What I have learned so far on my personal Healthcare journey
I have learned that although I am a smartie pants patient safety activist, and I know all the correct questions to ask and who to ask, the answers are hard to come by. The most transparent places I called were Maine Medical Center and Eastern Maine Medical Center. The hospital I called in Boston had attitude. I asked their infection control nurse what the infection rate was for robotic assisted hysterectomies, and all hysterectomies and I was told “well, I know they are below the National average”. Exactly what does that mean? I have no clue. She also said that they are not required to report those numbers to the public, but in a year, they would be doing that. I told her I have cancer now and I need surgery, so that report in a year would do me no good. Then she went on to tell me she did not have the authority to give me that information. When Iasked for someone who did have the authority, she said I would have to wait until Tuesday(this was the previous Thursday) and call back, but she was not certain I could get that information. I did not call back. I was completely turned off by their lack of transparency.
Both of the Maine Hospitals I called gave me the information they had on infection rates for hysterectomies, and EMMC even had it broken down for robotic assisted hysterectomies. Both were concerned compassionate and friendly. It might be because I know both of them from my MRSA work. Even so, I appreciated their honesty and candor. The only problem I had was finding out about other complications of their robotic assisted surgery cases. I think if I had persued it further, I could have found out, but sometimes there is such a thing as TMI….too much information. TMI can be kind of frightening.
So, although the original plan was to go to Boston and engage the doctor who did the first robotic assisted hysterectomy in New England, I have changed my mind. That is the perogative of patients/healthcare consumers. I did my homework. I also asked my personal local doctor her opinion. She was very candid. Her own husband died of melanoma this past June. She basically said that given the choice of going to Boston or Portland (she and her husband went to both places), she would choose Portland. Her comments were that the Boston teaching hospitals are world class but they love having you come there to learn ‘on’ you. She went on to say that Maine Hosptials have the focus of Patient Safety. This was reassuring to me. She is a wise doctor.
So, after all my struggles and conflicts with Maine Hospitals and the Maine Hospital Association over MRSA, I will put my trust in Maine Medical Center and a GYN/oncologist there to take care of me. I am hoping that my activism has made Maine Hospitals safer places. I have the expectation of a very safe, infection free experience. I am scared enough about the risks of anesthesia, complications, post op pain, recovery and beyond…..I really don’t want the added concern of preventable harm. Eastern Maine Medical Center would have been an option if they had a GYN/oncologist, but they do not. MMC does and that is where I will go.
I encourage all potential patients to call the hosptials they are considering and ask about their infection and complication rates. Look the Hospitals and Doctors up on Healthgrades.com, or Why Not the Best. com websites to see their ‘grades’. Ask around, talk to your doctor. Ask him or her “if this was you or your mother, with exactly the same risk factors, where would you go for care?” No question is a stupid question and all the answers (or lack of answers) are important in making your best healthcare choices.
So, my first lesson in my personal Healthcare journey has been that although one can know the right questions, we can’t expect to get all the answers…and in some cases we can’t expect any answers at all! But, the answers we do get and the way they are delivered can have a huge impact on your decision.
