Learning From the Best
We're publishing our annual ranking of America's Best Hospitals at a moment when America's entire health industry is under the microscope. President Obama has decided that now is the opportunity to change the way the country gets its healthcare. He has opened up a trunkful of arguments, most notably about cost, effectiveness, and fairness. The debate will be with us for months to come, if not longer.
Our hospital rankings have long provided some important benchmarks at the top end of the quality spectrum. We looked in depth at nearly 5,000 of the nation's hospitals and selected the top performers in key specialties, as well as those rare few that do many things with excellence. We have also continued the separate rankings of children's hospitals that we began two years ago.
Besides the numbers, we look at some of the people and technologies that are improving medical care. The surgical robot is just one example of what we're starting to see in regular use. Laser surgery, body scans, and indestructible replacement parts for aging bodies are all becoming common. Many of the improvements have to do with communication, long a shortcoming in medical institutions. Patient data can be sent where they are needed more quickly. Doctors and equipment can be tracked in hospital hallways. Telemedicine, which allows specialists to diagnose patients far away, is gaining critical mass. Big investments by the best hospitals are cutting error rates and improving patient outcomes.
We also know, as we've reported for years, that technology alone won't solve our problems. For every "best hospital" there are plenty of not-so-good hospitals. And even the best are criticized for often being among the costliest. After all, the cost of a life is what so much of this debate comes down to—and why it's so difficult to resolve. Healthcare is infinitely perfectible and therefore infinitely costly. How do you put a limit on it? Should you? Does someone at some point have to say, "No, that's all the care you are entitled to?" And who would that person be?
Of course, there are other factors. Our aging population creates unforeseen challenges, to say nothing of our gross national obesity epidemic. Medicare has changed the nature of doctors' practices, while malpractice suits have imposed stiff costs on them. Many Americans lack health insurance, though the reasons aren't always simple.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on the healthcare debate. What is on your list of the best ways to make the system more effective and efficient? Join the discussion below.
We want to add your voice to this crucial and complicated debate.
Tags: healthcare | hospitals | rankings
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Reader Comments
Why Schools Make Me Nervous
It's probably too late, but I hate the fact that there are still "teacher's colleges" around. They offer a major in education and a job soon after graduation, but the curriculum is rarely challenging and it's easy to get good grades.
We're still on hold from the early 20th century, when the population increased and there was tremendous need for new teachers. My grandfather, for example, became a teacher at his own high school after he graduated. It was around that time that "normal" schools were created to fill the need for teachers. It is time to abandon that concept!
I was recently asked to help interview candidates for an opening on the faculty at the local parochial high school. An English teacher was sought, and many candidates applied from our local UW campus. None of them had read any of the standard high school classics, such as "Huckleberry Finn" or "Julius Caesar," and when shown the list of books they were expected to teach next semester, they had never even HEARD of any of them!
Learning from the Best
Whatever system we arrive at, let us make it one where all Americans are in the same boat: members of Congress, retired Congressional members, all federal employees, veterans, former Presidents, retired military, all but the President and active duty military (for obvious reasons). Then I will believe we have done the best we can, found the best, and not simply surrendered to "get something done."
Health Care
I believe we need major changes in our present health care system. I previously resided in Canada for ten years and received excellent health for my family and myself care with no cost.
I would urge an open health plan so people may chose between government and private insurance. No question, we need coverage for everyone, and continued coverage when one leaves a job. If indeed, everyone would be assured of health care, the whole program and cost of workman's compenstion insurance would be drastically lowered by trillions of dollars.
Obviously, our government has run many successful health care programs via Medicare, Federal Health,and Kaiser Health Foundation works well. If this Congress does not make significant changes to assure coverage for every citizen, it will be a shame for America.
Our Health care system looks SICK compared to many other countries.
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