Posted on 04/26/2016 10:27:40 AM PDT by beaversmom
I have the cell number of a specialist who I see for an unusual condition. She is only in the office where I see her two days of the week and it can be difficult to reach her in an emergency if I have to go through the office. She knows I will not call unless it is absolutely necessary. I was surprised when she gave it to me but have blessed her thoughtfulness the two times in the last three years I have had to call her.
I hope he’s correct that he’ll be fine.
Looks like that hospital ranks 20th on the U.S. News list of top cancer hospitals. He’d be better off transferring to Sloan-Kettering also in New York. It’s #2.
the recovery rate with surgery is very high- his chances of survival and complete cure are very high- something like 80+% might even be around 89% last I looked- when caught early and treated with surgery)
God forbid, if anything went wrong during surgery, then I’ll bet Stossel would have his lawyer on the case, and one of the first things checked would be if there were any standard pre-operatives tests or procedures that were not followed.
True. But if he has to go into a *rehab* facility, for any reason. Holy Cow! He’ll wish he was back in the hospital. Long-term care facilities are dreadful.
My grandmother also died of complications from lung cancer. She never smoked, but as I was sitting in her house talking about how she never smoked, my eyes were irritated and the smoke of smell from her leaky old fireplace insert was annoying. I wondered at the time if that may have contributed and if I had done more to make sure that her house was smoke free if that might have helped keep her from getting sick.
I like Stossel.
But is he reliable?
http://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2016/03/23/the-art-of-trump-n2137941
I had surgery in a hospital near Boston that I won’t name (but there was a TV show about it) on March 15, 2001. Beware the Ides of March. The staff never answered the bell, and were bored and uncommunicative when they did happen by (by accident? Lost?) from time to time. I was in the room alone, because the previous occupant had left early.
I also left early, which finally got their attention. A hospital administrator came by and coldly interrogated me about why I was leaving. I refused to tell her anything except that they seemed to be understaffed. She was livid.
Hospitals in Boston have excellent reputations.
The few times i had to be in NY hospitals, they were not good experiences at all- a simple operation turned out to be a nightmare- nurses were not very nice on whole- and it was like a manufacturer plant- where it just seemed you were more a paycheck to them than a person
Having said that though- Boston wasn’t much better- even though the surgeon was better- Maine was pretty good but not as experienced as Boston surgeons - but the care afterwards was better in Maine- NY just plain sucked in my cases- One was so bad I had to be readmitted because the surgery was done wrong- antoehr time I also had to be readmitted because of issues related to the procedure where stitches failed- And this was before all this obamacare crap came into being- I imagine it’s even worse now-
And the nurses? Wow- talk about bad bedside manners=- Of course not all of them- some were nice, but many were really pretty horrible-
When my wife had surgery on her neck after a bad car accident, the experience was so bad that it would take pages and pages to describe completely. When we got the bill it was super expensive, so I demanded an itemized list. It was riddled with errors. We were charged $300 four times for a C-Collar that was literally worth less than $20. I called the insurance company and they said that if I had a problem with it that I needed to contact the hospital and straighten it out with them. After fighting with them for a year, the bill was reduced by half. There were still dozens of problems, but I finally got tired of fighting with them and none of it made any difference with the amount that we were responsible for. But the whole process was insane.
Good idea about having someone with you. If you aren’t thinking straight because of the stress, maybe a friend or relative will have the presence of mind to speak up and ask questions. Also, even if you are calm cool and collected, one can’t think of everything. It’s definitely and imperfect system...anything with humans involved will always be so.
He’s right. I needed a medical test. Repeat customer for both the doctor and the facility. Had to fill out a medical history (at least they are all pretty much online around here, no more filling out by hand) for the doctor, and an almost identical set of forms for the facility. With information that should already be in my files.
The doctor’s office calculated the estimated out of pocket and told me I had to pay that 3 business days before surgery. Turned out, I had to drive over there so they could copy the info from my credit card, but they don’t actually put the charge through until the day of the test. No reason they couldn’t have swiped the card when I showed up for the test.
Yeah, complaining about overtreating cancer is taking the libertarian angle too far...which wouldn’t be the first time libertarians took things too far.
I had some "routine" blood tests on record from several months prior to taking a new medication with great potential for side effects. These tests proved that an anomaly seen after taking the new medication was probably not caused by the medication. Otherwise, my treatment might have been needlessly modified, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the new medication.
Humans are extremely complicated machines and it is almost impossible to have too much data.
Customer Service is next to non existent in US health care today... Doctors are too busy making sure everything gets into the EMR that they barely even make eye contact when you get them in the same room with you.
Budgets and resources are cut to the absolute minimums because that’s the only way admins know how to get better margins, so if you need a resource, enjoy your wait getting it. etc etc etc....
Yes, they follow their protocols and deliver good clinical service, but being “treated” as a person, is largely gone.
He should have checked in at Stanford University Hospital. They have a model for service to not only the patient, but next of kin as well that is simply light years above anything I’ve ever seen before. No wonder it ranks #1 in California. Based on my experience, it should be #1 in the country. When their $2 billion new hospital is finished next year, it will be a 22nd Century operation.
I pray for Stossels quick recovery
I think it is a complicated combination of factors, irritants and genetic propensity may be only two.
Her father was a carpenter who died of lung cancer in his 80s but never smoked.
Her mom outlived him by nearly 10 years and did not have cancer.
IOW, you just don't know, but it is entirely possible it might not have made much difference either way.
Thank you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.