Scott MacStravic, Ph.D.
The battle is already waging over “full-service” hospitals vs. their “focused factory” rivals as specialty hospitals and ambulatory care facilities “skim the cream” of profitable patients and services, thereby threatening both the mission and viability of general hospitals. The specialty “narrow-service” rivals are often partially owned by the physicians who use them, adding financial to other incentives for steering profitable patients their way, and leaving general hospitals to deliver their full services to a low-profit segment of the market.
A similar battle is beginning to emerge over HSAs and other high-deductible health insurance plans that tend to appeal to the “healthy, wealthy and wise” segment of society, leaving the rest forced by their limited income, greater needs and lesser ability to manage their health to traditional insurance, which will become far more expensive due to “anti-selection.” Since healthy, wealthy and wise segments are far more profitable segments, we can be sure there will be plenty of insurance companies ready, willing and able to serve them, while fewer may persist in serving the rest of humanity.
But there is little discussion of the potential for hospitals to become “full-spectrum,” rather than just full-service.
