Sunday, August 11, 2013

BAD HOSPITALS? WHO WE GONNA CALL?

Yesterday's Pulse  story, BITTER MEDICINE, though the events happened in the past, made me want to fight.  This scandalous New York hospital story arrived on the same day I found out that Texas, where I'm currently living, received a grade of F on its nursing homes and their treatment of patients.

  I  have been incredibly blessed with great doctors.  And the California hospital where I had some unfriendly hours at least had a patient advocate. 

But, Bitter Medicine was a forceful reminder that some of us may find one day that our good luck with hospitals has run out.  Some days we are tired out and go home unwilling to fight against bad treatment.  When worse treatment shocks us, we have no stock of powerful resources to turn to.  Since some doctors rely on the hospitals where they practice, how can they be a loud voice against bad and dangerous treatment and spotty staff supervision?

Who does this leave except the insurance companies, the state government, and brave voices like Dr. Krumholz of Yale, or others from the leading medical schools? 

Have you had a bad hospital experience?  Where did you go for solutions?

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