Doc, great post...very spot on...pretty soon your healthcare will be determined by the social worker who flips open her Govt issued ICD tome ( volume that deems what medicare will pay for ) its about 4 inches thick and contains what constitutes acceptable admission critera- have a case worker over my shoulder every day constantly telling me we cant admit pt X, they dont meet criteria- in the past and to a certain extent now we just put the individual in the hospital when we deem necessary- the screws are tightening though and its getting harder to do what you feel medically necessary when it does not jive with the "book"... its going to get ugly
