Comments on: Why healthcare can never fall as a % of GDP, Part Two http://www.whytheheck.com/2009/10/09/why-healthcare-can-never-fall-as-a-of-gdp-part-two/ Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:18:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: dblacklock http://www.whytheheck.com/2009/10/09/why-healthcare-can-never-fall-as-a-of-gdp-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-939 dblacklock Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:20:46 +0000 http://www.thinkoob.com/?p=642#comment-939 One recent "improvement" in healthcare is this: Now when a patient gets a broken hip, it is compulsory to ascertain whether the patient just stumbled and fell (causing the hip fracture) or whether a cerebral or cardiac event caused the fall. A 24 hour heart monitor is supplied and if certain dysrrhythmias show up, the patient is referred to a cardiologist for placement of an ICD (internal cardiac defibrillator) at an obscene cost, benefitting the hospital, the cardiologist, the ICD manufacturer, and dozens of ancillary workers. Whether the patient benefits depends on what quality of life that person potentially has left, but when Medicare is paying, the decision seems easy. More frequently, when the ball is already rolling downhill, the right questions are not even asked. DB One recent “improvement” in healthcare is this: Now when a patient gets a broken hip, it is compulsory to ascertain whether the patient just stumbled and fell (causing the hip fracture) or whether a cerebral or cardiac event caused the fall. A 24 hour heart monitor is supplied and if certain dysrrhythmias show up, the patient is referred to a cardiologist for placement of an ICD (internal cardiac defibrillator) at an obscene cost, benefitting the hospital, the cardiologist, the ICD manufacturer, and dozens of ancillary workers. Whether the patient benefits depends on what quality of life that person potentially has left, but when Medicare is paying, the decision seems easy. More frequently, when the ball is already rolling downhill, the right questions are not even asked.

DB

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