HOW AMERICAN HEALTH CARE KILLED MY FATHER. (cover story)

Medical care; Nosocomial infections; Hospital sanitation; Infection prevention; Liability insurance

The article discusses the American health care system in context of the author's experience of watching his father die of an avoidable hospital infection. The author notes that hospitals resist using checklists to avoid patient infections, yet complain about the high cost of liability coverage. He notes that dry cleaners and restaurants have better record-keeping systems than most hospitals. He offers recommendations for fixing the health care system.