Healthcare Reflects Society's Woes

Sometimes, covering healthcare as a journalist seems more like covering the police blotter.

Let's be clear that medicine is a noble profession, practiced by highly trained professionals, the vast majority of whom are dedicated to their healing mission. Nonetheless, in the last few weeks, there has been a rash of high-profile incidents -- some of them criminal -- that shine a light on an unsavory corner of the healthcare sector.  

Consider these recent headlines:

• Former Denver Children's Hospital doc close to plea deal in drug case
• Ex-Children's Hospital counsel Hairston charged with fraud
• FL doc gets 4-year sentence for public corruption
• Former VI hospital CEO battles fraud, conspiracy charges Prison terms sought for 4 over deadly medical tests
• Convicted sex offender OK'd to practice medicine in FL
  
• Cops: Patient killed Florida Hospital surgeon
• MN hospitals teaming up against drug theft
  
• Rising violence shows hospitals should boost security, experts warn
  
• Family of missing nursing student Michelle Le: 'We're going to find you'
  

So, what's going on here? Is healthcare in the midst of a crime wave, or some other sort of moral failings? I don't believe so. It is fair to say, however, that healthcare professionals should never – if they ever did – consider their industry immune, exempt, or protected from the problems of the larger society.

In fact, one could argue that no other industry more accurately reflects the population it serves, warts and all.