July 14--It's rare that surgeons at Parkview Medical Center have to deal with the removal of a stomach, let alone when it was caused by an act of violence, but one thing is for sure: It's expensive.
Michelle Peulen, spokeswoman for Parkview, cannot discuss the details of what has happened to Jesus Gutierrez, who police say was stabbed early Monday and may have torn his own stomach from his slashed abdomen.
Police still are trying to figure out exactly what happened, but the man's stomach was recovered from the scene and later sent to a pathology lab.
Peulen said in normal cases where stomachs are surgically removed wholly or partially, the average cost for the procedure ranges from $20,000 to $40,000, depending on time spent in the Intensive Care Unit.
"Hypothetically, in any trauma case where there is a stabbing, shooting or other injury that requires surgical work with the stomach, costs can and usually will be significantly higher and depending on the extent of the damage costs can go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars," she said.
During 2010, surgeons at Parkview dealt with nine patients who underwent a major stomach procedure. Peulen said she believes only one removal was total, and that in most cases the reason for the surgery is cancer.
"The length of stay for this procedure and this sample was an average of between seven and eight days," she said.
Beyond the cost of surgery and hospitalization is a lifetime of treatment to prevent complications and ensure that nutrients absorbed by the stomach such as vitamin B12 are still provided.
Peulen said that payment for the surgeries done at Parkview varies from Medicare to Medicaid to insurance.
"Medicare," she said, "is at or below cost for the care. Medicaid is below cost and there is small margin for the HMO patients. Indigent patients will not pay for these services but Parkview benefits from the Provider Fee funds and this offsets the expenses incurred for these indigent patients."
The Provider Fee program is a federal matching fund to cover shortfalls in Medicaid coverage.
"Depending on the volume of indigent care over the year, the Provider Fee may or may not cover the expenses incurred for these services. The amount of indigent care at Parkview is on the rise just as it is in many hospitals in the nation."
Shortfalls in hospital revenue have to be covered by cost-shifting in order to keep them from running a deficit and going broke. That means that every bill paid by insurance or private payers actually covers more than that patient's actual cost. The amount is reflected in higher premiums for health insurance.
-----
To see more of The Pueblo Chieftain, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chieftain.com.
Copyright (c) 2011, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com.