Cyrus Dugger

PBS series examines Georgia health care

Here is some great programming on the medical industry. Almost all have passed, but there’s one left. This release is from Georgia Watch.

ATLANTA - When you go to the doctor 10 years from now, how will things have changed? Will you get the best care possible? A new series to air on all Georgia PBS affiliates delves into the condition of health care in Georgia and the steps many in the industry are taking to shape its future.

Remaking American Medicine. Health Care for the 21st Century, a four-part television series to be broadcast in October, will tell stories of change. Drawing on unprecedented access to U.S. health-care institutions, the series will present detailed and emotionally engaging profiles of individuals struggling to fix a broken system. The stories will be told through the eyes of doctors, nurses, administrators and patients, showing their struggles, their setbacks and their victories.

Series Segments:

Program One - “Silent Killer” (Oct. 8, 2006 ~ 6:00 p.m.)

Every year at least 98,000 Americans are killed - and countless more are injured - as a result of medical errors. This program begins by profiling the efforts of Sorrel King, whose 18-month-old daughter died at one of the most respected hospitals in the world, Johns Hopkins.

Program Two - “First Do No Harm” (Oct. 15, 2006 ~ 6:00 p.m.)
This program focuses on the impact of hospital-acquired infections (MRSA) and medical errors in two institutions, and follows the efforts of physicians who are challenging their colleagues to live up to their oath to “First Do No Harm.”

Program Three - “The Stealth Epidemic” (Oct. 22, 2006 ~ 6:00 p.m.)
Chronic diseases, like diabetes and congestive heart failure, affect nearly 100 million Americans, and treatment of these illnesses consumes nearly 70 percent of all health-care resources. Yet doctors are often unable to prevent needless suffering, and these failures are threatening the viability of our health care system.

Program Four - “Hand in Hand” (Oct. 29, 2006 ~ 6:00 p.m.)
As medicine becomes more and more technologically sophisticated and the systems that deliver medical care become more complex, the relationship between providers and patients and their families is more important than ever. This final program tells the story of patients and families who have formed a unique bond at the Medical College of Georgia Health System in Augusta, to transform the institution into a nationally recognized facility where partnership is a guiding vision to the care it delivers.

Related Links:

Georgia Medical Care Foundation
Georgia Public Television

Cyrus Dugger
Senior Fellow in Civil Justice
Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

Posted at 9:35 AM, Oct 23, 2006 in Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)