A healthcare system badly out of balance

Boston Globe by Scott Allen, Marcella Bombardieri, Michael Rezendes, Thomas Farragher, Liz Kowalczyk, Jeffrey Krasner | Nov. 16, 2008 (Investigative Report)
Call it the 'Partners Effect:' Elite hospitals are paid much more for care that is often no better than average. It is the best kept secret in Massachusetts medicine

Call it the best-kept secret in Massachusetts medicine: Health insurance companies pay a handful of hospitals far more for the same work even when there is no evidence that the higher-priced care produces healthier patients. In fact, sometimes the opposite is true: Massachusetts General Hospital, for example, earns 15 percent more than Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for treating heart-failure patients even though government figures show that Beth ... Full Story »

Posted by Dale Penn

More Info

Tags Help
Subjects: U.S., Politics, Health, Extra
Topics: Health Care, Medicare, New England
Editorial Help
Posted by: Posted by Dale Penn - Nov 16, 2008 - 7:48 AM PST
Reviewed by: Dale Penn (review), Leo Romero (review), Kaizar Campwala (review), Patricia Blochowiak (review), Matt Collette (review)
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Kaizar Campwala - Nov 16, 2008 - 11:20 AM PST
Related Comments: Health Care (8)

Reviews

Show All Comments
Show All | Notes | Comments | Quotes | Links
Dale Penn
3.9
 by Dale Penn - Nov. 16, 2008

This special report is specific to Boston and Massachusetts and its particular circumstances as related to health care costs and insurance company reimbursements. I like the story because its depth provides insight into the complex issues of quality of care, available consumer information about hospitals and the muscle employed by major hospitals to increase their reimbursements. This article may be particularly instructive to anyone interested in the concept of national health care insurance reform.

Dale posted this story.
See Full Review » (19 answers)
Patricia Blochowiak
4.7
 by Patricia Blochowiak - Nov. 17, 2008

Very in-depth discussion of the cost of medical care at different hospitals in Massachusetts. Could also have discussed the difficulty for non-medical readers of weighing the import of the statements from the different experts, the necessity of graduate medical education, and the cost-effectiveness of having a medical home with a primary care physician.

As a trained physician, I am extremely pleased with this detailed discussion of the costs of medical care. A discussion that included the concept of a medical home, though, could have been a real discussion of health care reform.

See Full Review » (20 answers)
Leo Romero
3.7
 by Leo Romero - Nov. 16, 2008
See Full Review » (10 answers)
Kaizar Campwala
4.3
 by Kaizar Campwala - Nov. 16, 2008
See Full Review » (10 answers)
Matt Collette
4.0
 by Matt Collette - Nov. 22, 2008
See Full Review » (10 answers)

Comments on this story Help (BETA)

Sort by: Oldest | Newest Hide All Replies
NT Rating | My Rating

Ratings

4.1

Good
from 5 reviews (50% confidence)
Quality
4.2
Facts
4.2
Fairness
4.2
Information
4.4
Insight
4.5
Sourcing
4.2
Style
3.8
Accuracy
4.0
Balance
4.0
Context
3.8
Depth
4.6
Enterprise
4.4
Expertise
4.5
Originality
4.5
Relevance
5.0
Transparency
3.5
Responsibility
4.5
Popularity
3.7
Recommendation
3.6
Credibility
4.0
# Reviews
2.5
# Views
5.0
# Likes
1.0
# Emails
1.0
More
How our ratings work »
(See these related stories.)

Links Help

No links yet. Please review this story to add some!