Defend Public Healthcare

A new report from the CDC ( the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) states that the    incidence, mortality, and medical care costs for C. difficile infections have reached historic highs. From 2000 to 2009, the number of hospitalized patients with any C. difficile diagnoses more than doubled, from approximately 139,000 to 336,600, and the number with a primary C. difficile diagnosis more than tripled, from 33,000 to 111,000 . The estimated number of deaths attributed to C. difficile increased from 3,000 deaths per year during 1999–2000 to 14,000 during 2006–2007 . Ontario still refuses to report hospital deaths associated with C. difficile or other superbugs.   If the number is proportionate to the US figure, about 600 deaths would be attributed to C. difficile per year.  The CDC estimates "e xcess health-care costs" of hospital-onset C. difficile at $5,042–$7,179 per case with a national annual estimated excess health-care cost of $897 million to $1.3 bi

The Ottawa Citizen reports that fee for service funding (sometimes called "pay for performance") will increase from 6% of funding in 2012-3 for Ontario's 50 largest hospitals to 20% by 2014-15.  Traditional global funding will fall from 54% to 40%.   Dr. Richard Reznick, dean of health sciences at Queen's University told the Citizen , " It (the new funding system) takes away any degree of  freedom  that an executive management team has over a budget and lets the government dive deep into the micromanagement of specific  funding  lines".  The Citizen adds, "a key concern about the  funding  changes is that hospitals will lose the ability to predict annual budgets, making it difficult for them to balance ledgers without perpetually putting beds and jobs at  risk ." Critics of this funding system note it will   open a large door for privatization. Citizen reporter Pauline Tam notes that the the government has provided little information to

The Health Authority that runs the Burnaby General Hospital is now claiming that the C. difficile outbreak had been a contributing factor in only about 30 deaths.   As noted yesterday, top doctors at the hospital had noted  that 84 patients with C. difficile had died and cited an Ontario report that suggested in outbreaks about 80% of infected patient deaths were attributable to the disease. That's quite a discrepancy.  But without reporting requirements about C. difficile deaths, who really knows for sure how many died?  That's why we need reporting requirements here in Ontario (as well as BC).    The Hospital Employees Union released a statement today saying  that B.C.'s annual hospital housekeeping audits fail to provide health care decision-makers and the public with a complete picture of the state of hospital cleanliness in the province.   HEU says that the audits fail to investigate other issues critical to hospital cleanliness and infection control such as t

Eight senior doctors at Burnaby General Hospital have raised concerns about infection control at the hospital, after 473 patients were seriously infected with C. difficile. Eighty-four of those patients died. The eight doctors (including 6 department heads) wrote that " current CDAD [C. difficile]  infection control  management at Burnaby  Hospital... is a serious hazard to the patient population. ... Such is the degree of the CDAD  problem  and the ineffectual response to it, that we believe it could objectively be considered medical negligence. " The doctors made 16 recommendations to resolve the problem, including the immediate institution of enhanced cleaning within  hospital  units.  The doctors point to a lack of enhanced cleaning of high C.difficile medical units despite a recommendation from the infection control  committee following the late-2011 outbreaks. Hospital Employees Union spokesperson Margi Blamey said  a focus needs to be put on resources for cle

The Drummond Commission into the reform of public services in Ontario has proposed the province shrink and privatize hospital services.  Funding:  Drummond has recommended that health care funding be limited to 2.5% until 2017-18.  This is considerably less than the 3.6% increase proposed by the Liberals not long before the election.  Notably, even that proposal caused the Auditor General to observe in his pre-election review of Ontario's finances that  $1 billion in hospital savings  would have to be made (in addition to a two year wage freeze). This would be a drastic reduction in health care funding increases, which have averaged 7% since the Liberals came to power eight years ago.  Health care costs are driven by inflation, population growth, and aging.  Together these factors are significant cost drivers, likely over 4% per year.  But costs are also driven by a public that wants new health care services. When new services become available that prolong or improve their

As expected, the Drummond Commission has proposed the province shrink and privatize hospital services. Drummond has recommended that health care funding be limited to 2.5% until 2017-18.  This is considerably less than the 3.6% increase proposed by the Liberals not long before the election.  That proposal caused the Auditor General to observe in his pre-election review of Ontario's finances that $1 billion in hospital savings  would have to be made. The main target for Drummond cuts in health care spending are hospitals. Drummond is recycling ideas from the Harris era, when the government justified hospital cuts with the claim that they would improve care in the community.  Eventually, after repeated crises, the Harris government quietly changed their policy and began funding hospitals again. Initially, Drummond had tried to distance himself from the Harris policies, but today he only noted that the cuts would be longer than in the Harris era. Like Harris, Drummond su

Corporate health care bosses are making out like bandits in the homeland of health care privatization - -the USA.  Healthcare and pharmaceutical executives were four of the top 10 best paid executives in the United States in 2010, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reports.   John Hammergren, chief executive of the drug distributor McKesson Corp, was the top earner, with total remuneration of $145 266 971 (US).  If he were to be fired, he would receive $469m in severance pay.  That might make up for the shock. Number two was Joel Gemunder, chief executive of Omnicare, a geriatric pharmaceutical care company.  He earned $98, 283 242 when he retired in 2010. With an income like that, it's OK to be number 2.   Fifth highest paid boss was Thomas Ryan, head of the CVS Caremark pharmacy chain. He received $68 079 823. Ninth in pay was Ronald Williams, chief executive of the Aetna health insurance firm, who squeaked  into the top ten with a final pay cheque of $57, 787 786. Poor