Q. What is a common financial mistake US hospital administration makes?

A. Hospitals must remain financially viable to continue serving their communities. However, our payment systems are riddled with conflicting incentives. Hospital administrators sometimes respond to those incentives by focusing on providing the set of treatments, services and amenities that appear to maximize financial performance. That contributes to the view that healthcare is a market commodity, rather than a professional service that puts the best interest of the patient first. As the baby boom generation ages in this country, we are dropping from seven workers per retiree a few years ago, to only three workers per retiree by 2020. That's less than half the relative earning power, at a time when our national debt exceeds $80 trillion, including all of the Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other post-retirement obligations. It's 40 percent more than our entire net worth as a nation. That is just not sustainable. A strong focus on preserving life, and treating the most intense medical priorities will no doubt need to become our primary focus.

Source: San Antonio Business Journal