Hospital with Money Back Guarantee

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I saw this on the news last weekend and keep forgetting to post about it (forgive me if it's already been posted about and I missed it).

This group of hospitals is now offering patients a "money back guarantee", no questions asked, if the patient isn't completely satisfied with their stay. One of the customers in the story requested money back because her dinner tray was 45 minutes late. This just seems ridiculous and like a slap in the face to nurses and other health care workers.

So that leaves me wondering, what are your thoughts on the matter?

Link to story:

This Hospital Guarantees Good Service, or Your Money Back - NBC News

To be honest - I am not surprised at all.

Perhaps the patient satisfaction score - reimbursement tie is only the beginning...

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Well I suppose if the hospital wishes to go bankrupt. ... :sarcastic:

Seriously that's the stupidest thing I've heard in a long time. They're going to pay a pt back a 6-7 figure hospital stay? 'Cause I can't see the insurance companies willing to pay the hospital what will just go back to the pt.

I'd recommend the nurses and other staff make an exodus on the level of THE Exodus. Bc the hospital can't pay you if it's bankrupt. :facepalm:d

Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
I saw this on the news last weekend and keep forgetting to post about it (forgive me if it's already been posted about and I missed it).

This group of hospitals is now offering patients a "money back guarantee", no questions asked, if the patient isn't completely satisfied with their stay. One of the customers in the story requested money back because her dinner tray was 45 minutes late. This just seems ridiculous and like a slap in the face to nurses and other health care workers.

So that leaves me wondering, what are your thoughts on the matter?

Link to story:

This Hospital Guarantees Good Service, or Your Money Back - NBC News

I also read this on the news. Ha! Another "business type" idea that won't work. You've got to wonder about the measurement of "satisfaction." A shameful trend...

Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.

They seem to be betting on a sense of fairness and honesty. Good luck with that today. The woman in the article was mad because she had to pay $100 up front, a pretty normal thing. So she had apparently successful surgery, but got not just her copay back but $50 more. Yes; smart. Forget all the care, the successful surgery, her tray was late? Insanity. Further instilling the hospital is now a hotel mentalliy that is killing us.

Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

What I really loved is that not only is it no questions asked, but they can request any amount of refund that they think they deserve! What happens when the etohers in withdrawal start requesting money because we won't let them drink, or newly extubated drug overdoses complaining that they can't have a smorgasbord of opiates at their beck and call?

And on this list of hospitals/organizations to NEVER work for...CHECK!

I used to work for this system...The main hospital is a magnet hospital, and one of the other hospitals has been trying to achieve magnet for over 10 years - but they can't get the nursing satisfaction scores high enough. I can't tell you how many meetings we were subject to "encouraging" us to score high, and how much lip service was paid to patient satisfaction at the sacrifice of OUR satisfaction

ETA - this is one of only 2 hospital systems in our area to work for - the other is CHS based out of TN - one of the largest for profit hospital systems in the nation. They are even worse to work for. Both of these systems have all but eaten up everything in this area - ambulatory surgery centers, labs, doctors offices etc...you just about can't get out of working for one of the two anymore regardless of what you do.

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Well, to begin with, it is not as easy as it seems to be. The whole thing is not something new. I was once in just such hospital a good 10 years ago, as a patient. Long story short, in that VERY posh place I was given, as "a token of our hospitality", a thing I am deadly allergic to and contact with which was the reason for me to hit the ER. The huge note was pinned to the door's room, yet it happened. I requested 100% money back, and was given like 20% of bill, which was "room service" on med/surg floor. The rest (ICU, labs, anesthesiologist bill, supplies, X-rays, etc) were all billed separately through third-parties. So, no, it is not gonna to be entirely merry ride. The hospital is not going to lose THAT much, believe me.

Second, yeah. Not a nurse (or a doctor, or an aide, for that matter) with any reminds of common sense will be comfortable working under these conditions. A new rotating door facility is born. The next thing will be a new "nursing residency program" with $10000 contract for 2 years if broken by a new grad thinking to be hired as a nurse but instead functioning as a somewhat higher-payed waitress with capacity to serve pills as well as cocktails.

Did you all not hear what they're refunding? Not the big chunk that insurance covers but the patient's copay or deductible. 80 refunds for a total of 70k (or 70 for total of 80k). They might not have collected all of that money anyway, certainly not easily. They might have had to pay out more in overhead to collect the patient's portion. Now all of those profitable elective surgeries are going to seek out this hospital system. And they're getting free advertising and public relations.

It's potentially genius from a business perspective.

Specializes in Critical Care.

I know I'm going against the grain here, but I don't have any issue with this policy and actually I'm all for it. First of all, they aren't refunding anyone's bill, they're only refunding the co-pay or less, which so far as only totalled 80,000, Geisenger's yearly revenue is $4,000,000,000. Considering this policy has now gotten people all over the country talking about Geisenger, that's probably the cheapest marketing campaign ever for a healthcare organization. Also, the practice of refunding part or all of a patient' copay is very common, all Geisenger is doing is publicizing it.

From a nursing practice perspective I'd much rather have a patient who's dinner tray was 45 minutes late know right then that they're free to choose to pay part of none their deductible, since at that point I owe them nothing. I would love to say (not necessarily in these words) to a patient who complains about a late meal tray "what do you care, you're essentially getting paid $150 because your mealtray was late, for that kind of money all of your meals are going to be late and I'm going to eat half the meal before I give it to you".

Infuriating. I wanted to reach through my screen and choke some sense into that abhorrent CEO

Time for all patient care staff to show up at work wearing t-shirts that say we're here to save your a** not kiss it!

Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

So if it's all about providing excellent customer service now, can we accept tips? Because I'm pretty sure that if that woman's tray hadn't been late, none of the staff responsible for getting it there on time would have seen that $150. How on earth is this program any kind of incentive to give better "care?"

I actually got a little sick at the end when the patient said, "Patients are their people, and they need to be treated with respect." People really have no idea the kind of knowledge and work that goes into this job! Some of this is just so insulting.

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