Saturday, June 05, 2004
Bill Robinson Comments
Periodically, I include in a posting a request for comments from readers. Bill Robinson – now retired after a distinguished career in hospital association work – was good enough to respond as below:
………………………………………
Well, friend Wittrup, I read your postings and wish you had more feed-back. So, here's one.
Way back (c. 1970) Dr. Leonard Cronkhite (brother of Walter), then General Director of the Boston Children's Hospital observed to me,
"Human need for health care is infinite.
This will require infinite resources.
We are not going to be granted infinite resources."
I think that's a succinct summary of the basics of the problem appearing in your many and interesting blogs about reform, delivery, finance, modern medicine, physician conduct, etc.
You described an earlier blog of mine as the "rantings of a grumpy old man".
Here's another rant.
Rationing should receive some gentle discussion. A place to begin might be with the very elderly (I know, you will say define elderly in a politically acceptable way). I remember a very distinguished and very famous hospital CEO - has to be both because he's a past chairman of (dear old) AHA – saying that he thought it wrong that an 88 year old woman could have both hips replaced so that she could resume her enjoyment of gardening. There's a starting point.
Cheers, Bill Robinson
Periodically, I include in a posting a request for comments from readers. Bill Robinson – now retired after a distinguished career in hospital association work – was good enough to respond as below:
………………………………………
Well, friend Wittrup, I read your postings and wish you had more feed-back. So, here's one.
Way back (c. 1970) Dr. Leonard Cronkhite (brother of Walter), then General Director of the Boston Children's Hospital observed to me,
"Human need for health care is infinite.
This will require infinite resources.
We are not going to be granted infinite resources."
I think that's a succinct summary of the basics of the problem appearing in your many and interesting blogs about reform, delivery, finance, modern medicine, physician conduct, etc.
You described an earlier blog of mine as the "rantings of a grumpy old man".
Here's another rant.
Rationing should receive some gentle discussion. A place to begin might be with the very elderly (I know, you will say define elderly in a politically acceptable way). I remember a very distinguished and very famous hospital CEO - has to be both because he's a past chairman of (dear old) AHA – saying that he thought it wrong that an 88 year old woman could have both hips replaced so that she could resume her enjoyment of gardening. There's a starting point.
Cheers, Bill Robinson
