MetaFilter posts tagged with hospitals

Harvard Study: Computers don't save hospitals money.

eleyna — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:40:39 -0800

Harvard Study: Computers don't save hospitals money. An article from Computerworld cites a clinical research study in the American Journal of Medicine. Four years of research finds that "the immense cost of installing and running hospital IT systems is greater than any expected cost savings." (Also on Wired and Slashdot.) “For 45 years or so, people have been claiming computers are going to save vast amounts of money and that the payoff was just around the corner,” he said. “So the first thing we need to do is stop claiming things there’s no evidence for. It’s based on vaporware and [hasn't been] shown to exist or shown to be true.”

Gorilla Hospitals

Kirth Gerson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:46:01 -0800

The invisible hand of the Free Market guides insurance payments to hospitals "Call it the best-kept secret in Massachusetts medicine: Health insurance companies pay a handful of hospitals far more for the same work even when there is no evidence that the higher-priced care produces healthier patients. In fact, sometimes the opposite is true: Massachusetts General Hospital, for example, earns 15 percent more than Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for treating heart-failure patients even though government figures show that Beth Israel has for years reported lower patient death rates."

International Patient Dumping

Knappster — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:14:04 -0800

MexCare offers "An Alternative Choice for the Care of the Unfunded Latin American National." The company caters to hospitals wishing to privately repatriate seriously ill but uninsured immigrants.

LOLCLOWNSNOT

wendell — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:37:09 -0800

Don't send in the clowns. Why are they considered scary by kids of all ages? Maybe it just makes sense. Previously on MetaFilter: clowns have frequently been objects of disdain or ridicule, and some have earned their infamy. (At least we have, on rare occasion, acknowledged a good clown.)

Hospital Closures in NYC

chunking express — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:10:35 -0800

A Google Map mash-up shows how hospital closures in NYC disproportionately effect the poor and people of colour. It's a pretty slick presentation of the data.

"By early 2005, nearly one-third of the wounded soldiers admitted to the National Naval Medical Center had been colonized by the bacteria."

amberglow — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:04:12 -0800

Rumors were circulating at the hospital that insurgents dosed their homemade bombs with the flesh of dead animals. ---multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter, and how we brought it to Iraq ourselves. "My colleagues and I have been looking for Acinetobacter baumannii in soil samples for years, and we haven't found it," she says. "These organisms are quite rare outside of hospitals." In other news, conditions in Iraqi hospitals are so bad due to lack of even the most basic supplies they're calling it a breach of the Geneva Conventions.

...but what do they give you for nausea?

vorfeed — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:39:26 -0800

Inside Surgery, Dr. Lisa Marcucci's surgical blog, will give you a lovely preview of exactly what they'll be doing to your guts, from gallbladder surgery to appendectomy, artery plaque removal, hemorrhoid removal, and more. Supplement the text with this extensive collection of surgical videos (NSFW), and you'll be ready to operate -- or, at least, to understand what'll go on during your operation.

Eat what I say, not what I do.

scblackman — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:47:05 -0800

Paging Dr. Ronald McDonald and Dr. Pepper. To Cardiology ... stat. Despite the innumerable reports demonstrating an sharp rise in childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes in children, many children's hospitals continue to provide a plethora of unwholesome food and beverage choices. Moreover, these choices often contribute to revenue in most of these hospitals. This has been well-documented in community and academic [BugMeNot] hospitals. Different children's hospitals are awfully good at handing out advice to families. Maybe the hospitals should look in the mirror [note: links to .pdf of study].

The Ultimate Geek Auction

eurasian — Thu, 18 Nov 2004 09:10:26 -0800

A tour with WotC, a session to play D&D with them. Lifetime subscription to Steam. Ok, some items are better than others. But for Child's Play, the folks at PA are pulling one heckuva dream auction for geeks. More auction items are detailed, go to the the second news post.

Child's play screwed over by media.

krisjohn — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 00:05:27 -0800

Wil Wheaton sums it up best -- Penny Arcade's Child's Play, as posted previously, has been completely ignored by the media, despite donating over US$200,000 worth or toys and cash to a local children's hospital. 11,100 news items on violence in video games, 3 news items on video gamers opening their hearts and wallets.

Dark Passage: Scary Archaeology

Carlos Quevedo — Wed, 20 Nov 2002 03:26:24 -0800

Frightening Archaeology: Dark Passage is scarier than Infiltration; less cosy than Lost America; and more disturbing than Ruins of Detroit or any other ruination already investigated on Metafilter. In fact, it's probably the extreme incarnation of the thriving world of websites about abandoned buildings, full of spooky mental asylums, echoes of depravity and twisted archaeology - like a spaced-out online version of Brad Anderson's Session 9. Or the real thing. To make matters worse, it also falls disconcertingly into the "What's this all about?" category. Brrrrr.... [QT/WM required for the last link only - please disregard "Purchase" title and enjoy Nine Inch Nails soundtrack. Via Linkfilter.]

Blake — Wed, 02 Oct 2002 09:34:01 -0800

Ontarians wait up to 30 weeks for key tests
Waiting lists for common exams to detect major diseases are growing at an alarming and outrageous pace in Ontario, says the National Post. The Waiting lists are longest ever, One million people waiting for medical treatments, A Hostpital with no nurses or beds, and, Medical errors killing thousands. Over the pond... more bad news. 36-hour hospital wait for 87-year-old , and worse yet, Woman dies 'after hospital wait'.
Bad news for govt. run health care, or media hype?

Oriole Adams — Fri, 16 Aug 2002 10:19:57 -0800

UK Nurses tested for clinical competency, but not for English language skills. So when a surgeon has to halt an operation because the nurses can't understand his instructions, does that make him a racist?

AsiaInsider — Thu, 21 Feb 2002 18:25:56 -0800

Teddy Bears to watch you While other countries are banning teddy bears from Children's hospital rooms, Japan is putting digital high tech teddy bears that will watch you and inform doctors when you need help.

tiaka — Sat, 06 Jan 2001 15:10:06 -0800

No, Mr.Bond, you die. Dr. Death? How are hospitals run in england? 297 patients!

greyscale — Tue, 11 Jul 2000 19:57:54 -0800

I can still remember and old ER co-worker's comment when they wheeled in a completely paralyzed pt "they should just let him go" and apparently this guy acted on his belief with some carefully calculated criteria.