Keeping patients out of hospitals: A private sector approach to health reform

More than 40 percent of elderly patients die in the hospital, but less than half that die in the home care system promoted by HealthCare Partners. The firm employs doctors to carry out old-school house calls, with a focus on providing great care through an unlimited risk system, rather than on charging a lot for individual services. The end result is that HealthCare Partners makes money, patients live longer for a whole lot less cost, and the only ones who really lose out are the hospitals, which typically charge $3,000 to $4,000 a day for their services. If there is a push to lower health costs, we could start by looking at this.