Today the Chronicle has a gigantic header about the deaths caused by medical mistakes.
That got everyone’s attention, didn’t it? I encourage everyone to read the whole article for yourself. It’s filled with a lot of statistics, some tragic examples.
However, some points were not addressed in the article.
First, HIPAA. How much of this would be feasible under HIPAA regulations? After all, since employers cannot inquire as to why their employees are calling in sick, how can a doctor/hospital publicly say they goofed on a patient John Doe?
Second, if the government does run health care, who will be the doctors administering the health care services? It will most likely be the same people.
Third, if a medical practitioner makes a mistake, there are remedies through state licensing boards and in the civil courts. If the government is running the show and a doctor fouls up, who can the patients complain to?
It just seems odd, with all the recent negative backlash against the national health care bill, that the Chronicle would come out with this in such a dramatic fashion.
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