Dear Healthcare Colleague
So according to an article published on USAToday.com by Christina Jewett for Kaiser Health News and Mark Alesia from IndyStar, there is a bit of evidence the public might want to be alerted to. I believe that if you are serious about doing no harm and being more transparent at the same time, you may want to take a weekend to mull over a couple of feelings and facts.
The Present Cost Containment IS Changing The Process
According to the authors, an investigation of the cited large healthcare organizations uncovered "more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. Dozens — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies.” ( Jewett and Alesia, 2018)
I have to say, I feel for those families. Earlier this year I went on a FB page rant after my son's "routine nasal surgery" HERE . My patient experience was literally being bullied for not accepting the discharge order to send him home when he could hardly open his eyes yet. I normally really respect my medical colleagues as the masters of their work but that day my antenna was up. That experience in a local surgical care center had my Mama Bear and health warrior hat on but it wasn't a bad thing and here is why.
Here is The Deal
I was frustrated as both a mom looking out for my child and a human being with common sense looking at the risk written all across my groggy child's face. Plus, I am a former employee of a hospital. I told them I was a PT in conversation. They completely disregarded my medical background opinion just because they did not see me in that conversational partnering role. I had to remind them that I have been to many bedsides and taken many vitals for mobilizing someone in this state. Who the hell were they kidding? I knew the drill and push for turnover of beds for "efficiency" numbers. I took that in-service about those two 747 sized plane loads that go down in medical errors every year. I can read the research. I can also read the articles that claim these sorts of "crazy rare things" are making medical errors the third leading cause of death in America. Mama Bear my ass. How about an educated consumer who is glad to be making their efficiency scores go down that day.
My Medicine Woman Truth
What those two nurses who nudged me and told the physician "Mom is being a bit of a Momma Bear" ( that's right I heard you) didn't understand, is that I am what every patient should be, a concerned consumer of their service taking charge of how I spend my money and what I expect in quality for it! I am also a fellow health provider who has not compromised my integrity by the latest wave of cost-effective systems. These systems often come in from the top down. Their implementation is with very little input from the clinicians that are expected to meet quality assurance requirements. In the end, after a lot of money to implement it all, clinicians find themselves stressed out and encouraged to take on the personal liability of client management even if they need to bend the main rule "DO NO HARM" by ignoring the little things like my child's level of consciousness. Thankfully, the risks were low, My kid had a squeaky wheel of a mama and everything is fine but you two nurses broke my heart. You have lost your compassion in your comments. The physician's that own that facility is wrong to say that sending a patient who is not fully awake home is okay just because he was low risk at 14 years old and healthy.
So, Dear Healthcare Colleague,
How long will you be allowing insurance corporations who are in a competitive market to deny your claims, be in charge of the path of your diagnosis and your liability?
When will you base your reimbursement on offering the actual biopsychosocial human experience of healing?
I am not going to sugar coat it.
Are you insane? Are you trapped? Are you scared?
Please let me help you.
In Loving Support,
Dr. Lisa, PT, DPT, WHC, C-IAYT, CAP
If you are tired of doing business this way and interested in joining this #MedicineWomanRising Revolution or to just want to let me hear your #WarriorHealthcare story, I am very interested in listening. Please comment below or book a free Lady Biz Clarity Session HERE
References
Jewett, C. Alesia, M. (2018) Kaiser Health News USAtoday.com Retrieved on https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/02/medicare-certified-surgery-centers-safety-deaths/363172002/
Sipherd, Ray. (Feb 28th, 2018). CNBC.com Retrieved March 21, 2018, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html
Thomas, Bill (Feb 15, 2013) Changing Ageing Blog Post. Retrieved March 21, 2018, https://changingaging.org/aging101/the-flexner-report/
