Showing posts with label hospitals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospitals. Show all posts

Monday, April 16, 2018

Government Subsidized Medicine Bankrupt Hospitals

Government Subsidized Medicine Bankrupt Hospitals | medical-bills | General Health Government Medical & Health Special Interests


Hospitals are now government subsidized monopolies. They have little to do with improving the health of patients but have everything to do with dispensing pharmaceutical industry drugs and treatments. The net result is that small and rural hospitals must merge into mega facilities in order to achieve economy of scale or close altogether because fewer Americans can afford health insurance coverage. Federal and State subsidizes are mounting in a futile attempt to pay for the deficits that arise in providing medical costs for an aging population. This formula has only one outcome, BANKRUPTCY.


At the core of the failed medical culture is the reliance on chemical compounds plagued by dire side effect prescriptions and marketed as miracle drugs. Often the only marvel is that a patient does not die quicker. In order to achieve a healthy lifestyle, the food diet and digested requires a fundamental revamping of what is eaten, how it is processed and most important, what to avoid.


This approach conflicts with the incessant drive to create even bigger bureaucracies and more complex regulations and requirements for access to medical services.


Basing this system on an insurance model guarantees insolvency of a private sector delivery system. Government is all too eager to assume (using their flawed general welfare claim) that schemes like Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare are necessary to pay for and provide medical coverage. The fact that this argument simply does not work should be self-evident.


Hospitals project that their form of treatments are proven. The problem is that their notion of tested practices usually ends up in a body bag. Government funding for Ayurvedic, Homeopath, Massage therapist, Hypnotherapist, Naturopath and Osteopath physicians/practitioner are usually outside the protective cocoon of the administrative boards and foundations connected with medical citadels.


Therapy using alternative methods demand that a sick person or one seeking treatment for some illness mostly pay out of pocket. Around 40 percent of Americans lacked dental insurance at the end of 2012, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. That’s compared to 12.9 percent without health insurance, according to the latest figures from Gallup – May 20, 2015.


If the consumer was actually paying with their own funds for the services and fees administered, the marketplace of costs would be much more responsive to a real or perceived benefit. Hospitals for outpatient care add substantial expense and ridiculous administrative overhead for procedures that have been drive up by the excessive rate amounts approved by government programs.


Medical treatment demands a negotiated agreement between the patient and those who practice the art/science of healing. In this age of the breakdown in rational medical delivery, the unsustainable fiasco of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has destroyed the last refuge of even the appearance of cost-effective medicine.


Only a repudiation of the bloated and unaccountable government oversight administration has even a slight chance to establishing a market based relationship between patient invoicing and effective and reduced costs for services.


Hospitals could rent out physical space, labs, examination rooms and treatment facilities to independent physicians or practitioners who would apply their expertise in consultation with the patient. Charges for such services would be the responsibility of those suffering from an illness. In this manner a balance in the relationship that reflects an agreed to value would have the effect to keep invoicing realistic.


Government subsidies only drive up costs. Mega hospitals by consolidating and closing down their rivals add layers of bureaucratic inefficiency and unaccountability, while diminishing choice for treatment with every closing or liquidation.


If patients added up the cumulative billing for hospital, doctor and prescription drugs, and paid such bills with their own funds; they surely would become educated consumers. Saving from opting out of medical insurance would accumulate over the years and grow for the time when such funds might be needed to satisfy whatever treatment option is sought.


The myth that society has a responsibility to make available whatever treatment procedure to cure, prolong or experiment using government funds has guaranteed that national bankruptcy is the inevitable prognosis. Fostering the conditions that close hospital competition is simply developing the “too big to fail” theory applied to medical treatment.


And where is the doctor outrage in this formula? Lawsuit fights “existential threat” to medical staff independence illustrates the trend to squeeze out the last blood dollar from the artificial and government sponsored hospital model.


“The suits stems from actions taken Jan. 26, 2016, when the Tulare Regional Medical Center (TRMC) board of directors voted to terminate the hospital’s medical staff organization and effectively remove the hospital’s elected medical staff officers, install a slate of appointed officers, and approve new medical staff bylaws and rules drafted without staff input.


Except for the newly appointed officers, the rest of the staff was then terminated, stripped of their rights as active members and then granted “provisional” status as part of the new medical staff which they had not applied or consented to membership with, according to a post-trial brief filed by the TRMC Medical Staff.


The replacement bylaws also contained a provision, since amended, that physicians could achieve and maintain “active” status by proving their economic value to the hospital, according to the brief—which described that provision as “basically, an illegal kickback scheme.”


“If you could imagine hospital medical staff bylaws written by hospital lawyers, this is what they would look like,” Do said. “Doctors shouldn’t be making decisions on patient care based on hospital profitability.”


The net result is to force out the regional, rural or independent facilities and structure the supra corporate hospital into a partnership with government, where other clinics need not apply. This Is not exactly a M*A*S*H, medical emergency unit, but more closely resembles a sanatorium of demented technocrats. Save health services by converting them into alternative medicine facilities. Cancel your health insurance and start saving to pay for a future illness. Get government out of the health care business and return sanity so the sick can decide just what treatment they want.


The post Government Subsidized Medicine Bankrupt Hospitals appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

Expert: Russia Launched Cyber Warfare Against UK With ‘Dirty Tricks’


In response to an attack on Syria, Russia has launched a cyberwar against the United Kingdom. This “dirty trick” campaign will be against the United States as well, and Boris Johnson, the UK’s Foreign Secretary says retaliation plans against Russia should be made now.


According to The Telegraph UK, Whitehall sources on Sunday night confirmed a Pentagon analysis that showed a 20-fold increase in Russian-sourced “disinformation” being spread online since the cruise missile attacks on Syria in the early hours of Saturday. This ramped up the fears that it could be a precursor to a campaign of cyber attacks by the Kremlin, and the Foreign Secretary said Britain must take “every possible precaution” to guard against it.


The attack on Syria by Western powers has put officials in the UK on edge.  They now feel that Russia will retaliate with a cyber attack against UK hospitals and other services including air traffic control, and one expert believes such an attack is imminent.  Counter-terrorism expert Michael Clarke, who specializes in defense studies, has urged the public to be ready for “cyber warfare” within the next two or three weeks.


“I suspect Russia will choose not to respond in military terms. But cyber warfare is highly likely,” said Clarke.  “It will be an attack on national infrastructure, not just upsetting city firms, but getting inside the transport system, or the health system, or air traffic control. It could affect everyone.”


The UK, US, and France launched 105 missiles at suspected chemical weapons sites in three strikes in Damascus and near Homs on Saturday, and Russian President Putin warned that the US-led strike against Syria would result in “consequences” against the Allied forces, without stating what they would be.


Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, the UK foreign secretary said relations between both countries (the UK and Russia) had severely declined in the wake of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, and Saturday’s missile air strikes in Damascus and Homs.  Johnson also stressed the “limits” of the intervention were to stop an apparent erosion of the “taboo” of chemical weapons. “The rest of the Syrian war must proceed as it will,” he said, adding that the “primary purpose is to say no to the use of barbaric chemical weapons.” Johnson added that he did not know how Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would respond, saying that if there was a repeat chemical attack, “clearly, with allies, we would study what the options were.”The NHS has proven to be a weak target for cyber attacks in the past.  With an already failing socialist healthcare system, any cyber warfare could be fatal for the UK’s hospitals which are on life support now. 

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Modern Physician: A Glorified Applied Pharmacologist?

The Modern Physician: A Glorified Applied Pharmacologist? | medications-doctor-pills-medical | Big Pharma General Health Medical & Health Sleuth Journal Special Interests


I snapped this picture on the way to the grocery store the other day, and was struck by how perfectly the ‘thousand words’ it spoke matched up with my opinion on what people should do if ever they are tempted to visit a pharmacy for anything other than necessary items, such as a nail file or diapers, namely: STOP!


Why am I so repugnant to the concept of frequenting these dispensary institutions? The fact that they not only sell cigarettes, but feature them at the front counter, forcing those who may actually need a pill or two to hobble all the way to the back to fetch them, figures somewhere into my sentiment.  The fact that they are proliferating like metastatic nodules in any area with a population sufficiently sick and/or over-medicated enough to support one (and sometimes two!) on each and every block, has something to do with the way I feel as well.


But are the pharmacies really to blame? They largely fill orders placed by…


The Modern Day Physician: A Glorified, Applied Pharmacologist


Ok, so we have billions of pounds of synthetic chemicals consumed every year as patented drugs, with an army of degreed, licensed and doctored foot soldiers prescribing them recklessly under the once great banner of “medicine,” in an ongoing war against the body’s virtually infinite capability to generate symptoms, most of which are – ironically – attempts to heal from acute or chronic exposure to synthetic chemicals.


This situation didn’t happen overnight, mind you. Over 250 years ago, Voltaire penned these words, which still ring so true today:



Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing. — Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (1760)



Really, the modern day physician has transmogrified into a technician of the body-as-machine (a 500 year old, dead “Cartesian” concept, mind you), and is practicing what can best be described as a glorified form of applied pharmacology.


While administering xenobiotic chemicals to people is a valid discipline, with life-saving potential in extreme cases where a poison is needed to whack an over-stimulated system back away from the edge of self-destruction (which is why mercury and lead were used as medicines in ancient times, as well), applied pharmacology is not medicine, which is to say a discipline concerned with the healing of the body, or better yet, facilitating bodily self-healing; nor is the doctor any longer an educator, rather, more a well-paid appendage of the global fine chemicals, biologics and pharmaceuticals industries, directing the secretion of their product in such a way as to maximize profit, limit liability, and suppress the patient symptoms without (hopefully) killing them in the process.


So, where does that leave us? The amorphous, unlicensed, non-expert, mass of lay-persons, who by virtue of bodily incarnation will at some point or another need to address and/or resolve a symptom of disease, but who do not have the wherewithal, or even a legal right to make treatment decisions for themselves, (e.g. medical marijuana) or their loved ones (e.g. mandatory vaccines & chemotherapy).


The Physician As The Priest of the Body


Most of us, either from the moment of birth (usually in a hospital, and not the ideal way: at home with a midwife), or from infanthood onward, are enculturated to perceive the medical doctor as the “priest of the body,” solely capable and legally empowered to determine the course of life and death, both in times of health and mortal illness. Indeed, the original meaning of the word doctor comes from “Church father” (medieval French) or “religious teacher” (Latin), and still today, they elicit an unquestioning faith in their authority that defies reason, especially considering how many patients they kill from correctly prescribed medicine each year — 106,000 a year, according to a 1998 meta-analysis published in JAMA.


The modern-day drug-based medical dictatorship and its overarching power structure has a cult-like hold on those who take its two most lauded sacraments: the pharmakeia (Greek word behind pharmaceutical meaning “pill, potion, charm, sorcery, sacrifice, poison”), and ritual vaccinations.



I believe the best way to break the spell is by using the holy grail of the conventional medical model itself, namely: the peer-reviewed, published “scientific evidence,” and particularly those studies which support natural approaches to disease prevention and treatment; and by using that information, both to inform our choices, as well as defend them when they are under intellectual or regulatory assault., we can continue to choose foods, spices, herbs, fresh air, exercise, good company, laughter, etc. as our health care without the specter of scientism or medical monotheism forcing us into its drug- and injection-based model of compulsory treatment.


Utilize The Research You’ve Already Paid For


GreenMedInfo.com exists primarily in order to index, aggregate and disseminate the positive findings on natural – farm-acological – substances that can be found within the ocean of research produced by the biomedical research and publishing industries, whose primary funding sources are Big Pharma, and its handmaiden, world governments, who are increasingly co-opted by billions of dollars of lobbying money, and who are now populated by an army of their former executives, business employees and partners.


World governments, in fact, have even underwritten the risks associated with the countless vaccine-associated injuries that occur every year by virtually eliminating the liabilities of the manufacturers, and those public and private organizations that aggressively promote their use; this, despite the glaring lack of evidence for their purported effectiveness. Private insurers know the epidemic of vaccine-associated injuries is so extensive (e.g. autism) that they stand to lose everything for betting on that horse.


So, considering that YOU have paid for the research, both through government taxation, and the exorbitantly high drug mark-ups (cancer drugs may be as high as 500,000% from cost) that increasingly defraud the public both of their health and their wealth, it is only fitting that you take ownership of it.  In the mad rush to find “lead compounds” from natural sources in order to develop patented, synthetic analogues, Big Pharma has generated – inadvertently – a mountain of evidence supporting the value, if not also the superiority of natural substances vis-à-vis their would-be drug equivalents.


Take our cancer research page, as an example. We have indexed 2600 studies straight from the public domain (NLM’s Medline) on the anti-cancer activity of over 600 natural substances. Remarkably, some of these have potent activity against drug and multi-drug resistant cancers and cancer stem-cells, which are at the root of why modern chemotherapy and radiation treatments not only fail but cause greater malignancy post-treatment.


Were any of these compounds patentable, they would likely have received attention, and some the requisite 800+ million dollars of funding needed to produce the multi-phased human clinical trials the FDA requires before considering drug approval. The fact that the MONEY, and not the intrinsic potential of  a substance to heal, determines whether it will be brought to market, that is, be used to alleviate the suffering of the sick, is a disturbing fact.


Ultimately, it is to our gardens, our spice racks and local markets that we must go to obtain, maintain and sustain our health. We hope that the 19,000 study abstracts on our site, which are available for everyone to view in their entirety, will encourage people to see that farmaceuticals and not (p)harmaceuticals are the future of medicine, if there is to be a future to medicine. Please share the research housed on GreenMedInfo.com with others in need, so our work will not have been performed in vain. Also, if you have not already, please take a look at our turmeric research below for a better understanding of what our project is all about…


© April 1, 2018 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter.


The post The Modern Physician: A Glorified Applied Pharmacologist? appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes, and How You Can Protect Yourself (VIDEO)

25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes, and How You Can Protect Yourself (VIDEO) | surgery-doctors-medical-hospital-healthcare | General Health Medical & Health Multimedia Sleuth Journal Special Interests US News






Story at-a-glance



  • Each day, more than 40,000 harmful and/or lethal medical errors occur in the U.S., and preventable medical errors kill around 440,000 patients each year, making medical mistakes the third leading cause of death

  • One in 25 patients end up acquiring an infection while in the hospital, and 75,000 people per year die as a result

  • Since 1983, 132 newborns have been abducted from U.S. health care facilities, and hundreds of individuals have been caught posing as doctors when, in fact, they did not have a medical degree

  • Misdiagnoses may occur in 10 percent of all cases, and 30 million prescriptions are improperly dispensed each year in U.S. pharmacies

  • Two in 10,000 surgical patients come out of surgery with a surgical instrument left inside, and an estimated seven patients undergo surgery on the wrong body part each and every day







Hospitals are typically thought of as places where lives are saved, but statistics show they’re actually one of the most dangerous places you could possibly enter.1,2 Each day, more than 40,000 harmful and/or lethal medical errors occur, placing the patient in a worse situation than what they came in with.3


According to a 2013 study,4,5 preventable medical errors kill around 440,000 patients each year — more than 10 times the number of deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes. A 2016 study6 calculated the annual death toll to be around 250,000.


Medical Mistakes Are the Third Leading Cause of Death in the US


Either way, medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and have been since at least 2000, when the late Dr. Barbara Starfield published her shocking conclusion that doctors kill 225,000 patients each year. Her findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.7 Ironically, Starfield ended up a statistic herself.


She died suddenly in June 2011, a death her husband attributed to the adverse effects of the blood thinner Plavix taken in combination with aspirin.8 Her death certificate, however, makes no mention of this possibility. Indeed, one of the reasons why many are still surprised by these statistics is due to fundamental flaws in the tracking of medical errors, which has shielded the reality of the situation and kept it out of the public eye.


While there are codes that capture iatrogenic causes of death, published mortality statistics do not take them into account. They only look at the condition that led the individual to seek medical treatment in the first place. As a result, even if a doctor lists medical errors in the death certificate, they are not included in the CDC’s mortality statistics, and without that data, medical mistakes remain a largely hidden problem.


Hospitals Are Hotbeds for Lethal Infections


Hospitals have become particularly notorious for spreading lethal infections. According to 2014 statistics9,10 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 25 patients end up with a hospital-acquired infection, and 75,000 people per year die as a result.11


Earlier research12 has suggested as many as 1 in 10 patients will contract a nosocomial infection, defined as an infection contracted within 48 hours of hospital admission, or within three days of discharge, or within 30 days of an operation. Medicare patients appear to be at greatest risk. According to the 2011 Health Grades Hospital Quality in America Study,13 1 in 9 Medicare patients developed a hospital-acquired infection.


The video above features the Discovery Channel documentary, “Shocking Medical Mistakes: The Empowered Patient,” originally aired in 2016. In it, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen investigates medical mistakes and missed diagnoses, including some of her own experiences as a patient, and what you can do to become an empowered patient and reduce your risk when a hospital stay is necessary.


25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes


As mentioned in the video, medical mistakes occur every single day, and some are more serious than others. Cohen reveals 25 of the most shocking in the following countdown, and how you can protect yourself from becoming a statistic:




























25. Baby security breach


Since 1983, 132 newborns have been abducted from U.S. health care facilities.


Safety tip: Make sure a parent or nurse is present with the child at all times while in the hospital.


24. Fake doctors, aka “prestige fraud”14


Believe it or not, hundreds of individuals have been caught posing as doctors when, in fact, they did not have a medical degree.


Safety tip: Make sure your doctor is a licensed physician in your state. For help, see CertificationMatters.org.15


23. Treating the wrong patient


This mistake typically happens when patients have similar names and the doctor or nurse fails to double-check all of the patient’s data before administering treatment.


Safety tip: Before every procedure, including drug administration, make sure the staff checks your full name, date of birth and the barcode on your wrist band, to ensure correct treatment.


22. Pharmacy mix-ups


According to the National Patient Safety Foundation, 30 million prescriptions are improperly dispensed each year in U.S. pharmacies.


Safety tip: Before you leave the pharmacy, ask the pharmacist to confirm that the medication is the correct one, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the look of the pills, and that you’ve received the correct dosage. Also verify that the label has your name on it.


21. Botched plastic surgery


Any number of things can go wrong when you go under the knife, and death is a potential side effect even of plastic surgery.


Safety tip: Make sure your surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. You may also want to check whether your surgeon has any malpractice suits filed against him or her. Most state medical boards provide this information free of charge.


You can find a list of state medical boards on the Federation of State Medical Boards website.16 Another source is the Administrators in Medicine,17 a nonprofit organization that compiles licensing and disciplinary information from each state’s medical board.


20. Incorrect drug dosages


One of the most frequent mistakes occur in pediatrics. A child given an adult dose of a medication can have life-threatening consequences. According to the Joint Commission, hospital personnel stock medication in the wrong places 4 percent of the time, which can lead to incorrect dosage or drug being administered if the nurse or doctor fails to carefully inspect the package before administration.


Safety tip: Ask for a daily list of medication and dosages that you are supposed to receive during your hospital stay, and double-check each medication before taking it or allowing it to be administered.


19. Toxic transplants


As noted by transplant surgeon Dr. Lloyd Ratner, any given organ donor could be a carrier of one of several thousands of pathogens. The case highlighted in the video is that of an 18-year-old kidney recipient who died of rabies. It turns out the organ donor had been bitten by an infected bat. All of the organ recipients contracted rabies from the infected organs and died. In the U.S., more than 100 organ recipients have died from toxic transplants.


Safety tip: If you become sicker after receiving a transplant, ask if other recipients are also getting ill. Early diagnosis and treatment may save your life.


18. Improper or careless discharge


A man having just undergone brain surgery is packed into a cab, which drops him off in an unfamiliar neighborhood on a rainy day wearing nothing but a hospital gown and socks. When he was too confused to remember his own address, two Samaritans eventually got him home safely.


Safety tip: If you’re scheduled for surgery, find out when you’re scheduled for discharge ahead of time and make sure someone you know is there to take you home.


17. Ambulance errors


Any number of errors can occur on the way to the hospital, but first the ambulance must actually get to you. Patients have died due to the ambulance being dispatched to an incorrect address.


Safety tip: When calling for an ambulance, if possible, slowly and clearly state and spell the street address.


16. Lost patients


This typically occurs in nursing home facilities, where dementia patients may wander off the premises. One in 5 nursing home patients is prone to wandering. In one case, an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s was found after a four-day-long manhunt, locked inside a storage closet on the premises. She died shortly thereafter from dehydration.


Safety tip: If you have a loved one who is prone to wander, get them a GPS bracelet so you can track their whereabouts.


15. Surgical “souvenirs”


Surgical sponges, steel clamps and surgical retractors are but a few of the items that have been left inside patients undergoing surgery. According to one estimate, 2 in 10,000 surgical patients come out of surgery with a “souvenir” left inside.


Safety tip: Before surgery, remind hospital staff to count the number of items used, to make sure all surgical items are accounted for before you’re stitched up. Should you experience unexpected fever, pain or swelling following your surgery, ask your doctor to double-check if equipment has accidentally been left inside you.


14. Babies accidentally switched after birth


As with patients receiving the wrong treatment, this mistake typically occurs if two mothers have the same or similar name.


Safety tip: When a nurse brings your baby, ask him or her to match the baby’s identification bracelet to yours.


13. Deadly air bubbles


A young man dies when a nurse fails to follow proper procedure for removal of a central line tube in his chest, allowing air to enter his bloodstream. In one hospital intensive care unit, improperly removed central lines caused 10 air embolisms in a single year.


Safety tip: If you have a central line, before removal, confirm the proper procedure is about to be followed. A copy of the nursing protocol for the removal of central lines can be found on ctsnet.org.18 Standard procedure protocols for central line removal in adults and pediatrics can also be found on health.ucsd.edu.19


12. Misdiagnosis


Research suggests misdiagnoses may occur in 10 percent of all cases.


Safety tip: Trust your instincts. If you believe your doctor has missed something or misdiagnosed you, get a second opinion.


11. Receiving the wrong blood type during transfusion


During surgery, you will typically need a blood transfusion. The blood you receive — A, B or O, positive or negative — must match yours, as your body will interpret mismatched blood as a foreign invader. One of every 19,000 units of blood is incorrectly administered in the U.S.


Safety tip: Know your blood type and, if possible, verify that the blood bags you’re about to receive are a match. If you cannot see the bags ahead of time, ask hospital staff to verify they have your blood type correct prior to surgery.


10. Surgical equipment causing internal burns


A malfunction in the monitoring cable inserted through the heart during a routine bypass surgery causes the cable to heat up, cooking part of the patient’s heart, causing irreparable damage.


It sounds unbelievable, but it happened. The patient had to receive a full heart transplant. Lasers and flammable gases used in surgery can also cause unexpected burns. These kinds of errors are typically the result of multiple mistakes, not just one. Still, some 240 surgical fires are reported in American hospitals each year.


Safety tip: If undergoing surgery, ask what type of equipment will be used, and how you will be protected from lasers, cables and flammable gases.


9. Medical tube mix-ups


Feeding tubes and central line tubes look a lot alike, but knowing which is which is absolutely crucial when it comes time to administer nutrients or medication through the feeding tube. In the example shown in the video, medication meant for a young child’s stomach was administered into her vein, via the central line. The child died. Sixteen percent of doctors and nurses report being aware of tube mix-ups happening at their hospitals.


Safety tip: If you have more than one tube, ask medical staff to trace the tube back to its site of origin, each and every time a medication is administered to ensure the correct one is being used.


8. Switched biopsies


As many as 1 in 1,000 lab specimens is mislabeled. One 35-year-old woman got a double mastectomy due to her biopsy being switched with another woman’s. She got a second opinion, but the error was not caught because the second doctor simply based his findings on the original, mixed-up lab work.


Safety tip: If in doubt, ask to have the biopsy repeated and/or get a second (or third) opinion.


7. Receiving the wrong eggs in fertility treatment


Women undergoing fertility treatment face the unusual possibility of receiving the wrong woman’s eggs. In one case, eggs from two women with the same last name were accidentally switched. In this instance, the woman carried the baby to term, then adopted the baby boy out to his real parents.


Safety tip: Be very careful in your selection of a fertility clinic. Make sure the clinic is accredited by the College of American Pathologists.


6. Operating on the wrong body part


In the U.S., an estimated seven patients undergo surgery on the wrong body part each and every day.


Safety tip: Before surgery, confirm the correct location of the surgery — both body part and side — with the nurse and surgeon. Also make sure the surgeon has clearly marked the correct site. Considering the frequency at which this mistake occurs, do not be shy about doing this.


5. Unsafe radiation


Incorrectly programmed and calibrated CT scans can deliver an unsafe dose of radiation. The video shows three patients whose CT scans resulted in the loss of hair in a ring around their head. It turns out the machine was incorrectly calibrated, delivering eight times the normal dose of radiation. These patients now also face the possibility of getting brain cancer at some point in the future.


Safety tip: Whenever possible, opt for an ultrasound or MRI instead of a CT scan, as they do not use ionizing radiation to produce the image.


4. Hospital-acquired infections


Not only will 1 in 25 hospital patients contract an infection, many of these infectious pathogens are now resistant to all antibiotics. Antibiotic overuse, especially in agriculture, has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).


Hospital-acquired infections kill 75,000 patients each year in the U.S. — a death toll that could be significantly reduced simply by following proper handwashing protocols. Doctors and nurses should wash their hands and/or change gloves between each patient. Patients should also wash their hands frequently.


Safety tip: Each time hospital staff enters your room, ask them to wash their hands and change gloves. Bacteria can spread from their hands to tables, bed rails, bedding, wound dressings, catheters and, of course, your skin if they touch you. You may then contract the bacteria if you touch a contaminated area.


3. Metal in the MRI room


An MRI machine is an exceptionally powerful magnet, which is why no metals are allowed to be brought into the room. In one case, a hospital worker walks into the MRI room carrying an oxygen tank while a young boy is getting scanned. The tank flies across the room, delivering a lethal blow to the boy’s head. While exceedingly rare, an investigation reveals it is not the sole case on record.


Safety tip: When getting an MRI, make sure there is no metal on, in or around you, anywhere in the room. Metal implants must be reported prior to getting an MRI.


2. Excessive emergency room wait times


Emergency rooms are normally busy places, and personnel must make hundreds if not thousands of potentially critical decisions each day. It can be easy to miss the signs of critical illness, especially if the condition is rare.


In one case, a five-hour wait resulted in a baby girl requiring amputation of both hands and legs, as personnel failed to realize the critical nature of her condition. It turns out her body was being ravaged by flesh-eating bacteria. According to the CDC, the average emergency room wait time is 49 minutes.


Safety tip: If you suspect you or a loved one is in critical condition and need immediate attention, call your family physician before or on the way to the hospital, and ask him or her to call the emergency room on your behalf. This way, the staff know you’re on your way and that it’s truly serious.


1. Waking up during surgery (anesthesia awareness)


Last but not least, a nightmare come true: You wake up during surgery and feel every poke, prod and cut, but cannot move or make a sound.


“Anesthesia awareness,” the technical term for waking up during surgery, happens when you receive an inadequate dose of anesthesia, allowing your brain to remain aware while paralyzing your muscles. Here, the statistics are discouraging: 1 in 1,000 patients reportedly suffer anesthesia awareness. Fortunately, most of these do not feel pain.


Safety tip: If you need surgery, ask your surgeon if you really need anesthesia or if a local anesthetic would be sufficient.

Safeguarding Your Care While Hospitalized



Once you’re hospitalized, you’re immediately at risk for medical errors, so one of the best safeguards is to have someone there with you. Dr. Andrew Saul has written an entire book on the issue of safeguarding your health while hospitalized. Frequently, you’re going to be relatively debilitated, especially post-op when you’re under the influence of anesthesia, and you won’t have the opportunity to see the types of processes that are going on. This is particularly important for pediatric patients and the elderly.


It’s important to have a personal advocate present to ask questions and take notes. For every medication given in the hospital, ask questions such as: “What is this medication? What is it for? What’s the dose?” Most people, doctors and nurses included, are more apt to go through that extra step of due diligence to make sure they’re getting it right if they know they’ll be questioned about it.


If someone you know is scheduled for surgery, you can print out the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist and implementation manual,20 which is part of the campaign “Safe Surgery Saves Lives.” The checklist can be downloaded free of charge here. If a loved one is in the hospital, print it out and bring it with you, as this can help you protect your family member or friend from preventable errors in care.


– Sources and References




The post 25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes, and How You Can Protect Yourself (VIDEO) appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes, and How You Can Protect Yourself (VIDEO)

25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes, and How You Can Protect Yourself (VIDEO) | surgery-doctors-medical-hospital-healthcare | General Health Medical & Health Multimedia Sleuth Journal Special Interests US News






Story at-a-glance



  • Each day, more than 40,000 harmful and/or lethal medical errors occur in the U.S., and preventable medical errors kill around 440,000 patients each year, making medical mistakes the third leading cause of death

  • One in 25 patients end up acquiring an infection while in the hospital, and 75,000 people per year die as a result

  • Since 1983, 132 newborns have been abducted from U.S. health care facilities, and hundreds of individuals have been caught posing as doctors when, in fact, they did not have a medical degree

  • Misdiagnoses may occur in 10 percent of all cases, and 30 million prescriptions are improperly dispensed each year in U.S. pharmacies

  • Two in 10,000 surgical patients come out of surgery with a surgical instrument left inside, and an estimated seven patients undergo surgery on the wrong body part each and every day







Hospitals are typically thought of as places where lives are saved, but statistics show they’re actually one of the most dangerous places you could possibly enter.1,2 Each day, more than 40,000 harmful and/or lethal medical errors occur, placing the patient in a worse situation than what they came in with.3


According to a 2013 study,4,5 preventable medical errors kill around 440,000 patients each year — more than 10 times the number of deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes. A 2016 study6 calculated the annual death toll to be around 250,000.


Medical Mistakes Are the Third Leading Cause of Death in the US


Either way, medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and have been since at least 2000, when the late Dr. Barbara Starfield published her shocking conclusion that doctors kill 225,000 patients each year. Her findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.7 Ironically, Starfield ended up a statistic herself.


She died suddenly in June 2011, a death her husband attributed to the adverse effects of the blood thinner Plavix taken in combination with aspirin.8 Her death certificate, however, makes no mention of this possibility. Indeed, one of the reasons why many are still surprised by these statistics is due to fundamental flaws in the tracking of medical errors, which has shielded the reality of the situation and kept it out of the public eye.


While there are codes that capture iatrogenic causes of death, published mortality statistics do not take them into account. They only look at the condition that led the individual to seek medical treatment in the first place. As a result, even if a doctor lists medical errors in the death certificate, they are not included in the CDC’s mortality statistics, and without that data, medical mistakes remain a largely hidden problem.


Hospitals Are Hotbeds for Lethal Infections


Hospitals have become particularly notorious for spreading lethal infections. According to 2014 statistics9,10 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 25 patients end up with a hospital-acquired infection, and 75,000 people per year die as a result.11


Earlier research12 has suggested as many as 1 in 10 patients will contract a nosocomial infection, defined as an infection contracted within 48 hours of hospital admission, or within three days of discharge, or within 30 days of an operation. Medicare patients appear to be at greatest risk. According to the 2011 Health Grades Hospital Quality in America Study,13 1 in 9 Medicare patients developed a hospital-acquired infection.


The video above features the Discovery Channel documentary, “Shocking Medical Mistakes: The Empowered Patient,” originally aired in 2016. In it, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen investigates medical mistakes and missed diagnoses, including some of her own experiences as a patient, and what you can do to become an empowered patient and reduce your risk when a hospital stay is necessary.


25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes


As mentioned in the video, medical mistakes occur every single day, and some are more serious than others. Cohen reveals 25 of the most shocking in the following countdown, and how you can protect yourself from becoming a statistic:




























25. Baby security breach


Since 1983, 132 newborns have been abducted from U.S. health care facilities.


Safety tip: Make sure a parent or nurse is present with the child at all times while in the hospital.


24. Fake doctors, aka “prestige fraud”14


Believe it or not, hundreds of individuals have been caught posing as doctors when, in fact, they did not have a medical degree.


Safety tip: Make sure your doctor is a licensed physician in your state. For help, see CertificationMatters.org.15


23. Treating the wrong patient


This mistake typically happens when patients have similar names and the doctor or nurse fails to double-check all of the patient’s data before administering treatment.


Safety tip: Before every procedure, including drug administration, make sure the staff checks your full name, date of birth and the barcode on your wrist band, to ensure correct treatment.


22. Pharmacy mix-ups


According to the National Patient Safety Foundation, 30 million prescriptions are improperly dispensed each year in U.S. pharmacies.


Safety tip: Before you leave the pharmacy, ask the pharmacist to confirm that the medication is the correct one, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the look of the pills, and that you’ve received the correct dosage. Also verify that the label has your name on it.


21. Botched plastic surgery


Any number of things can go wrong when you go under the knife, and death is a potential side effect even of plastic surgery.


Safety tip: Make sure your surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. You may also want to check whether your surgeon has any malpractice suits filed against him or her. Most state medical boards provide this information free of charge.


You can find a list of state medical boards on the Federation of State Medical Boards website.16 Another source is the Administrators in Medicine,17 a nonprofit organization that compiles licensing and disciplinary information from each state’s medical board.


20. Incorrect drug dosages


One of the most frequent mistakes occur in pediatrics. A child given an adult dose of a medication can have life-threatening consequences. According to the Joint Commission, hospital personnel stock medication in the wrong places 4 percent of the time, which can lead to incorrect dosage or drug being administered if the nurse or doctor fails to carefully inspect the package before administration.


Safety tip: Ask for a daily list of medication and dosages that you are supposed to receive during your hospital stay, and double-check each medication before taking it or allowing it to be administered.


19. Toxic transplants


As noted by transplant surgeon Dr. Lloyd Ratner, any given organ donor could be a carrier of one of several thousands of pathogens. The case highlighted in the video is that of an 18-year-old kidney recipient who died of rabies. It turns out the organ donor had been bitten by an infected bat. All of the organ recipients contracted rabies from the infected organs and died. In the U.S., more than 100 organ recipients have died from toxic transplants.


Safety tip: If you become sicker after receiving a transplant, ask if other recipients are also getting ill. Early diagnosis and treatment may save your life.


18. Improper or careless discharge


A man having just undergone brain surgery is packed into a cab, which drops him off in an unfamiliar neighborhood on a rainy day wearing nothing but a hospital gown and socks. When he was too confused to remember his own address, two Samaritans eventually got him home safely.


Safety tip: If you’re scheduled for surgery, find out when you’re scheduled for discharge ahead of time and make sure someone you know is there to take you home.


17. Ambulance errors


Any number of errors can occur on the way to the hospital, but first the ambulance must actually get to you. Patients have died due to the ambulance being dispatched to an incorrect address.


Safety tip: When calling for an ambulance, if possible, slowly and clearly state and spell the street address.


16. Lost patients


This typically occurs in nursing home facilities, where dementia patients may wander off the premises. One in 5 nursing home patients is prone to wandering. In one case, an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s was found after a four-day-long manhunt, locked inside a storage closet on the premises. She died shortly thereafter from dehydration.


Safety tip: If you have a loved one who is prone to wander, get them a GPS bracelet so you can track their whereabouts.


15. Surgical “souvenirs”


Surgical sponges, steel clamps and surgical retractors are but a few of the items that have been left inside patients undergoing surgery. According to one estimate, 2 in 10,000 surgical patients come out of surgery with a “souvenir” left inside.


Safety tip: Before surgery, remind hospital staff to count the number of items used, to make sure all surgical items are accounted for before you’re stitched up. Should you experience unexpected fever, pain or swelling following your surgery, ask your doctor to double-check if equipment has accidentally been left inside you.


14. Babies accidentally switched after birth


As with patients receiving the wrong treatment, this mistake typically occurs if two mothers have the same or similar name.


Safety tip: When a nurse brings your baby, ask him or her to match the baby’s identification bracelet to yours.


13. Deadly air bubbles


A young man dies when a nurse fails to follow proper procedure for removal of a central line tube in his chest, allowing air to enter his bloodstream. In one hospital intensive care unit, improperly removed central lines caused 10 air embolisms in a single year.


Safety tip: If you have a central line, before removal, confirm the proper procedure is about to be followed. A copy of the nursing protocol for the removal of central lines can be found on ctsnet.org.18 Standard procedure protocols for central line removal in adults and pediatrics can also be found on health.ucsd.edu.19


12. Misdiagnosis


Research suggests misdiagnoses may occur in 10 percent of all cases.


Safety tip: Trust your instincts. If you believe your doctor has missed something or misdiagnosed you, get a second opinion.


11. Receiving the wrong blood type during transfusion


During surgery, you will typically need a blood transfusion. The blood you receive — A, B or O, positive or negative — must match yours, as your body will interpret mismatched blood as a foreign invader. One of every 19,000 units of blood is incorrectly administered in the U.S.


Safety tip: Know your blood type and, if possible, verify that the blood bags you’re about to receive are a match. If you cannot see the bags ahead of time, ask hospital staff to verify they have your blood type correct prior to surgery.


10. Surgical equipment causing internal burns


A malfunction in the monitoring cable inserted through the heart during a routine bypass surgery causes the cable to heat up, cooking part of the patient’s heart, causing irreparable damage.


It sounds unbelievable, but it happened. The patient had to receive a full heart transplant. Lasers and flammable gases used in surgery can also cause unexpected burns. These kinds of errors are typically the result of multiple mistakes, not just one. Still, some 240 surgical fires are reported in American hospitals each year.


Safety tip: If undergoing surgery, ask what type of equipment will be used, and how you will be protected from lasers, cables and flammable gases.


9. Medical tube mix-ups


Feeding tubes and central line tubes look a lot alike, but knowing which is which is absolutely crucial when it comes time to administer nutrients or medication through the feeding tube. In the example shown in the video, medication meant for a young child’s stomach was administered into her vein, via the central line. The child died. Sixteen percent of doctors and nurses report being aware of tube mix-ups happening at their hospitals.


Safety tip: If you have more than one tube, ask medical staff to trace the tube back to its site of origin, each and every time a medication is administered to ensure the correct one is being used.


8. Switched biopsies


As many as 1 in 1,000 lab specimens is mislabeled. One 35-year-old woman got a double mastectomy due to her biopsy being switched with another woman’s. She got a second opinion, but the error was not caught because the second doctor simply based his findings on the original, mixed-up lab work.


Safety tip: If in doubt, ask to have the biopsy repeated and/or get a second (or third) opinion.


7. Receiving the wrong eggs in fertility treatment


Women undergoing fertility treatment face the unusual possibility of receiving the wrong woman’s eggs. In one case, eggs from two women with the same last name were accidentally switched. In this instance, the woman carried the baby to term, then adopted the baby boy out to his real parents.


Safety tip: Be very careful in your selection of a fertility clinic. Make sure the clinic is accredited by the College of American Pathologists.


6. Operating on the wrong body part


In the U.S., an estimated seven patients undergo surgery on the wrong body part each and every day.


Safety tip: Before surgery, confirm the correct location of the surgery — both body part and side — with the nurse and surgeon. Also make sure the surgeon has clearly marked the correct site. Considering the frequency at which this mistake occurs, do not be shy about doing this.


5. Unsafe radiation


Incorrectly programmed and calibrated CT scans can deliver an unsafe dose of radiation. The video shows three patients whose CT scans resulted in the loss of hair in a ring around their head. It turns out the machine was incorrectly calibrated, delivering eight times the normal dose of radiation. These patients now also face the possibility of getting brain cancer at some point in the future.


Safety tip: Whenever possible, opt for an ultrasound or MRI instead of a CT scan, as they do not use ionizing radiation to produce the image.


4. Hospital-acquired infections


Not only will 1 in 25 hospital patients contract an infection, many of these infectious pathogens are now resistant to all antibiotics. Antibiotic overuse, especially in agriculture, has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).


Hospital-acquired infections kill 75,000 patients each year in the U.S. — a death toll that could be significantly reduced simply by following proper handwashing protocols. Doctors and nurses should wash their hands and/or change gloves between each patient. Patients should also wash their hands frequently.


Safety tip: Each time hospital staff enters your room, ask them to wash their hands and change gloves. Bacteria can spread from their hands to tables, bed rails, bedding, wound dressings, catheters and, of course, your skin if they touch you. You may then contract the bacteria if you touch a contaminated area.


3. Metal in the MRI room


An MRI machine is an exceptionally powerful magnet, which is why no metals are allowed to be brought into the room. In one case, a hospital worker walks into the MRI room carrying an oxygen tank while a young boy is getting scanned. The tank flies across the room, delivering a lethal blow to the boy’s head. While exceedingly rare, an investigation reveals it is not the sole case on record.


Safety tip: When getting an MRI, make sure there is no metal on, in or around you, anywhere in the room. Metal implants must be reported prior to getting an MRI.


2. Excessive emergency room wait times


Emergency rooms are normally busy places, and personnel must make hundreds if not thousands of potentially critical decisions each day. It can be easy to miss the signs of critical illness, especially if the condition is rare.


In one case, a five-hour wait resulted in a baby girl requiring amputation of both hands and legs, as personnel failed to realize the critical nature of her condition. It turns out her body was being ravaged by flesh-eating bacteria. According to the CDC, the average emergency room wait time is 49 minutes.


Safety tip: If you suspect you or a loved one is in critical condition and need immediate attention, call your family physician before or on the way to the hospital, and ask him or her to call the emergency room on your behalf. This way, the staff know you’re on your way and that it’s truly serious.


1. Waking up during surgery (anesthesia awareness)


Last but not least, a nightmare come true: You wake up during surgery and feel every poke, prod and cut, but cannot move or make a sound.


“Anesthesia awareness,” the technical term for waking up during surgery, happens when you receive an inadequate dose of anesthesia, allowing your brain to remain aware while paralyzing your muscles. Here, the statistics are discouraging: 1 in 1,000 patients reportedly suffer anesthesia awareness. Fortunately, most of these do not feel pain.


Safety tip: If you need surgery, ask your surgeon if you really need anesthesia or if a local anesthetic would be sufficient.

Safeguarding Your Care While Hospitalized



Once you’re hospitalized, you’re immediately at risk for medical errors, so one of the best safeguards is to have someone there with you. Dr. Andrew Saul has written an entire book on the issue of safeguarding your health while hospitalized. Frequently, you’re going to be relatively debilitated, especially post-op when you’re under the influence of anesthesia, and you won’t have the opportunity to see the types of processes that are going on. This is particularly important for pediatric patients and the elderly.


It’s important to have a personal advocate present to ask questions and take notes. For every medication given in the hospital, ask questions such as: “What is this medication? What is it for? What’s the dose?” Most people, doctors and nurses included, are more apt to go through that extra step of due diligence to make sure they’re getting it right if they know they’ll be questioned about it.


If someone you know is scheduled for surgery, you can print out the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist and implementation manual,20 which is part of the campaign “Safe Surgery Saves Lives.” The checklist can be downloaded free of charge here. If a loved one is in the hospital, print it out and bring it with you, as this can help you protect your family member or friend from preventable errors in care.


– Sources and References




The post 25 Most Shocking Medical Mistakes, and How You Can Protect Yourself (VIDEO) appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

No Surgery For The Obese & Smokers, British Nationalized Health Care Proposes

No Surgery For The Obese & Smokers, British Nationalized Health Care Proposes

Image source: Pixabay.com


Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is under fire for a proposal that would prohibit non-essential surgeries on people who are overweight or who smoke.


Patients must quit smoking for eight weeks or lose weight to qualify for non-emergency surgery at hospitals, The Telegraph reported.


The policy is designed to force patients “to take more responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, wherever possible, freeing up limited NHS resources for priority treatment,” read a statement from a pair of health care organizations, East and North Hertfordshire CCG (clinical commissioning groups) and Herts Valleys.


‘Miracle Oil Maker’ Lets You Make Fresh Nut Oils Within Minutes!


But others blasted the proposal.


“This goes against clinical guidance and leaves patients waiting long periods of time in pain and discomfort,” Ian Eardley, the senior vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said. “It can even lead to worse outcomes following surgery in some cases.”


Patients who claim to have stopped smoking must prove it by using a breathalyzer.


“Singling out patients in this way goes against the principles of the NHS,” Eardley said.


The mission of the NHS is to provide free healthcare to all British citizens.


“There is simply no justification for these policies, and we urge all clinical commissioning groups to urgently reverse these discriminatory measures.”


Eardley charged that many local CCGs in the United Kingdom are adopting such practices to reduce costs.


The CCGs said the policy was for patient health.


“This policy is designed to improve patient safety and outcomes, both during and immediately after non-urgent surgery,” the CCGs said in a statement. “No financial savings are expected as a result of these measures. We do however hope to improve the long-term health of our residents through the targeted stop-smoking and weight-loss support on offer to patients.”


No Weight Loss, No Surgery


Under the plan, patients who are found to have a body mass index of 30 would be told to lose 10 percent of their weight. Those with a body mass index of 40 would have to lose 15 percent of their weight. They also would have to wait nine months for surgery, The Telegraph reported.


“In exceptional circumstances, clinicians will allow surgery to go ahead even if the smoking and weight loss criteria are not met,” A CCG statement noted. “Exceptions would be made when waiting for surgery would be more harmful for the patient.”


What is your reaction? Would you support such a proposal? Share it in the section below: