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Authors, sign in!Our healthcare system has disappointed me once again. Not only are the health insurance providers deciding whether or not we should receive certain medical treatments, now healthcare service providers are deciding when we will receive it. I am disgusted by our healthcare service providers. About two weeks ago I waited and waited for my sister to get medical treatment in the ER at one of our biggest area hospitals. Anyone want to guess how long we waited to get a bed or any medical treatment?
TWENTY-ONE hours. What were her symptoms? Stroke like symptoms. She was experiencing numbness on the right side of her body which was scary. But my sisters condition was insignificant compared to the woman that was sitting beside us with shortness of breathe, dizziness and pain on her left side. Needless to say, she wasn't treated until she fell unconsious and hit her head on the floor.
Lately news agencies have been reporting about the current average "wait" time in ER waiting rooms. In a story published by the AP, they've reported that the average "wait" time is about 56 minutes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blame the wait on supply and demand.
Do you all remember the story reported by a New York television station of a woman who "fell to the floor at 5:32 a.m. on June 19 and laid unattended for almost an hour before a nurse kicked her to see if she would respond. During that time, two hospital security guards apparently saw her but didn't do anything to help. The first walked by, and the second didn't rise from his chair until about 10 minutes later. The tape shows a doctor walking by as well. He apparently looked at the woman but kept going. The Brooklyn woman died on the floor, but not right away. The tape showed that she moved her legs and even rolled to her side, trying to get up."
So what can we do? Isn't healthcare a business? So if I don't like the treatment I am getting I can complain to the manager or go to a different hospital? Well the only problem is that the person in charge at a hospital is never around and you are probably not thinking straight and confused because of the pain or symptoms you are experiencing. Leaving or complaining are not an option. Going to another hospital equals waiting even MORE to be treated. Complaining equals being told " I don't know how much more time, sorry."
Is this frustrating? No, it is saddening.
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Comments (1)
Silvia - you are so right. Thank you so much for sharing this personal experience with us. What you experienced is not at all unusual. I'd say that 90% of my interactions with healthcare practitioners in the last 5 years has been frustrating, unsatisfying and unbelievably unhelpful. What we have now is a whole generation of doctors and other practitioners who think that the insurance company is their boss and not those of us who pay for the insurance. We are no longer the VIP customer in their eyes. Our healthcare system is worse than it's every been. And, I'm talking about how it treats people with insurance. Think of the 49 million without any insurance at all or the 100 million Americans with hardly adequate insurance. Their stories are even more tragic.
Thank you for posting this Silvia.
Posted by Nora Thomason
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August 7, 2008 12:04 PM
Posted on August 7, 2008 12:04