HEALTH PLANS OK HOSPITAL STAY FOR MASTECTOMIES.Byline: Robert Pear The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Hoping to fend off federal regulation, officials of managed health care plans said Thursday that they would cover at least one night's hospital care for women who undergo mastectomies. The American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
Karen M. Ignagni, president of the association, said the statement was ``a pre-emptive strike Noun 1. pre-emptive strike - a surprise attack that is launched in order to prevent the enemy from doing it to you coup de main, surprise attack - an attack without warning to speak for ourselves'' and head off legislation. In September, Congress passed and President Clinton signed a bill requiring health plans to cover at least 48 hours of hospital care for new mothers and their infants. The law also prohibits health plans from imposing annual or lifetime limits on mental health care that are more stringent than the limits on coverage of physical illnesses. Consumer advocates and some members of Congress had begun a campaign to outlaw ``outpatient mastectomies outpatient mastectomy Drive-through mastectomy A mastectomy in which no complication is anticipated and there is minimal or no hospital stay ,'' just as Congress prohibited ``drive-through deliveries.'' It is unclear how many outpatient mastectomies are performed. But some health maintenance organizations have adopted guidelines encouraging doctors to discharge mastectomy mastectomy (măstĕk`təmē), surgical removal of breast tissue, usually done as treatment for breast cancer. There are many types of mastectomy. In general, the farther the cancer has spread, the more tissue is taken. patients without overnight stays, and some experts estimate 7 percent or 8 percent of such procedures are now done on an outpatient basis. In uncomplicated cases, outpatient procedures can be just as safe as inpatient surgery, and they are less expensive, health maintenance executives say. Rep. Rosa DeLauro Rosa L. DeLauro (born March 2 1943), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing the 3rd District of Connecticut (map). , D-Conn., the sponsor of a bill to ban outpatient mastectomies, said she would move forward with legislation despite Thursday's announcement. ``Doctors are under pressure from insurance companies to release patients earlier than they should be released,'' said DeLauro. ``Simply announcing a new policy that says doctors shouldn't feel pressured does not relieve the pressure.'' Under a bill introduced by DeLauro, any health plan that pays for breast cancer treatment This article or section recently underwent a major revision or rewrite and needs further review. You can help! The mainstay of breast cancer treatment is surgery when the tumor is localized, with possible adjuvant hormonal therapy (with tamoxifen or an aromatase must cover at least ``48 hours of inpatient care inpatient care Managed care Services delivered to a Pt who needs physician care for > 24 hrs in a hospital following a mastectomy.'' Dr. Lee N. Newcomer, medical director of United Healthcare Corp. of Minneapolis, said, ``It's technically possible to do a total mastectomy as an outpatient procedure.'' But ``to alleviate the concerns of patients facing this difficult surgery,'' Newcomer said, the association adopted Thursday's policy statement, its first on a specific medical procedure. |
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