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[bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>]

Susan, there are plenty of mistakes made by docs and staff that cause injury 
and death, I agree.    As I said in the other post, I took my one-time PCP to 
BOMEX.  He was treating himself for depression, and didn't prescribe his own 
pysch meds properly which caused him to make a mistake with my meds that 
caused me harm.  I did not sue him, but I did hold him accountable.
 
I am un-insurable;  if I were to give up my insurance.  I could not be 
covered with any premium.  Heart disease and cancer (especially colon cancer) 
run heavily in both sides of my family and I have suffered the genetic 
disposition to both, already.  I also caused myself additional harm by 
smoking tobacco for years --that's completely on me.  I was raised to be 
smarter , but I failed at that, and will pay a heavy price, I fear.  
 
I don't think I like the health care system , even ,as much, as the next 
person, and so far, I still have insurance.  I just wish for reasonable 
catastrophic health insurance, the ability to pick my own docs and hospital, 
and I'm willing to fork over the $$$ for the preventive stuff.  I'm neither 
rich nor poor.  The rich don't care what it cost, and neither do the poor.  
In Arizona, a patient on Medicaid can see most of my docs.  I don't begrudge 
them;  Without insurance, I could be wiped out with a couple of major 
surgeries and follow up care.  I just am looking for a way to make the system 
work without the oppressiveness of the insurance companies or the government 
.......bobford



----- Original Message ----
From: SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2008 10:03:32 PM
Subject: [Homestead] medical safety in this country

I went looking just now for current figures on iatrogenic deaths in this 
country, but as usual, they are not easy to come by.  Not really 
something any of us want to think too hard about, I guess.

I no longer have mine (burned in house fire) but I remembered this 
article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is 
only available on the net for $$, although some libraries carry it and a 
lot of hospital libraries will let the public in (another closely-held 
fact) but someone has copied it to a blog at 
http://digg.com/health/Doctors_May_Be_Third_Leading_Cause_of_Death

Those are of course, not current figures and no matter what, are 'way 
low.  I have seen many deaths go unmarked so far as causative factors.  
For instance, had I had the good grace to croak this spring before my 
diagnosis and subsequent treatment, my death certificate would 
undoubtedly have read simply "pulmonary thrombosis" with no note as to 
neglect/lack of dx/treatment or anything else, for that matter.  I've 
seen estimates that reporting of iatrogenic death ranges from 5% to 20% 
of actual cases.....pretty scary when you do the numbers.

And these are only deaths.  They don't count the incidents that involve 
a less-than-dead patient, such as medication errors that don't result in 
death, surgeries done on the wrong limb, etc....

Susan Jane, in Maine

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