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Payment Rates Rise, Payment Rates Fall. So?

With a flattening revenue growth trajectory, it's always tempting (and usually more fun) to blame external forces.  Fingers point 'out there.'  It's 'them!'

The music industry blames piracy,  the better for minimizing their strategic mistakes while pleading that endless quests to find the next body-jiggling, platinum-selling pop diva are really "talent acquisition" and darn hard work.

Now, I'm no pirate (as my monthly iTunes bill will attest.)   But somewhere there's a lesson to be learned when an industry's customers act like "free" is an appropriate price.   What is a transaction, after all?  Consideration given for value gained?

A lesson to be learned.  An edifice complex to be maintained.

With health care, the external forces of darkness are usually declining reimbursement. "We need managed care and Medicare to pay us more" goes the cry.  Well, sure.  Who wouldn't like their customers to fork over more money just for the heck of it?

Funny how you never hear anybody say "We built a business model driven mostly by chasing the hot payment rates du jour, a model frequently decoupled from any sense of value delivered.  We never figured that what went up might someday come down."

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