Patients suffer a great deal in terms of going to the hospital. While it may seem like an easy decision to go to the emergency room, patients understand that they are facing a great financial burden–sometimes tens of thousands, especially if admitted to the hospital. This number is a great burden hanging over families.
In these cases, the patients will often try to make continuing payments on a hospital charge, whether it’s a monthly payment that lasts several months or a payment system that breaks the payment into four or five different parts throughout a 12 month period or longer. The struggle here is for parents and children to have food to be put on the plate.
All the while paying healthcare costs, which in America today, have amassed the majority of bankruptcies. It goes without saying that those that profit from the healthcare system–doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and other “reps” reap the rewards of a young family being placed under financial strain.
Oftentimes, a person who goes to the hospital may suffer the consequence of being prescribed medication that is addictive or detrimental to their health. It is an issue that is rarely talked about in today’s medical sphere, but some medications can do more harm than good. People become dependent on medication to solve their symptoms.
Adjustments can come from their personal or social lives, a way to live differently, perhaps with more emphasis on nutrition or organic products, or more holistic methods of treatment that target the overall system rather than just a discreet part. Sometimes it’s much easier to treat a symptom in a medical setting without dealing with the problem.
Doctors have an obligation to let patients know about alternative treatments but that oftentimes doesn’t happen in a medical setting. Often, the first answer is a pill, even for illnesses such as diabetes type II which is often exacerbated by social and environmental factors such as obesity and other illnesses.
While a patient may struggle with diabetes, it is possible for them to get somewhat better and have less reliance on insulin by losing weight, eating better in terms of nutrition, and generally leading a more active and healthy lifestyle. While this may seem counter-intuitive to some healthcare practitioners, it is a valid approach gaining steam.
Unfortunately, some patients still suffer with the effects of going to a hospital long after the treatment has taken hold and apparently worked. The damage of financial burden is understood most acutely by patients in a healthcare system who have been sick for a long time. The burdens of finance come from hospitals and medications and doctors visits.
The truth is, that many patients may need a hospital stay however. Sometimes in spite of naturalistic or holistic treatment, patients may still find themselves at a personal crossroads with their health. They may decide to seek out a hospital for lingering symptoms, find themselves in a more desperate situation, or simply just need help.
While this is a costly decision–the average hospital stay cost over $4,000 per day for a patient–it sometimes is the best decision for the patient and for their families. And when it comes to a hospital setting, there have fortunately been some medical and technological advancements that make things a little bit more effective.
One of these advancements is called the Alaris pump. Alaris pumps are a type of infusion pump that helps nurses and doctors regulate the amount of IV fluid that is pumped into the patient. The Alaris pumps work by regulating the rate and amount which go into a person’s body and make it easier on the nurse to handle the flow going in.
It is projected that the global market for infusion pumps will rise to over $5 million in 2024. In 2013, 73% of U.S. hospitals used infusion pumps compared to just 44% of hospitals in 2007. Much of that has to do with Alaris pumps, which are a type of infusion system that can either by bought or loaned as a medical equipment rental.
Although infusion pumps have been available since the late 1960s, Alaris pumps use new technology that allows nurses to be more efficient at their jobs without worrying about a possible sticky situation.
