Wedding Kurat

The corporate takeover of health care is more obvious with each passing day. The power goes with the trillions of health care dollars. Insurance corporations, drug corporations, and largest systems dominate. They can dictate the disposition of dollars. They can effectively prevent reforms, They can design legislation and programs that favor their interests. Generally this marginalizes dollars for patient care, dollars for the support of those who deliver the care, dollars for basic services, and dollars for most Americans most in need of care. In other words, health care has been redirected to care of the corporation. Sadly much of the rhetoric that guides this transition claims to be focused on the patient and on better outcomes. This is clearly not the case. Journalists are often engaged in some new innovative intervention that has great promise - but that mostly requires more dollars for same or less outcomes. This is can even be termed value-based even when the outcomes stay the sa

Medical laboratory and Imaging frequently come across critical results or finding of a patient’s diagnostic tests which requires immediate intervention from the doctor to bring the patient out of the criticality. Hence, a hospital must have a policy and procedure in place for identification and quick communication of such results. This posts describes critical test results in medical laboratory (Check critical findings in imaging–policy and procedure ).  Critical test results in laboratory are the findings in the lab tests of a patient which indicates that condition of the patient may be critical or even life-threatening.  Such results, when found shall urgently be informed to the  treating physician of the patient so that required interventions can be carried out on time and patient can be saved from any possible adversities. To be able to do so, a hospital needs to have a well-developed process of ‘identification and urgent communication of critical test results in lab’. The process

Searching on CMS and rural health is revealing. There are regular headlines with regard to reports and proposals and programs. The themes of innovation and quality grab the attention. But there has been a continued lack of progress where it matters most - in Rural Health Care and the Ability to Care In the last decade even worse has been the case. The next decade seems to have the potential for devastation to rural health. CMS says rural health needs major improvements in quality,  but CMS leads the nation to pay too little resulting in half enough generalists and general specialists – those who provide 90% of rural services in the places with limitations of quality, outcomes, workforce, and access. Quality and outcomes are actually about the situations, conditions, relationships, and environments as well as income, housing, jobs, education, and other social determinants. CMS contributes to lesser social determinants by designs that send 15% less to rural practices and 30% less to rura

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) plans to implement 'Charter of Patients Rights'. In this regard a draft document has been developed by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The draft has been put up on website (https://mohfw.gov.in/newshighlights/draft-patient-charter-prepared-national-human-rights-commission) on 30th August, 2018 and public opinion has been solicited on the same. I have sent my suggestions and comments on the draft document which are as follows. Request readers to give feedback on this so that further improvements can be done.     1.        Right to Information : The first paragraph of the description given for the right to information states that ‘ Every patient has a right to adequate relevant information about the nature, cause of illness, provisional / confirmed diagnosis, proposed investigations and management, and possible complications to be explained at their level of understanding in language known to them ’. Following clarification i

Healthcare organizations treats patients with different background (such as religion, economic class, literacy level, race, language etc.) and in different settings (such as general ward, sharing room, single room and deluxe room). They are expected to not to discriminate between their patients and provide them a uniform medical care per their clinical requirement. To ensure this, hospitals must have a policy that specifies what constitutes uniform care and what practices must be followed to ensure that patients are not discriminated on the basis of their background or category of their accommodation. The essential part of the policy is provision of uniform medical care and does not applies to those services and facilities that are non-clinical in nature. Following elements of care shall be implemented to ensure uniform care to all patient 1. Standard treatment protocol – Hospitals must develop/adopt treatment protocols or treatment guidelines for various diagnosis or clinical co

Admission of patient is one of the main process followed in any hospital. It is the first step in providing healthcare to a patient as an in-patient. By admitting a patient, hospital undertakes a high level of responsibility for the care and well-being of the patient and hence it is essential to have relevant policy and procedure for admission in place to avoid any problems later on. It also ensures that the patients are admitted uniformly irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, caste, gender, financial class etc. This post describes relevant points that should be considered while formulating a policy and procedure of admission. (Also read - Registration of patient - Policy and Procedure ) Admission Policy Right to admit a patient – Only those doctors (full time or on contract) who have been given privileges of admitting the patient in the hospital can recommend patient for admission. This is also applicable in case of patients from emergency. In case of patient being transferred f