SHAME, SHAME ON THE PA MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM!!!!!!!!
I just heard on the news that a 20-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, who survived a liver transplant a few years ago, is enduring constant pain, and has to take hundreds of dollars a month of medicines to stay alive was rewarded for his efforts by the PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. His monthly income was $1176 - $76 OVER the limit for Medical Assistance. So, without regard for his particular situation, THE GOVERNMENT HE SERVED FOR 20 YEARS CUT OFF HIS HEALTH BENEFITS OVER $76 A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This gentleman, after enduring years of painful recovery from his transplant, walked into a hospsital emergency room bathroom and shot himself in the head because he knew that he would no longer be able to buy his medicine and that he did not want to put his wife through any more.
Enough said.
The person who "signed off" on the notification letter, well......one can only hope that he/she is able to come to terms with this in some way. There are simply no words to say over a situation such as this. This person was "only doing his/her job" and was "following the rules under the system."
My sympathies lie with this police officer's wife and family, with the people at the hospital who found him, and - believe it or not - with the person who simply "signed off" on the termination notice.
$76 a month - that's the going price for a human life in PA!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
You mean the Met is in on it too??????
Have you noticed the new look in Hollywood and on the runway - anorexia! Bone-thin women. The only bulges and curves are the rib cage and bone bulges and pointed chins from gaunt faces. Nothing pretty here.
I was reading my latest issue of Opera News, which is a great way to keep up with who's singing where and what, only to find a recital picture of Jennifer Larmore - a marvelous mezzo, who must have been a "porky" size 10-12 at most. Even the reviewer of this concert commented that she was too thin and that he wanted to "go home and cook her some macaroni and cheese!" Renee Fleming - probably one of the best sopranos in the last 10-15 years, was probably a normal size 12-14. Nope - she's been slimmed down too. The list is longer and longer - all women.
The story has been going around for quite some time, and it's not false. Directors are casting operas based on looks first - if you can sing, well....that's good too. This has prompted once sensible women, who accepted their body types and sizes, to hire image consultants and trainers and go on diets and do who-knows-what to their bodies to squeeze into single-digit sizes. And at what price?
Anyone remember Beverly Sills and Joan Sutherland and Jesse Norman? We're not talking about even a size 12! These are/were big, beautiful women, with curves and meat on their bones. Yes, say it's a myth, but there IS a relation to the size of the body and the quality of the voice - the body IS the instrument.
For myself, I had gotten a decent amount of weight off (down to about a 16-18) or a size "large/extra-large." Everyone said I "looked normal." Hey - I could wear a smaller size, so it must have been good for me. Uh...... if someone sneezed in the next county, I ended up with a cold followed by bronchitis and 3 months of wheezing and coughing. If someone farted in the next block, there went the GI tract. I was constantly sick! To maintain what the Met would call heavy, I was eating diet food, Slim Fast, and going out for dinner meant a salad with a few token pieces of chicken! So, I've re-gained the weight (not intentionally - age, genetics, and gravity do catch up eventually). I'm not as heavy as I once was, but the size 16-18 clothes are out of my closet. I haven't had a cold in over 2 years! The voice? NEVER BETTER!
After writing all this, I feel that I've just lost ten pounds!
I was reading my latest issue of Opera News, which is a great way to keep up with who's singing where and what, only to find a recital picture of Jennifer Larmore - a marvelous mezzo, who must have been a "porky" size 10-12 at most. Even the reviewer of this concert commented that she was too thin and that he wanted to "go home and cook her some macaroni and cheese!" Renee Fleming - probably one of the best sopranos in the last 10-15 years, was probably a normal size 12-14. Nope - she's been slimmed down too. The list is longer and longer - all women.
The story has been going around for quite some time, and it's not false. Directors are casting operas based on looks first - if you can sing, well....that's good too. This has prompted once sensible women, who accepted their body types and sizes, to hire image consultants and trainers and go on diets and do who-knows-what to their bodies to squeeze into single-digit sizes. And at what price?
Anyone remember Beverly Sills and Joan Sutherland and Jesse Norman? We're not talking about even a size 12! These are/were big, beautiful women, with curves and meat on their bones. Yes, say it's a myth, but there IS a relation to the size of the body and the quality of the voice - the body IS the instrument.
For myself, I had gotten a decent amount of weight off (down to about a 16-18) or a size "large/extra-large." Everyone said I "looked normal." Hey - I could wear a smaller size, so it must have been good for me. Uh...... if someone sneezed in the next county, I ended up with a cold followed by bronchitis and 3 months of wheezing and coughing. If someone farted in the next block, there went the GI tract. I was constantly sick! To maintain what the Met would call heavy, I was eating diet food, Slim Fast, and going out for dinner meant a salad with a few token pieces of chicken! So, I've re-gained the weight (not intentionally - age, genetics, and gravity do catch up eventually). I'm not as heavy as I once was, but the size 16-18 clothes are out of my closet. I haven't had a cold in over 2 years! The voice? NEVER BETTER!
After writing all this, I feel that I've just lost ten pounds!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
It's been an interesting few days, and.....
I'd rather be bored!
The saga of the knee is being resolved. After phone calls and e-mails, I FINALLY got a call from the administrator of Dr. Israelite's practice to call me, and she feigned shock and surprise over my experience. "Oh, how could this happen in MY practice?" No answer needed. I also got an e-mail from the famous doctor, stating that he would correct his mistake in the dictated report (the wrong medication was put into the report, and he neither proofread the typed report nor checked it against the chart). Okay, onto the next.
I got my blood test results from my physical last week (my GP sends me records without needing reminders). The demon cholesterol is dropping nicely, thanks to the proper medication he recommended. The blood sugar is at 76!!!! Whoopppeeeee!!!!!!!!!! All is well on that front.
As a consumer, well, there's another story. I purchase a probiotic medication for my dog, who has colitis, from a firm in CA. It's far cheaper than my vet sells it, and it arrives FedEx! What can go wrong? Plenty! It was due to arrive last Friday, and I tracked the shipment. It was "On FedEx truck for delivery." All of a sudden, it was 4:30 - and no package. I called and was placed on hold forever. After numerous attempts, I finally got a supervisor, who admitted that the route was assigned to a "fill-in" driver, who didn't know the route and who simply returned to the terminal with a number of boxes undelivered - with no attempt made. Ya think maybe this half-brain-cell could have called the dispatcher for directions or asked for help? Nooooooo! I called the firm in CA to tell them that they were do a refund of their shipping charges. They were more than responsive and - get this - apologized for FedEx's screw-up. They refunded my delivery charge and assured me that they would go after FedEx and get their money back. Okay, my regular driver returned to work yesterday - and the medicine arrived safely. The important thing here is that I always order medicine and dog food long before her supply will run out, just in case something goes wrong.
Question: Why are things so blasted complicated?
Answer: MANAGEMENT! Youngsters graduate with an MBA, lots of rules and theories and NO practical experience in the actual field they're going to manage. So, their rules tell them how many people are needed to do a job and even how to do the job. Whatever you do: Don't ask those who do the work for input! The end result: under-staffed/under-qualified staff because the wages have dropped and the duties increased. That translates to dissatisfied customers, who have to chase after the simplest of things. If we don't fuss, then management doesn't see a problem, and the sloppy way of doing things and the lousy way of treating customers will stay.
So, maybe not having a boring week was good. Even if I'm the only one doing the fussing, it has to be a tip-off that there are more people who are unhappy with lousy service. Now, if everyone of us would start making those phone-calls, we could shake things up a bit.
The saga of the knee is being resolved. After phone calls and e-mails, I FINALLY got a call from the administrator of Dr. Israelite's practice to call me, and she feigned shock and surprise over my experience. "Oh, how could this happen in MY practice?" No answer needed. I also got an e-mail from the famous doctor, stating that he would correct his mistake in the dictated report (the wrong medication was put into the report, and he neither proofread the typed report nor checked it against the chart). Okay, onto the next.
I got my blood test results from my physical last week (my GP sends me records without needing reminders). The demon cholesterol is dropping nicely, thanks to the proper medication he recommended. The blood sugar is at 76!!!! Whoopppeeeee!!!!!!!!!! All is well on that front.
As a consumer, well, there's another story. I purchase a probiotic medication for my dog, who has colitis, from a firm in CA. It's far cheaper than my vet sells it, and it arrives FedEx! What can go wrong? Plenty! It was due to arrive last Friday, and I tracked the shipment. It was "On FedEx truck for delivery." All of a sudden, it was 4:30 - and no package. I called and was placed on hold forever. After numerous attempts, I finally got a supervisor, who admitted that the route was assigned to a "fill-in" driver, who didn't know the route and who simply returned to the terminal with a number of boxes undelivered - with no attempt made. Ya think maybe this half-brain-cell could have called the dispatcher for directions or asked for help? Nooooooo! I called the firm in CA to tell them that they were do a refund of their shipping charges. They were more than responsive and - get this - apologized for FedEx's screw-up. They refunded my delivery charge and assured me that they would go after FedEx and get their money back. Okay, my regular driver returned to work yesterday - and the medicine arrived safely. The important thing here is that I always order medicine and dog food long before her supply will run out, just in case something goes wrong.
Question: Why are things so blasted complicated?
Answer: MANAGEMENT! Youngsters graduate with an MBA, lots of rules and theories and NO practical experience in the actual field they're going to manage. So, their rules tell them how many people are needed to do a job and even how to do the job. Whatever you do: Don't ask those who do the work for input! The end result: under-staffed/under-qualified staff because the wages have dropped and the duties increased. That translates to dissatisfied customers, who have to chase after the simplest of things. If we don't fuss, then management doesn't see a problem, and the sloppy way of doing things and the lousy way of treating customers will stay.
So, maybe not having a boring week was good. Even if I'm the only one doing the fussing, it has to be a tip-off that there are more people who are unhappy with lousy service. Now, if everyone of us would start making those phone-calls, we could shake things up a bit.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
MEDICAL ALERT!
WARNING: A visit to the doctor's office can be dangerous!
When you visit the doctor, particularly a specialist, INSIST on receiving a written copy of his dictated report. You do need to put this request in writing to comply with Federal regulations.
So, why is this important? You decide after reading my story.
I've talked about the infamous visit to Dr. Israelite, an ortho surgeon. After over a month and NUMEROUS phone calls to a non-responsive support staff, I finally got a copy of the dictated report - and I had filled out the form at the time of visit, indicating where reports were to be sent! I began reading, noting a few minor, trivial discrepancies (which is expected). However, rather than seeing the CORRECT medication listed, something totally different, but sounds the same was typed instead. The doctor should have caught this before he signed off on the report. Now I have to hassle with the office some more to get the report corrected! Instead of the anti-inflammatory medicine, he had me listed as taking SLEEPING PILLS!
I read the rest of the report quite carefully, only to find that whoever typed it was NOT familiar with the English language. Red flags went up (I'm a 30-year-plus medical transcriptionist!). When I looked at the coding at the bottom of the report, it became obvious to me that this was typed by a company who sends its work overseas to INDIA!
You see, the decision of who types a doctor's report is NOT made by a doctor, but by a penny-pinching, non-medical administrator, who cares nothing for accuracy, but for the bottom line. He will spend $10 to save a nickel!
So, the moral of this story - DEMAND a copy of your medical reports and READ them carefully. Complain loudly and persistently until the report is corrected and you receive a corrected copy. If this is not done in a timely manner, file complaints with your insurance company, the local medical society, the hospital administrator, chief of staff, AND the administrator of the practice, telling him/her that you will continue to file complaints with regulatory boards.
No longer is healthcare really "care." It is a function of management. You can either relegate the management to an MBA with absolutely NO knowledge or concern for medical quality - or you can manage your care yourself. Remind the doctors and administrators who pays the bills. They work for US. They are responsible to US. But we have to take on a less passive and more assertive role in how our care is managed, even down to how a report is typed.
When you visit the doctor, particularly a specialist, INSIST on receiving a written copy of his dictated report. You do need to put this request in writing to comply with Federal regulations.
So, why is this important? You decide after reading my story.
I've talked about the infamous visit to Dr. Israelite, an ortho surgeon. After over a month and NUMEROUS phone calls to a non-responsive support staff, I finally got a copy of the dictated report - and I had filled out the form at the time of visit, indicating where reports were to be sent! I began reading, noting a few minor, trivial discrepancies (which is expected). However, rather than seeing the CORRECT medication listed, something totally different, but sounds the same was typed instead. The doctor should have caught this before he signed off on the report. Now I have to hassle with the office some more to get the report corrected! Instead of the anti-inflammatory medicine, he had me listed as taking SLEEPING PILLS!
I read the rest of the report quite carefully, only to find that whoever typed it was NOT familiar with the English language. Red flags went up (I'm a 30-year-plus medical transcriptionist!). When I looked at the coding at the bottom of the report, it became obvious to me that this was typed by a company who sends its work overseas to INDIA!
You see, the decision of who types a doctor's report is NOT made by a doctor, but by a penny-pinching, non-medical administrator, who cares nothing for accuracy, but for the bottom line. He will spend $10 to save a nickel!
So, the moral of this story - DEMAND a copy of your medical reports and READ them carefully. Complain loudly and persistently until the report is corrected and you receive a corrected copy. If this is not done in a timely manner, file complaints with your insurance company, the local medical society, the hospital administrator, chief of staff, AND the administrator of the practice, telling him/her that you will continue to file complaints with regulatory boards.
No longer is healthcare really "care." It is a function of management. You can either relegate the management to an MBA with absolutely NO knowledge or concern for medical quality - or you can manage your care yourself. Remind the doctors and administrators who pays the bills. They work for US. They are responsible to US. But we have to take on a less passive and more assertive role in how our care is managed, even down to how a report is typed.
Friday, March 14, 2008
KNEE REPLACEMENT? NOT!!!!!!!
I picked up some valuable information this week, courtesy of my general internist, Dr. Smith. I was having my annual physical, and we were discussing the predicament with my knees, particularly the left. I explained the cavalier attitude of the orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Israelite - ha! I'm naming names), who reviewed the "procedure" the same way one gives instructions on changing a light bulb. I also reviewed the complete incompetence of his office staff - especially his medical assistant.
BTW, when I told Dr. Israelite that I lived on the 2nd floor and had a dog who required 3 walks a day, his response was, "Well, you won't be walking your dog." Yeah - and I wont' be earning an income either, bub.
My GP was not amused. Here's the info he relayed, and I hope that it will help even one person make a better decision.
1. The rehab period after knee replacement can often be longer than the predicted 8 weeks.
2. The rehab is intense and painful.
3. For those of us with fibromyalgia, we may not be able to withstand the rigors of this PT (aka "pain and torture") and could end up exacerbating the FM, thus, extending our period of disability and discomfort.
We came to a mutual decision that I would seek care from a rheumatology group to whom he sends numerous patients. I contacted the group and was greeted by a real person on the phone - no voice mail limbo! After a few brief questions and answers exchanged, I was offered an appointment and was told that I would receive written instructions and forms in the mail. I was also told that they do not like their patients to have to be responsible for carrying around Synvisc injectable vials. THEY keep it in the office! THEY take care of everything!
So, bottom line: IF you go to an orthopedic surgeon, who recommends a knee replacement, STOP! Talk to your family doctor. Ask him/her to help you find another solution. If you're willing to manage the pain with medications and isometric exercise (if appropriate) and to accept that you have to make adjustments in how you get around (stairs one at a time, even using a cane) in order to postpone surgery, even for a year or 2, please give it a try. The outcomes from knee replacements are not all sunshine, as surgeons and knee replacement manufacturers would have us believe. Besides, the technology is improving and may be much better by the time I get to the point when I sign the surgical consent and book a room. But it will NOT be with Dr. Israelite!!!!!!!!
Oh - what happened to the Synvisc vials that I'd been storing here at home? I called the bio-tech firm, and they sent me a pre-paid FedEx box to ship them back - no charge!!!! So, three cheers for US Bioservices!!!!!!!
BTW, when I told Dr. Israelite that I lived on the 2nd floor and had a dog who required 3 walks a day, his response was, "Well, you won't be walking your dog." Yeah - and I wont' be earning an income either, bub.
My GP was not amused. Here's the info he relayed, and I hope that it will help even one person make a better decision.
1. The rehab period after knee replacement can often be longer than the predicted 8 weeks.
2. The rehab is intense and painful.
3. For those of us with fibromyalgia, we may not be able to withstand the rigors of this PT (aka "pain and torture") and could end up exacerbating the FM, thus, extending our period of disability and discomfort.
We came to a mutual decision that I would seek care from a rheumatology group to whom he sends numerous patients. I contacted the group and was greeted by a real person on the phone - no voice mail limbo! After a few brief questions and answers exchanged, I was offered an appointment and was told that I would receive written instructions and forms in the mail. I was also told that they do not like their patients to have to be responsible for carrying around Synvisc injectable vials. THEY keep it in the office! THEY take care of everything!
So, bottom line: IF you go to an orthopedic surgeon, who recommends a knee replacement, STOP! Talk to your family doctor. Ask him/her to help you find another solution. If you're willing to manage the pain with medications and isometric exercise (if appropriate) and to accept that you have to make adjustments in how you get around (stairs one at a time, even using a cane) in order to postpone surgery, even for a year or 2, please give it a try. The outcomes from knee replacements are not all sunshine, as surgeons and knee replacement manufacturers would have us believe. Besides, the technology is improving and may be much better by the time I get to the point when I sign the surgical consent and book a room. But it will NOT be with Dr. Israelite!!!!!!!!
Oh - what happened to the Synvisc vials that I'd been storing here at home? I called the bio-tech firm, and they sent me a pre-paid FedEx box to ship them back - no charge!!!! So, three cheers for US Bioservices!!!!!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
This is for all who suffer pain!
FINALLY! Someone gets it. The problem is, this doctor is NOT from the US and does NOT have to deal with the DEA and FDA and insurance companies and our gate-keeper, over-control of medications. Read this article and see what common sense looks like.
Is the answer for us moving to Australia?
http://www.joacp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125
Is the answer for us moving to Australia?
http://www.joacp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
PICK UP YER OWN TRASH!
So, our new "Philly's Back" Mayor Michael Nutter (HONEST - that's his name!) wants to have city clean-up day on April 5th, stating that it will make us "feel better" and help lower the crime rate. Okay........
Philthandsmellphia comes by its name naturally. The municipal flower is a pile of trash. Sidewalks and subway entrances are public urinals. Even our trash trucks say: "CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, MUNICIPAL WASTE."
Hey folks - it's not for the government to launch a one-day feel-good clean-up party. It's up to every single person in town. Don't throw your trash on the street. CLEAN UP YOUR DOG POOP! Pee in restrooms - not on the sidewalk, in alleys, or in the subway station.
Case in point: I was watching the high school kids walk past our building this afternoon - they're students at St. John Neumann-Maria Goretti and BOK Vo-tech High Schools (one Catholic school, one public school) - yes, I'm mentioning names. One of them tossed a water bottle onto the sidewalk. Uh......not a smart move in front of me. I poked my head out the front door and asked him to kindly use the trash can on the corner - or take it home, that our sidewalk was for him to walk on ONLY - not dump his trash. His friends glared at him, and he sheepishly picked up his now filthy bottle and carried it away.
Mayor Nutter - You can go for BLOCKS in my neighborhood without seeing one trash receptacle. We used to have at least 2 per block! What happened?
To the guy who owns the men's clothing store at Passyunk and 12th - why do you allow the 12th Street side to become a huge trash dump? Why do you not either clean up the trash or make sure that the no dumping rule is enforced?
In the end, it's NOT the job of the government to tell people to clean up and to waste city resources on a one-day project that will most certainly be just that - one day. Folks, let's keep the sidewalks in front of our homes free of trash.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU PASSING THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, CARRY YOUR TRASH AND DOG POOP ELSEWHERE - WE DON'T WANT IT!
Philthandsmellphia comes by its name naturally. The municipal flower is a pile of trash. Sidewalks and subway entrances are public urinals. Even our trash trucks say: "CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, MUNICIPAL WASTE."
Hey folks - it's not for the government to launch a one-day feel-good clean-up party. It's up to every single person in town. Don't throw your trash on the street. CLEAN UP YOUR DOG POOP! Pee in restrooms - not on the sidewalk, in alleys, or in the subway station.
Case in point: I was watching the high school kids walk past our building this afternoon - they're students at St. John Neumann-Maria Goretti and BOK Vo-tech High Schools (one Catholic school, one public school) - yes, I'm mentioning names. One of them tossed a water bottle onto the sidewalk. Uh......not a smart move in front of me. I poked my head out the front door and asked him to kindly use the trash can on the corner - or take it home, that our sidewalk was for him to walk on ONLY - not dump his trash. His friends glared at him, and he sheepishly picked up his now filthy bottle and carried it away.
Mayor Nutter - You can go for BLOCKS in my neighborhood without seeing one trash receptacle. We used to have at least 2 per block! What happened?
To the guy who owns the men's clothing store at Passyunk and 12th - why do you allow the 12th Street side to become a huge trash dump? Why do you not either clean up the trash or make sure that the no dumping rule is enforced?
In the end, it's NOT the job of the government to tell people to clean up and to waste city resources on a one-day project that will most certainly be just that - one day. Folks, let's keep the sidewalks in front of our homes free of trash.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU PASSING THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, CARRY YOUR TRASH AND DOG POOP ELSEWHERE - WE DON'T WANT IT!
Monday, March 10, 2008
BLESS ME, FATHER, FOR.......
I drive a gas-guzzler, allow my dog to poop on the street and not clean it up, throw empty beer cans and used condoms from out my pick-up truck......
So, the Pope has deemed it his job to add a new class of sin to the ever-growing list. Check out this article.
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/general/2008/03/10/NEWS-POPE-SINS-DC/
Okay - this is nothing new, folks. We pagans have revered the Earth and life since time immortal. We've known for millennia what the so-called "church" is now trying to claim as its newest mission - saving the earth. I don't care about the Go-Green-Vatican! And while I'm at it here, doesn't His "Holiness (?)" know that stem cell research DOES NOT cause harm to either an unborn, still-born, and healthy-born child? While he sits in his bejeweled throne room, does he not care about the lives that could be saved (some of whom may even make contributions to his bank vault)?
This is either a move to make the "Church" more relevant (UGH - echoes of Vatican II) - or it's a further statement of lack of touch with reality.
So, the Pope has deemed it his job to add a new class of sin to the ever-growing list. Check out this article.
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/general/2008/03/10/NEWS-POPE-SINS-DC/
Okay - this is nothing new, folks. We pagans have revered the Earth and life since time immortal. We've known for millennia what the so-called "church" is now trying to claim as its newest mission - saving the earth. I don't care about the Go-Green-Vatican! And while I'm at it here, doesn't His "Holiness (?)" know that stem cell research DOES NOT cause harm to either an unborn, still-born, and healthy-born child? While he sits in his bejeweled throne room, does he not care about the lives that could be saved (some of whom may even make contributions to his bank vault)?
This is either a move to make the "Church" more relevant (UGH - echoes of Vatican II) - or it's a further statement of lack of touch with reality.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Who's worse: Insurance companies or doctors?
Try calling a specialist to tell him/her that your knee pain has rendered you just about completely disabled and that you're in pain and would like the precious Synvisc injections. You get put into a voicemail loop of pressing every number from 1 to the "star" key - and end up with - the voice mail of the medical assistant! No return phone call. So after 2 business days, I call back and get - HER VOICE MAIL! She calls back and says that she sent the paperwork to the insurance company so they could authorize the Synvisc injections. That paperwork then gets sent to the bio-tech company for "processing," and the vials are sent to me. Only when I get the medicine in my hands may I dare make an appointment.
So, I get on the phone with Blue Shield of PA - the money-grubbers about whom I've written before. JOE FRICK, THIS MEANS YOU, MR. CEO.
I called Blue Shield on Monday, who told me that the request had been approved and that the paperwork had been faxed, and I should receive my medicine in 10 days. 10 DAYS?????
I called the bio-tech company yesterday, who had received NOTHING from Blue Shield, but the gentleman (Marco) gave me his direct phone number and fax number and said HE would contact Blue Shield so I could get my medicine.
I then called Blue Shield again yesterday, who proceeded to give me not only serious attitude, but yet another date that the paperwork was allegedly faxed. How about NOT! After at least an hour on the phone yesterday (twice with Blue Shield, who obviously lied about having sent the authorization to the bio-tech firm to ship the Synvisc), I finally got the precious stuff shipped Fed Ex overnight, which is standard procedure.
This morning the doctor's medical assistant (who mispronounces everyone's name and everything) called to tell me to make an appointment for the injections. I get a scheduler on the phone, who asks me whether or not I have the medicine in my hands. "No - it's on the Fed Ex truck, and Tanya told me to call for my appointment." Tanya gets on the phone, stating that I misunderstood her message and that she told me to call when I get the medication. Uh..."Tanya, you called my cell phone and left the message. Would you like me to play it for you?" "Well, if you're going to be adamant about it, come in next Wednesday at 8:00 AM."
I'm losing confidence in this doctor - based solely upon his support staff and the fact that when they got this stuff authorized, they specified "right" knee instead of left.
Do I want them sticking me - or worse, ultimately operating??????? I mean, if they can't tell left from right.......
I talked to Fed Ex, and the box is on the truck out for delivery, meaning I'll have it in an hour or so (if it's my usual driver - cute red-head that he is). I could go back to my former physiatrist and get the injections and tell him that I'm not happy with the ortho practice where he referred me.
Meanwhile, I actually walked up the stairs today like a big girl. I've been doing isometrics taught to me years ago by a PT and switched over to ibuprofen, which is actually stronger than what I'd been using. The Synvisc shots will do more good now, but I found it interesting that when I called and left the message last week that I was in trouble - no one called me back to find out what was going on. Hm.............
And yesterday, my sister had to fly from SC to GA to get her pain pump refilled because SC has NO pain centers who can properly care for a pain pump. She's still recovering that little field trip.
Up till now, I've been really good about not naming names (except for JOE FRICK AT PA BLUE SHIELD). But my good behavior is going out the window, and I will start naming names of every doctor who screws up and every insurance clerk who lies.
The medical system is so broken that my friend Eddie (my beloved cynic) may be right when he says the whole thing is going to have to crash in on itself and then start over again.
RON PAUL - WHERE ARE YOU??????????
So, I get on the phone with Blue Shield of PA - the money-grubbers about whom I've written before. JOE FRICK, THIS MEANS YOU, MR. CEO.
I called Blue Shield on Monday, who told me that the request had been approved and that the paperwork had been faxed, and I should receive my medicine in 10 days. 10 DAYS?????
I called the bio-tech company yesterday, who had received NOTHING from Blue Shield, but the gentleman (Marco) gave me his direct phone number and fax number and said HE would contact Blue Shield so I could get my medicine.
I then called Blue Shield again yesterday, who proceeded to give me not only serious attitude, but yet another date that the paperwork was allegedly faxed. How about NOT! After at least an hour on the phone yesterday (twice with Blue Shield, who obviously lied about having sent the authorization to the bio-tech firm to ship the Synvisc), I finally got the precious stuff shipped Fed Ex overnight, which is standard procedure.
This morning the doctor's medical assistant (who mispronounces everyone's name and everything) called to tell me to make an appointment for the injections. I get a scheduler on the phone, who asks me whether or not I have the medicine in my hands. "No - it's on the Fed Ex truck, and Tanya told me to call for my appointment." Tanya gets on the phone, stating that I misunderstood her message and that she told me to call when I get the medication. Uh..."Tanya, you called my cell phone and left the message. Would you like me to play it for you?" "Well, if you're going to be adamant about it, come in next Wednesday at 8:00 AM."
I'm losing confidence in this doctor - based solely upon his support staff and the fact that when they got this stuff authorized, they specified "right" knee instead of left.
Do I want them sticking me - or worse, ultimately operating??????? I mean, if they can't tell left from right.......
I talked to Fed Ex, and the box is on the truck out for delivery, meaning I'll have it in an hour or so (if it's my usual driver - cute red-head that he is). I could go back to my former physiatrist and get the injections and tell him that I'm not happy with the ortho practice where he referred me.
Meanwhile, I actually walked up the stairs today like a big girl. I've been doing isometrics taught to me years ago by a PT and switched over to ibuprofen, which is actually stronger than what I'd been using. The Synvisc shots will do more good now, but I found it interesting that when I called and left the message last week that I was in trouble - no one called me back to find out what was going on. Hm.............
And yesterday, my sister had to fly from SC to GA to get her pain pump refilled because SC has NO pain centers who can properly care for a pain pump. She's still recovering that little field trip.
Up till now, I've been really good about not naming names (except for JOE FRICK AT PA BLUE SHIELD). But my good behavior is going out the window, and I will start naming names of every doctor who screws up and every insurance clerk who lies.
The medical system is so broken that my friend Eddie (my beloved cynic) may be right when he says the whole thing is going to have to crash in on itself and then start over again.
RON PAUL - WHERE ARE YOU??????????
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Two Maestros - One World
Many of you may have read about the NY Philharmonic's Asian tour - including their concert in North Korea. Thankfully, this was taped for broadcast on PBS.
The concert hall was sparse in design, very functional, but actually quite pleasing to the eye. My guess is that the acoustics were about as good as anyone can get.
What a thrill it was to hear the NY Phil, conducted by Loren Maazel (one of my all-time favorites) play the Gershwin "American in Paris!" As the camera panned around the audience, most of those in attendance sat with a look of total absorption. Some were smiling. Some were moving their heads with the music. Very few sat stoically. The orchestra was giving its all, and this was evident not only in their playing, but in their energy levels, which even came through on the tape!
Ah, but the conclusion. Tradition has it that when an American orchestra tours abroad, there are at least three encores. The second encore was the "Overture to Candide" by Leonard Bernstein, who had been their conductor for years and was a friend to many of the veteran players sitting on that stage. Since this would be the year "Lenny" would have turned 90, Maestro Maazel paid him the ultimate tribute. He announced the overture and left the stage. This greater than 100-piece philharmonic played the overture without a conductor on the podium! To those of you who know this piece, it is rhythmically complex, and there are entrances that are too easy to miss. It's far to easy for an ensemble to lose its rhythmic togetherness. Not so here. The concert master (first violin, first chair) Glen Dichterow, gave the first two beats - and they started. It was perfection from note one to the final cord. Everyone played together. 100 people playing as tightly as a well-rehearsed string quartet. And there was the empty podium. But it was not empty. Lenny's spirit was very much there.
The final encore was a Korean folk song, which had been exquisitely orchestrated. Respect will not allow me to even try to write the name because I simply can't spell it! The orchestra played it with great love and respect, and the audience accepted this as a gift.
Music - the language that knows no boundaries, that bridges gaps between worlds.
The concert hall was sparse in design, very functional, but actually quite pleasing to the eye. My guess is that the acoustics were about as good as anyone can get.
What a thrill it was to hear the NY Phil, conducted by Loren Maazel (one of my all-time favorites) play the Gershwin "American in Paris!" As the camera panned around the audience, most of those in attendance sat with a look of total absorption. Some were smiling. Some were moving their heads with the music. Very few sat stoically. The orchestra was giving its all, and this was evident not only in their playing, but in their energy levels, which even came through on the tape!
Ah, but the conclusion. Tradition has it that when an American orchestra tours abroad, there are at least three encores. The second encore was the "Overture to Candide" by Leonard Bernstein, who had been their conductor for years and was a friend to many of the veteran players sitting on that stage. Since this would be the year "Lenny" would have turned 90, Maestro Maazel paid him the ultimate tribute. He announced the overture and left the stage. This greater than 100-piece philharmonic played the overture without a conductor on the podium! To those of you who know this piece, it is rhythmically complex, and there are entrances that are too easy to miss. It's far to easy for an ensemble to lose its rhythmic togetherness. Not so here. The concert master (first violin, first chair) Glen Dichterow, gave the first two beats - and they started. It was perfection from note one to the final cord. Everyone played together. 100 people playing as tightly as a well-rehearsed string quartet. And there was the empty podium. But it was not empty. Lenny's spirit was very much there.
The final encore was a Korean folk song, which had been exquisitely orchestrated. Respect will not allow me to even try to write the name because I simply can't spell it! The orchestra played it with great love and respect, and the audience accepted this as a gift.
Music - the language that knows no boundaries, that bridges gaps between worlds.
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