AI6YR Ben5d ago

The Guardian: Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers

"...The company also monitored nursing homes that had smaller numbers of patients with “do not resuscitate” – or DNR – and “do not intubate” orders in their files. Without such orders, patients are in line for certain life-saving treatments that might lead to costly hospital stays.

Two current and three former UnitedHealth nurse practitioners told the Guardian that UnitedHealth managers pressed nurse practitioners to persuade Medicare Advantage members to change their “code status” to DNR even when patients had clearly expressed a desire that all available treatments be used to keep them alive...."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/unitedhealth-nursing-homes-payments-hospital-transfers

#insurance #greed

Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers

A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations. Whistleblowers allege harm to residents

The Guardian
Show threadLayla Low5d ago

@ai6yr Saw this on Bluesky & came here to report that, although I haven’t got UH Insurance, my primary care doctor asked me to sign a DNR at my yearly office visit late last year.

I’m extremely careful about staying healthy, and quite active for someone in their 70s. I couldn’t figure out what was up with that until this. (1/2)

Show threadLayla Low

I was asked to sign a POLST, which is an Oregon program widening the reach of DNRs for frail people who are basically at death’s door and couldn’t withstand CPR.

Maybe the doctor just made a mistake & confused me with someone else, but either way it was weird and not inspiring of trust (2/2)

May 22 at 2:43pmWeb
Show threadAI6YR Ben5d ago
@nesmb YIIIIIKKKEEEESSSS
Show threadMsMerope5d ago

@ai6yr @nesmb
As an EMT I will have a DNR here in a few years.
Getting ROSC in the field is what 10-15% ?

Cracked sternum/ribs?

ICU/CCU complications and dementia?

No thanks.

Show threadMsMerope5d ago

@ai6yr @nesmb
Folks might want to consider
five wishes
I need to redo mine…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Wishes

Five Wishes - Wikipedia

Show threadMsMerope5d ago

@ai6yr @nesmb

Bummer, you can’t just print them out anymore.

Show threadJim Hubbell5d ago
@MsMerope @ai6yr @nesmb
Having been through the process of dying with both my parents, I have two comments.
1) Talk to your loved ones about their wishes. Make sure everyone in the family knows what they are because it's entirely possible in the moment of need the primary decision maker will not be available.
2) Write it down in the form legally required in your state and have multiple legal copies. When Dad was dying, the only legally signed copy was 400 miles away.
Show threadPomegranate_Stew5d ago
@MsMerope @ai6yr @nesmb
Same. After watching what my fil went through the last five years of his life due to two resuscitations, my parents now each have one and I plan to.