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CNN Live At Daybreak
How the Other Half Heals
Aired November 25, 2003 - 05:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Medicare is making headlines, but what do you know about the flip side -- luxury care?
CNN's Jen Rogers looks at how the other half heals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrycloth robes, dinner on fine china, endless views of Central Park -- 11 West may seem like a five star hotel, but it's actually a hospital.
CRISTI KNEE, MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL: The patients sometimes feel that they get better faster being here. But I don't know if they just want to leave earlier because they don't want to pay the bill.
ROGERS: Rooms start at $595 a night and top out at $1,600. That's in addition to what insurance covers.
KNEE: We don't discount and we don't have, you know, corporate rates to give out.
ROGERS: The private wing at New York's Mount Sinai boasts 19 elegantly appointed rooms, around the clock receptionists to answer calls and its own kitchen.
KNEE: The food is amazing.
ROGERS: No Jell-O here unless, of course, you want it. 11 West prides itself on fulfilling special requests.
KNEE: I remember once I had to go out and buy somebody their favorite pajamas from a certain store.
ROGERS: Personalized service is also the goal at UCLA's Comprehensive Health Program, a day long battery of tests designed for busy executives. As one patient told his doctor...
DR. BEN ANSELL, UCLA COMP. HEALTH PROGRAM: I'm used to waiting an hour to see the doctor for five minutes. In this program, you wait five minutes to see the doctor for an hour.
ROGERS: From state-of-the-art PET scans to colonoscopies and mammograms, UCLA aims to deliver the highest quality health care from some of the world's top doctors, efficiently and in a comfortable environment.
ANSELL: The idea of having exam rooms where there's granite countertops and plants and paintings and original art is not to distract people, but really to make them calm and at ease.
ROGERS: The price tag? A basic workup starts at $1,500.
ANSELL: People have spent $10,000. But every test is really individualized towards what a person needs.
ROGERS (on camera): Critics charge that these programs only serve to exacerbate the disparity in health care quality between rich and poor. But those who work with the programs say they're not just for the super wealthy, but anyone seriously invested in their health.
Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 25, 2003 - 05:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Medicare is making headlines, but what do you know about the flip side -- luxury care?
CNN's Jen Rogers looks at how the other half heals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrycloth robes, dinner on fine china, endless views of Central Park -- 11 West may seem like a five star hotel, but it's actually a hospital.
CRISTI KNEE, MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL: The patients sometimes feel that they get better faster being here. But I don't know if they just want to leave earlier because they don't want to pay the bill.
ROGERS: Rooms start at $595 a night and top out at $1,600. That's in addition to what insurance covers.
KNEE: We don't discount and we don't have, you know, corporate rates to give out.
ROGERS: The private wing at New York's Mount Sinai boasts 19 elegantly appointed rooms, around the clock receptionists to answer calls and its own kitchen.
KNEE: The food is amazing.
ROGERS: No Jell-O here unless, of course, you want it. 11 West prides itself on fulfilling special requests.
KNEE: I remember once I had to go out and buy somebody their favorite pajamas from a certain store.
ROGERS: Personalized service is also the goal at UCLA's Comprehensive Health Program, a day long battery of tests designed for busy executives. As one patient told his doctor...
DR. BEN ANSELL, UCLA COMP. HEALTH PROGRAM: I'm used to waiting an hour to see the doctor for five minutes. In this program, you wait five minutes to see the doctor for an hour.
ROGERS: From state-of-the-art PET scans to colonoscopies and mammograms, UCLA aims to deliver the highest quality health care from some of the world's top doctors, efficiently and in a comfortable environment.
ANSELL: The idea of having exam rooms where there's granite countertops and plants and paintings and original art is not to distract people, but really to make them calm and at ease.
ROGERS: The price tag? A basic workup starts at $1,500.
ANSELL: People have spent $10,000. But every test is really individualized towards what a person needs.
ROGERS (on camera): Critics charge that these programs only serve to exacerbate the disparity in health care quality between rich and poor. But those who work with the programs say they're not just for the super wealthy, but anyone seriously invested in their health.
Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
