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?? C-Sections to 'Boost Hospital Profits'From: Marilyn Ringst (marilyncnm@hotmail.com)Fri Apr 6 16:06:55 2001
Physician Refutes Study That Says Doctors Perform C-Sections to 'Boost Hospital Profits' A "leading" Colorado physician has disputed a study reporting that "doctors feel pressured to perform more Caesarean sections to boost hospital profits," calling the conclusion "off-base," the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. The study was conducted among 200,000 expectant mothers over three years by a business professor at the University of Colorado. The study indicated that "a hospital's bottom line may determine whether a doctor conducts a Caesarean section when wards are full." Naomi Soderstrom, an associate professor in accounting at University of Colorado at Boulder, explained, "From an accounting perspective, reducing the number of Caesarean sections may not be in a hospital's or physician's best interest since reimbursement rates for Caesarean sections are higher than for vaginal births." However, Dr. Donald Aptekar, president of the Colorado Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, said, "I want to make it real clear that physicians are not making the choice for C-sections because we get paid more money. We don't get paid more money." He added, "It's counterintuitive to do a C-section if the hospital is crowded because the patient will have to stay longer." Commenting on the increasing rate of C-sections, Aptekar said that the upward trend is "driven by the consumer," as more women are electing to undergo the procedure. But Soderstrom maintains that the study suggests that "more than medical factors are taken into account in any physician's decision" (Garner, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 4/5).
-- Marilyn Ringstaff, CNM Marilyn.Ringstaff@obgyn.net
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