Snerk...
 

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:51:13 -0700 (PDT), Jack
wrote:

On Aug 17, 10:30*am, thunder wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:07:14 -0400, JustWait wrote:
The new president of Canada's health care system says Canadian health
care is "sick". He suggests that citizens are not getting "optimal"
health care and that Canadian health care should focus more on "patient
treatment" than business and he is calling for more "private" care in
the system.... *Yeah, let's be Canada...

Why strive to be mediocre? *The WHO ranks Canada's health care system at
#30, just a few places ahead of us, at #37. *Shouldn't we be aiming
higher? *Perhaps, we should try to knock France out of the #1 spot.

WHO might want to take a peek at this:

By Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunAugust 10, 2009

VANCOUVER — Vancouver patients needing neurosurgery, treatment for
vascular diseases and other medically necessary procedures can expect
to wait longer for care, NDP health critic Adrian Dix said Monday.

snipped

As many of 112 full-time jobs — including 13 anesthesiologist
positions — would be affected by the reductions, the document says.

“Clearly this will impact the capacity of the health-care system to
provide care, not just now but in the future,” Dix said.

Further reductions in surgeries are scheduled during the Olympics,
when the health authority plans to close approximately a third of its
operating rooms.

And those doctors will likely move to the USA where they'll be
gainfully employed - unless Obama has his way.
--
John H

"BEND OVER - The 'change' is coming!"

Snerk...
 

"Jack" wrote in message
...
On Aug 17, 10:30 am, thunder wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:07:14 -0400, JustWait wrote:
The new president of Canada's health care system says Canadian health
care is "sick". He suggests that citizens are not getting "optimal"
health care and that Canadian health care should focus more on "patient
treatment" than business and he is calling for more "private" care in
the system.... Yeah, let's be Canada...

Why strive to be mediocre? The WHO ranks Canada's health care system at
#30, just a few places ahead of us, at #37. Shouldn't we be aiming
higher? Perhaps, we should try to knock France out of the #1 spot.

WHO might want to take a peek at this:

By Darah Hansen, Vancouver SunAugust 10, 2009

VANCOUVER — Vancouver patients needing neurosurgery, treatment for
vascular diseases and other medically necessary procedures can expect
to wait longer for care, NDP health critic Adrian Dix said Monday.

Dix said a Vancouver Coastal Health Authority document shows it is
considering chopping more than 6,000 surgeries in an effort to make up
for a dramatic budgetary shortfall that could reach $200 million.

“This hasn’t been announced by the health authority … but these cuts
are coming,” Dix said, citing figures gleaned from a leaked executive
summary of “proposed VCH surgical reductions.”

The health authority confirmed the document is genuine, but said it
represents ideas only.

“It is a planning document. It has not been approved or implemented,”
said spokeswoman Anna Marie D’Angelo.

Dr. Brian Brodie, president of the BC Medical Association, called the
proposed surgical cuts “a nightmare.”

“Why would you begin your cost-cutting measures on medically necessary
surgery? I just can’t think of a worse place,” Brodie said.

According to the leaked document, Vancouver Coastal — which oversees
the budget for Vancouver General and St. Paul’s hospitals, among other
health-care facilities — is looking to close nearly a quarter of its
operating rooms starting in September and to cut 6,250 surgeries,
including 24 per cent of cases scheduled from September to March and
10 per cent of all medically necessary elective procedures this fiscal
year.

The plan proposes cutbacks to neurosurgery, ophthalmology, vascular
surgery, and 11 other specialized areas.

As many of 112 full-time jobs — including 13 anesthesiologist
positions — would be affected by the reductions, the document says.

“Clearly this will impact the capacity of the health-care system to
provide care, not just now but in the future,” Dix said.

Further reductions in surgeries are scheduled during the Olympics,
when the health authority plans to close approximately a third of its
operating rooms.

Two weeks ago, Dix released a Fraser Health Authority draft
communications plan listing proposed clinical care cuts, including a
10-per-cent cut in elective surgeries and longer waits for MRI scans.

The move comes after the province acknowledged all health authorities
together will be forced to cut staff, limit some services and increase
fees to find $360 million in savings during the current fiscal year.

In all, Fraser Health is looking at a $160-million funding shortfall.

D’Angelo said Vancouver Coastal’s deficit is closer to $90 million —
almost a third of which ($23 million) has already been absorbed
through reductions in non-clinical administration efficiencies.

Vancouver Coastal performed 67,000 surgeries last year, an increase of
6,500 surgeries over 2007.

“What has now happened is that now our wait times are about 25 per
cent lower than the provincial average,” D’Angelo said. “We have put a
dent in that wait list.”

Brodie acknowledged surgical waiting times have dropped significantly
in recent years, particularly for patients needing hip and joint
replacements.

He said the proposed cuts threaten those advancements.

“It sounds like we are going backwards here,” he said.

Total health spending in British Columbia was $15.7 billion this year,
up about four per cent over last year’s total of 15.1 billion,
according to figures provided by the ministry of health.

Health Minister Kevin Falcon was unavailable for comment Monday on the
proposed health-care cuts. A ministry spokesman said Falcon is away on
his honeymoon until the end of August.

Elsewhere in British Columbia, the province will look to replace the
head of the Interior Health Authority, Murray Ramsden, after he
announced he will step down at the end of the year.

Ramsden has said his decision to retire is not related to financial
problems faced by the authority.


****************

I remember in the 1970's there were 4 MRI centers in the San Francisco Bay
area. One of my customers had one of them. There was 1 in British
Columbia. They are all over the place now. I had knee pain. Went to the
orthopedic doc. Doc figured torn meniscus. Their MRI center called my
insurance company for an OK. I got in on Monday, 3 days later. No month
long wait, while my knee got worse. 3 weeks later or 13 days ago, they
scoped the knee. Pretty dam impressive health care. As to those that say
we have low grade health care as the mortality rate is higher, etc. All
those countries they cite are very homogeneous small countries. They do not
have 300 million people of multiple ethnicity and income levels.

Snerk...
 

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:45:10 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


snipped


****************

I remember in the 1970's there were 4 MRI centers in the San Francisco Bay
area. One of my customers had one of them. There was 1 in British
Columbia. They are all over the place now. I had knee pain. Went to the
orthopedic doc. Doc figured torn meniscus. Their MRI center called my
insurance company for an OK. I got in on Monday, 3 days later. No month
long wait, while my knee got worse. 3 weeks later or 13 days ago, they
scoped the knee. Pretty dam impressive health care. As to those that say
we have low grade health care as the mortality rate is higher, etc. All
those countries they cite are very homogeneous small countries. They do not
have 300 million people of multiple ethnicity and income levels.


Pesky facts again!
--
John H

"BEND OVER - The 'change' is coming!"

Snerk...
 

Proprietario di Guzzi wrote:
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:45:10 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

snipped


****************

I remember in the 1970's there were 4 MRI centers in the San Francisco Bay
area. One of my customers had one of them. There was 1 in British
Columbia. They are all over the place now. I had knee pain. Went to the
orthopedic doc. Doc figured torn meniscus. Their MRI center called my
insurance company for an OK. I got in on Monday, 3 days later. No month
long wait, while my knee got worse. 3 weeks later or 13 days ago, they
scoped the knee. Pretty dam impressive health care. As to those that say
we have low grade health care as the mortality rate is higher, etc. All
those countries they cite are very homogeneous small countries. They do not
have 300 million people of multiple ethnicity and income levels.


Pesky facts again!

Last winter I walked out of my Dr's office with a script for a CAT scan.
I walked down stairs to the CAT/MRI Scan place and I had to wait 15
minutes for them to warm up the CAT scan machine. It worked out well
because I had to fill out the paper work. Thirty minutes later I was
done with the paper work and the CAT scan.