One of the real problems with Ebola and U.S. hospitals is [View all]

[MineralMan]

that most for-profit and many non-profit hospitals do not have medically-trained people in the top management jobs. Instead, those jobs are filled by MBA folks and bean-counters. They are the people who make the decisions about how the hospital is run in most cases. Since medical staff cannot override directives from the non-medical management team, situations like what has happened in Dallas are always a threat.

When budgetary matters override medical decisions, the result can be deadly. Preparing for something like Ebola is very costly, requiring expensive items to properly protect staff members who will actually have to care for patients. In addition, policies designed to keep uninsured patients from being admitted can lead to people being sent home who should have been admitted.

So, many hospitals have minimal or no preparations for worst-case situations. Management resists costly preparations, so they don't happen. That's very probably the situation at the hospital in Texas. Decisions made by non-medical management override the wishes of the medical staff. Management simply does not understand medical needs, and only concerns itself with budgetary matters. It's a prescription for serious problems.