Editorial: Accountability for area hospitals

Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998 | 10:13 a.m.

Managed care companies have proved they're capable of harming quality medical care.

That is why it is not surprising that state legislatures and Congress are trying to reform managed care practices that have placed profits first and medicine second. An integral part of quality health care is nursing, an often overlooked element essential for patient treatment and recovery.

A group of Southern Nevada nurses believes that more accountability is required of hospitals. They charge that hospitals seeking contracts with managed care companies have reduced nursing levels to cut costs and help their bottom line.

The Sun's Art Nadler reported that Teresa Morrow, a nurse at University Medical Center, told a state board Tuesday that the public has a right to know the number of nurses on hand, patient status, infection rate levels by floor and any unusual incidents, such as patients falling and medication errors.

The nurses make good points. Medicine today is big business, where shareholder wishes often supersede the sound judgments of doctors and nurses. Patients are confused and worried that the care they get isn't what it was before the accountants took over medicine.

Any reliable data that can help a consumer make an informed decision when selecting a doctor or hospital should be made available to the public. If the state Bureau of Licensure and Certification decides to adopt some of the nurses' recommendations, however, it should limit reporting requirements to only those that are an accurate barometer of the quality of patient care. After all, nurses shouldn't be spending their time on needless government-mandated reports; they should devote their attention on providing quality care for patients.

Accountability, yes. Unnecessary paperwork, no.