When Hospitals Recruit Their Own Patients

My 88-year-old Uncle spent 23 hours in the hospital this week, but it’s not at all what you think – in fact only 6 of those were from walking into ER registration to triage to discharge. Sure he was having chest pain and wobbliness, but the cheeseburger and vanilla shake and 2 bowls of coffee ice cream may have had a hand in that.  “You might want to watch the greasy foods and do less sitting for long periods,” the nice nurse with the red polka-dot cap said. “Are you retired?” Well, sort of, Uncle Mike coughed out – “I still do Mass every week.” The chief ER nurse piped in from the nearby Epic machine – “So you’re a priest. Huh. Any chance when you are feeling better you can see a few of our patients? Our chaplains are all out and we are understaffed today. So there we were in the ER – tired from a half-dozen hours sitting in a hospital bed – about to go to work. Talk about being an equal opportunity employer. Uncle Mike had some fluids and after a few senior moments making sure he had his Holy water, the 88-year-old got on an elevator and started rounds. He finished work 3 days later after logging about 17 hours wearing a “volunteer” badge. At discharge, that nice nurse who treated him Monday, well she handed him a small vanilla shake…Our healthcare system is doing what it can to keep up with aging and sickness and there’s been a lot of creativity – some rely on travel doctors from overseas to come here and work as private practice nurses, Medicaid now pays caregivers in many states and universities like Minnesota State are using their own students to help staff a new rural behavioral health clinic opening in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield. These are good things and hopefully policy and regulation can keep adjusting to support labor innovation.  Like when hospitals start recruiting their own patients...