Not a trivial or academic question. Time magazine identified the Nbc's Meet the Press moderator and Washington bureau chief as one of the 100 most influential habitancy in world in 2008. His loss at such a young age, 58, is tragic. His ability to make involved topics clear for the public and to ask the hard questions will be missed in this the most historic presidential races in American history.
But was his sudden passing and fatal heart assault an avoidable tragedy? His internist, Dr. Michael Newman, who is affiliated with George Washington healing Center, noted that Mr. Russert died of a
sudden coronary thrombosis, which can occur without warning. Mr.Russert had been diagnosed with asymptomatic heart disease which reportedly was well-controlled with medication and exercise. He passed a cardiac stress test in late April. It seems like he got the standard care.
Yet, our healthcare ideas only provides the right preventive care 55 percent of the time. What healing students know, lowering blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and arranging age-appropriate cancer screenings, shown to save lives, are not done routinely in this country. The ability of doctors and insurance plans to contribute this basic fundamental care varies by about 20 percent. If one compared the protection doing of the top 10 percent of airlines with the
national average, the ability gap was far less at less than 1 percent.
The National Committee for ability insurance (Ncqa) estimates that had all doctors and insurance plans performed at the level of the nation's top 10 percent that 80,000 Americans, all who had condition insurance, would have avoided premature death. That is twice the number of breast cancer deaths annually. A study of 20,000 patients in 12 Us major cities found that only 68 percent of those with heart disease and only 65 percent of those with high blood pressure received the recommended care developed by master committees.
Unfortunately, one can't assume that the best preventive care is done at university healing centers. A study in California found that the integrated healthcare assosication Kaiser Permanente outperformed both university healing centers and society hospitals in decreasing their
patients' heart assault risk and death by 30 percent. The vertically integrated Va healthcare ideas was also found to outperform society hospitals in caring for diabetics. It consistently ensured its patients got the right medications at the right dosages better that those in the communities colse to them.
It seems that as a country we take for granted the failings of the healthcare ideas which are occurring with alarming frequency. As we mourn the unexpected passing of a great journalist, we should instead ask ourselves whether there were systematic failures in the healthcare ideas that Mr. Russert relied on to keep him well? The goal wouldn't be to find negligence or to recognize scapegoats, as like the aviation industry, the delivery of healthcare is too involved to simply isolate
one person or entity that resulted in the mishap. It is very likely that normal Electric, Nbc's parent company, provided him with condition insurance options that were accredited by Ncqa as perfect in keeping habitancy healthy.
Is it possible, however, that the recommended care wasn't delivered? As our nation struggles with how to make the healthcare ideas more affordable, accessible, and with higher quality, the consider boils down to who is best in determining the right care at the right time. Is the on us on patients? Does the accountability rest on the healthcare industry? It is an foremost conversation our country must have and indeed would have gone better with a skilled moderator like Mr.
Russert. He will be deeply missed.
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