another good paradox question!!!

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another good paradox question!!!

by [email protected] » Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:40 pm
Small community hospitals in poor urban areas almost always operate at a loss due to an unfortunate cycle of factors. High revenue specialists, such as surgeons, flock to hospitals that are more prestigious and can afford to pay higher salaries. Aware of this, local residents patronize the more affluent nearby hospitals when they need specialty care or forgo care entirely, while only utilizing the local hospital for low-margin routine care. Further, a significant majority of the community uses government health plans, which reimburse poorly for routine care, or lacks insurance entirely and cannot pay. The local hospital then loses money and cannot afford to hire specialists to conduct the higher-margin specialty care.

Which of the following, if it could be accomplished, would best help small community hospitals to break the pattern described above?

A] Negotiate higher reimbursement rates for specialty care with both government health plans and private insurers.

B] Advertise the hospital's specialty care services in the local community as well as nearby communities to attract more business.

C] Partner with a nearby affluent hospital to contract its specialists on a part-time, as-needed basis, which is more affordable than hiring these specialists full time.

D] Launch a community outreach campaign to educate the public about the low reimbursement rates of government health plans compared with the high rates paid by private insurers.

E] Negotiate with private insurers for higher reimbursement rates for routine care.



[spoiler]
The given OA is C.[/spoiler]



There are a series of questions lying or pending in this stimulus. In paradox questions you could add or consider the outside knowledge or out of scope answer choices.

Firstly, let us accept that the specialty care services are not a part of the small community services. That is one of the reasons for the losses in the business. On top of that, the low or less reimbursement rates of the government health plans is causing the patients to not get treated in these small community hospitals.
Then what is wrong with the options, A and E.

Could you please explain me the why those two options are wrong...

First priority is definitely given to option C, but why are these two options wrong.

I feel they are also correct or even they give a valid reason for the apparent paradox.
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by dhonu121 » Wed Jun 20, 2012 3:25 am
Even I was confused between options A and C and E.
A and E address one problem and C addresses another problem.
Now we have to devise a solution that breaks the vicious cycle. One method that C suggests would help in bringing local residents for speciality care, thereby generating high revenue for the hospital.
However, the other issue, the government one, remains there.
Now if the issue solved by C is good enough to compensate the loss by the second problem, then this problem is fixed. But we don't know that.

The method that A and E suggest, would help the hospital get out of the problem of losing money and they in turn may hire specialist to conduct higher-margin specialty care, thus solving the other problem as well.
Hence A and E score above C in terms of solving the problem if both A and E are achieved.
However, A and E are about negotiating which itself is unpredictable.
C on the other hand, is talking about partnering which is concrete and more dependable idea that just NEGOTATING.
Hence C.

This is the logic that I can think of in choosing C.
Experts might want to help here.
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by Birottam Dutta » Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:39 am
Let me give my humble thoughts on the question, it's an interesting one:

I think logically a hospital can only do C and not A and E. A hospital does not negotiate for higher reimbursements, etc. it can only check the paying capacity of the patients and treat those who can pay! Unless you are a government funded hospital, you will always incur losses if you treat people who cannot pay.

So, having said that, I feel that A and E are out of the jurisdiction of the hospitals.

However, C is a business decision that the hospital should take to brek the viscous cycle!!