Notes & Links: October 22, 2013

Six Frightening Facts You Need to Know About Healthcare

I saw this on my news reader and thought I would write about link bait. So reading Robert J. Szczerba contribution to Forbes made me stop and think shit healthcare in America is worse than the Health Exchanges web sites. I knew most of these facts from various sources But to see them in one place at one time is a WTF moment.Here is the list

  • Up to 400,000 people are killed each year due to preventable medical errors.
  • 765,000,000,000, or 30% of all U.S. healthcare costs, each year is wasted.
  • 33% of hospital patients suffer some form of preventable harm during their hospital stay.
  •  58% of clinicians felt unsafe about speaking up about a problem they observed or were unable to get others to listen.
  • Critical care patients each experience nearly 2 medical errors per day
  • 92% of U.S. physicians admitted to making some medical decisions based on avoiding lawsuits, as opposed to the best interest of their patients

Generally I would say this is a good read. Not so much, I am typing this from under the covers wrapped in bubble wrap so I don’t end up in the hospital.

Radiant

Graphic novel well more tot he point Slate has 12 Panel Pitch which is an idea for a feature film boiled down to 12 panel. This is one is titled Radiant and is about the women who suffered at Radium poisoning during WWI.

Simply great

Chart: Euthanasia in Europe and the US

Austin Frakt got the chart those of interested in end of life care, hospice and palliative care, death with dignity etc. are dying to see.