‘Unethical’ Hospitals

The Nov. 2 article on specialty hospitals cites one example of a new hospital to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

There is no justification for hospitalizing such a patient. The entire diagnostic workup can be accomplished on an outpatient basis, with the exception of a few specialized procedures that only a minority of patients require. There is no inpatient therapy currently recognized.

The reason for building such a hospital is probably to provide an opportunity to bill inpatient rates (typically as high as $500 to $1,000 a day) for treating patients who need nothing more than hotel services (which cost well under that).

This “specialty hospital” is a tremendous profit-making venture that does not enhance patient care. Such an idea can only have arisen in a corporate environment, and it should be recognized as unethical.

DAVID BLUM, M.D.

Neuropsychiatric Institute

UCLA Center for Health Sciences