Our national value system came into focus when I listened to an NPR news story recently. The story was about the gun shop in Tacoma that allegedly sold the weapon used in the killing spree on the East Coast. The story reported that the required paperwork did not accompany the sale of approximately 340 weapons. The story went on to report that by law, the gun shop can only be inspected once a year to determine if proper documentation occurs in the transaction of weapons sales.
I’m a health care executive. I contrast this story with what I’m involved with in the delivery of health care. Health care professionals are scrutinized at every corner through policy, audits, and by the tort system looking for someone to blame if an outcome is not perfect. It appears we are all assumed to be guilty.
If a billing error occurs, Medicare fraud laws are in place. Medicare patients are asked to watch their health care provider’s billing practices and report billing errors to authorities. People can go to jail and have, and yet gun shops can only be inspected once a year.
It’s ironic that the health care team is called into full action in the event a weapon is improperly used to shoot someone, but should a billing error or a misjudgment in coding the life saving procedure occur, both the shooter and the health professional could earn jail time.
We have serious problems in health care. Let’s make sure we have proper balance in our laws to protect our patients, those providing the care, and those that buy weapons. It can’t just be about the money.
CEO Western Washington Medical Group
Everett
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