Pharmacies pay millions in ‘bed fees’ to Ontario nursing homes

[Justplain]

Here's another kickback scandal (see below) in Ontario, ca. About ten years ago a psychologist told me that physicians were paid kickbacks by drug companies for prescribing their drugs, turning doctors into drug pushers. This case described here is a similar scheme where public contracts are open to the highest bribe:

From the Toronto Star:

For the lucrative rights to dispense publicly funded drugs to Ontario nursing homes, pharmacies must pay the homes millions of dollars in secret per-resident “bed fees,” a Toronto Star investigation reveals.

Seniors advocates, presented with the Star’s findings, say this practice raises serious accountability questions

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/10/17/pharmacies-pay-millions-in-bed-fees-to-ontario-nursing-homes.html?google_editors_picks=true

Also, this is one of the very few examples of a current mainstream journalist actually doing some real investigative journalism that benefits the public by uncovering scams.

[Lifebringer]

Profiting off the misery of others is not new to me. They've been doing it for 450 years or so now.
Aka enslavement and sex trades.

[Pam]

Over time all institutions created by man become corrupted. We are living in the final stages of the erosion caused by corruption. I do not believe the corruption is the sole doing of any elite group. It happens when each of make little decisions based on self gratification, when we want just a little bit more, when we say yes when we could have said no.

[etheric underground]

Don't forget that the majority are overtly doused with fear and mis-direction and dis-information continually... It is very hard for most to make sound and just decisions from everything we are shown and lied about. Us here at Avalon have made huge steps in self realisation and external wake ups to be able to see behind the B.S most though just think making money and watching sport while drinking beer is all there is.

[Justplain]

Yes, Etheric, most think that being a good little capitalist is as God would like us to be, so making money any way feasible is a 'good' thing. I was talking this over with a friend as to how a few highschool classmates of ours had grown up to be good little capitalists by becoming execs in the corporate world, and that one of them was a weak sort of 'yes' man and another just didn't give a crap as long as he got his big paychecks. They both are regarded as high achievers at our old highschool, having become good little capitalists, but neither had made any real difference to the way things are, so they were really just as common as the rest of us.

Being a 'good' little capitalist' to me means just being a big selfish brat. Sure, there are some good entrepreneurs who create jobs and real added value wealth, but those guys could thrive in another more humane system. I ain't sure what that system would be, but there'd be no big corporations, nor trade deals that ruined people's lives, nor special interest groups/corporations lobbying government, nor any large accumulations of wealth. And a better system would promote a healthy relationship with mother Earth. Someday, maybe.

[Ahnung-quay]

I've .worked in nursing homes in the U.S. for about 28 years. Now days there is a combination of very elderly residents who have managed to stay healthy all of their lives to younger rehabilitation type residents with multiple health problems. More and more we have the super obese, 300# plus. Most of both groups are taking 10 plus medications including cardiac drugs, anti-hypertensives, diabetic medications, and everyone is on proton pump inhibitor.
The thing I notice about most of the residents is that they just go along with whatever the doctor prescribes. They are more than happy to treat their symptoms and ignore the cause.
And, most of them are terrified of dying. Fear is the pharmaceutical industry best friend.
Nanny state: where one doesn't need to take self responsibility, including ones health .Great for the psychologically impaired and the spiritually needy

[Justplain]

Hi Ahnung-quay, that is definitively a problem with today's aging population. If they buy into the 'doctor knows best' mentality, then they'll unquestioningly down cocktails of drugs, where some of the drugs are to offset the side-effects of other medication. All this over-medication is not good. Like i said earlier in this thread, some doctors take kickbacks from drug companies, so they can be glorified drug pushers, not having their patients' best interest at heart.

An example of overmdication, i knew an aged doctor who had taken statins for thirty plus years for his 'high' cholesteral. He eventually 'lost his marbles' to dementia and gave up the 'good fight'. He lived to be 85 but my guess is he could have lived longer, and in better mental health, if he had looked at alternatives.

Another issue is the way that north american society shuffles its elderly into old folks homes instead of having them live with family. If the old ones are able and wanting to live on their own, then fine, but if they are not able or willing, and arent totally infirm, shouldnt they be able to live with one of their family members? That is how its always been done historically, and it worked. Children become accustomed to having older folks around. Its healthy. More humane.

[Ahnung-quay]

Yes. I agree that staying with family is the best for many of the elderly. However, we usually only admit advanced stage dementia or debilitated residents after the family has become worn down. There are also some who used to go to psychiatric facilities (which no longer exist), and some alcoholics (even elderly ones).
With most households now relying on two earners, it doesn't leave time for proper care of a debilitated or demented adult.
Sometimes a nursing facility is the only safe solution.
In the U.S. there's now a big push for community care placements which are really just mini nursing homes with less qualified staff; though the State will never admit that.
As I look out onto society, I find that most of it is bass ackwards.

[Justplain]

Yes, extended care facilities are best for the infirm or senile. I just wonder how many people on these shady drugs contract dementia as a result? Similar to antidepressants being associated with teen suicide and mass murderers.