The Shouldice Hernia Centre: A Model for Medicare? Reality Check A lead editorial in the Globe and Mail (November 20, 2002) refers to the Shouldice Hospital's "money-making service" as a model for reforming Canada's health care system. Dr. Earle Shouldice describes the management philosophy of his Shouldice Hernia Centre as the "McDonald's Approach". A corporation churning out fast food is Dr. Shouldice's inspiration on how to churn out fast health care. Click Here to Read Dr. Shouldice's Full Sales Pitch Like McDonalds, the Shouldice Hernia Centre offers a "limited menu and standardization." This means that they only treat profitable cases, and they do it in a "service factory" environment: "Fries must be ready in under a minute ... What works for hamburgers works for hernias." According to the Globe Editorial, government should examine the idea of "unbundling the sytem" (by privatizing what is profitable). The Globe Editorial concluded: "...it's time for a little capitalism". As the recent King's Health Centre scandal illustrates, adding a "little capitalism" to health care is not in the public interest. CUPE Report on the Shouldice Hernia Centre More information on For-Profit Health Care: Higher Death Rates in For-Profit Hospitals Information on For-Profit Hospitals and Clinics Information on For-Profit Dialysis Clinics MORE REALITY CHECKS Public funds are for patients, not profits!