It is my contention that bedsores represent a pristine reflection of healthcare's systemic quality. To the extent they exist in a healthcare setting we can assume that the quality of care delivered generally is questionable. To the extent bedsores are rare occurrences we can infer that the overall quality of care delivered in that institution is of a high order.

This idea is anathema to healthcare professionals, particularly the nursing professional. They believe that bedsores are an inevitable consequence of "improvements" in healthcare, the consequence of people living longer than they used to. I have experienced the attitude reflected in the comment of a hospice nurse who views the bedsore as a blessing that shortens the length of a persons suffering. "Compassion fatigue" can have perverse implications.

These early posts must necessarily involve me making my case by way of some setting the context somewhat, establishing some historical basis for my position. Ultimately, I hope to establish some interest in this issue and make it a real time, dare I say it, journalistic effort by commenting on the news as it breaks locally in Minnesota and nationally.

In my next post I will introduce the reader to who I am, how I stumbled upon this problem and what it has meant to me. I will introduce you as well to a few of the many "hollow men (and women)" I have encountered along the way. Modern managed healthcare is littered with them. The bureaucratic mind is hollow. That these are in the ascendency is a problem that may doom us all.