Elite services exist in various forms and are nearly universal at the most prestigious medical centers, according to an op-ed on the New York Times website.
Patients pay extra to stay in hotel-like rooms on the top floor, which can come with gourmet food, plush bath robes and small business centers, the article said.
Regular patients may lose when hospitals dedicate their best spaces to elite units. One study found that patients in a room with a view of nature recovered faster than those who faced a brick wall.
The University Medical Center of Princeton built new rooms with better aesthetics and found that patients who recovered from surgery in those rooms required 30 percent less pain medication than patients in old rooms, the article said.
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