Study: Medicaid, Medicare Beneficiaries Less Profitable for Hospitals Than Less Sick, Privately Insured Patients
Hospitals tend to gain more financially from privately insured patients who seek outpatient care at emergency departments -- no matter how sick they are -- than they do from seriously ill Medicaid or Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. According to study authors, the findings could suggest reduced profits for health systems that choose to move more outpatient services to off-site clinics.
- "Sicker Medicaid, Medicare Emergency Patients Less Profitable" (Harding, Reuters, 10/10).