Curious... critique of Seattle "healthcare"?

[LethaChristina]

Hi, after just having come back from being with my uncle's family in Columbus, OH, while my uncle was hospitalized in the Ohio State University Medical Center in critical condition in the "medically-indigent" section called "East Campus" ICU (my uncle is a lay Methodist pastor--not much income from that!)... I really snooped into all aspects of his ongoing care, talked with all the providers and staff, and witnessed for myself what I KNOW is NOT going on in Seattle... immaculately-given care in a very loving environment. I really do not know what to say: I have been involved in care in all Seattle hospitals--yes, all of them... in one role or another... and it is simply unspeakable what is happening to patients in Seattle--consistently and in apparent ignorance of what medical care is supposed to be; even down to consistent breaches in hospital guidelines. So what about these "international reputations" being claimed by some? I tell you, this is utter nonsense! Medical care in Seattle is a sham and a disgrace to who we are as professionals. I'm not saying there aren't some good outcomes of highly-technical surgery... but for chronically-ill patients, psychiatric patients, and the vast majority of "usual" patients--the care is sickening! And NO, the U of W is NOT a "leader"! My move to leave the profession based on all I saw and had experienced was exactly the right thing to do (unless I decide to move to Columbus!) The physician-director showed me the stats--they have one of the lowest mortality rates of ICU's in the country! Just ask me why this is, and I'll be glad to share! We need to be sharing these sorts of things as nurses, because it is we who will make changes: not the firmly-entrenched physicians... one of whom told me last summer, "we should take away your license for practicing medicine!" (Right! He was angry because I had told one of his patients--admitted for prescription drug abuse--that there was great healing in appropriate foods; and perhaps even through appropriate foods/nutritionals a way out of further prescriptions (this physician had placed this patient on four mind-altering drugs: yes, this "prescription abuse"patient!) How long has it been since HE did any looking into the latest research on such? ...or was it only that his education was coming via drug company perk's. Since when is nutritional education "practicing medicine?" or was this "being a patient advocate?" Anyway, sick to my stomach by this kind of thing--I did not renew my license this year! I don't even want to be around this kind of ignorance nor abuse of power. I left King County, a bastion of "liberals" who don't even know of what they speak!

Because my best friend's husband died after being discharged from hemorrhage in his wife's car on the way home to the Kitsap Peninsula (he had had a mutilating cancer surgery--and had hemorrhaged the whole recovery--what in the world was Virginia Mason thinking when they discharged him!)--and a 18 y/o nephew with cancer of the roof of his mouth nearly died because of the same sort of "ignorance"... and myself being forcibly-detained for "spiritual emergency"--after nearly being killed on a number of occasions out of ignorance of physicians at Swedish/Harborview... (this really goes on and on ad infinitum). The "pride" we have in Seattle--of so many things--is simply not true. We had better "wake up and smell the roses"--there's a big world out there!