CROSS BORDER SHOPPING FOR HEALTHCARE SERVICES
The rumour is that Canadians are purchasing about $700,000,000 of healthcare services in the US. A small percentage of the $200B spent each year on healthcare services in Canada. But the number is material and growing. Furthermore, many Canadians are buying healthcare insurance that delivers the services in the US. Best Doctors insurance in Canada […] Read More
EROSION OF HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE : (source McKinsey 2016)
The need to renew existing healthcare infrastructure is acute, and doing so will be expensive. Once an asset—whether it is a road, a bridge or a hospital—degrades beyond a certain point, it enters the “failure zone” in its life cycle (Exhibit 1). The cost to maintain such assets is high, adding further financial pressure. In […] Read More
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE STUCK WITH A BIG U.S. HOSPITAL BILL
THE PROBLEM: A number of Canadians end up in hospitals in the U.S. Many of them are either uninsured or under-insured. The result is that they end up stuck with a big hospital bill. The bills are a lesson in humility. One night in the ER results in a bill of $32,000. A fractured femur […] Read More
HOSPITALS NEED $15.4 to $28 BILLION IN REPAIRS: FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE WITH INCREASING DEMAND IS THE PERFECT STORM
Canada needs to invest in new hospitals, says health care association LINDA GIVETASH Special to The Globe and Mail Published Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2015 Dr. Richard Johnston knew the health care system was in trouble when he walked down a hallway at University of Alberta Hospital and saw an older woman housed in a linen […] Read More
BEDSIDE PATIENT ADVOCACY HAS ARRIVED
With an aging population, seeing a loved one admitted to hospital can be a frightening and overwhelming experience. Hospitals are sterile environments. Doctors do not oversee anyone patient. There is a lack of continuity of care. Medical mistakes are common place. Loved ones can be overlooked. Their treatment needs can be ignored or worse. Now […] Read More
A TALE OF TWO HOSPITALS:
This the story of two hospitals. Looking at the buildings from the parking lot, they looked very similar. Walking into the emergency room or riding the elevators and there were no big differences. But the outcomes for patients , in these two hospitals, were as different as day is to night. Hospital A was lead […] Read More