By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    3 Ways To Deal With Health Issues In Cities With High Pollution
    March 22, 2023
    What Tools Should Your Caregiver Have?
    March 22, 2023
    How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
    March 19, 2023
    4 Ways to Recover from a Broken Hip
    March 14, 2023
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Earthquake Publications for Businesses and HealthCare Providers
    December 30, 2011
    Report: Avoidable ‘Never Events’ Increase in Minnesota Hospitals
    January 20, 2012
    Obama and Budget Director Certain on Most Facets of ’12 Budget (Just Don’t Ask About Medicare & Medicaid)
    August 23, 2017
    Latest News
    What Are Bioidentical Hormones Made With?
    March 23, 2023
    Cover Medical Costs of Child Dog Bites with Legal Specialists
    March 23, 2023
    3 Ways to Improve the U.S. Healthcare System By 2030
    March 14, 2023
    6 Steps To Ensure Speed And Efficiency Of Clinical Studies
    March 14, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The Olympics, Doctors, the NHS, Transformation and Heroes: Why the Difference between the USA and UK? Part II
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
The Best Natural Sleep Remedies & Aids
The Best Natural Sleep Remedies & Aids
Wellness
Bioidentical Hormones
What Are Bioidentical Hormones Made With?
Medical Education
chemical peels for skin disorders
Chemical Peels Can Do Wonders for Treating Skin Disorders
Skin
health benefits of lip enhancements
Cleveland Clinic Cites Health Benefits of Lip Enhancements
lifestyle
child dog bite lawyer
Cover Medical Costs of Child Dog Bites with Legal Specialists
News
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > The Olympics, Doctors, the NHS, Transformation and Heroes: Why the Difference between the USA and UK? Part II
Global Healthcare

The Olympics, Doctors, the NHS, Transformation and Heroes: Why the Difference between the USA and UK? Part II

Kent Bottles
Last updated: 2012/08/02 at 8:51 AM
Kent Bottles
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

 

 

First posted on Kent Bottles Private Views on 7/30/2012

 

More Read

emerging technology in healthcare

Benefits of Emerging Technology in Healthcare in 2023

Simplifying the Genetic Testing Process: How At-Home Kits are Changing the Game
Why a Health Retreat Can Be the Best Medicine
Best Money-Saving Tips for Health Managers
HR Must Navigate Polarizing Views in Healthcare Workplaces

 

First posted on Kent Bottles Private Views on 7/30/2012

Like many in the United States, I was surprised when the National Health Service (NHS) was honored during the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympic Games.  The media guide said, “The NHS is the institution which more than any other unites our nation.  It was founded after World War II on Aneurin Bevan’s famous principle, ‘No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.’”  (http://capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org/index.php/2012/07/u-k-national-health-service-gets-gold-medal-mention-at-olympics/)

Should the Bevan principle make Americans think about what makes a society civilized?  Does the American health care delivery system unite our nation?  I could not help thinking back to the Republican Presidential Debate where the audience and Ron Paul seemed to be saying that those without health insurance should be left to die. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9fk7NpgIU) (http://www.thedoctorweighsin.com/gop-to-uninsured-feel-free-to-drop-dead/) Health care in the United States divides our country into those who believe health care is a human right and those who think it is not.  Paul Starr summarizes this tension by stating:

“Americans are still at odds over the most basic question about health care: whether it is a requirement for a free life that the community has an obligation to provide or a good that needs to be earned (and if you can’t earn it, too bad for you).” (Remedy and Reaction: The Peculiar American Struggle Over Health Care Reform, New Haven:  Yale University Press, 2011)

Starr traces our dilemma back to the establishment of Medicare as an earned right even though seniors have never paid enough in payroll taxes to cover their insurance costs and Medicaid as an unearned benefit that lacks a moral claim on the community.  This history has created a “protected public” who believe they have earned their medical coverage, and they are largely unwilling to subsidize coverage for the less fortunate.  By creating separate health insurance financing for the elderly, the United States created a political problem that has caused partisan bickering.  It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court decision upholding most of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act created a way for governors to elect not to participate in the expansion of the “unearned” benefit of Medicaid.

Although Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday labeled the American health care delivery system “the finest in the world,” most Americans recognize the status quo as unsustainable, expensive, and unsafe.  Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, has a different take than McConnell:

“Our medical system fails to provide care when care is needed, and fails to stop expensive, often unnecessary and frequently harmful interventions, even in situations when science proves those interventions are the wrong thing to do.”  (How We Do Harm:  A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America, New York:  St. Martin’s Press, 2012)

Michael L. Millenson reviews the depressing statistics about preventable errors causing death in the United States in an article titled “The Toll of Preventable Errors:  How Many Dead Patients?” According to Millenson, the best estimate comes from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 90,000 hospital patients die each year from preventable, treatment-caused injuries. Millenson also cites a 2010 study of hospital error-reduction programs that concluded “harm remain common, with little evidence of widespread improvements.” (http://www.thedoctorweighsin.com/the-toll-of-preventable-errors-how-many-dead-patients/)

A July 20, 2012 article titled “Why Can’t Medicine Seem to Fix Simple Mistakes?” provides an overview of the ongoing patient safety issue in American medicine.

“Time and again reporters have uncovered unfathomable lapses at medical facilities, often resulting in patient injuries and death.  Time and again, hospital officials have put in place solutions that seem ridiculously obvious.  And, inconceivably, the fixes are frequently ignored or ineffective.” (http://www.propublica.org/article/why-cant-medicine-seem-to-fix-simple-mistakes)

The article describes five wrong site surgeries at Rhode Island Hospital, nurses at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center ignoring monitors in six cases where patients died, and the recent death of a 12-year boy from sepsis where important laboratory results were not reported by NYU’s Langone Medical Center.  The article states:

“That’s what’s so difficult to understand about medical mistakes.  It seems inconceivable that nurses and doctors would reuse a syringe on multiple patients or that they would turn down alarms on cardiac monitors after patients at their hospital had died as a result.” (http://www.propublica.org/article/why-cant-medicine-seem-to-fix-simple-mistakes)

In Part III of this blog we will explore why human doctors and nurses do “inconceivable” things.

TAGGED: NHS, Olympics, UK, US

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Kent Bottles August 2, 2012
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Better Coverage for Women’s Preventive Health Starts Today
Next Article HipaaCat App HIPAA Compliant Clouds for Mobile Health Apps

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

The Best Natural Sleep Remedies & Aids
The Best Natural Sleep Remedies & Aids
Wellness March 23, 2023
Bioidentical Hormones
What Are Bioidentical Hormones Made With?
Medical Education March 23, 2023
chemical peels for skin disorders
Chemical Peels Can Do Wonders for Treating Skin Disorders
Skin March 23, 2023
health benefits of lip enhancements
Cleveland Clinic Cites Health Benefits of Lip Enhancements
lifestyle March 23, 2023

You Might also Like

US healthcare system
Global Healthcare

3 Ways to Improve the U.S. Healthcare System By 2030

March 14, 2023
Clinical Studies
Global Healthcare

6 Steps To Ensure Speed And Efficiency Of Clinical Studies

March 14, 2023
valueable healthcare programs
News

5 Most Valuable Healthcare Programs in 2023

March 8, 2023
everest healthcare
Global Healthcare

The Everest Foundation’s Mission to Support Inclusive Healthcare

February 24, 2023
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?