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I've been amused over the back-and-forth letter writing about the U.S. health care system. Without getting into the morass of what is right or wrong in terms of the system, I found Mrs. Hertzberg's account of what supposedly happened to her nephew pretty darned unbelievable.
Mrs. Hertzberg stated (SDN, June 3): “After receiving hospital care for three days, he was deemed to be recovered, and wheeled out to the hospital entrance, where he was unceremoniously dumped on the curb … He was given no instructions for treatment or any appointments for follow-up care ...”
Having been in health care for almost 40 years (I worked in two hospitals — setting up the legal department in one — and have consulted for a few dozen), I can say, from a legal and more importantly from an ethical view, that what Mrs. Hertzberg described is, extremely unlikely. So, I'd say there must be more to the tale.
However, I was curious and Goggled the two closest hospitals to Deltona, FL where Mrs. Hertzberg's nephew lives. Here is what I found:
Florida Hospital, Adventist Health System (Orange City, FL): “Your physician (decides) when you are well enough to leave the hospital … Our goal is for each patient to leave the hospital with all the information they may need ... including information about … follow-up visits. Upon discharge, a hospital employee or volunteer will escort you to the exit ... ”
Central Florida Regional Hospital (Sanford, FL) has a similar policy. These policies are typical of every hospital I've worked in. Not having similar policies would place a hospital at legal risk if something happened to a discharged patient — something no hospital staff member wants.
Of the dozens of hospitals I've worked in, and the hundreds of dedicated hospital staff I have worked with, none would do what Mrs. Hertzberg alleges. Some might do discharges better than others, but Mrs. Hertzberg describes an unbelievable situation.
On last point: “Universal health care” is available to everyone. It's just at a high cost since federal law mandates that anyone, U.S. citizen or not, going to a hospital emergency room be evaluated and treated if medically necessary (yes, they do get a very high bill, many of which cannot be paid, so the costs get shifted to those who can, or who have insurance). Only hospitals which do not accept federal funds — that's less than 1 percent of all hospitals — escape this requirement.
Mrs. Hertzberg stated (SDN, June 3): “After receiving hospital care for three days, he was deemed to be recovered, and wheeled out to the hospital entrance, where he was unceremoniously dumped on the curb … He was given no instructions for treatment or any appointments for follow-up care ...”
Having been in health care for almost 40 years (I worked in two hospitals — setting up the legal department in one — and have consulted for a few dozen), I can say, from a legal and more importantly from an ethical view, that what Mrs. Hertzberg described is, extremely unlikely. So, I'd say there must be more to the tale.
However, I was curious and Goggled the two closest hospitals to Deltona, FL where Mrs. Hertzberg's nephew lives. Here is what I found:
Florida Hospital, Adventist Health System (Orange City, FL): “Your physician (decides) when you are well enough to leave the hospital … Our goal is for each patient to leave the hospital with all the information they may need ... including information about … follow-up visits. Upon discharge, a hospital employee or volunteer will escort you to the exit ... ”
Central Florida Regional Hospital (Sanford, FL) has a similar policy. These policies are typical of every hospital I've worked in. Not having similar policies would place a hospital at legal risk if something happened to a discharged patient — something no hospital staff member wants.
Of the dozens of hospitals I've worked in, and the hundreds of dedicated hospital staff I have worked with, none would do what Mrs. Hertzberg alleges. Some might do discharges better than others, but Mrs. Hertzberg describes an unbelievable situation.
On last point: “Universal health care” is available to everyone. It's just at a high cost since federal law mandates that anyone, U.S. citizen or not, going to a hospital emergency room be evaluated and treated if medically necessary (yes, they do get a very high bill, many of which cannot be paid, so the costs get shifted to those who can, or who have insurance). Only hospitals which do not accept federal funds — that's less than 1 percent of all hospitals — escape this requirement.
