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Even as the threat from drug-resistant germs continues to rise and a novel swine flu virus sweeps the country, U.S. hospitals are cutting back on staff and resources to battle potentially deadly patient infections.
More than 40 percent of nearly 2,000 hospital infection workers responding to a professional association survey reported being hit by budget cuts in the past 18 months, mostly because of the troubled economy.
The result has been layoffs, reduced hours, hiring freezes and diminished ability to detect, track and manage infections that can cost money — and endanger lives, said Kathy Warye, executive director for the Washington, D.C.-based Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
“If we’re cutting monitoring and surveillance and infection prevention staff, we’re cutting the muscle out of this aspect of patient safety,” said Warye, whose group conducted the survey. APIC is a group of more than 12,000 infection control and prevention staffers at acute care hospitals and other health care centers around the U.S.
The reductions are short-sighted, experts said. Every new hospital infection adds an average of $15,275 in additional costs to a patient's care, according to RID, the New York-based Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths.
Thirty-nine percent of infection control staffers who responded said they’d had layoffs or reduced hours in their departments and 35 percent had seen hiring freezes. Nearly a quarter said they’d reduced surveillance, meaning they weren’t able to look as carefully or as often for evidence of infections.
That includes detection and treatment of so-called superbugs such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and Clostridium difficile, known as C. diff, plus emerging threats from new infections.
‘More MRSA, more C. diff’
“There’s more MRSA, there’s more C. diff, we’re seeing more of the Acinetobacter,” said Suzanne Cistulli, director of infection control at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Calif., where she’s the sole full-time staff in her department.
Acinetobacter is a group of bacteria increasingly responsible for infections in intensive care units and healthcare settings, and increasingly resistant to most front-line antibiotics.
But hospital advocates note that infection control isn’t the only casualty of a lingering downturn. According to an American Hospital Association survey, nearly half of hospitals nationwide have cut staff and more than 40 percent expected to post losses in the first quarter of 2009, up from about a quarter a year ago.
“Hospitals are walking a tightrope, trying to balance the growing needs of their communities with today’s economic challenges,” Rich Umbdenstock, AHA president and chief executive said in an April statement.
Still, the loss of infection prevention is troubling at a time when dangerous infections are becoming more common and more virulent, said Lisa McGiffert, director of the Stop Hospital Infections program for Consumers Union, a nonprofit patient advocacy group. Hospital-associated infections cause nearly 100,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and cost around $20 billion to $30 billion, according to estimates.
“Cuts in staffing in this area reflect poor management,” said McGiffert. “It puts patients in danger.”
Just this week, researchers reported that the incidence of MRSA infections among children admitted to pediatric hospitals in the United States more than tripled between 2002 and 2007. Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania found cases of MRSA jumped from 6.7 per 1,000 admissions in 2002 to 21.1 cases per 1,000 admissions in 2007, according to a study released online Monday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
More than half of the cases of staph infections in kids were drug-resistant, according to the scientists, who analyzed records from nearly 2 million patients admitted to 33 U.S. children’s hospitals. The median age of the kids with staph was 3 years, and 360 of the nearly 30,000 infected kids died.
Cutting infection budgets is also worrisome during a spring when infection workers have been swamped with the fallout from an epidemic of the previously unknown H1N1 swine flu virus, which has sickened more than 13,000 people in all 50 states and contributed to at least 27 deaths.
Swine flu drew long lines for the ER
At Cistulli’s hospital, more than 200 people a day flocked to the emergency department for flu screening at the peak of the outbreak. She worked 15-hour days for two weeks straight and saw the worst of her fears of coping with a potential pandemic come true.
“We had people lined up out the door, literally,” she said.
The cuts in staffing and resources are hard to understand, infection experts said, because they come just as hospital infections have gained increasing attention from politicians and the public. The federal stimulus plan, for instance, includes $50 million aimed at reducing health-care associated infections, with most going to state prevention efforts.
At least 30 states have passed laws requiring reporting of hospital infections and another six have created committees to study public reporting. While they support the transparency of reporting infections, many of the staffers responding to the APIC survey said the new mandates added to an already over-burdened workload.
The answer is for hospitals to make infection control a priority, even in difficult economic times, said McGiffert.
"These are very fundamental things," she said.
But Cistulli said that message is a hard sell, even when the math makes sense.
“If you prevent infections, you’re going to save dollars on the bottom line,” she said.
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{"commentId":7539673,"authorDomain":"kelcy"}
Truly, this just seems too stupid for words. The cost benefit trade off cannot be in favor of this action. Plus, the potential for lawsuits from anyone who is affected by these decisions is huge. Can you imagine what a jury or even a judge would do to a hospital who made these decisions and then injured or killed someone? Huge.
And we wonder why our health care system is on the ropes?
{"commentId":7539673,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"kelcy"}
- 3 votes
#1 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 10:20 AM EDT{"commentId":7543557,"authorDomain":"alisonlexmd"}
Folks, you guys are getting all worked up over a voluntary survey done where 40% of 2,000 who responded were affected by budget cuts. This means that 40% of responders are worried about their jobs, probably disgrunted about salary freezes and basically have a negative attitude about their current employer. This is not a nationwide credible survey, just a writer for MSNBC coming up with a story to create more fear and anger in our minds about our healthcare. Hospitals are governed by strict standards (JCAHO) who oversee compliance with infection control. It is not negotiable by the hospital.
{"commentId":7543557,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"alisonlexmd"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7543673,"authorDomain":"rhaselden-1"}
AL- you are correct. I work in it every day. This is a scare tactic used by MSM to try to get us all to buy into VA type healthcare on a grand scale.
{"commentId":7543673,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"rhaselden-1"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7547647,"authorDomain":"Jhet"}
Another thing to keep in mind is that people are over using antibacterial soaps and cleaners. This is part of the problem with where these superbugs are coming from. There was a study done that showed how all these antibacterial products are helping to cause the superbug issue.
{"commentId":7547647,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"Jhet"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7547665,"authorDomain":"cswharton2001"}
Al,
You are wrong! There have been nationwide studies and these infections ARE up. They are dangerous deadly infections and with proper cleanliness in hospitals, they can be controlled and even stopped altogether.
Years ago, Hospital staff were not allowed to work if they were ill, we are seeing more and more cases of patients being infected by these care workers because they come in to work sick.
Years ago, hospitals cleaned with proper equipment and cleaning products. I have personally seen, in the last year, a major hospital that had they cleaning staff using swiffer wetjets to clean their floors, witnessed doctors and nurses and aids moving from patient to patient without washing their hands. Watched doctors come out of surgery to family members with blood stained gowns on. I had a family member who worked at a hospital get infected from a computer keyboard.
People, while I do believe that the media over does it sometimes, I don't think this is one of those times.............DO NOT THINK THIS IS JUST A SCARE TACTIC.............IT ISN'T!!!
btw, a spray bottle of water and a little bleach in it goes a long way in infection control, and is a whole lot cheaper than swiffer wetjets! So if they really want to save money, they should try it!
{"commentId":7547665,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"cswharton2001"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7548061,"authorDomain":"brewzky"}
There's a new super bug called clostridium difficile, (C-diff) that is gaining momentum lately due to the lack of cleaning hospital rooms sufficiently. There are only 2 anit-biotics that have any affect on it. Flagyl being a mild one that rarely works and Vincamycin, which costs $4,000 for one months supply. This bug will take off if any other anti-bioic is administered. It is hard to diagnose; therefore, they treat the symptoms with anit-biotics that launch this thing. It typically takes 4-5 treatments of Vincamycin to hopefully get rid of it. Over 90% of the cases originate from hospital stays.
{"commentId":7548061,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"brewzky"}
{"commentId":7555113,"authorDomain":"alisonlexmd"}
Jack, C. diff has been around for a long time and metronidazole works pretty good if the patient is compliant. It is an oral medication and if the stool remain C.diff positive after the initial treatment, you retreat with metronidazole again. Vancomyacin is used for those folks who cannot tolerate metronidazole (flagyl) or if the strain shows resistance to flagyl. Since the bacterium is located in the GI tract, the medications used to treat c.diff are oral, unless the patient is unable to take oral meds as the IV form is less effective. Furthermore, C.diff is quite easy to diagnose; the antigen is found in the stool. What makes a person suseptible to C.diff? A person who has been treated with antibiotics for an extended period of time or someone who is immunocompromised for a variety of reasons....chemo, autoimmune disorder, chronic conditions requiring steroids, just to name a few. This is why doctors try to keep people out of the hospital or discharge them as soon as their health permits, especially immunocompromised folks. When I was on chemo, you couldn't pay me to go into a hospital! Sick people are found in hospitals and do not take their germs with them when they leave. The public's expectations of a sterile hospital environment the moment they are admitted are unrealistic....so do the next best thing....eat healthy, don't inundate your bodies with harmful chemicals, exercise and get your health maintenance check-ups on schedule. Don't wait for illness to find you. Hope this helps.
{"commentId":7555113,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"alisonlexmd"}
{"commentId":7556071,"authorDomain":"MyOpIA"}
Don't rely too much on most of the antibacterial soaps, they tend to use triclosan - if the bug you are dealing with happens to be sensitive great, but don't count on it.
{"commentId":7556071,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"MyOpIA"}
{"commentId":7540091,"authorDomain":"mama5844"}
It seems most hospitals are nothing more than corporate, for profit entities. They've become one of many hospitals bought up and grouped together under umbrella organizations that are publicly traded on the stock exchange. These corporate CEO's and their upper management teams earn millions and their largest share holders earn hefty dividends at the expense of the people who actually do the work and off the sick people who often have no option but to go to these hospitals if there is no non-profit nearby. (To bad too. Most non profits offer superior service and much better facilities)
Maybe the CEO's and upper management could give back some of their pay to ensure that they can hire the infection control staff they need...OK, so I had a hard time typing that with a straight face, but it's a good thought.
{"commentId":7540091,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"mama5844"}
- 2 votes
#2 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 10:46 AM EDT{"commentId":7540480,"authorDomain":"aliward0702"}
Yeah right - give back money....greed will continue to run it all - until lawsuits and punitive measures and lives lost impact their wallets....tragedy has to take place first - as it does in any for-profit industry. It was a good thought....
{"commentId":7540480,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"aliward0702"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7541919,"authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
Marge,
Look at it this way, more sick people means job security for everyone at the hospitals. It is a small price to pay.
{"commentId":7541919,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7542059,"authorDomain":"will-fincher"}
@DJ-867199
How can you justify that? These are not illnesses that are treatable...these infections become terminal, thats why they are called superbugs. These infections can happen to any of us so please keep yourself educated on this. And about the Small price to pay comment? My little Brother's life meant more than than all your jobs.
{"commentId":7542059,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"will-fincher"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7542083,"authorDomain":"mshramek"}
I think that was a little bit of sarcasm....
{"commentId":7542083,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"mshramek"}
{"commentId":7542932,"authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
mdsj,
Yes I was being sarcastic.
Will,
Sorry about your brother.
{"commentId":7542932,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
{"commentId":7541500,"authorDomain":"setjeff-1"}
{"commentId":7541699,"authorDomain":"mshramek"}
And we don't need universal health care huh?
{"commentId":7541699,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"mshramek"}
- 3 votes
#4 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 12:16 PM EDT{"commentId":7543143,"authorDomain":"ysimoneau"}
You think government run health care would be an improvement? That is rationed health care to the max! Better hope you aren't older and get a disease like cancer - you won't be worth the governments time or money!
{"commentId":7543143,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"ysimoneau"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7543926,"authorDomain":"wrtet257"}
VA hospitals are some of the worst. And they are entirely Gov't run.
{"commentId":7543926,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"wrtet257"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7550873,"authorDomain":"ginamatteucci"}
You are wrong Ryan. Dont confuse Army hospitals with the VA medical system. Research has earned an international reputation for excellence in areas such as aging, chronic disease, prosthetics and mental health. Studies conducted within VA help improve medical care not only for the veterans enrolled in VA's health care system, but for the nation at large.
Back to hospital infections. More people are becoming sick these days (aging population, unisured, and with certain diseases like diabetes) these infections are going to be up. I have seen patients that are in contact isolation but really its the staff and other patients at risk. So think about the next nurse who has 4 patients who are crtical and have worked 12 hrs already.
{"commentId":7550873,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"ginamatteucci"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7541766,"authorDomain":"will-fincher"}
This is such a terrible area to cut back on. Normally you go to the hospital to get healed, instead you catch a resistant bacteria and die. My own 20 year old brother died from a hospital infection of Acinterbacter brought over by Iraq war veterans. My Brother was a civilain who died from a Vet's injuries. Morally and personally I find cut backs in research and treatment unacceptable, as we all have a stake in public health.
{"commentId":7541766,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"will-fincher"}
- 2 votes
#5 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 12:20 PM EDT{"commentId":7541845,"authorDomain":"mshramek"}
Exactly
{"commentId":7541845,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"mshramek"}
{"commentId":7541856,"authorDomain":"goaway"}
People will die and it won't make any difference until the hospital CEO and CFO can't afford their vacation homes any longer.
{"commentId":7541856,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"goaway"}
#6 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 12:25 PM EDT{"commentId":7543069,"authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
Rob,
Never forget that CEOs are like hookers, they will scr*w anyone for the money. Except that the hookers tend to have more ethics.
{"commentId":7543069,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7543299,"authorDomain":"lhorn414"}
Seriously, the CEO's aren't really to blame. If they want to keep their job, they have to keep the profits in their respective hospital up. Sometimes, the corporate office does tell them where to cut back, but not always. They don't usually jump in until the CEO's haven't been able to produce profits that suit them , cutting back in less obvious places, such as housekeepers. The true "hookers" here are the owners and people who run these multi billion dollar organizations. The hospital CEO is typically just a puppet and doesn't get paid nearly as much as you would think. Of course, their bonus continues to come in every quarter if they produce, but we aren't talking a huge amount of money. Very few of them have a vacation house. The big corporate guys, however, have several.
{"commentId":7543299,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"lhorn414"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7542232,"authorDomain":"evelyn-argueta"}
we're getting close to the end of the world, there is so much chaos going on, not just in 3rd world countries but in the US now.
in the Bible, Matthew 24:6-14 talks about things that will happen towards the end of the world:
6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
{"commentId":7542232,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"evelyn-argueta"}
- 3 votes
#7 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 12:44 PM EDT{"commentId":7542504,"authorDomain":"lhorn414"}
Once again, this is a prime example of what happens when corporations own the hospitals. They owe a duty to their stock holders to continue to have high profit, yet have a duty to provide proper healthcare. When the two don't go hand and hand, the stock holders, corporation owners, and the top management professionals cut staffing, resources, services. We are talking billions of dollars in profit. Instead of making a $5 million/month profit, they should be willing to drop it to $4 million/month. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. They project their quarterly profits well in advance, then will do whatever it takes to meet them or exceed them. When they don't, heads start to roll. By the way, many of these corporations own 200 to 300 hospitals.
{"commentId":7542504,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"lhorn414"}
- 3 votes
#8 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 12:56 PM EDT{"commentId":7543612,"authorDomain":"rclark-3"}
Please do not forget the insurance companies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{"commentId":7543612,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"rclark-3"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7546546,"authorDomain":"lhorn414"}
Crooked: You are absolutely correct. The entire thing is like the spokes of a wheel. One spoke for drug companies, one spoke for technological companies, one for equipment companies, one for insurance companies, one for hospital corporations. The hub in the middle is the consumer getting pulled apart.
{"commentId":7546546,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"lhorn414"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7542772,"authorDomain":"coutant"}
Maybe the $1 billion spent bailing out banks and car makers might have been better spent elsewhere?
{"commentId":7542772,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"coutant"}
#9 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:09 PM EDT{"commentId":7542801,"authorDomain":"Pat8"}
Of all the stupid decisions I can think of, this would be #1. We're more interested in buying "band-aids with Scooby Doos" that cost more than we are buying the plain ones and some disinfectant so the wound does not get infected.
I do agree with the principle that healthcare orgs should not be for profit - its just wrong...
{"commentId":7542801,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"Pat8"}
- 1 vote
#10 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:10 PM EDT{"commentId":7542824,"authorDomain":"btco"}
Another reason for change in our current system as many above have stated !!!!!
{"commentId":7542824,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"btco"}
- 4 votes
#11 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:11 PM EDT{"commentId":7542875,"authorDomain":"tomglo43"}
un freaken believable.there putting peoples lives in jeopardy to cut costs! why in hell don't they cut costs on some these idiots they call administrators salaries. this is digusting.they got the lunatics in charge of the asylum. it's all about making a profit and screw everybody else!i would just love to kick these peoples asses.
{"commentId":7542875,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"tomglo43"}
- 1 vote
#12 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:14 PM EDT{"commentId":7543209,"authorDomain":"ajoe23"}
This is pretty scary, especially since I will be going to the hospital in about 6 wks to give birth. Hopefully the labor & delivery & nursery floor will be fully staffed.
{"commentId":7543209,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"ajoe23"}
#13 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:30 PM EDT{"commentId":7543503,"authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
Amy,
It will be fully staffed by very few people with experience and the rest will be students going "I think this is how it works, set up, or run".
{"commentId":7543503,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
{"commentId":7543332,"authorDomain":"saywhatuwill"}
We can turn this ship around. But we ALL have to BUY AMERICAN to do it. If not the collapse of this "once" great country will continue unabated. And that's the way it is.
{"commentId":7543332,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"saywhatuwill"}
#14 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:37 PM EDT{"commentId":7543432,"authorDomain":"theseetons"}
This story::::"While they support the transparency of reporting infections, many of the staffers responding to the APIC survey said the new mandates added to an already over-burdened workload".
The answer is for hospitals to make infection control a priority, even in difficult economic times. OVER BURDENED WORKLOAD? Bull---Have them wash their hands when they go from room to room. They are the ones that bring infection to each room.
Most do not have the "time" to do this?
{"commentId":7543432,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"theseetons"}
- 1 vote
#15 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:42 PM EDT{"commentId":7543577,"authorDomain":"jreiter36"}
I don't go to hospitals...people die there.
{"commentId":7543577,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"jreiter36"}
#16 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:49 PM EDT{"commentId":7543614,"authorDomain":"shon-corrier"}
In our "for profit" medical system where does the money go when ...."Every new hospital infection adds an average of $15,275 in additional costs to a patent's care..........Hospital-associated infections cause nearly 100,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and cost around $20 billion to $30 billion". This money is going somewhere and comes from somewhere.
It goes into the pockets of wealthy CEOs and stockholders.
It comes from the outrageously high insurance premiums and hospital bills that people pay in order to subsidized all the people who cannot afford to pay.
This is socialized costs and privatised profits of the greatest medical system in the world....NOT.
The "FOR PROFIT" medical system is immoral usury plain and simple but ...what the hey...... it is only a few more sacrifices on the alter of the great capitalist god Mammon and another CEO will employ people to build another vacation home on Hilton Head.
It is amazing to me that we read headlines about the 4000 and counting casualties of the Iraq war and ignore a 100000 dead because we cannot afford infection control in our hospitals.
The sooner the public wakes up and realises they are being lied to about the evils of single payer systems as practiced by most advanced industrialized nations, the sooner we can banish the false prophets of corporate health care to the dust bin of history where they belong.
{"commentId":7543614,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"shon-corrier"}
- 3 votes
#17 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:51 PM EDT{"commentId":7543775,"authorDomain":"rhaselden-1"}
Rationalthought- do a little research. Your example of Europes single payer system healthcare has double the HAI rate of our hospitals. (hospital acquired infections)
You guys are so fixated on what others earn. Why don't you go to school and better yourselves. I am at a not-for-profit and sometimes I think that we are expected to work for free. I personally don't care about what others earn, because it is market driven. If you chose to stay in the pool that is shallow and wide, don't begrudge others who have persevered to rise up.
{"commentId":7543775,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"rhaselden-1"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7543674,"authorDomain":"kevinhw1"}
What the hospitals are saying is the economy is so bad that we can no longer perform basic sanitation of our hospitals and utensils so as to minimize the outbreak of these super viruses{ my sister died of mrsa in 2006}BASIC SANITATION YOU DON'T NEED A BAILOUT FOR THAT!!!!you now that's what these corporate hospitals are looking for. they see the money going everywhere and the writing on the wall that says reformation of health care means less money they can charge for procedures that makes the big money for them.They want a peice of that bailout pie so they come out with this.BASIC SANITATION
{"commentId":7543674,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"kevinhw1"}
- 1 vote
#18 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:54 PM EDT{"commentId":7545101,"authorDomain":"88sean"}
well you can thank illegal imigration for both of those , they have destroyed our healthcare system and brought in illnesses we have not had in 70 years back, and california is the proff ,its unbelievable.
{"commentId":7545101,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"88sean"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7544071,"authorDomain":"tvangrove"}
The Republicans (and people who vote Republican) need to get out of the way and stop trying to sabotage health care reform. We have tried "for profit health care" and it doesn't work. If you are one of the uninformed that thinks "for profit health care" works, I have a bridge to sell you, and the world really is flat.
People are dying because of Republican policies. I don't give a crap about a company's profits when death is the result. If you have any morals at all, it is your obligation to tell your Republican politicians to stop trying to help corporations while killing people. We need to get rid of "for profit health care".
{"commentId":7544071,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"tvangrove"}
- 2 votes
#19 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 2:14 PM EDT{"commentId":7544224,"authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
Tim,
Republicans don't have any morals.
{"commentId":7544224,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"davjcksn"}
{"commentId":7544448,"authorDomain":"theseetons"}
Why not get rid of the RATS in Congress in both party's.
{"commentId":7544448,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"theseetons"}
{"commentId":7544742,"authorDomain":"wrtet257"}
The VA hospitals are worse. Entirely Gov't run.
So now you want more of that?
{"commentId":7544742,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"wrtet257"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7545062,"authorDomain":"88sean"}
get outside my friend, breath the fresh air once in a while, it will make your brain work much beter, the dems and rep are the same. bunch of liers and thievs period, and they are both to blame for our problems, bush was out of controll, and now obama is more out of control, same bs nothing new here.
{"commentId":7545062,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"88sean"}
{"commentId":7545717,"authorDomain":"tvangrove"}
If you think Bush and Obama are the same, you must be smoking something. So far Obama has only had 5 months to attempt to clean up 8 years of a catastrophy.
{"commentId":7545717,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"tvangrove"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7544405,"authorDomain":"mikey-2"}
"....federal stimulus plan, for instance, includes $50 million aimed at reducing health-care associated infections,...."
Take the money. Cut back the department. Pocket the profit.
{"commentId":7544405,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"mikey-2"}
#20 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 2:30 PM EDT{"commentId":7544965,"authorDomain":"88sean"}
the world is over populated and will continue to grow, and along with it is more problems, plain and simple.
{"commentId":7544965,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"88sean"}
#21 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 2:57 PM EDT{"commentId":7545873,"authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
Not only does our healthcare system in this country need to be reformed... but the medical professionals need to take more responsibility for their actions. A few months ago, I went to the doctor 3 times in one month and every time, he gave me a different diagnosis with of course different prescriptions needed. Finally on the 3rd time, he must have gotten it right... the prescription worked and I got better. My question is... why should I have to pay for the first 2 visits... plus the medication that he assured me would help? This is the only profession I can think of where you can be wrong multiple times and still get paid for it! Maybe if doctors were more financially responsible for the "expert" evaluations, they would spend more than 3 minutes in the room with you and really try to figure out what is wrong.
{"commentId":7545873,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
#22 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 3:47 PM EDT{"commentId":7546157,"authorDomain":"rhaselden-1"}
I'm with ya SJ- boycott 'em all! That will teach them a lesson!
{"commentId":7546157,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"rhaselden-1"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7546783,"authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
After reading other comments of your rightron, I am assuming you are being sarcastic in your response.
Still doesn't answer the question... why do medical professionals feel justified in billing you for incorrect information?
{"commentId":7546783,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
{"commentId":7547209,"authorDomain":"sweetguyms"}
SJ I think you are definitely on the right track.
1. Multiple visits for an illness that could be treated in one visit.
2. Any test or procedure you've previously had is repeated when you're transferred to a specialist.
3. Overpricing = defiant insurance companies = more overpricing (endless cycle)
4. Rushed staff = more mistakes
5. Patients with plenty cash or good insurance end up having unnecessary procedures performed.
6. Doctors prescribe what the drug rep is pushing even if a generic is available.
All of this can be justified to the insurance company with a letter stating medical necessity from your doctor. I personally don't think that health care is something a person should need insurance for. It should be affordable just like every other day to day expense like food and water. I can understand home or car insurance, but us Americans are insured out the wazoo. Half my income goes to various insurance which probably won't even pay when I need it. Our healthcare system is completely broken and I don't see how it can get much worse. At this point, I serioulsy think people are better off treating themselves at home and dying in peace without mounds of debt. You'll definitely leave your family in better shape.
{"commentId":7547209,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"sweetguyms"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":7547893,"authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
daniel - you bring up some very good... and interesting points. I really like #6. Another situation... I recently went to the doctor to talk to him about quitting smoking. About 6 years ago, I quit for almost a year. At that time, he prescribed me wellbutrin and clonodine. It worked very well. This time he wanted to give me Chantix. After about 15 minutes of pretty much arguing the point that I want what I had before ( why fix something that isn't broke, is my theory... and I know the wellbutrin works for me)... he finally caved and gave me what I wanted. I got the funny feeling that if I would have taken the prescription for Chantix, he probably would have gotten a kick back of some sort. Now, after talking to 6 different people that tried the Chantix, the side effects are horrible. All 6 had similar side effects.
{"commentId":7547893,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":7546340,"authorDomain":"suzyk"}
Why should they bother with trying to prevent infections when it will be YOUR insurance coverage that will pay them to treat the infection they gave to you. You will get a double whammy. They will make you even sicker and then expect you to cough up even more money. If you die, oh well. You can bet your cause of death won't be listed as hospital-borne infection. If you have to go into the hospital, ask your doctors and nurses to wash their hands. If you don't have to go into the hospital, don't go. Don't have unnecessary, elective procedures. Let them learn the hard way. Stop making them rich. This is all about money.
{"commentId":7546340,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"suzyk"}
- 1 vote
#23 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 4:15 PM EDT{"commentId":7546406,"authorDomain":"littlegman3"}
I think personally that the H1N1 virus was created in a lab and got loose, whether deliberate or accidental. Anyone remember stephen King's The Stand, or the movie Outbreak?
{"commentId":7546406,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"littlegman3"}
#24 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 4:19 PM EDT{"commentId":7546792,"authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
There is alot of data supporting this exact scenario.
{"commentId":7546792,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"shagymojo"}
{"commentId":7546538,"authorDomain":"littlegman3"}
the biggest reform that needs to be implimented is our politicians. They are in the game for profit not the greater good. If we impliment a change of this magnitude it would be to say the least, very difficult, not to mention cost a large amount of casualties. Everyone is used to Big Brother watching out for us, which ended even before the Kennedy assination. Now it is up to us to worry about ourselves. Unless money is involved it is appearent that our gov. will not move to change things as they are.
{"commentId":7546538,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"littlegman3"}
#25 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 4:27 PM EDT{"commentId":7547340,"authorDomain":"brewzky"}
There's a new super bug called clostridium difficile, (C-diff) that is gaining momentum lately due to the lack of cleaning hospital rooms sufficiently. There are only 2 anit-biotics that have any affect on it. Flagyl being a mild one that rarely works and Vincamycin, which costs $4,000 for one months supply. This bug will take off if any other anti-bioic is administered. It is hard to diagnose; therefore, they treat the symptoms with anit-biotics that launch this thing. It typically takes 4-5 treatments of Vincamycin to hopefully get rid of it. Over 90% of the cases originate from hospital stays.
{"commentId":7547340,"threadId":"598882","contentId":"2911713","authorDomain":"brewzky"}
- 1 vote
#26 - Tue Jun 9, 2009 5:16 PM EDT{"canLink":false,"threadId":"598882","isPrivate":false}
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