When Care Is Worth It, Even if End Is Death - NYTimes.com

"....The idea that we waste money on terminal patients has caught on; the simplicity of the conceit makes it appealing to policy makers. And the data to support it keep coming, because it is easy for researchers to measure how much is spent on patients before they die......"

How Should We Define Value in Cancer Care? - The Oncologist

Cost Consciousness in Patient Care — What Is Medical Education’s Responsibility? NEJM

10 Years Later: A Progress Report on the Blueprint for Action – Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition of Canada (QELCCC)

Does computer use in patient-physician encounters influence patient satisfaction?

2010 Who Is Responsible? The Role of Family Physicians in the Provision of Supportive Cancer Care

Note: the issues from the family physicians' perspective

Doctor and Patient - Holding Doctors Accountable for Medical Errors - NYTimes.com

Editorial Comment: The emphasis of this article seems to place a rather large burden on physicians which is not totally warranted.

Doctor and Patient - Holding Doctors Accountable for Medical Errors - NYTimes.com

Q. What is a major patient safety area that still needs to be addressed?
A. Ten years ago, we approached patient safety as a series of system flaws; we believed that most errors were committed by good competent people doing something no more complicated than forgetting a cellphone. But in the last few years some of us in the patient safety field have begun to feel uneasy about that approach. When there are reasonably safe standards available, what do you do when people simply don’t adhere to them? At some point, it’s no longer a “systems problem.”

Urgent notice: Ovarian Cancer woman needs help - pls respond Vancouver, BC

An ovarian cancer woman is being discharged to home hospice care, however, her wishes are to die within an institutional complex hospice care facility. Physician hospice support would be required. Apparently these services are not available for patients/people with complex care. IF you can assist with these system issues please respond in an urgent manner.

response to prior letter: HINI and Cancer

Note/background: Please reference prior blog postings Nov 1-5th, 2009  regarding the apparent lack of access to care of an ovarian cancer woman and the systemic issues surrounding the H1N1.

email response (better late than never) December 2, 2009 4:57 pm:

"Thank you for writing and bringing to my attention your concerns regarding the government’s handling of the H1N1 vaccine roll out. As you are aware, the vaccine is now available to all members of the public.
Your views and comments are appreciated and helpful to my work as Leader of Canada’s New Democrats.
Between the conflicting messages, queue jumping, and sole sourced contracts; we feel the federal government could have done a better job handling the distribution of the vaccine. NDP Health Critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis continues to be our lead on this issue and you can review her work by visiting: http://www.judywl.ndp.ca/news/health.

Looking forward, we will continue to press the federal government to take a proper role in helping Canadians stay healthy and providing access to treatment when needed through:

- promoting healthy living
- hiring and training more doctors and nurses
- creating a pan-Canadian home care program
- ensuring prescription medicines are affordable

If you are interested in our plans to improve health care in Canada, I encourage you to check for details here: http://www.ndp.ca/platform/healthcare.

Again, thank you for sharing your views and comments as they helpful to my work as Leader of Canada’s New Democrats. All the best.

Sincerely,
Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats"

OCATS requires your help

Message forwarded: website http://www.ocats.ca


H E L P!!!  We know it’s Grey Cup weekend, and Christmas is coming, and we’ve all got better things to do.  But, imagine in the middle of all this our Ministry of Health, without any consultations or even contacting the doctors with urgent and critical issues CANCELLED the meeting where they promised they would finally have a solution for us.

You know that for over a year now, since spring 2008, we’ve been asking for proper support for our gynecologic oncologists serving southern Saskatchewan.  In every other jurisdiction these specialists working in a clinical setting (i.e. a hospital!) with proper medical, nursing, pathology, radiology support.  But OH NO, not in Regina!  Here we expect these doctors to continue struggling to find simple office space to examine their patients and keep files.  They have to go out and find their own nursing, after hours and medical support.  This is beyond BIZARRE!  In the medical issues business, this has got to be something we can actually figure out and fix?  No?

Last meeting, I presented a solution for the interim.  Reimburse the doctors immediately for their private practice space, get a proper nurse in their for them.  This is minimal, while a real solution is sought.  Gov’t response – NONE, NADA.

This meeting was put off because not only is there no solution yet, no one has even contacted the doctors, visited them, observed their needs, nothing.  NADA.  Do we want/need these specialists - highly sought out and highly skilled experts who need to be in the operating room or examining patients – to be out looking for appropriate office space, trying to figure out how to PAY for it, recruiting for their own support staff, filling the supply cabinets????

Remember in the spring when a Regina gyne onc told the media that the working conditions had become unworkable?  This meant the specialists were considering closing their private practices.  This meant patients had to be shipped out of Regina?  Well – they were told a lot of promises, as was OCATS.  They were told a solution would come before Sept 1^st, then they said oh that was summer; we’ll get it done by fall.  Well fall has been deferred til next year!  Enough is Enough!!!!  Evidently the only time the Ministry seriously listens is when women in large numbers speak loudly.  The legislative assembly will be sitting for only a few more days. 

P l e a s e    h e l p    u s    s p e a k    l o u d l y !

Write to:  The Honourable Don McMorris, Minister of Health, Government of Saskatchewan, Minister's Office, Room 302, Legislative Building, 2405 Legislative Drive, Regina, SK, S4S 0B3, Fax (306) 787-0237, minister.he@gov.sk.ca, sophie.ferre@gov.sk.ca

Copy to:  (this is really the job of the Regina Qu’Appelle Health District) Dr. Dwight Nelson, CEO RQHD dwight.nelson@rqhealth.ca, Dr. Chris Vuksic, Chris.Vuksic@rqhealth.ca

And Copy to:  Dwain Lingenfelter, Leader of the Official Opposition and Opposition Health Critic, Judy Junor, c/o Dwight Yasinowsky at dyasinowski@ndpcaucus.sk.ca

cc:  OCATS too please, ocats@ocats.ca

Short, Sweet and To the Point is all you need:

Dear Minister – Ovarian cancer patients don’t have enough time for this continue bureaucratic fumbling.  There are highly paid administrators and executives are various levels who should be able to resolve the issue of poor working conditions for Gynecologic Oncologists serving Southern Saskatchewan.  Enough is enough.  At minimum get these specialist’s office space and support staff in place and paid for before the end of the year.