I was a Home Health RN for most of my career
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“This comment is in response to your podcast about CPAP machines and how companies are “spying” on their patients. I realize there are many everyday, human reasons why people don’t “comply” (I’ve come to hate that word) with their medical regimen. No argument there...however those same people are complaining about the ridiculously high costs of medical care. No argument there either! The truth is, people who don’t follow their prescribed medical treatment plan are not holding up their side of an unspoken contract and are (perhaps unawares) costing everyone (X millions of cases) increasing health care expenses! You can’t have it both ways.
You come to the MD, or medical team with a problem. The medical people listen (not always perfectly, it’s true), but in good faith, prescribe a treatment to help the problem. Send the patient home possibly with expensive equipment and usually set up a follow-up appointment to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan. Here’s where it often breaks down. If the patient isn’t reporting HONESTLY about the frequency of use of the equipment, or consistency of medication taking (I can promise you I’ve personally witnessed this thousands of times), the meds, equipment, etc. costs continue to go up and nobody is benefitting from this game. Is it any wonder why the medical world would hold the patient responsible for their own follow-through? Now, it is quite wrong to not disclose to the patient that their medical data is being monitored. But, shouldn’t the patient bear some of the accountability for their own behavior? Perhaps they might be charged with the cost of the replacement piece they need and given a printout showing their stats.
Patients expect a caring, understanding, and compassionate response to their problems, and health care workers are usually happy to give that, along with treatment plans they believe the patient is agreeing to. When the patient doesn’t, and doesn’t follow through for a myriad of reasons (many perfectly understandable) the equipment, medication, durable medical equipment costs have to be absorbed somewhere, right? And, more importantly, the long term effects of not following through may and often do rack up crazy hospital costs, whose responsibility is that? Shouldn’t there be a shared responsibility between patients and medical ?
Maybe I’ve missed something here, but it seems to me that the “blame”, cost or explanation doesn’t lie fully on one side or the other.
I enjoy your podcast immensely and you make many excellent points. It just seems a bit disingenuous to make the health care system the only “bad guy” here and the average person the victim.
Thanks for hearing me out.”
Swpq via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
07/26/19
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“I love this show because it shows true crime: our healthcare system is so broken and there are no crimes preventing the abuse of patients so it’s literally not a crime but it’s a crime that we don’t have laws preventing it! This show will prepare you to help navigate the system. It will educate...”Read full review »
Elenbaas22 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/14/19
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“I am currently dealing with issues after a (luckily!) lifetime of health. I have no idea how to navigate the healthcare system, other then purchasing insurance. This podcast give me ideas on my treatment options and choices (and how to advocate for myself when it comes to billing). I had NO...”Read full review »
Missing my reading via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/19/19
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“Thanks so much for covering these important issues that so many people are facing now!”
catherine w.. via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/15/19
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