The Cultural Politics of Disease

Keith Wailoo is the Director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity at Rutgers University and author of acclaimed books examining the cultural politics of disease in America.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel, Dr. Wailoo explains the different cultural and clinical responses to diseases like Tay-Sachs and sickle cell anemia.

Link: Podcast, The Cultural Politics of Disease, 10 minutes 24 seconds

Observing Martin Luther King Day

Rosemary Flanigan
January 19, 2009

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day to all. We just had a program at the Center—and didn’t 86 people show up!! I think people want to celebrate together.

First, I thank Francie for her MOST THOUGHTFUL organizational ethics issue from the perspective of an emergency department doctor. Questions like these MUST be addressed!!

How do the rest of you handle continued care for the un/underinsured?? I know that the Center, under Terry Rosell's leadership, has developed a service in the Kansas City area in which specialists sign up to see a certain number of such patients on a pro bono basis—but that is charity trumping justice. It need not be that way.

AND, just to use one e-mail, a friend at the Consortium gave me “Hope, Truth, and Preparing for Death: Perspectives of Surrogate Decision Makers” from the 2008:149:861-868 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. This is a great article for ethics committee education—excellent real arguments when the physician says, “I can’t tell she’s dying; it will destroy her hope.”
MARVELOUS!

Happy day!

An "F" for US Healthcare

Rosemary Flanigan, PhD
Program Associate
July 25, 2008

The Center’s John Carney has sent the staff the Executive Summary of the Commonwealth Fund's July 2008 scoreboard report, Why Not the Best?

It is bleak reading: "Across 37 core indicators of performance, the U.S. achieves an overall score of 65 out of a possible 100. . . ." (When I was teaching, I saw 65 as an F!) Access significantly declined, efficiency remained low.

But what I need your help to understand is in the summary: "The Medicare program could potentially save at least $12 billion a year by reducing readmissions or by reducing hospitalizations for preventable conditions."

HOW DO YOU DO THAT? I can't get into the hospital (except for the ER) without a doctor's order--are we Medicare types to be talked OUT of readmissions?

And though my condition is "preventable," I nevertheless have it (like burning myself accidentally or developing a smoker's hack) and does this say I'm not going to be admitted?

I think the entire population runs to hospitals too easily and knocks on the doors expecting to be admitted but why is Medicare being targeted here?

What do you think? Share and view your comments by clicking on “Comments” below.

Links:

While the U.S. Spends Heavily on Health Care, a Study Faults the Quality, New York Times, July 17

Why Not the Best? Results from the National Scorecard on U.S. Health System Performance, 2008, Commonwealth Fund