SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the think-of-the-children's...-mother dept.
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
The US has a shameful record when it comes to caring for its moms. As Ars has reported before, the rate of women dying during pregnancy or childbirth is higher—much higher—than in any other developed country. By some estimates, mothers die in the US at a rate six-times that seen in Italy and three-times the rate in the UK, for instance. And of those that survive, tens of thousands suffer devastating injuries and near-death experiences each year.
Nevertheless, health researchers, hospital organizations, policy makers, and state task forces have been working to understand and reverse the horrific numbers—often doing so with limited resources and reliance on volunteers. While reports have offered glimpses of the problem, a new investigation by USA Today provides one of the sharpest pictures yet.
Many of the pregnant women and mothers who suffer and die in this country do so from easily preventable, common complications—and hospitals know exactly what safety features and practices are needed to spare mothers' lives and suffering, they just aren't using them. Women are left to bleed to death because doctors don't bother monitoring blood loss. Women suffer strokes and seizures and even die because doctors and nurses fail to treat their high blood pressure in time. The bottom line is stunning, simple negligence.
[...] While high blood pressure is one of the top causes of maternal deaths and complications, experts estimate that up to 60 percent of hypertensive deaths are preventable.
Hemorrhaging is another common but easily treatable complication. Women can bleed to death in as little as five minutes during childbirth. Yet experts estimate that 90 percent of maternal deaths from extreme blood loss are preventable. Such strategies to avoid harms are simple things, like weighing bloody pads to monitor blood loss (not relying on inaccurate visual estimates), having medications and supplies to curb blood loss readily available in a mobile cart, and responding promptly to signs of trouble.
Such simple steps have been recommended by experts for years. But in interviews with USA Today, many hospitals admitted they weren't following guidelines.
To put the data in real terms, USA Todaytold the story of 24-year-old Ali Lowry, who bled internally for hours after delivering by Cesarean section in an Ohio hospital in 2013. Her blood pressure registered at alarmingly low levels—52/26, 57/25, 56/24, 59/27—for more than three hours before staff responded. By the time she was airlifted to another hospital for life-saving surgery, her heart had stopped and she needed a hysterectomy. She eventually settled a lawsuit with her doctor and the hospital, which denied wrongdoing.
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday August 03 2018, @02:21PM (25 children)
Unless they hold stock in the facility, the doctors working there have no financial incentive to rack up a bill. I expect they were either ordered to take up such a policy (which would be highly actionable) or you just got hit with a dipshit OB.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @02:26PM (10 children)
It's almost as though the doctors are being directed and managed by people who do hold stock in the hospital. I'm working on a conspiracy theory about this! I think I will call them "administrators" and "members of the board," though I have not yet decided if these are ranks of lizard person below the Red Dresses, or how they are using their massive profits from capitalist medicine to further the weather war.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Friday August 03 2018, @03:13PM (4 children)
After half a dozen hospital visits in the US, it will be crystal clear to anyone who pays attention that they put money 1st, patients and health a distant 2nd. Joe Merhcant's experience is all too common. They make a lot more money treating an emergency than doing a little extra prevention.
My own story: 10 years ago, while driving my parents around for a bit of shopping, I was in an auto accident. Kid ran a red light, right in front of me, and I T-boned him. Everyone's legs took a beating. Mom got a broken ankle, and just below the shins, Dad got a bad bruise on one leg and a cut on the other. The bruise did not heal like it should thanks to weak circulation, and he ended up returning to the hospital for that. They racked up some $20k in charges over a friggin bruise. Made a surgical cut to clear out the clots, then put this "wound vac" on the cut they had made to apply some suction to make it heal faster. That damned wound vac cost $1100 per week to rent, and we didn't find out about that until it was all over. The bastards had us keep the vac one more week, "just in case". Such a device ought to cost no more than $200 to buy. Yes, insurance cut that rental cost way down, but it was still outrageous.
Meanwhile, once they set Mom's ankle, the hospital transferred her to this private hospital for physical therapy. And when she was ready to be discharged, they had a nice little farewell "gift" for us. Those bastards ignored all my protestations that we had a friend who was willing to let us have their wheelchair, to push their own wheelchair on us. Gave us crap about how they couldn't guarantee a good outcome if we didn't use their approved devices. Before she was allowed out the door, with their wheelchair, they shoved a document under her nose for her to sign. It said that if insurance didn't pay for that wheelchair, we promised we would pay for it. $820 wheelchair, ka-ching!
The kicker? Dad's bruise would have healed just fine on its own if only he'd kept the leg elevated, known to keep it elevated, you know, like in some of those old depictions that show a person lying in bed, with one leg wrapped in bandages and held half a meter above the bed by a sling hooked to something up high.
That's hardly the only encounter I've had. It was the same thing all over for my own visit to emergency several years later. $300 for a $2 bag of saline solution, $20 for one pill of aspirin, and the usual bullcrap justification that they have to inflate prices like that to cover other expenses.
There are a lot of forces who like it the way it is. Ambulance chasing lawyers love it. The more cost the medics rack up, the more damages they can try to win, of which they get a huge cut, about 1/3. They will egg on the doctors, and who are the doctors to say no to more money, eh? Health insurance is supposed to fight this. Instead they've found it easier to bully patients into paying higher premiums and accepting less coverage.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday August 03 2018, @07:22PM (2 children)
That wasn't a $2 bag of saline solution. It needed to be sterile, special storage, etc. I'd guess that $50 would have been a fair price, but I don't know the details of handling and sterility requirements. And formulation. Still, they use a lot of them, so my guess is $50. For a one-off $200 would be extremely cheap...but it's not a one-off.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Saturday August 04 2018, @01:37AM (1 child)
Medicare says a bag of saline solution is worth around $2. Just look for item code J7030. Further, how is it even Starbucks can serve hot coffee, a much more complicated brew, for far, far less money, and still profit?
What you said is exactly what they tried to use as excuses why it's so expensive. But sterilization is quite easy. Irradiate or heat it. it doesn't even have to be boiling, a mere 160F is hot enough. Storage is no big deal either.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday August 04 2018, @05:04PM
Well, for one thing, coffee is rarely kept sterile.
OTOH, the argument about the "official Medicare price" is an excellent counter to my guess. I still find $2 unbelievably cheap, but I guess if they use them in quantity it might be reasonable.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday August 04 2018, @03:05AM
Meanwhile, I had to take a friend to emergency twice in the last year here in Canada, each time it cost $5 for parking.
The whole experience was rather good, considering my friend was dying. In to the cubicle where they take all the info by the time I finished parking, into a bed with an IV within another 15 minutes or so. The first time, they were busy so it was a bed in the hall for a couple of hours and he got moved around a bit much but the price was good. Operated on the next day in both cases, sent home about a week later and total cost was my $5 parking bill.
In his case, being on disability, all the pills he takes are free, otherwise after leaving the hospital, those medications would have added up without insurance. Canada has expensive drugs, second most expensive in the world I understand.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday August 03 2018, @03:23PM (4 children)
See above re: highly actionable
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @03:43PM (3 children)
See reality, private businesses do what they want. Unless you're suggesting regulation would solve that little problem ;)
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @01:51AM (2 children)
Take your own advice. Medical lawsuits are an enormous industry.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 04 2018, @05:55PM (1 child)
You cant sue the hospital if they charge you high rstes, you should have "shopped around" better. I would lend you my clue bat but im worried it would turn on you and beat you to a pulp.
Maybe catch a ride on the plane as it soars over your head next time.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @10:10PM
Lost track of what we were talking about, didja? Reread and try again if you like.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday August 03 2018, @02:54PM (13 children)
The OBs working that office overbooked their practice, 7/8 scheduled pre-natal care visits would run late, like 2 and even 4 hours late, for all patients. They weren't just busy, they were physically and mentally exhausted by the middle of every practice day. They skimped on our scheduled care visits: specifically, after the pre-eclampsia scare they told us to reschedule our visits to delete one because we had come in for the post-scare followup since, between the 4 of them they hadn't managed to return phone messages for 48 hours. The rescheduling led to a 10 day gap between visits when standard of care was 7 days between visits, and on day 8 we had to come in for emergency C-section, ICU, etc.
No, they weren't specifically "out to get us" and put mom in the ICU. They were, however, maximizing their income and skimping on standard of care as a direct result - both in the scheduling and in their ability to effectively manage their patients' healthcare needs, and those factors did directly contribute to our emergency situation. If we had gotten any kind of office visit on day 7, the urine and BP tests would have clearly shown the pre-eclampsia before it presented as blindness. It didn't help that their office staff were basically human shields for them, painting their nails instead of answering incoming calls for healthcare related followups, scheduling, etc.
When baby 2 was on the way I told mom: "you can go back to those bitches if you want, it's your body" (practice was 4 female OBs) "but I'm not setting foot in their offices again, if you go to them you go alone." We found a less popular OB who gave us much better care, never late for appointments, always mentally sharp when we were there, etc. Delivery 2 went 100% as planned, no events - until the post-birth blood test gave us a false positive for HIV on Friday afternoon, with no ability to confirm that it was a false until Monday - f'ing Texas law requires the test and requires informing the patient immediately, even though there's a massively high false positive rate. If you think about the heightened emotions surrounding the whole thing, I'm sure there's been more than one bad thing happen for no good reason as a result of that stupid law. MD's could surely have sat on those results for 72 hours until we got a confirmation.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday August 03 2018, @03:27PM (12 children)
Sounds like someone running their business poorly then. Would be nice if it were easy to check things like quality of care and shop around.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 03 2018, @03:41PM (7 children)
You realize there isn't some magical aspect to private business that let's people shop around right? Large hospitals aren't required to rip people off and not display common pricing. That is an effect of private money grubbing assholes not government regulation.
If you bring up ER mandates, well then that is just your typical FYGM attitude.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @01:53AM (6 children)
You realize that when competition is viable, there absolutely is a magical aspect that lets people shop around. Whoever provides the best service for the lowest cost gets the customers, so it behooves new entrants to do so.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Informative) by ilPapa on Saturday August 04 2018, @03:28AM (5 children)
No. The whole "shopping for health care" is a myth. If your kid is diagnosed with leukemia, you're not going to be shopping to find the best price on treatment. When your aging parent is receiving end-of-life care, you are unlikely to try to negotiate with the hospital for a better price.
There was a time when corporate profits were not part of the health care industry in the United States. When people talk about "going back to having good health care", they're thinking of that time. Anyone who's been alive since the 70s can tell you how the entire health care industry started going downhill when for-profit entities started taking over.
At long last, we have to accept the data: universal, single-payer health care is the only system that works now. There are no exceptions.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @04:16AM (4 children)
Less than three miles from where I sit there is a cash-only urgent care clinic. It always has patient vehicles in front of it. It posts prices for its most common services on a menu in the lobby.
And don't try to speak for me. You're extremely inept at it.
"A flaw was found with your system so you must abandon it in favor of this specific system that I like!"
You're not an idiot. Stop arguing like one.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Touché) by ilPapa on Saturday August 04 2018, @05:05AM (3 children)
Your urgent care center will not be able to treat your kid's leukemia or provide your aging parent's end-of-life care. It's for handing out antibiotics and stitching up little league accidents.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @10:11PM (2 children)
Pay attention here, slappy. I am not proposing this as a solution to all healthcare issues the nation over. Or was that intentional strawmaning?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by ilPapa on Sunday August 05 2018, @03:36AM (1 child)
So then why introduce the topic into a discussion of the health care system?
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday August 05 2018, @10:38AM
Because something does not need to be a complete solution to be useful. This was me being helpful to you poor schlubs whose healthcare isn't 100% paid for without stealing anyone's hard earned money.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday August 03 2018, @05:14PM (3 children)
IMO it was obvious from the 3rd office visit where we had to wait 3+ hours past our scheduled appointment time, but they were sooooo popular and highly recommended. They definitely were running their MEDICAL PRACTICE poorly, as a business they were going gangbusters.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @01:54AM (2 children)
Don't see how. You'd think people would be word-of-mouth-ing them out of business, what with this Internet thing and all.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday August 04 2018, @03:00AM (1 child)
2001, not so much Yelping going on at the time. Also: if you recall Outback steakhouse and similar chains that would make you wait a minimum of 30 minutes for a table even when the place was empty, and 90+ minutes during normal dinner hours, if they're that much in demand they must be awesome, right? Had to get lucky just to get accepted by them, can't let it go after you've been honored like that. Fucking idiot psychology, and it works because.....
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 04 2018, @04:16AM
Ahhh, roger.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.