November 4th, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, True Stories
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When a patient comes in with an infection related diagnoses, efforts are often undertaken to keep that pathogen from spreading to other patient rooms. In British hospitals they’ve banned ties and long sleeves. At Happy’s hospital we place a dedicated stethoscope in the patient’s room which is then shared by all health care workers caring for the patient. And that stethoscope shall remain forever in that patient’s room.
At Happy’s hospital, the dedicated stethoscopes look like they were made in a Chinese toy factory. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
November 2nd, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, True Stories
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I learned recently that Happy’s hospital was one of a growing number of hospitals nationwide banning children from entry during the pandemic H1N1 flu to protect their patients. But where is the science that says it works?
Hospitals nationwide are making up their policies as they go along.
The result? Huge variation. The large Stanford University Hospital in California on Monday barred anyone under 16 from visiting, while the small Central Vermont Hospital turned away the under-12 crowd. Other hospitals have settled on 14 or 18.
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
October 28th, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Opinion
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What we need is health reform, not health insurance reform. If we do nothing about health care inflation, we are all doomed. Every last one of us. Taking care of sick people is expensive. The only way to get rid of health care inflation is to stop spending money. At some point we will either have to
- decrease illness
- decrease treatment and/or
- decrease the cost of treatment
There are no alternatives. As an American which action plan would you rather see take hold? Realize that every cost action has a reaction. You can decrease disease by prevention. You can decrease treatment by bundling. And you can decrease the cost of treatment by making it more efficient or simply paying less until access becomes an issue. I am certain that keeping the financial stability of America will require all three. But the only one you as a patient have control over is #1. As a country, we can prevent 80% of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer by taking care of ourselves with lifestyle modification. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
October 26th, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Opinion
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That depends on if you can afford to get them. Costume lenses are all the rage for Halloween by adding an exciting dimension to the costume wearer. But did you know it’s illegal to market them as over the counter?
Many consumers do not realize that they are
FDA- regulated medical devices, and that recent legislation has made it illegal to market them as over-the-counter products. Still, they are commonly available in costume shops, beauty shops, convenience stores, novelty shops, and other places that people shop for Halloween items, as well as over the Internet.
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*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
October 22nd, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, True Stories
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I was at the pharmacy today picking up some goods. We indicated to the pharmacy tech our cash paying status. The nice lady behind the counter explained that the drug company had a discount plan for cash paying customers that do not submit a claim to their insurance company. We had to promise not to submit the claim and not to sell the medication on the internet for which we obliged. Then we had a seat and waited.
In the next 30 minutes I had the opportunity to listen to several customers blow up in a fit of rage about why their insurance company wasn’t covering this or that. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Happy Hospitalist*
