Dash-cam video: Woman lay in Florida hospital parking lot 18 minutes, later died

[MADem]

24. I think it depends on the hospital--a lot of them cater to the wealthy.

You should see the suites at MGH. They're not for us ordinary folks at all....


Eye opening article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/26/opinion/hospitals-red-blanket-problem.html?_r=0

Today, I work at a hospital in Massachusetts that gives the same white blankets to everyone. Yet I continue to see red blanket patients. Here, they are called “pavilion patients” because they pay extra to stay in private hotel-like rooms on the top floor, which come with gourmet food, plush bath robes and small business centers.

Whether red blankets or luxury suites, elite services exist in various forms at hospitals around the country, and are nearly universal at the most prestigious medical centers. Of the nation’s top 15 hospitals, ranked by U.S. News and World Report, at least 10 offer luxury treatment options.

Some physicians suggest that V.I.P. services are a harmless way to raise money. Wealthy patients can afford to pay over $1,000 a night for deluxe rooms. More important, if V.I.P.s have good experiences, they might make big donations. At some cancer centers, doctors are even trained to solicit donations themselves. It makes sense. With more money, the hospital can improve its overall service. It’s trickle down health care.

But are red blankets really harmless?

Regular patients lose when hospitals dedicate their best spaces to elite units. One study found that patients in a room with a view of nature recovered faster from gallbladder surgery than those who faced a brick wall. Even having a room with more sunlight has been associated with decreased patient stress and use of pain medications. The University Medical Center of Princeton built new rooms with better aesthetics and found that patients who recovered from surgery in those rooms required 30 percent less pain medication than patients in old rooms.....