UPMC's reach

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I am a conservative Republican. I assure you it's no joke to those who have had access to UPMC doctors and hospitals revoked.

I know you love all things Pitt and Pitt related, but on this issue I respectfully disagree with your position. UMPC is rapacious.

They have turned this Highmark issue into a blood feud. UPMC appears to have no issues with its own market dominance and monopolistic practices. They don't give a damn about the patients or the community. They only care about money, market share and power. They sure as hell don't act like a non-profit. Close down a hospital in Braddock that typically had 70% of its beds full to open a brand new hospital 2 miles from Forbes Regional in a market already well served?

I will say it again, the integrated healthcare model of being both a provider and an insurer is rife with conflicts of interest

No, it's really not.

Why would it cause ANY additional conflict say as compared to reimbursement rates for third party insurance companies outside of the health system? Highmark, Aetna, Medicare, etc are all constantly cutting reimbursement rates or denying reimbursement for particular procedures and practices.

Frankly, having the providers self-insuring ELIMINATES conflicts of the revenue demands with regards to Treatment Choices because YOU KNOW what's covered or not.

Health Systems becoming Self-Insured is the Future, barring single-payer universal health care. The 15% over-head cost associated with reimbursement and billing isn't sustainable.

 

[The Loaded Italian]

I know you guys hate us PSU guys, but the anti-UPMC faction is right on. And you don't know how right-on they are.

They have nothing to do with Pitt, trust me. Nothing. What is going on locally with Highmark is only the tip of the iceberg wrt the way they treat employees, patients, and the world at large. It's a sick culture that is on the verge of not collapse, but definitely reorganization. It's too late for Levine to step in and take control, I think, but if such a situation were to present itself it would be ideal for the region.

Highmark's leaders are assholes, as well, but it's all relative. Anybody in Pittsburgh who hopes for fair, legitimate, and truly "region-beneficial" health care for this region should be lining up behind Highmark during this current controversy. County and state government get that, which is why they have done so, but the critical mass has not been reached yet. But it's close.

Disagree with me merely because of my PSU orientation, at yours/our peril, but it's true. This is not a Pitt issue at all.

Well... 2 things. First, my father works for UPMC, and he loves it. I never lived in PA since it opened, so I have no experience at all...


Second... I was at the Pirate game on Saturday night, and the add for UPMC was there, I took a photo to send to my dad to ask the same question as the original poster about is it nationwide now... and got the same ansswer that it was probably just a focus ad for the pittsburgh audience. Although UPMC is larger than Pittsburgh.

Anyways, I dont know anything else about UPMC, so cant disagree at all. But I would say if there was a UPSMC that ran the hospitals in Pittsburgh, I would probably at first already be slightly against it, so I can imagine penn staters would already have at least a little bad bias about it.

 

[Ray-Ray]

No, it's really not.

Why would it cause ANY additional conflict say as compared to reimbursement rates for third party insurance companies outside of the health system? Highmark, Aetna, Medicare, etc are all constantly cutting reimbursement rates or denying reimbursement for particular procedures and practices.

Frankly, having the providers self-insuring ELIMINATES conflicts of the revenue demands with regards to Treatment Choices because YOU KNOW what's covered or not.

Health Systems becoming Self-Insured is the Future, barring single-payer universal health care. The 15% over-head cost associated with reimbursement and billing isn't sustainable.

From a pharmacy standpoint, the day we get the Canadian healthcare model cannot come soon enough. I never thought I would say that as a Republican.

 

[pitt-girl]

I am a conservative Republican. I assure you it's no joke to those who have had access to UPMC doctors and hospitals revoked.

I know you love all things Pitt and Pitt related, but on this issue I respectfully disagree with your position. UMPC is rapacious.

They have turned this Highmark issue into a blood feud. UPMC appears to have no issues with its own market dominance and monopolistic practices. They don't give a damn about the patients or the community. They only care about money, market share and power. They sure as hell don't act like a non-profit. Close down a hospital in Braddock that typically had 70% of its beds full to open a brand new hospital 2 miles from Forbes Regional in a market already well served?

I will say it again, the integrated healthcare model of being both a provider and an insurer is rife with conflicts of interest

Riiiiiight. UPMC is the only party at fault here. Poor little Highmark just sat on the sidelines and got bullied. Got it.

 

[Coultr77]

Over the past few years, UPMC has been funneling a LOT money into IT projects that they can privatize and sell to other organizations. I don't blame them for wanting to make money, but there have been numerous rounds of layoffs and reorganizations to make these for-profit departments stronger while weakening those projects focused directly on patient care here in Pittsburgh. AHN is far behind UPMC in IT, but they are putting their dollars and workforce behind strengthening their electronic records and interconnected systems. I don't know if AHN will be able to compete with UPMC long-term, but they should see improvements in efficiencies once their new systems are fully implemented.

Aren't they non- profit? It should be about patient and community care, not profit for them

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Aren't they non- profit? It should be about patient and community care, not profit for them

How cute and naive.

Hint, you can't help the community or patients when you aren't making positive cash flow.

 

[Coultr77]

How cute and naive.

Hint, you can't help the community or patients when you aren't making positive cash flow.

No Sh&t, but it has become the main focus

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

No Sh&t, but it has become the main focus

Let me know the first clinician out of ohio $tate or Penn State that can hold a candle to any clinician at Pitt/UPMC.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

No Sh&t, but it has become the main focus

You don't want top care, rely on prayer.. It's free.

 

[Coultr77]

You don't want top care, rely on prayer.. It's free.

Great article in Post Gazette this am!
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/he...for-transplant-practices/stories/201506030144

 

[Coultr77]

Let me know the first clinician out of ohio $tate or Penn State that can hold a candle to any clinician at Pitt/UPMC.

This is not a Pitt vs PSU or OSU thread

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

You don't want top care, rely on prayer.. It's free.

I want that tattoo!

 

[pittguy81]

Riiiiiight. UPMC is the only party at fault here. Poor little Highmark just sat on the sidelines and got bullied. Got it.

Oh Highmark hands aren't clean in this but UPMC has shown its true colors. The mission of the "non-profit" hospital is to provide needed healthcare in the communities it serves. UPMC has put marketshare and money ahead of the community and patients.

Simply put, it is obvious they don't care about the people/patients they have kicked to the curb and refuse to treat. It's all about money, which is ironic for a "non-profit"

Like many I have employer provided healthcare. It is not Highmark. However it is a plan affiliated with BCBS. After decades of seeing the same doctors and using UPMC facilities my family was summarily excluded from seeing our doctors or using close by UPMC hospitals or clinics. Again I don't even have Highmark, but since they process Blue Cross Blue Shield claims in WPA regardless of BCBS plan we were told we don't take your insurance. They tried to do the same thing to my elderly mother who has Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield (Fed Blue) as an annuitant thanks to my fathers decades of service in the DOD. I had to tell the office that they WOULD see her as a patient because Medicare served as her primary insurance...although we were turned away when I took my mother to the UPMC Clinic in Wexford because they refused to take Fed Blue insurance and wouldn't see her....even with Medicare

I admire the care from UPMC facilities and doctors but despise their Senior Management and Administrators who seem to have forgotten that they exist to provide medical care to the community.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Oh Highmark hands aren't clean in this but UPMC has shown its true colors. The mission of the "non-profit" hospital is to provide needed healthcare in the communities it serves. UPMC has put marketshare and money ahead of the community and patients.

Simply put, it is obvious they don't care about the people/patients they have kicked to the curb and refuse to treat. It's all about money, which is ironic for a "non-profit"

Like many I have employer provided healthcare. It is not Highmark. However it is a plan affiliated with BCBS. After decades of seeing the same doctors and using UPMC facilities my family was summarily excluded from seeing our doctors or using close by UPMC hospitals or clinics. Again I don't even have Highmark, but since they process Blue Cross Blue Shield claims in WPA regardless of BCBS plan we were told we don't take your insurance. They tried to do the same thing to my elderly mother who has Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield (Fed Blue) as an annuitant thanks to my fathers decades of service in the DOD. I had to tell the office that they WOULD see her as a patient because Medicare served as her primary insurance...although we were turned away when I took my mother to the UPMC Clinic in Wexford because they refused to take Fed Blue insurance and wouldn't see her....even with Medicare

I admire the care from UPMC facilities and doctors but despise their Senior Management and Administrators who seem to have forgotten that they exist to provide medical care to the community.

No..they are doing the RIGHT thing. Frankly, WHY do you expect a business (and make no mistakes about this- health care is VERY MUCH a business) to take terms from a third party provider (in this instance BCBS/Highmark) which WILL LOSE THEM MONEY by providing care for those patients?

Tell you what- go to a restaurant- demand to be served, and to pay them a fraction of their posted menu prices because it's the right thing to do. Do the same at a retail store.

Let's put it this way...if UPMC would just take those losses for some sense of "the right thing", they'd have MUCH WORSE CARE, because they'd have to cut departments, hospitals, salaries, and positions to remain a "not for profit" entity- rather than operating at a loss.

This isn't complicated. Complain to BCBS and Highmark for offering such unfavorable terms to UPMC providers.

I've worked in several pharmacies who STOPPED accepting insurance companies (including BCBS) for PRECISELY the same reason.

 

[pittguy81]

No..they are doing the RIGHT thing. Frankly, WHY do you expect a business (and make no mistakes about this- health care is VERY MUCH a business) to take terms from a third party provider (in this instance BCBS/Highmark) which WILL LOSE THEM MONEY by providing care for those patients?

Tell you what- go to a restaurant- demand to be served, and to pay them a fraction of their posted menu prices because it's the right thing to do. Do the same at a retail store.

Let's put it this way...if UPMC would just take those losses for some sense of "the right thing", they'd have MUCH WORSE CARE, because they'd have to cut departments, hospitals, salaries, and positions to remain a "not for profit" entity- rather than operating at a loss.

This isn't complicated. Complain to BCBS and Highmark for offering such unfavorable terms to UPMC providers.

I've worked in several pharmacies who STOPPED accepting insurance companies (including BCBS) for PRECISELY the same reason.

Because they refuse to pay the grossly inflated hospital pharmacy pricing or outlandish pricing for procedures/treatment.

Your bias, given you current position, is evident. This isn't complicated have UMPC be men enough to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise that puts patients first....like they claim to do.

Oh and tell them to stop squandering untold millions of dollars on media buys/propoganda.

Oh and tell them to stop spending untold 10's of millions of dollars building unnecessary hospitals next to existing hospitals

Your analogies are off point and ridiculous.

 

[pitt-girl]

Oh Highmark hands aren't clean in this but UPMC has shown its true colors. The mission of the "non-profit" hospital is to provide needed healthcare in the communities it serves. UPMC has put marketshare and money ahead of the community and patients.

Simply put, it is obvious they don't care about the people/patients they have kicked to the curb and refuse to treat. It's all about money, which is ironic for a "non-profit"

Like many I have employer provided healthcare. It is not Highmark. However it is a plan affiliated with BCBS. After decades of seeing the same doctors and using UPMC facilities my family was summarily excluded from seeing our doctors or using close by UPMC hospitals or clinics. Again I don't even have Highmark, but since they process Blue Cross Blue Shield claims in WPA regardless of BCBS plan we were told we don't take your insurance. They tried to do the same thing to my elderly mother who has Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield (Fed Blue) as an annuitant thanks to my fathers decades of service in the DOD. I had to tell the office that they WOULD see her as a patient because Medicare served as her primary insurance...although we were turned away when I took my mother to the UPMC Clinic in Wexford because they refused to take Fed Blue insurance and wouldn't see her....even with Medicare

I admire the care from UPMC facilities and doctors but despise their Senior Management and Administrators who seem to have forgotten that they exist to provide medical care to the community.

Okay, so how is this any different than the many other plans out there that have been/will be out of network for UPMC and AHN? We have had Aetna for close to 10 years. It was always out of network at UPMC. As were others like Cigna, etc. Did the state lawmakers get involved for us? Were there editorials written or gnashing of teeth for those of us then? OF COURSE NOT. And the reason why is that we were perfectly able to get in network care from Allegheny General and West Penn. There were also any number of doctors and services (imaging, diagnostics, etc.) that accepted our insurance. I find the hue and cry extremely amusing by those with Highmark. It is no different than any medical system in the country - they have IN-netwrk and OUT of network plans. It is not like suddenly you will have no health care. Sheesh.

 

[pitt-girl]

Because they refuse to pay the grossly inflated hospital pharmacy pricing or outlandish pricing for procedures/treatment.

Your bias, given you current position, is evident. This isn't complicated have UMPC be men enough to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise that puts patients first....like they claim to do.

Oh and tell them to stop squandering untold millions of dollars on media buys/propoganda.

Oh and tell them to stop spending untold 10's of millions of dollars building unnecessary hospitals next to existing hospitals

Your analogies are off point and ridiculous.

Once again - it is ALL about UPMC, right? LOL.

 

[pittguy81]

Okay, so how is this any different than the many other plans out there that have been/will be out of network for UPMC and AHN? We have had Aetna for close to 10 years. It was always out of network at UPMC. As were others like Cigna, etc. Did the state lawmakers get involved for us? Were there editorials written or gnashing of teeth for those of us then? OF COURSE NOT. And the reason why is that we were perfectly able to get in network care from Allegheny General and West Penn. There were also any number of doctors and services (imaging, diagnostics, etc.) that accepted our insurance. I find the hue and cry extremely amusing by those with Highmark. It is no different than any medical system in the country - they have IN-netwrk and OUT of network plans. It is not like suddenly you will have no health care. Sheesh.

As I said, I don't have Highmark I have my employer sponsored Plan which is Anthem BCBS. There are no UPMC affiliated doctors or facilities which accept it as of now.

I was always in network for UPMC...which was a good thing because they have close to a monopoly in Pittsburgh and Allegheny Country and we really liked the doctors we had for decades until they were forced to abandon us.

Don't presume to lecture me about health care systems, options or plans. You're a UPMC shill

 

[pittguy81]

Once again - it is ALL about UPMC, right? LOL.

Primarily yes it is

 

[pitt-girl]

As I said, I don't have Highmark I have my employer sponsored Plan which is Anthem BCBS. There are no UPMC affiliated doctors or facilities which accept it as of now.

I was always in network for UPMC...which was a good thing because they have close to a monopoly in Pittsburgh and Allegheny Country and we really liked the doctors we had for decades until they were forced to abandon us.

Don't presume to lecture me about health care systems, options or plans. You're a UPMC shill

Actually you don't know the first thing about me. I could give 2 sh*ts about UPMC. I just find it very, very funny how everyone is huffing and puffing when there are many residents of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities who have successfully navigated in and out of network for decades. I'm not lecturing, just pointing out the hilarity of the outrage NOW.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Because they refuse to pay the grossly inflated hospital pharmacy pricing or outlandish pricing for procedures/treatment.

Your bias, given you current position, is evident. This isn't complicated have UMPC be men enough to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise that puts patients first....like they claim to do.

Oh and tell them to stop squandering untold millions of dollars on media buys/propoganda.

Oh and tell them to stop spending untold 10's of millions of dollars building unnecessary hospitals next to existing hospitals

Your analogies are off point and ridiculous.

I have no bias, I don't work in pa or for upmc.

I just understand how the business of healthcare works.

And trust me, pharmacy isn't the hold up. It's icd code rates which are unfavorable...that is where insurers squeeze providers. Diagnostic testing and interventions.

My analogies are on point, junior.

 

[pittguy81]

I have no bias, I don't work in pa or for upmc.

I just understand how the business of healthcare works.

And trust me, pharmacy isn't the hold up. It's icd code rates which are unfavorable...that is where insurers squeeze providers. Diagnostic testing and interventions.

My analogies are on point, junior.

You have a hospital bias. Charge whatever you want for procedures and medicine...make it up as you go. Don't publish your rates for comparison's sake.

MBA...Mediocre but Arrogant.

Your analogies are sophomoric at best and wildly off point

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

You have a hospital bias. Charge whatever you want for procedures and medicine...make it up as you go. Don't publish your rates for comparison's sake.

MBA...Mediocre but Arrogant.

Your analogies are sophomoric at best and wildly off point

Nope, it's same reason why groupon is getting shunned... Its crippling to business.

Pharm.d., MBA...
With substantially more experience it seems with the financial realities of healthcare than your weak sauce.

My department has well over $ 120 mil in drug cost of goods sold each year, what in your opinion is a reasonable revenue?
Keep in mind nurses, transport, house keeping, food services, security, maintenance, liability insurance, etc generate zero revenue.

In fact patient care is a money loser for the most part.
Diagnostics, pharmacy, and physician billable icd codes are about it, along with investment income, charitable contributions, and maybe nih grants, state and federal subsidies if applicable.

Hell, to get access to 403b pricing you have to maintain and demonstrate x% of charity care (ie total losses).

Bring more to the table, or let the grown ups speak.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

You have a hospital bias. Charge whatever you want for procedures and medicine...make it up as you go. Don't publish your rates for comparison's sake.

MBA...Mediocre but Arrogant.

Your analogies are sophomoric at best and wildly off point

Follow up point, your insurance company determines the rates.
You want to pay cash? You can shop around and you'll get a rate estimates.

 

[pittguy81]

Nope, it's same reason why groupon is getting shunned... Its crippling to business. Bring more to the table, or let the grown ups speak.

So you compare Groupon to Healthcare and then talk about bringing more to the table and letting grown ups speak.

You are not only an arrogant a$$, but also don't recognize irony.

 

[pittguy81]

Follow up point, your insurance company determines the rates.
You want to pay cash? You can shop around and you'll get a rate estimates.

The hospitals determine the rates and the insurance companies determine the reimbursements.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

The hospitals determine the rates and the insurance companies determine the reimbursements.

The hospital rate is the is determined by the max reimbursement rate of the insurance.

Like I said, offer to pay cash and you'll get the rate estimates.

If you don't see the analogy between insurance companies and groupon...ask your self why don't all businesses do business with groupon? I mean getting new customers and deeply discounted prices seem like the right thing, doesnt it???

 

[pittguy81]

The hospital rate is the is determined by the max reimbursement rate of the insurance.

Like I said, offer to pay cash and you'll get the rate estimates.

If you don't see the analogy between insurance companies and groupon...ask your self why don't all businesses do business with groupon? I mean getting new customers and deeply discounted prices seem like the right thing, doesnt it???

So if Highmark had a max reimbursement to UPMC for a given procedure written into their contract then why did different UPMC hospitals/facilities still have wildly divergent prices for the same procedure irrespective of insurance reimbursement rates if the max reimbursement rate was static .

There is no equivalency between a company offering 2 pasta dinners for the price of 1 and a hospital. That is glaringly obvious

 

[CrazyPaco]

You don't think it is more expensive to run a procedure at an urban, academic teaching, Level 1 trauma hospital that serves as a referral hub for the system's most complex cases than a community hospital in podunck suburb? What world do you live in?

You seem to think any of UPMC hospitals are public hospitals. None are. Besides the VA hospitals, Pittsburgh hasn't had a public hospital since the 1950s.

Keeping reading those SEIU blogs. Maybe you can be one of their bought and paid protesters.

 

[CrazyPaco]

No Sh&t, but it has become the main focus

UPMC had an 1.7% operating margin in FY 2014. That was well below the Pennsylvania state average of 4.3%. Academic medical centers across the nation typically run 3 to 5%. PSU Hershey was 8.68%. I believe Penn Health's system was over 9%. Geissinger was 3.4%. 4% is what is generally considered necessary for long-term stability by the state. For the first 6 months of FY 2015 UPMC was improving as it was up to an assuredly evil 3% from its 1.7% margin the year before. But, I know, UPMC shouldn't make profit at their for-profit subsidiaries even though they pay taxes on that, right? They shouldn't have investment income. They shouldn't have alternative revenue sources that keep their system hospitals afloat with operating margins consistently well under 4%. They shouldn't pay executives market rates comparable to similar sized and complexed institutions. Just abandon their talent, great idea. They shouldn't be allowed to have have billions in revenue despite having 20+ hospitals in the system and 100s of practices and clinics, for-profit subsidiaries, and international ventures. You know, "billion" is such a big, wrong number. So evil; how dare they not bow to the demands of Highmark who has a measly 60% market share in Western PA while sitting on $4 billion in cash reserves.

I challenge you to find a similar med center that throws a larger chunk of its revenue back at the community. Seriously, look at the numbers of places like Penn Health, Cleveland Clinic, Partners in Boston, Duke, Mayo. You know I already know the answers, that's because I know how to look things up for myself when people go off on unsubstantiated rants.

Keep reading those SEIU/Highmark bought and paid editorialists and article commentators (and no, I'm not exaggerating, they exist). What you can't read about are AHN and Highmark's financials in substantive detail, because unlike UPMC has for years, they don't have detailed Sarbanes-Oxley public reports available.

As I said before, and I mean it, people refuse to look up things themselves or think for themselves. People hear big numbers, and big numbers always = bad, especially when thrown around as out-of-context soundbites as part of union propaganda.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I am curious. Why are some of UPMC's subsidiaries considered 'for profit' while UPMC itself is a non profit?

 

[NTOP]

I know you guys hate us PSU guys, but the anti-UPMC faction is right on. And you don't know how right-on they are.

They have nothing to do with Pitt, trust me. Nothing. What is going on locally with Highmark is only the tip of the iceberg wrt the way they treat employees, patients, and the world at large. It's a sick culture that is on the verge of not collapse, but definitely reorganization. It's too late for Levine to step in and take control, I think, but if such a situation were to present itself it would be ideal for the region.

Highmark's leaders are assholes, as well, but it's all relative. Anybody in Pittsburgh who hopes for fair, legitimate, and truly "region-beneficial" health care for this region should be lining up behind Highmark during this current controversy. County and state government get that, which is why they have done so, but the critical mass has not been reached yet. But it's close.

Disagree with me merely because of my PSU orientation, at yours/our peril, but it's true. This is not a Pitt issue at all.

Highmark has totally monopolized health insurance through their playing footsie with the union/Dem politicians in this region since the 1950s. UPMC got tired of it and formed their own carrier. There should be actual competition in both providers and insurers. Finally, Pgh is getting that. Aetna/Coventry, Cigna & UHC are all becoming serious players here, having seen legions of insurers give up in this region. UPMC might be hardassed, but they're Goody Two Shoes compared to Highmark.

 

[USN_Panther]

Let me know the first clinician out of ohio $tate or Penn State that can hold a candle to any clinician at Pitt/UPMC.

There are plenty of great clinicians at OSU & PSU. And there are plenty of private practices bought up by UPMC to expand their reach and those docs likely are not in the ballpark with the super sub-specialists at OSU and PSU main medical campuses.

There are people are are great researchers and not so great clinicians. I remember the residents talking about this when I was a student. One of the faculty MDs received a large NIH grant. They were saying how this grant would save hundreds of lives. I asked what research would have that much impact. They said no it wasn't the research, it was that it would keep this surgeon out of the OR and in the lab and complications would plummet.

 

[Ray-Ray]

Because they refuse to pay the grossly inflated hospital pharmacy pricing or outlandish pricing for procedures/treatment.

Your bias, given you current position, is evident. This isn't complicated have UMPC be men enough to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise that puts patients first....like they claim to do.

Oh and tell them to stop squandering untold millions of dollars on media buys/propoganda.

Oh and tell them to stop spending untold 10's of millions of dollars building unnecessary hospitals next to existing hospitals

Your analogies are off point and ridiculous.

When I have a $900 medicine and the insurance company offers me $560 for reimbursement, I have to tell the patient "We can't get that medicine from our wholesaler". In another instance I fill 3 prescriptions for a plan that my total reimbursement for the 3 medicines is less than $2.00. Doesn't cover the cost of the medications, let alone my overhead. Do you really think I should have to accept that plan? Of course not, but that seems to be what the state is telling UPMC for the Highmark Medicare Advantage plans. "No matter what the insurer is paying you, you have to accept that plan". I can't tell you have many times I have to lie to a patient and tell them that drug is not available in the marketplace because the reimbursement is below my actual cost. Needless to say, Souf is correct.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Let me put it another way:

Why isn't the outrage aimed at Highmark/BCBS for offering such terrible rates to providers, which is defacto denying treatment and care options to patients/customers???

What they've done is try to paint the providers as the bad guys...because people have no idea how insurance actually works.... when it's their rates which are causing the problems.

Why is Highmark expected to act like a business, but UPMC isn't???

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Let me put it another way:

Why isn't the outrage aimed at Highmark/BCBS for offering such terrible rates to providers, which is defacto denying treatment and care options to patients/customers???

What they've done is try to paint the providers as the bad guys...because people have no idea how insurance actually works.... when it's their rates which are causing the problems.

Why is Highmark expected to act like a business, but UPMC isn't???

Highmark recently asked the state for permission to pump 175 million into AHN, was there one editorial in the PG questioning this move? Instead it was buried deep in the business notes section.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Highmark recently asked the state for permission to pump 175 million into AHN, was there one editorial in the PG questioning this move? Instead it was buried deep in the business notes section.

And that tells you everything, doesn't it?

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

My sister works for UPMC. They are very much bullies with their employees. Just saying. Now as I told her, "you are also a free agent" because she doesn't want to leave her patient relationships, but I think once you are below Doctors and management, they really abuse their employees and rely on your good work ethic to put up with it.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

My sister works for UPMC. They are very much bullies with their employees. Just saying. Now as I told her, "you are also a free agent" because she doesn't want to leave her patient relationships, but I think once you are below Doctors and management, they really abuse their employees and rely on your good work ethic to put up with it.

That's true of all health care organizations, though.

And the grass isn't greener anywhere else. Just different shades of brown. I can speak from first hand experience of working in several top places.

Some cultures are healthier than others, but everywhere has turn-over...and largely, it's all determined by departmental leadership. I've worked at the same place under 4 different directors and that's the biggest influence on morale.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Medicare for All!

Let UPMC and Highmark compete as providers, instead of being the middleman.