Will this be the last time that I make fun of Sarah Palin?? Only time will tell. It's one of those laugh or else I'll cry things. Anyways, a friend of mine from high school posted this and I think it's hysterical- maybe even better than the prior hockey moms post.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Would you like some cheese with that whine...
Sorry, bear with me... I need to whine for a bit.
For those reading that actually follow this blog on a regular basis, you know two things. One, I have started Tuesdays as the Jack quote of the week. Two, I am actively looking for a new job/profession. In honor of those two things, I am going to do a quote today but not one involving Jack. One involving the absolute idiocy of my job lately.
Phone message: Please call Dr X at insurance company
So I call, get placed on hold for 7 minutes as they have to find Dr X since he has stepped away from his desk.
Dr X: Patient Y is under your care in the hospital?
Me: Yes
Dr X: Why are they still in the hospital?
Me: Well, she was admitted for emphysema worsening and isn't getting better. There's no air moving through her lungs and her oxygen levels are dangerously low off oxygen.
Dr X: Well, are you giving her antibiotics by IV or her steroid by IV?
Me: No, I switched them to by mouth since the studies recently have shown that it's the same efficacy by mouth and I thought I would save the insurance company money since the oral medicines are cheaper.
Dr X: Well, since there are no IV antibiotics or IV steroids, she no longer meets qualifications for inpatient stay. Don't get me wrong (and the following is a direct quote), I wouldn't discharge her either but we can't pay for her stay since she doesn't meet criteria. You can always go appeal our denial.
Me: Honestly, I have appealed a few denials and the decision has never been reversed.
Dr X: Yeah, we don't commonly reverse our decisions.
Me: Well, have a good day.
In an ideal world, this conversation wouldn't happen. I could just say that a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital and isn't ready for discharge and then can paid to help make them better. But this isn't an ideal world. So what I'm asking for is a realistic world. Just save me the 15 minute conversation, don't call me and just deny the admission, and don't even offer an appeal process.
For those reading that actually follow this blog on a regular basis, you know two things. One, I have started Tuesdays as the Jack quote of the week. Two, I am actively looking for a new job/profession. In honor of those two things, I am going to do a quote today but not one involving Jack. One involving the absolute idiocy of my job lately.
Phone message: Please call Dr X at insurance company
So I call, get placed on hold for 7 minutes as they have to find Dr X since he has stepped away from his desk.
Dr X: Patient Y is under your care in the hospital?
Me: Yes
Dr X: Why are they still in the hospital?
Me: Well, she was admitted for emphysema worsening and isn't getting better. There's no air moving through her lungs and her oxygen levels are dangerously low off oxygen.
Dr X: Well, are you giving her antibiotics by IV or her steroid by IV?
Me: No, I switched them to by mouth since the studies recently have shown that it's the same efficacy by mouth and I thought I would save the insurance company money since the oral medicines are cheaper.
Dr X: Well, since there are no IV antibiotics or IV steroids, she no longer meets qualifications for inpatient stay. Don't get me wrong (and the following is a direct quote), I wouldn't discharge her either but we can't pay for her stay since she doesn't meet criteria. You can always go appeal our denial.
Me: Honestly, I have appealed a few denials and the decision has never been reversed.
Dr X: Yeah, we don't commonly reverse our decisions.
Me: Well, have a good day.
In an ideal world, this conversation wouldn't happen. I could just say that a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital and isn't ready for discharge and then can paid to help make them better. But this isn't an ideal world. So what I'm asking for is a realistic world. Just save me the 15 minute conversation, don't call me and just deny the admission, and don't even offer an appeal process.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What's up doc??
At last count, I think I have over 2000 people that call me their doctor. When you add in their family members that accompany them to the office or their hospital stays, that's a lot of faces and names to remember and, to be quite honest, I often don't remember them. Sometimes, I walk in to the room and people don't even look familiar to me. So, one of my biggest fears is to be face to face to someone out in public and not to remember that they're a patient or what their name is.
Well, yesterday I was at a farm festival in Weston with Emma and a young couple with their kid was walking towards me. The dad looked at me and smiled and said, "Hey, what's up doc?". I looked at him and smiled and gave him the "Oh, hey are you doing?" as I walked by. After a few steps and trying to think why none of the members of this family looked familiar to me and what in the world my patients were doing all the way up in Weston, it came to me... I was carrying two bunches of carrots and he was just trying to make a joke. Good thing I didn't ask him how his asthma was doing.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Autograph session...
This weekend Em and I went to the Rhode Island Childrens Book Festival. She got to meet the author of one of her favorite books (the Just Grace series) and got her to sign one of her new books (Fashion Kitty). She also got to meet Laurie Keller and see her speak about being an author and illustrator. She is a new one to us but did a great lecture and her books are very funny- I would highly recommend them to kids and grownups alike.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Jackism of the day...
Jack: "Do you know what my favorite foods are?"
Me: "Alphabet soup and chocolate chip cookies?" (What I made today... I thought he was buttering me up)
J: "Yeah, that and what else"
Me: "Apples, yogurt, bananas, peaches"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "Challah, matzah balls, spaghetti"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "Pineapple, pita chips, cheese"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "I don't know what else?"
J: "One more thing and it starts with an O"
Me: "Oranges"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Onions"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Oatmeal"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Orangutans?"
J: "Nope, not that. One more thing."
Me: "Not sure"
J: "Well, you know I love olives. Oh, and grapes too"
Me: "Alphabet soup and chocolate chip cookies?" (What I made today... I thought he was buttering me up)
J: "Yeah, that and what else"
Me: "Apples, yogurt, bananas, peaches"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "Challah, matzah balls, spaghetti"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "Pineapple, pita chips, cheese"
J: "Yup, and what else?"
Me: "I don't know what else?"
J: "One more thing and it starts with an O"
Me: "Oranges"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Onions"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Oatmeal"
J: "OK, and one more thing that starts with an O"
Me: "Orangutans?"
J: "Nope, not that. One more thing."
Me: "Not sure"
J: "Well, you know I love olives. Oh, and grapes too"
Is it June yet??
I love the fall and the winter in New England but the lack of sunlight and me are not the best combination. I can't believe we're still 2 months away from the shortest day. The absolute inability to want to get anything done after 6:30 PM and we haven't even hit daylight savings time yet is ridiculous. I think we should rethink the Iceland thing and maybe move somewhere closer to the Equator at least for these months of the year.
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