Overtreatment: Making Money from Unnecessary Treatment

The hospital chain, Health Management Associates (70 hospitals in 15 states) is accused of pressuring doctors at some of its hospitals to admit patients regardless of medical need just to increase revenues, the CBS program 60 Minutes reported Sunday. 



Doctors at several HMA hospitals told 60 Minutes that administrators had set quotas for admissions through their emergency rooms.  HMA disclosed in previous SEC filings that federal authorities have been investigating certain aspects of the company, including "the medical necessity of emergency room tests and patient admissions."



While I do not regularly track these sorts of developments on this blog, new federal and state investigations into financially-motivated medical over-treatment are announced daily.