Assignment 4b_4que
Health Care in the United States: For Better or Worse? ACase Study
The final hours came as no surprise to his wife and family, whomade daily visits to the hospital where Sam had been treated on andoff for the final year of his life. His doctor had spared noexpense to give him the most effective treatments available.
But wouldn’t it have been nice if he could have died athome? they thought to themselves as they gathered at the funeral.At least he held out until after the baby was born.
Sam’s diagnosis of colon cancer did not shock him. His fatherhad died of colon cancer, and he had been thinking for some timethat it was time to be checked. Surgery went well and he and hisdoctor were optimistic about the future. The surprise came about 18months later, when during a follow-up examination, he was told thatthere might be a recurrence.
Chemotherapy seemed to do more harm than good. There did notseem to be a good answer. Sam’s physician sought out the newesttreatment, but it did not seem to help. The final shock to hissystem came after he received a dose of the wrong medicineadministered by a nurse who was new to the unit. She was hired inresponse to the recent accreditation review, which criticized thehospital for understaffing.
Though his death was no surprise, the bills from the hospitaland physician were an unexpected burden in the months and yearsthat followed. The health insurance that was offered through Sam’semployer did not pay for screening for the colon cancer that killedhim. In addition, its loopholes, caps, and copayments left thefamily with bills that would require years to repay. It was notjust the uncovered expenses that they had to pay out of pocket; itwas the mountains of paperwork that arrived in the mail.
Nonetheless, the family understood. The doctors had doneeverything possible, treated Sam and them with respect, andresponded quickly to their calls and continuous questions. Maybethings were not ideal, they concluded, but at least they dideverything they could.
Answer the following question
4. What steps would you recommend to improve the delivery ofpreventive and curative services to better serve patients likeSam?
