When a new new patient had apparent ties to Middle Eastern royalty, checked into Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, he brought along a personal chef, an entourage of seven attendants and some definite ideas about how he wanted to be treated, according to a story on the Boston Globe website.
It’s a phenomenon known as VIP syndrome and while hospitals enjoy the extra revenue they have to work hard to avoid its side effects.
In the case of the Brigham and the prince, the patient was diagnosed with a drug-resistant infection, but he found it off-putting for doctors and nurses to approach him wearing protective gowns, as is required. So they made an exception, the article said.
This and other irregularities aroused concern within the Brigham and eventually at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
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