尽管需要遏制过度使用，但医院急诊科是否应被用作收入来源？

Should Hospital Emergency Departments Be Used as Revenue Streams Despite Needs to Curb Overutilization?

作者信息

Myers Alex, Cain Aaron, Franz Berkeley, Skinner Daniel

机构信息

A medical sociologist and an assistant professor of community-based health at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio.

An assistant professor of health policy at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dublin, Ohio, and a co-director of the Health Policy Fellowship, a program of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

出版信息

AMA J Ethics. 2019 Mar 1;21(3):E207-214. doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2019.207.

DOI:10.1001/amajethics.2019.207

PMID:30893033

Abstract

This case asks how a hospital should balance patients' health needs with its financial bottom line regarding emergency department utilization. Should hospitals engage in proactive population health initiatives if they result in decreased revenue from their emergency departments? Which values should guide their thinking about this question? Drawing upon emerging legal and moral consensus about hospitals' obligations to their surrounding communities, this commentary argues that treating emergency departments purely as revenue streams violates both legal and moral standards.

摘要

本案例探讨了医院应如何在患者健康需求与急诊科利用方面的财务底线之间取得平衡。如果积极的人群健康倡议导致急诊科收入减少，医院是否应参与其中？哪些价值观应指导他们思考这个问题？基于关于医院对其周边社区义务的新出现的法律和道德共识，本评论认为，将急诊科单纯视为收入来源既违反法律标准，也违反道德标准。