regulation (JCAHO standards) are the foremost cause of high costs.

The only viable way to get medicare payments is for an institution to be 
JCAHO accredited.  These "standards" are changed on a yearly basis and are 
more and more costly to meet.  e.g. = the workload in our office will 
probably triple this year.  One more FTE (full time employee) and 200,000 
software package~if we are lucky.  Or we will be buried and not meet 
standards?

Possibly 1/2 of the employees (not counting environmental services/food) 
work to meet these standards.  The standards are in the name of "patient 
care".

Of course, I'm happy to have a job and a Pantera . . .thanks!