Better Care, Pay Less: Some Communities Find a Way.

[elleng]

If you pay the mechanic $1,000 to fix your transmission and it breaks again next week, the garage should find and fix the problem for free. So if you get an infection following open-heart surgery because the doctor forgot an antibiotic, why are you charged extra to clear up the wound?

At Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, pay a flat fee for bypass surgery and you'll get essentially a 90-day warranty on your heart fix. Complications? The hospital has to eat the cost. It gambled that following a checklist of best practices would help patients recover faster and cost less -- and so far, it's winning the bet.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/08/health/AP-US-MED-HealthBeat-Doing-Care-Better.html

[laughingliberal]

1. This is exactly the kind of practice that can save us a lot of money in Medicare

I wish all those out there with their fear of 'rationed care' and losing the benefits they have now could read this. Imagine-quality, efficiency, lower cost, and better results.