Author: Gene

(Snippets from the frontline) The 4-day rule If you are a Medicare patient and reach the 4th day of hospitalization, a plan is launched to jettison you out of the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Doctors are detectives A patient was referred to the emergency room for a clot in his swollen left leg.  The ER doctor and I agreed the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Jumping through hoops Healthcare costs continue to escalate, and hand-in-hand is the rising price of drugs. Pharmaceutical companies justify expense at Congressional hearings, while behind the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Choosing a hospice agency You can’t kick the tires, look under the hood, nor take a hospice agency for a test drive. Online, you can crowd-source, … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) How is hospice care paid? Hospice under Medicare costs about $20 billion per year. The criteria to admit a patient is blurred, leading to financial abuse.  … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Aging and the palliative care white knight  Aging:  Moving slower, sleeping more, vision and hearing woes, weakened strength, imbalance, memory problems.   Consequences:   Less vacuuming, … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) The morality of targeting ICU Medicare patients Some hospitals target every Medicare patient admitted to the ICU pushing palliative and hospice care.  The diagnosis doesn’t matter … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) They prey on medical ignorance She arrived in the emergency room with nausea and vomiting. Labs were drawn, and a CT scan of the abdomen was … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Lured into palliative and hospice care The difference between palliative and hospice care is confusing.  (See graph below.) Palliative care patients selectively choose treatment to avoid … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Actively dying A few years ago, four of my patients died within 6 months.  All were in their 90s, widowed, lived in their home, and chose … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Hospice care?  Really?  I was asked to evaluate a patient for hospice care by an agency. Arriving at her home, she was sweeping the porch as … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Dying from hospice Compassionate care must be provided at end-of-life minimizing pain and suffering.  Inexperience, poor training, and greed by some hospice agencies though reveals an … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Hospice is a business Two decades ago was a scary time to fly as airplanes were crashing because some manufacturers and suppliers were using faulty nuts … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) “Your loved one is on life support” 40 years ago when I started in medicine, the term “life support” meant a patient was tenuously alive on … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Your doctor advocate is under attack When you are ill in the hospital, you must have someone who will be your advocate.  Until recently, your doctor … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Elmer and Edie He was born and raised in Tennessee, married his high school sweetheart, fought in WWII on a battleship, and returned with a Purple … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Lodging a hospital complaint If you don’t like food at a restaurant, you don’t go back.  If your car is still spewing smoke, you find another … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Under the influence Alcohol consumption has side effects as it permeates society at all levels.  Where does it start? Parents who drink alcohol might imprint similar … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Palliative and hospice care jargonese Hospice care is essential to assure minimal pain and suffering at end-of-life.  This awareness has evolved over the past two decades, … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Hospice care not reflected in healthcare statistics Some healthcare agencies and hospitals are shuffling elder seniors into hospice at a rapid rate because it is profitable.  … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) The scoop on some hospice care agencies Caring for patients at end-of-life requires experience, communication skills, sensitivity, and medical knowledge.  The majority are elder seniors, and … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) What is your happiness level? The United States is a wealthy nation, yet we don’t rank in the top ten countries in the World Happiness Report.  … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) The Notorious RBG and healthcare Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second female justice appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993, and through the years one must … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Blood pressure cuff and other gadgets When you visit your doctor or are admitted to the hospital, the first bit of information gathered is vital signs.  … Continue Reading →