What Underlies the US Health Care Disaster?

'Tis Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend and not likely to have any real meat in any blog, especially one relating to something as serious as US Health Care and its broken state. However, consider what is happening across the nation in hospitals - nursing staffs pull a full shift with enough people present. Doctors have made arrangements to cover ER, OR and whatever area needs attention. Sufficient staffing has to be made at all testing labs and everyone affiliated with the ability to get the data to and fro despite the time, holiday or situation.

Is the 'round the clock' manner of US Health Care part of the failure of it? I can hardly think so. Almost any sort of industry has not had a negative impact due to working swing and night shifts. Certainly, only some people can really thrive on a different clock than daylight work, but most in the medical field - those who are in direct contact with patients - know that is all part and parcel of their jobs.

What about the other part of the medical industry - the personnel who are not in direct contact with patients or the needs of patients, but who make up the other half of hospital employees? I speak of the back-office workers, the paper pushers, the coders, the day workers...

The day workers in the accounting and records departments are not mandatory during shifts other than daytime. And the managers of those departments are not around except a little less time than the day workers. It is my contention that the 'other half' of the hospital has employees who are likely much less motivated than the actual floor workers who have patient interaction. Floor workers see the positive impact they have on the well-being of their 'customers'.

The 'back office' workers are not seeing any real positive benefit of their work, I propose their level of job dissatisfaction would equal or possibly be higher than office workers throughout all industry. And that is where we have a rub...Health care is life and death, extremely important to everyone directly involved. Yet, we have the 'other half' of the hospital who may have a great deal of contempt for the patient, the employers and the job itself because they are not directly involved. The level of connection and compassion can never be forged because the office area is not tuned into the feelings, emotions or history a floor nurse or other care-taker would have.

Consider this, part of the major problem in US Health Care being broken is that well over half of those involved really don't give a shit! It's a job and I count widgets or manage beans or whatever in this setting or in about any other interchangeably here or anywhere else...AND I STILL HATE MY JOB!

With a high level of job dissatisfaction the US worker has, how can we have a 'well' economy when it comes to health care? The contempt for the job is barely contained and bubbles over into the general population, the hospital operation and specifically, patients.

I have to contend that a major part of the inefficiencies we see in US Health Care is due to the high level of dissatisfaction of employees. Such dissatisfaction impacts the level of productivity, the degree of mistakes made and spitefully made, albeit, erroneous entries.

Then, is the epidemic of inefficiencies of US Health Care really isolated to that industry? My contention and postulation it is not. In fact, I feel very strongly that the feeling of disassociation the US worker feels, the high level of anxiety and fear of job instability and insecurity of their perceived actual contribution makes them emotional wrecks with direct impact upon domestic problems, alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and obesity.

While I am not stating source materials here, and that I am sitting out of my office on a holiday weekend, I am certain I am a lot more correct than wrong. Others may dispute my claims and opinions, however, the proof is in the pudding. The reality of what we experience surely shows what I have said is true. The other issue to consider is what impact will the worker feelings have on our overall economy in the future? The cost will be discovered to be devastating!

Maybe, that is why the US economy has been moving away from personnel expenses and that of technology and capital. Cutting out people seems to be the answer in our economy...with obvious clarity!