The Demonstration Project

I just saw the interview with the CEO of a Nevada hospital who had to make the difficult decision to shut down their oncology department. After 20 years, 40 patients per day, they closed their doors. Cancer patients have nowhere to turn. They are scared. The CEO is saying this is happening in every public hospital across the country, but UMC in Nevada is the “demonstration project.” I don’t like what we are demonstrating, America.

Patient Access to quality medical care, regardless of ability to pay, is fundamental. It takes money to run hospitals and clinics, have modern equipment, and pay the doctors, nurses and medical providers. These competing priorities are at odds and its clear who is losing –patients.

The rich can pay for care. The poor will qualify for some kind of assistance and get care. The middle class is in trouble. We can rely on insurance and benefits, but when those run out, then what?

The hospitals are not the bad guy. The patients, certainly, cannot be blamed. I used to blame the “evil HMOs” but, really, it’s not their fault either. We need to examine the system. Healthcare reform is a big topic of conversation these days. At the end of the day, what do we want?

We want to have access to medical care when we need it. Do you know that if you are in a severe accident, whether you live or die can depend on the vicinity of the nearest trauma unit?

We want that care to be “best practices”, effective, efficient, and based on tried-and-true scientific expertise so we have the opportunity for the best possible outcome –a full recovery.

We want to be able to afford that medical care and not worry about finances on top of worrying about the medical decisions we must face.

We want hospitals to be able to afford to provide care to the community, and we want them to have the latest and greatest technology available, be clean, and well maintained. We want our medical providers to have a reasonable patient practice where they can spend time explaining to us what we need to know about our health and not be rushed to get to the next patient.

We want to trust our insurance companies that our benefits are adequate, will provide the coverage we need, when we need it, without a lot of strings attached to get referrals and authorizations, and without necessitating a fight for payment.

We can do better America! Let’s demonstrate our vision of a healthy America, with a viable healthcare system that supports its citizens and communities. Whether you agree with the healthcare reform on the table, or not, the bottom line, change is required. We have to figure out a better way, something that does not financially devastate our country, while ensuring our citizens get the care they deserve. This is America, the greatest country in the world, and I know we will work through this mess and re-invent our healthcare system. The vision is a healthy America, let that be our demonstration.