Battling Healthcare

Doctors, Expertise and Conflicts of Interest

Posted in Health / Medical News, Healthcare Providers, Medical Conflict of Interest, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety, Pharmaceuticals • Tags: conflict of interest, jama, nejm, npr, shannon brownlee, slate magazine • Author: Trisha Torrey

I’ve owned my own business for many years. Before I began my work in patient advocacy and empowerment, I was a marketer, and advised dozens of businesses of all sizes (from individual professional services like lawyers and therapists to large corporations like GE and Kodak.) I get business, I understand development of income streams and I fully realize that profitability is always the goal among these businesses.

But I also know that profitability and business models are at the very heart at what is WRONG with healthcare. No matter what the problem with the system, its roots are grounded in the need to make money by someone.

Reconstruction After Breast Cancer - No Good Choices

Posted in Health / Medical News, Health Insurance, Healthcare Decisions, Healthcare Providers, Healthcare Reform, Hospitals, Patient Empowerment, Surgery • Tags: breast cancer, Health Insurance, medicaid, Medicare, reconstruction • Author: Trisha Torrey

An article in my local newspaper makes me wake up and take notice of a real problem for women who, after breast cancer surgeries, wish to have their breast(s) reconstructed.

Mind you — we aren’t talking about breast enhancement surgery. No discussion of “boob jobs” here.

Is the CDC Covering Up Real MRSA Infection Rates?

Posted in Hospital acquired infections, Hospitals, Medical Errors, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety • Tags: Betsy McCaughey, CDC, Consumer's Union, Hospital acquired infections, MRSA • Author: Trisha Torrey

Dr. Betsy McCaughey thinks so. And states her case quite well in her testimony before the Congress of the United States.

Who’s Betsy McCaughey? Dr. Betsy McCaughey is the founder, president, CEO, chief honcho of RID: Reduce Hospital Deaths. She founded her organization in 2004 in reasponse to the alarming growth in the deaths of Americans due to hospital acquired infections.

She is a health policy expert, having concentrated on health legislation during her four years as Lt. Governor of New York State during the Pataki years. And how all she wants to do is save lives by making hospitals accountable for preventing the spread of infections which kill their patients.