By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

Regardless of the politics involved, the 2010 federal health care law has put a necessary spotlight on medical drawbacks in this country, two hospital administrators told a Findlay audience Friday.

Speaking personally rather than as representatives of their organizations, Dr. William Kose and Chris Press said changes must be made to address health care's efficiency, expense and effectiveness.

Kose, chief quality officer for the nonprofit Blanchard Valley Health System and a former physician, said he thinks the federal health care law, intended to overhaul insurance coverage, reduce costs and prevent fraud, may be repealed.

"But we're still going to have to do something as a society," Kose said at a Republican Party First Friday lunch.

The hospital administrators used the recent case of a 93-year-old Blanchard Valley Hospital patient with back problems to advocate health care reform.

Kose said the woman was diagnosed with a collapsed vertebrae. Traditional treatment for the elderly with this condition includes bed rest and pain management.

But the woman didn't meet the criteria for a three-day hospital admission which, under Medicare rules, would have qualified her for subsequent placement in a nursing home.

The patient also had no family living nearby who could take her in, Kose said. Keeping her in the hospital as an "observation patient" who didn't merit serious medical intervention would have been more costly than actual admission, he said, and would risk a hefty Medicare penalty for not adhering to standards.

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Health care officials say changes needed