7
« on: July 19, 2006, 02:17:39 PM »
If you think it's a bad thing that 6 of your friends had C-sections, then why not encourage them to birth at home, as you did? Are all of their babies healthy?
A few reasons why the mortality rate could be higher with hospital, MD assisted births (versus home births): hospital deliveries include most of t he high-risk pregnancies, mid-wives will not accept these cases (it's difficult enough for mid-wives to practice in the first place). Also, there are just more germs in the hospital, and we all have to take that risk when we decide to go into a hospital for whatever reason.
The 1:5 mortality rate because of childbirth was a long time ago, like a couple hundred years ago, this was before we had safe C-sections and antibiotics. This is what I read in nursing school, and it's pretty much common knowledge.
I am not saying that it is "fair" for a patient to form a blood clot. Many times, particuarly with newer medications, we are not aware of all of the risks. Just look at Celebrex. And that laser eye treatment- the long term effects of it have yet to be seen.
I do think patients should sign waivers. Either that, or we just need serious malpractice lawsuit reforms.
As I have said before, people need to understand that our bodies are not computers, they will not always respond as we would like.
Additionally, there are risks in everything, including herbal treatments, ect... Just what "safer methods of treatment that carry no risk" are you talking about?
While I do not know specifically how much cash is paid out every year in malpractice awards, I do know the effects that malpractice suits bring on each and every doctor, healthcare provider, hospital, clinic and practice.
By the way, do you know the number of lawsuits brought against doctors/hospitals each year? I don't, but I figure that with the sort of money awarded to the plaintiffs in these cases (such as Celebrex, manufacture ordered to pay $250 million to one person) we only need one or two cases a year to have the kind of effects on healthcare that I see every day.
About billing fraud... I know one doctor who was investigated by Blue Cross Blue Sheild for "erroneous" billings. Yeah, the guy was a greedy jerk. I went to see him once for a suspected UTI... he wanted to do an abdominal xray (to rule out kidney stones), plus give me iv fluids! Totally ridiculous.
As I have said before, if you are a greedy jerk looking to make tons of money, medicine is not the field to go into. Most doctors know that going in, they don't expect to become super-wealthy, just to have a stable, challening career with a comfortable income.
My boyfriend (who is a doctor) was told that all doctors should expect an average of 2 lawsuits brought against them during their careers.
Most of these lawsuits are frivilous or not legitimate, so as a result, most of these lawsuits are dismissed. However, these lawsuits can have a profound effect in the psyche of the doctor, shaking their confidence, weakening the trust and relationship between doctor/patient, and driving up malpractice insurance rates.
I do not think that George Bush has honorable intentions in wanting to reform malpratice. He (and you too, Deborah) understands nothing about the actual practice of medicine. No offense. And by the way, if you were to come to my boyfriend's practice, I would advise him not to take you as a patient.