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VIP vs. General Population 

Although the baby boomer generations of the 1960’s are in the retirement stages of their lives, it seems that some of the younger population has taken on the role as the baby boomers of today. These elite groups of baby boomers are among the wealthy of the population ranging from movie stars to singers and young entrepreneurs.  Recently, one of Hollywood’s wealthiest couples gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital (Grossberg, 2012). Singer, song writer, and actress Beyonce and music mogul rapper Jay- Z Carter were yet again in the spotlight; however they were not there in good spirits. Both mother and father were in the spotlight due to accusations of causing unpleasant birth for other parents within the hospital. New mothers and patients of the hospital have stated they were mistreated by the hospital staff and the Carter’s security team. Some parents claimed they were moved to different rooms, asked to leave the neonatal ICU and others claimed their birthing and breastfeeding classes were canceled due to the birth of baby Carter. Contrary to the reports, hospitals officials denies the claims of the treatment to the other mothers and further denies the claims that the Carter family rented out a section of the hospital for their personal use (Grossberg, 2012).

This article is one of many that surface when hospitals are caring for wealthy patients. Examples such as the birth of baby Carter promote ethical issues that hospitals have to deal with every day. However, not only do famous patients receive special treatment, hospitals also are accused of providing elite care for patients such as financial donors of the hospital, trustees’ family members, and board of trustee members. Although it is important that the privacy of any patient is protected, every patient should be treated equally when seeking care regardless of their social status. Therefore if hospitals are making special arrangement for wealthier patients, I believe that these hospitals need to be held accountable and policies need to be implemented to ensure that this does not continue to happen.

References:

Grossberg, J. (2012, January 09). Retrieved from http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45934223/ns/today-entertainment/t/hospital-denies-beyonce-rented-whole-floor-birth/

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Higher quality equals higher cost…

Hospitals strive to provide a high standard of quality when providing care to their patients. Many hospitals are working to revamp their quality improvement standards by becoming patient centered and advancing the patient experience. Millions of dollars are going into hospital renovations, new technology, training programs for personnel and new treatments for patients suffering from terminal diseases such as cancer, HIV, and heart disease. With the advancements being made to the quality of care patients are receiving, one has to wonder what the effect of higher quality will have on the cost of patient care, after all someone has to foot the bill. For example, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States therefore researchers and cardiologist have made and continue to make advancements in the study of treating, preventing and curing patients suffering from the disease. Over the years the treatment of heart disease has evolved from oxygen and morphine to cardiac catheterizations, angioplasties, and the placement of a medicated stent. The cost of these treatments has also evolved from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars.

However, the advancing of treatment is not the issue. The problem lies within the organization where the treatments take place. Two hospitals located in the same city can charge different amounts for the same treatment just because they are ranked higher in quality than the other. Although the service that you receive at one facility is exactly the same as another, hospitals will charge more to cover the cost of the patient experience.

Therefore, one has to wonder if the patient experience is worth the added cost of the service. Does a better hospital experience really help the patient’s recovery process? After volunteering at several locations where patient experience was a priority and facilities where patient experience was not so important, I can agree that higher quality of care does add to the cost but it is well worth it. As a patient, it is comforting to know that the care you receive is centered on you. The healing process is also easier when the environment is comfortable, the staff recognizes the unique needs of individual patients, and the doctors treating you are highly recommended in their field.

Reference:

Brown , D. (2009, July 26). As health-care quality rises, so does price. The Washington Post . Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/25/AR2009072502381.html?sid=ST2009072600012

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Death With Dignity

I recently read an article in the New York Times regarding a family who faced a challenging time in their lives. The article described the life and death of a 60 year old father and husband who taught at a day care center. The man was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as A.L.S. or Lou Gehrig’s disease just two years prior to his death and according to his wife; he was not able to die in the manner he has wished. His wife also stated that her husband wanted to have the option to end his life but did not because “death with dignity” law had not been passed in the state of Massachusetts.  A.L.S. is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. This terminal illness has no course of treatment or hope of recovery.  Before death, the disease can leave the patient totally paralyzed.

The “death with dignity” act was passed in both Oregon in 1997 and Washington in 2009 giving patients suffering from a terminal illness with no hope of recovery the right to receive a lethal medication from a physician to voluntarily end their lives. The wife of the Massachusetts man has hope that this law will be passed in her state so no other family has to go through the same painful death as her husband. However, Catholic’s heavily populate the state of Massachusetts and are opposed to the direct, intentional, and purposeful taking of a human life. Therefore if the law ends up on the ballot in November, advocates for the law may have a difficult time retrieving votes.

This law poses and ethical dilemma between pro life advocates and death with dignity advocates. Pro life advocates believe that the passing of voluntary killing will promote involuntary killing in the future. Whereas dignity advocates believe that with proper restrictions on the drug and qualifications to receive the drug, patients will have the right to die with dignity and peace.

Like many people, I am on the fence about passing the law. Taking the life of a human whether it’s voluntary or involuntary is still ultimately ending a life, and that goes against everything many of us have been taught. Who are we to decide when it’s time to die? Does this mean we are trying to play God or any other higher being one may serve? For now, I will remain on the fence about the decision, for one may never be able to decide unless we are put into a situation such as the wife and husband of Massachusetts.

Link to New York Times Article:

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/massachusetts-debates-death-with-dignity/?ref=health

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What is quality in healthcare?

There is no single definition of quality as it can be defined differently depending on the situation it pertains to. However, there are some common factors that are universal when it comes to measuring quality regardless of the entity.  For instance, there are different grades of quality in relation to products, services and customer experiences. Each element of quality can then be broken down into different factors. For example, the quality of a product such as food can be determined but the look, feel, smell, and taste of the item. The presentation of the food is the first impression, whether the food looks and smells edible as well as whether the food is cooked to the right temperature will affect the quality measurements drawn by the consumer.  Another factor that affects the quality would be the service rendered. Sticking with the food example, the service will be an important part of the quality test. Consumers want to know that there food was handled with clean hands and prepared on clean surfaces while simultaneously have fast service with exceptional servers. Finally, the over customer experience has a tremendous effect on quality.  Each element has to flow with one another to create a positive customer experience. For example, if a restaurant has incredible food but the service from their staff is horrible and the wait times are too long, the restaurant will receive poor quality reviews from consumers. For this reason, it is important for restaurants owners to put a emphasis on consumer satisfaction with the food, the service and the environment in which they operate.

The same elements of quality go for the field healthcare. Within healthcare, quality of care is the degree to which health service for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge (Ransom, Joshi, Nash & Ransom, 2009).  Healthcare affiliates alike agree that healthcare should be safe, effective, efficient, timely, patient, centered and equitable (Ransom, Joshi, Nash & Ransom, 2009).  These six elements can have a drastic affect on patient satisfaction and the quality results within the hospital.

Within my internship during my undergrad experience I got a chance to work with the department of volunteer services at a hospital here in Orlando. Before I became an active intern, I did not realize how much volunteers actually contributed to the overall quality of the hospital. The director of volunteer services along with hospital administration has changed the duties of an active volunteer. As a volunteer, you are taken through a process which ensures that you are first and foremost focused on patient centered care. Your process includes orientation, accountability statements, trainings, and observations to ensure that you are helping the patient have an overall great customer experience. With all of these steps you are taught to tackle the 3 universal factors of quality, delivering a great product with impeccable service while simultaneously improving the customer experience. With that being said the quality of healthcare for patients at that particular hospital have skyrocketed simply because administration understands the need for quality and the affects it can have on the hospital as a whole.

Reference:

Ransom, E., Joshi, M., Nash, D., & Ransom, B. (2009). The healthcare quality book, vision, strategy, and tools. (2 ed.). Washington, DC: Health Administration Pr.