The Sister was actually home last night and had on the Emmys. The Sister seems to like keeping the TV volume up rather high, so I could hear it in my room. No biggie. I barely watch network TV, so I didn’t really know what most of the shows winning awards were. Let me rephrase that, I know of them but I doubt that I’ve watched them.
At one point during the commercials, an ad for United Healthcare ran. It featured people lamenting how they always have to fill out the same kind of paperwork at different doctors offices.
I groaned.
True, the paperwork is a pain for both the patient and the office staff (the latter having to try and get the patients to complete the forms)> Alas, they’re somewhat necessary (registration, privacy rules, etc)–but still a pain.
The commercial seemed to be hinting at an electronic repository of sorts of information that would be available to all providers. That would be nice from a providers standpoint. Alas, it also alluded to the idea of seamless EMR intergration.
As I’ve learned, that’s easier said than done. EMR systems for doctors are rather pricey (for the software alone–not including the hardware to host and run the systems). Include the cost of migrating to electronic records, staff training, physician training, the hours spent in training and migration. The costs add up! Furthermore in an industry where costs are rising but reimbursements are staying level or decreasing–for many a provider an EMR platform is but a dream.
Anyone got a recommendation for a good Physio, LMT or even chiro? Me thinks I have a recurrence of a piriformis syndrome which first was a pain in my rear 6 years ago.
If not, I’ve always got a lacrosse ball to self-inflict pain with.
From the Boston Globe:
Health care, job engine for state [Mass], is pulling back
….
The stalwart of the state economy is struggling these days as expenses rise, patient visits decline, reimbursements shrink…
QFT! This phenomenon isn’t isolated to MA either.
Here’s a story the anti-vaccine crowd is sure to jump on:
“Finland Suspends H1N1 Vaccine
The Finnish National Institute for Health (THL) proposed suspending vaccinations for H1N1 swine flu, due to suspected links to increased narcolepsy in children and adolescents, the body announced this week.
Six cases of narcolepsy, a chronic disorder causing excessive daytime sleepiness and extreme fatigue, have been reported after patients had been receiving the Pandemrix vaccine.
Six cases of narcolepsy is consistent with annual averages, reports THL, but all of these patients were affected after being vaccinated, and there are nine additional cases that have not yet been confirmed.
Now since this is a mainstream media article versus a scientific publication, there are some questions that definitely need to be answered.
Was the diagnosis of Narcolepsy made by combination of history plus multiple sleep latency test?
Were any of said patients displaying any symptoms preceeding vaccination?
Did these individuals have either lumbar punctures or blood tests performed to detect the HLA-DQB1*0602.marker?
[This while not a diagnostic tool per say would however provide interesting immunological evidence]
What makes this all interesting, is that increasing research seems to be pointing towards Narcolepsy having an auto-immune origin in the body. In the simplest terms, individuals with narcolepsy commonly lack hypocretin/orexin [hcrt/ox] producing neurons. The lack of hcrt leads to a disruption in the normal neuro-chemical functioning of the brain which leads to the symptoms of the disorder. [A discussion of which is beyond the scope of this blog--however I can provide references]
It was pouring and windy beyond compare today….killed any motivation I had to go outside this afternoon. The weather plus my inexpiable falling asleep on the couch that is.
So I spent some time on PubMed today–something I’ve not done in way too long. Found two papers of interest which I’ll look into later.
Pubmed–countless hours of querying fun!
IF you’ve not seen the Penn & Teller’s most recent episode on vaccines do yourself a favor and watch it!
[Note: contains NSFW images and language]
The Sister and I couldn’t stop laughing with it.
Priceless!
Got a call today from the office of the Endocrinologist who I saw last week (and was hardly thrilled with).
I’d placed a call the day before (Tue) to inquire about getting a records release form so the results of my blood work could be shared with my PCP’s office. The answering service for the office [you don't get to speak to anyone in the office] said a form would be faxed to me today..but it’s yet to arrive.
That aside, so I got the call from the office and it went to my voicemail. The message that was left said:
“Mr. Jaws, please call our office at 212-555-1212 to inform us of where you had your blood work done.”
Here’s the thing–the physician himself ordered the blood work, on a carbon copy form, from the affiliated hospital itself. The blood draw was done at the phlebotomy suite in the same building as the doctor’s office (the building is owned by the hospital group). Yet they didn’t know where the results of my tests were?!?!?! Needless to say I wasn’t happy.
Then I got a curt message on my phone later in the day from the doctor saying “all your labs came in within range…you’re normal”. That was it.
To say that I was unhappy with the physician is an understatement. He didn’t even order all the proper tests.
/grumble
//still symptomatic
The Complexity of ObamaCare [Note: this is from a Republican Congressman's site]
That chart looks just about as confusing as the processing for submitting a Medicare Provider Enrollment Application! Or better yet, getting to speak to a human at the local Medicare Contractor.
With the hopes of finding out why I’ve been feeling like crap, and freezing cold all the time (significantly worse when in air condiitioning0, I had an appointment with a specialist today.
I go in, and the doc asks why I’m there. I explain that my Primary care thinks I have a certain problem. He cuts me off and asks if my PCP did blood work. I respond yes, and that according to my PCP it was “normal”. So he asks, so why are you here? My simple response was that my PCP said that since the symptoms have continued I should see a certain kind of specialist. Made the doctor pause.
The doctor did his basic physical (needed for billing an E&M visit), asked me some questions, the usual. The doc then theorized that my problems could be related to other conditions–but as I pointed out to him, my symptoms do not match any of the other concurrent conditions. (I got the impression more so that he was just trying to pass me off–sigh).
He did order some blood work, so I’ll await the results of that and take it from there I suppose. Quite disappointed to say the least.
Will wait for the results of the labs to come in before taking any further steps.
Called to get a patient prior-authorization for a medication the physician prescribed. Standard routine. Went through fun with IVR system, and I ultimately get a human.
Do the routine identification verification thing and it turns out the patient’s insurance doesn’t cover the prescribed drug. I ask the CSR if an alternate medication would be covered, he says he can’t tell me but that I should contact the patient’s insurance.
Fair enough.
I ask the CSR, when I call the insurance, should I guide my call to the “Medical” option or the “Pharmacy” option?
The CSR proceeds to tell me that “In his personal experience, dealing with Major Medical Insurer is nothing but a headache. They have been unhelpful to him on a personal level”/
Alas, that failed to answer my inquiry, so I politely said thank you and hung up. I proceeded to call the insurer and get the pharmacy department, and we able to get the patient a suitable alternative medication. (With no hassle I may add).
SO thank you Mr. Random CSR at Major Medical Prior-Approval group…
Sure, it may save the insurance companies money to limit the physicians that a patient can see, but what about the doctors? Fewer patients coming thru the doors means less revenue…
/Just saying
Okay, so it’s a Fark Headline, but I still like it:
Dozens of genetic mutations linked to autism and Jenny McCarthy discovered (LGT: Fark)
Moral of the story: It’s not vaccines (still!)
From Drudge (no link yet)
THIS WEEK: Obama public-relations offensive timed to $250 rebate checks for Medicare…
Hey Mr. President (and Congress)–that’s nice an all that you’re sending our rebate checks to Medicare beneficiaries….but what about the recent rate cut that took effect for providers?
Just saying….
Uncertainty over Medicare pay sets doctors on edge
Is this a repeat from the past couple of months? Sure seems like it.
This is a brilliant comic strip style presentation of the fraud physician Andrew Wakefield and the MMR controversy which he stirred up.
Even with pictures, I highly doubt the likes of Jenny McCarthy will comprehend the error in her ways of thinking.
Something known and often talked about in fitness circles has now been backed up with clinical findings:
Male Obesity Linked to Low Testosterone Levels, Study Shows
In short, in men most of our estrogen comes form either external/environmental sources or via the enzyme aromatase. Aromatase is very often more present in fat cells. A high quantity/concentration of fat cells will thus result in more aromatase present, leading to a larger conversion of testosterone to estrogen in these males. This is then “relayed” to the HTPA in the brain and less testosterone is produced–thus lower T levels.
The other problem in the group studied is that they’re type 2 diabetics–which means their bodies are insulin resistant. Since insulin and growth hormone are interrelated (and yes, testosterone ties in to the loop too0–that could skew the data a bit. [A full discussion o that subject matter is a bit over my head and beyond the scope of this blog]
My simple solution to fixing this problem–drop the excess body-fat (easier said than done–but it’s a gradual process). HRT/TRT won’t do too much as the individiauls will still have high levels or aromatase. The only other medical idea I could think of would be to use an aromatase inhibitor or SERMs. (But this should only be done under the supervision of a qualified health care professional!)
Now this is just beyond silly…
FDA plans to limit amount of salt allowed in processed foods for health reasons
Seems just a wee-bit to nanny-state-esque for me.
Really–going after salt?
LAT: Healthcare overhaul won’t stop premium increases
Of note–it appears that one reason for the rate increase is the fact that hospitals are pushing for larger reimbursements.
(Alas, little chance of physicians getting such a rate increase for their practices, but that’s a different matter).