hireRx | Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids

Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids by Julie Salamon
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Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The (5/15/2008) ISBN: 1594201714 Edition: 1 Hardcover: 384 pages Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches Average Customer Review: based on 26 reviews.
A bestselling author and award winning journalist follows a year in the life of a big urban hospital, painting a revealing portrait of how medical care is delivered in America today Most people agree that there are complicated issues at play in the delivery of health care today, but those issues may not always be what we think they are. In 2005, Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, unveiled a new state-of-theart, multimillion-dollar cancer center. Determined to understand the whole spectrum of factors that determine what kind of medical care people receive in this country, bestselling author Julie Salamon spent one year tracking the progress of the center and getting to know the characters who make the hospital run. Located in a community where sixty-seven different languages are spoken, Maimonides is a case study for the particular kinds of concerns that arise in institutions that serve an increasingly multicultural American demographic. Granted an astonishing �warts and all� level of access by the hospital higher-ups, Salamon followed the doctors, patients, administrators, nurses, ambulance drivers, cooks, and cleaning staff. She explored not just the action on the ground�what happens between doctors and patients�but also the financial, ethical, technological, sociological, and cultural matters that the hospital community encounters every day. Drawing on her skills as interviewer, observer, and social critic, Salamon presents the story of modern medicine, uniquely viewed from the vantage point of those who make it run. She draws out the internal and external political machinations that exist between doctors and staff as well as between hospital and community. And she grounds the science and emotion of medical drama in the financial realities of operating a huge, private institution that must contend with issues like adapting to the specific needs of immigrant groups that make up a large and growing portion of our society. Salamon exposes struggles of both the profound and humdrum variety. There are bitter internal feuds, warm personal connections, comedy, egoism, greed, love, and loss. There are rabbinic edicts to contend with as well as imams and herbalists and local politicians. There are system foul-ups that keep blood test results from being delivered on time, careless record keepers, shortages of everything except forms to fill, recalcitrant and greedy insurance reimbursement systems, and the surprising difficulty of getting doctors to wash their hands. This is the dynamic universe of small and large concerns and personalities that, taken together, determine the nature of our care and assume the utmost importance. As Martin Payson�chairman of the board at Maimonides and ex-Time-Warner vice chairman�puts it: �Hospitals have a lot in common with the movie business. You�ve got your talent, entrepreneurs, ambition, ego stroking, the business versus the creative part. The big difference is that in the hospital you don�t get second takes. Movies are make-believe. This is real life.�

Customer Reviews
Must read for future health care providers I teach undergraduate courses in health care administration including a course on health care economics and finance. In the twenty years I have been teaching the course I have yet to find a textbook to my liking as books on this subject tend to be very dry and difficult to read. This semester I decided to augment the textbooks with a supplemental text and during my search came upon "Hospital." I read the first few pages of the book on-line (at Amazon.com) and knew at once this was something I wanted my students to read and experience as well. One of the challenges of teaching this course is making the material meaningful. I like the quote: "Statistics are people with the tears wiped away." I believe the same can be said of health care economics and finance, as textbooks do not convey the impact that economic decisions have on individuals. However, Salamon's book helps to place these decisions in context and hopefully will help my students appreciate that the economics and finance of health care is more than what can be summarized in a profit and loss statement. This text will be valued addition to the materials I use in my course.

Captivating For those whose careers have been in and around academic medical centers, it was easy to relate to many of the operational challenges and dysfunctional processes that the book reveals. The cultural diversity that the author described was beyond anything that many of us have ever experienced. Ms. Salamon's talent in conveying images and introspect of the Maimonides staff, along with that of the Medical Center's patient and neighborhood constituents, is best described as a gift. I predict the reader will be truly captivated by the author's perspective with her unbridled observations. Without a doubt, 'Hospital' should be required reading for every hospital administration graduate student and their medical student colleagues. Ms. Salamon (and the Maimonides Medical Center) deserve accolades for taking the time to bring this book to life; and, with it the sensitivity and the obvious skills of a very gifted and talented author. Jeffry W. Gauthier President Virtuosity, Inc. North Liberty, Iowa Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids

Disappointed I was so excited and interested in this book, the subject matter "up my alley" being in the medical field. After about 50 pages I realized my boredom was real and the book seemed disjointed and repetitive. No real threads holding things together. I looked through the book at the 3/4 mark and read the same stuff again. Maybe being Jewish or living in Brooklyn helps. The two stars are because of the work and research the author obviously undertook. Sorry

A year in the life of a hospital... A year in the life of a hospital... Julie Salamon was given an interesting opportunity! In Hospital, she has been able to document, from a "civilian" perspective, the workings of an institution that is influenced by seemingly all the forces of the cosmos, which come to focus on the common denominator of human illness and ultimately, death. But this work is also very much a celebration of life, and the lives that are committed to providing a measure of comfort and dignity to our very imperfect human existence. As a physician, I didn't find that Hospital was a "must read" in order to make a better or more understanding practitioner, or to reveal some hidden truth that might be missed in the business of day-to-day practice. Residency and fellowship training are probably universally exhausting, and the clinical challenges that were presented at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn seem relatively widespread in the hospitals I've had opportunity to staff. Power structures and physician personalities and grudges and egos rule large in any medical complex. The book details the frustrations of procedure and policy, but allows that reason and intuition can (on occasion) win the day, especially with certain personality-types at the helm. Hospital tells some great stories regarding the sometimes-precarious relationships (within and without the hospital) that keep the machine working, and it is worthwhile for us to consider that nothing that happens in this microcosm of society is apolitical. However, I felt that what sets this hospital apart (and thus makes for an interesting read) is the story of its dependence on, and commitment to, a regional ethnic majority whose influence generates particular challenges for the providers and administration, and ultimately to the surrounding community in Brooklyn, New York. From automatic elevator buttons to influential ambulance drivers to kosher kitchen chefs, this hospital exists for the people of Maimonides. That said; the sheer volume of varying minority cultures arriving for care (and the accompanying mission to try to accommodate everyone) gave me pause. I think what I come back to time and again is the comment made by one of the oncology fellows from Malaysia, who had traveled the world, and within his experiences noted that America seemed to uniquely generate a patient attitude of "accommodate me" instead of "I'm grateful for the care I receive." It's hard for me to confirm this, because America is all I know. I gave the book 4 stars--Perhaps this is unfair: I wish the story had further described the role and hospital life of the nursing staff and ancillary care providers. Within a hospital, these are the unsung heroes. I wish Julie Salamon would consider another volume that followed a year in the life of hospital nurses, from the newborn nursery to the emergency department to the ICUs and medical and surgical floors. And pharmacists who find and prevent the dosing errors, therapists, and housekeepers--these are all of my unsung heroes. A survey done at a major hospital in Salt Lake City confirmed that what made patients feel best about their stay (and what was most likely to generate high patient satisfaction) among many things, was the cleanliness of the hospital's appearance. I came away from reading Hospital with a new understanding and a deep respect for Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon.) For a man who lived from 1135-1204, he was indeed a timeless jewel: "Medical practice is not knitting and weaving and the labor of the hands, but it must be inspired with soul and be filled with understanding and equipped with the gift of keen observation; these together with accurate scientific knowledge are the indispensable requisites for proficient medical practice." I highly recommend Hospital--meaty, slightly lengthy, but an enjoyable look at an institution we'll all likely experience at some point in our lives.

I loved this book so much! My favorite book of the summer was Hospital-- an extraordinary portrait of the doctors and administrators at Brooklyn's Maimonides Medical Center. Located in boro park, brooklyn (ethnically diverse but largely orthodox), Maimonides is filled w/ residents and staff who are struggling w/ many of the same issues we all struggle with: personality clashes in the workplace, political tensions, the desire to do good but also make money, ego, romance, failing health, language barriers, and the stress of being overworked... And It gets to the heart of all of my favorite themes: religion, politics, what it means to be an immigrant in the city, medicine, death, ethics, neighborhood, health, capitalism and community. And yet it still manages to feel like a light read! Having worked in public radio for many years, this book was actually an adrenaline shot for me, reminding me of the power of story-telling and of journalism to get to the heart of all that matters most. great job!