Medicare Advantage plans to pay Central Ohio Primary Care to keep patients out of hospital

Advantage Plans title5The largest independent physician group in Central Ohio will get bonus payments for keeping the frailest patients well and out of the hospital under a new deal with five private Medicare Advantage plans.

Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians Inc. will get a fixed monthly payment for patients in the pilot program, plus a share of the savings from actuarial estimates of that group’s 2014 medical expenses. The plans also have agreed to pay for sending patients directly to a high-acuity wing of a skilled nursing facility without the usual requirement for a three-day hospital stay.

The average hospital stay costs at least $10,000, said Dr. William Wulf, CEO of the 270-doctor group. The practice’s hospitalists – specialists who follow patients through inpatient stays – say about one-fourth of patients admitted could have been cared for in a less-costly setting, but regulations and existing payment incentives encourage the hospitalization.

“What if that hospitalist was in a shared savings program for that $10,000?” Wulf said. “That’s where we need to go, that’s where we’re going with population health.”

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Medicare Advantage plans to pay Central Ohio Primary Care to keep patients out of hospital

A Whistleblower’s Profile In Courage

Obamacare threatens to maim and kill innocent people in the name of furthering the bottom line for the insurance companies. Obamacare contains the heinous specter of death panels. We are all at risk and certainly Obamacare represents yet another form of wealth distribution. However, the people should know that help is on the way.

Dr Linda PeenoDr. Linda Peeno contacted me two weeks ago and informed me that she is reinserting herself into her advocacy work on behalf of all patients who are trapped in a corrupt medical system.

If you don’t know who Linda Peeno is, the following profile should inspire all to become a force for positive change. If you remember Dr. Peeno, you will find the following information to be a welcome update on one of America’s most courageous whistleblowers.

Of all the interviews that I have conducted over the years, there is one interview which still troubles me to this day. Almost five years ago, I interviewed managed health care whistleblower, Dr. Linda Peeno, her revelations have haunted me in the years following the interview. I am haunted because Dr. Peeno gave so much to the people of America and lost nearly everything in return.

What started out as an interview with the objective consisting of presenting the listening audience with an expose on the inherent evils of health care, the interview turned into what John F. Kennedy would refer to as a shining example of a “profile in courage.” Yet, it is a profile in courage that has neither been championed or rewarded. Rather, Peeno’s statements and actions have been met with denial, derision, disdain and a highly effective and destructive retaliation.

Certainly, Linda Peeno’s trip down whistleblower lane appeared promising when the her Congressional testimony was prominently portrayed in Michael Moore’s movie, Sicko, as Peeno told Congress the following:

“I wish to begin by making a public confession: In the spring of 1987, as a physician, I caused the death of a man. Although this was known to many people, I have not been taken before any court of law or called to account for this in any professional or public forum. In fact, just the opposite occurred: I was “rewarded” for this. It bought me an improved reputation in my job, and contributed to my advancement afterwards. Not only did I demonstrate I could indeed do what was expected of me, I exemplified the “good” company doctor: I saved a half million dollars. I contend that “managed care,” as we currently know it, is inherently unethical in its organization and operation. Furthermore, I maintain that we have an industry which can exist only through flagrant ethical violations against individuals and the public.”

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A Whistleblower’s Profile In Courage