The topsy-turvy world of hospital budgets; MUHC's plight shows activity-based... - 0 views
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Montreal Gazette Tue Nov 1 2016
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Imagine a business providing a service so popular that demand is 30 per cent higher than anticipated. That would be good news, right? Admittedly, there might be an adjustment period as more equipment is purchased and additional staffis hired. But still, you would expect more demand to be a positive thing. Now imagine this business complaining about having too many clients. And not just complaining, but reducing the use of new equipment and firing staff. Sounds crazy? Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of public health care in Canada, where patients are a source of additional expenses for a hospital instead of being a source of revenue.
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The latest instance of this madness is the Quebec government telling the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) that it is taking on too many cancer and emergency-room patients, according to a report in Monday's Gazette. In particular, ER admissions at the new superhospital that opened in April 2015 are 30 per cent higher than expected. The government is refusing to fund these "volume overruns," with the result being that the MUHC will have a $10-million shortfall for this fiscal year. The MUHC is apparently responding by mothballing some cutting-edge medical equipment, closing new operating rooms, postponing elective surgeries, and possibly cutting 750 full-time and part-time jobs.
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