Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hanlon's razor. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. The US healthcare system is a mess, but I don't think it's intentionally malicious. It is just a mash of a thousand different systems, creating one big stupid system.
I think there's plenty of malice in the system, for example https://www.propublica.org/article/cigna-pxdx-medical-health...
A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
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Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#12Cardiac Services ---- 44.8% of billed rate
This screams pads and buffers. As in, the administrator adds random line-items to things as long as the name of the service is "similar enough" so that they can justify whatever amount they want in the end.
It reminds me of the auto industry. I've been replacing transmission selonoids, serpentine belts, brakes, fluids, etc... last 3 years ( I bought a dodge ram 3500 and if you don't do these things yourself you end up owing the cost of the truck 3 times over during its lifetime).
And I have to say, when I replace something it costs me 45 minutes + part cost. The repair shop instead lists it as "Transmission Flush Service" and charges $1500 when in reality it's running the engine for a minute with the pan off, then refilling it with about $200 in new transmission fluid.
Again, the repair shop is banking on no one wanting to fix their car. I can say the same thing about healthcare and specific supplements instead of getting superfluous EKGs and other "med junk science" or worse actually dangerous drugs that the doctor is getting paid to prescribe to you. However even I would get a cast put on by a doctor, just as I would have my break calipers replaced and my tires rotated simply because that service is much more highly competitive, and regular. I would also, of course opt for a heart transplant just as I would buy a new cummins engine if mine went out. (The joke about ram is that the engine is the only thing that will hold up, while the rest of the truck falls apart all around it 4 times over)
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#13Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#14They are making it impossible to handle the data so everyone gives up trying so they can go on screwing people over.
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#15There's a price to slap on a bandaid.
There's a price to give someone a Tylenol.
Hell, W61.61XA is the medical code for "Bitten by duck, initial encounter." Presumably, this means there's also a code for "Bitten by duck, again."
Medical billing is broken, and it's no surprise that the amount of data is overwhelming.
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#16They are making it impossible to handle the data so everyone gives up trying so they can go on screwing people over.
Hanlon's razor. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. The US healthcare system is a mess, but I don't think it's intentionally malicious. It is just a mash of a thousand different systems, creating one big stupid system.
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#17They are making it impossible to handle the data so everyone gives up trying so they can go on screwing people over.
Hanlon's razor. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. The US healthcare system is a mess, but I don't think it's intentionally malicious. It is just a mash of a thousand different systems, creating one big stupid system.
(Plus we have seen some of the corruption that goes on inside insurance companies.)
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#18They are making it impossible to handle the data so everyone gives up trying so they can go on screwing people over.
Hanlon's razor. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. The US healthcare system is a mess, but I don't think it's intentionally malicious. It is just a mash of a thousand different systems, creating one big stupid system.
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#19There are separate charge codes for everything , and all of those codes need to be reflected in the pricing data. There's a price to slap on a bandaid. There's a price to give someone a Tylenol. Hell, W61.61XA is the medical code for "Bitten by duck, initial encounter." Presumably, this means there's also a code for "Bitten by duck, again." Medical billing is broken , and it's no surprise that the amount of data is o…
Re: A petabyte of health insurance prices per month
#20There are separate charge codes for everything , and all of those codes need to be reflected in the pricing data. There's a price to slap on a bandaid. There's a price to give someone a Tylenol. Hell, W61.61XA is the medical code for "Bitten by duck, initial encounter." Presumably, this means there's also a code for "Bitten by duck, again." Medical billing is broken , and it's no surprise that the amount of data is o…
https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/V00-Y99/W50-W64/W61-
The hierarchy looks like this:
W61.6 Contact with duck
= W61.61 Bitten by duck
== W61.61XA …… initial encounter
== W61.61XD …… subsequent encounter
== W61.61XS …… sequela
= W61.62 Struck by duck
== W61.62XA …… initial encounter
== W61.62XD …… subsequent encounter
== W61.62XS …… sequela
= W61.69 Other contact with duck
== W61.69XA …… initial encounter
== W61.69XD …… subsequent encounter
== W61.69XS …… sequela
There's codings like this for parrots, macaws, chickens, turkey, etc.
Hell there's an entire section for alligators and crocodiles at https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/V00-Y99/W50-W64/W58- that includes crushing, bites, etc.