Oh wow. A health boss that wants to get rid of bewildering bureaucracy. Lester Levy, who has taken over the running of the sickest DHB in the country, Waitemata Health, clearly understands the massive problem that has built up in the health bureaucracy. “It has surprised me, after being away from it for quite a [...]

The Frog continues his series on ACC changes, complaining this time about the changes to the management of sexual abuse counseling. Interestingly, Frog is moaning about counsellors having to provide a DSM IV mental health diagnosis, which is odd, because they have always been expected to provide a diagnosis from DSM IV. These diagnoses are [...]

Apparently ACC have been accused of asking claimants for unnecessary information, according to the Privacy Commission. They cite the fact that rape victims are asked for their previous medical history and their employment details. In fairness, you would get the same thing happening with any insurance company, as their forms are always one-size-fits-nothing. If the [...]

Two of the hallmarks of emergencies and disasters is the time it takes for information to get where it is needed and the amount of conflicting information that it generates. The MacDoctor has been on the receiving end of this emergent confusion several times. Emergency departments tend to be the focal point of mass casualty [...]

Hey, Bill! Still looking for government departments to slash? Here’s one – the health select committee. Any committee in the health sector that is concerned about toilet paper and pen usage instead of the provision of health does not deserve to live. Kill it now, Bill. Or get Tony to do it.  You know you want [...]

I see Labour has spent the week having a good go at Nick Smith after his pronouncement about ACC last week. Annette “It’s a summer thing” King was laying into him today about his competence. Apparently his senior officials are complaining that he is not reading his briefing papers and that there are 400 of them on [...]

Yesterday, I blogged about how government bureaucracy fritters away health care dollars. Right on cue, there is a perfect example of this today.   A health group with 150,000 patients has pulled out of a system that shares lab test results among doctors because of fears over inadequate informed consent. Yes, you read that right. [...]

In Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Adams describes the ultimate bureaucrat, the Vogon thus: A Vogon would not lift a finger to save his own grandmother from the Ravenous Bug-blatter Beast of Traal without orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, lost, found, queried, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried [...]