Glare on ‘unjustified’ ICU stay Practice ‘common’ in government, private hospitals
Many Covid patients are being admitted to the intensive care unit or kept there for a prolonged period even if they do not need critical care support, state government officials involved in tackling the pandemic and insurance companies have alleged.
Most private hospitals have increased the number of ICU beds for Covid19 patients and many have realised that the demand might not be as much as they had anticipated.
Some of the insurance companies said they were regularly seeking justifications for decisions to keep stable Covid patients in ICUs. Insurance firms said they often refrained from deducting from reimbursements because doctors said they felt the patient needed ICU care.