Compassionate Care Billing Codes?

Have you seen Paul Levy's recent post on billing codes for compassion at his blog, Not Running a Hospital? Here is my comment on the post.

Let's continue the conversation: should there be a billing code for compassion?

"Ken Schwartz believed strongly that compassionate care helped to heal the body and nourish the soul, yet even 15 years ago, he was worried that the changes taking place in our healthcare system would strain the patient-caregiver relationship and make it more difficult for caregivers to provide compassionate care. Before his death, he wrote: 'In such a cost-conscious world, with its inevitable reductions in staff and morale, can any hospital continue to nurture those precious moments of engagement between patient and caregiver that provide hope to the patient and vital support to the healing process?'

As our survey found, Americans believe strongly in the value of compassionate care, but only a third believe that doctors and nurses, because of their dedication and professionalism, will be able to continue to provide compassionate care as our healthcare system changes. Only slightly more than half characterized the current U.S. healthcare system as a compassionate one.

Some insurers are beginning to tier payments to providers based on how well they score on various quality and safety measures. Why shouldn't patients' experiences of care, including their perceptions of the effectiveness of communications, emotional support and responsiveness be included in this calculation?"