Jamestown, Virginia, 1607: First Southern Surgeons and the First Healthcare Crisis

Abstract

In January 1970, Business Week and Fortune magazines published articles announcing a healthcare crisis in the US caused by excessive cost, waste, maldistribution, inaccessibility, and poor quality. ¹ $60- Billion Crisis in Healthcare. Business Week; January. 1970; 17 : 50-64 Google Scholar ^,2 It’s Time to Operate. Fortune. January 1970; 81 : 71 Google Scholar The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in its 2001 publication, Crossing the Quality Chasm, documented shortfalls in the quality of American healthcare caused by growing complexity of science and technology, increase in chronic conditions, poorly organized delivery systems, and constraints on exploiting the revolution in information technology. ³ Corrigan J.M. Crossing the Quality Chasm. National Academy Press, Washington, DC 2001: 1-337 Google Scholar An examination of the history of American healthcare may provide insights into this matter. Significant organization of the American medical profession began in the colonial times of the mid-18^th century, with medical schools and the implementation of medical licensure. By the mid-20^th century, the medical profession had achieved autonomy, sovereignty, and power in healthcare. The federal government intervened in healthcare with the introduction of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. By 1970, the medical profession was losing legitimacy. With the growth of the for-profit health insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the hospital industry, and the medical supply industry, the medical profession was well under control. ⁴ Starr P. The Social Transformation of American Medicine. Basic Books, New York 1982: 1-514 Google Scholar The healthcare industry now functions with the medical profession, the nursing profession, the allied health professions, the government, and the corporate sector functioning in conflict. ⁵ Jones R.S. Medicine, government, and capitalism. J Am Coll Surg. 2002; 194 : 111-120 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar ^,6 Jones R.S. Requiem and renewal. Ann Surg. 2004; 240 : 395-404 Crossref PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar