Another excellent read on our healthcare crisis from another ER doc.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09284/1004304-109.stm
I can personally attest to seeing ambulance rides for marijuana abuse, alcohol abuse, cold symptoms, 1 episode of vomiting, a toothache, and cold symptoms that your mother would have made you chicken soup for. And those are just off the top of my head. I have a colleague who took care of a patient who called an ambulance for "dirty steri-strips".
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Culture Crisis
The following was an email forwarded to me. (pardon the formatting errors)
Dear Mr. President:>> During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the> pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny> gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and> costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who> chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.>> While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that> her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the> patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes> every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.>> And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health> care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result> of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the> result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly> acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care> of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture> based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because> someone else will always take care of me".>> Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility> and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care> difficulties will disappear.>> Respectfully,>> STARNER JONES, MD>
It was not quite accurate but the original article was a letter to a local newspaper from a real ER doc. You can find it here:
http://spotlight.vitals.com/2009/10/dr-roger-starner-jones-muses-crisis-culture/
Being an ER doc myself, I couldn't agree more. My colleagues and I have endless stories about people who think the world owes them while they do not take care of themselves. It's both sad and extremely frustrating at the same time.
Dear Mr. President:>> During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the> pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny> gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and> costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who> chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.>> While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that> her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the> patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes> every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.>> And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health> care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result> of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the> result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly> acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care> of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture> based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because> someone else will always take care of me".>> Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility> and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care> difficulties will disappear.>> Respectfully,>> STARNER JONES, MD>
It was not quite accurate but the original article was a letter to a local newspaper from a real ER doc. You can find it here:
http://spotlight.vitals.com/2009/10/dr-roger-starner-jones-muses-crisis-culture/
Being an ER doc myself, I couldn't agree more. My colleagues and I have endless stories about people who think the world owes them while they do not take care of themselves. It's both sad and extremely frustrating at the same time.
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