'We can do better as an industry to show respect to patients' and other letters

We can do better as an industry to show respect to patients

Regarding your May 15 cover story "Patient. Consumer. Customer. Guest." (p. 16), this is a great article and reflects the need for our nation's hospitals to show respect to patients. This did not even hit on the issue of "surprise" bills from physicians at hospitals. These include physicians who do not accept the insurance coverage the hospitals accept, including emergency room physicians who are working on contract by the hospital. We need to get our house in order and organize our system to be cognizant that hospitals are a community resource first. We can do better as an industry.

Anthony Stanowski

President and CEO

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education

Rockville, Md.

Healthcare should know better; more drugs aren't always the answer

Regarding the recent article "Price's drug addiction treatment comments echo debate" in recovery community​ (ModernHealthcare.com, May 12), I was struck by this quote: "It is dangerous to further perpetuate the untrue and unscientific statement that medication-assisted treatment is somehow substituting one drug with another. We would never say that if the disease was diabetes."

The quote illustrates how much the "scientific community" lives in denial and dishonesty. How is a belief in more drugs to solve our problems—and claims that this belief is the truth and shouldn't be challenged—any different from those who claim one religion is the true religion?

For many diabetics, good diet and exercise is a better solution than drugs. Antibiotics are an effective tool when used appropriately and sparingly. But if prescribed too often, they enable superbugs. The same can be said about many drugs.

We drug our grade-school kids for attention deficit disorder, mostly because boys act like boys. Drugged kids don't learn self-discipline. Then we wonder why teens and adults use drugs to cope with reality and exhibit lack of self-control.

Is too much reliance on drugs turning a medical tool into a god to be worshipped? Could we benefit more from an honest debate where those who worship their science like a religion don't try to shut down the debate?

Bob Schmidt

Atlanta