Author: Gene

(Snippets from the frontline) Congress doesn’t go on Medicare With all the recent headline hubbub concerning creation of a new healthcare law, the public must realize Congresspeople don’t go on … Continue Reading →

Paperwork Doctors and their staff are inundated with paperwork…and it is getting worse.  Despite computerization, the volume is overwhelming, and the data collected is mostly used to substantiate insurance payment … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Comfort Care – Know the difference Your loved one is seizing and brought to the Emergency Room.  The staff offers “comfort care” and of course who … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) Bring accountability to your hospital stay You or your loved one has been hospitalized.  For most, this is an unfamiliar road. Beware, as nowadays hospitals are … Continue Reading →

(To Readers:  A previous posting here in early 2016 discussed Life Expectancy.  This is a re-write of that article as statistics have borne out for the first time in 23 … Continue Reading →

With the 2016 Rio Olympics coming to a close, we honor four participants claimed by the Santa Clarita Valley as their own:  Allyson Felix, Anthony Ervin, Abbey Weitzeil, and David … Continue Reading →

Born in Canada, our mother came to the United States after World War II and blended into the Greatest Generation.  Raising a family in the second half of the 20th … Continue Reading →

Growing up in a family that emphasized education, I had trouble staying on mark as I wanted to be a baseball player.  At the age of 11 though, I underwent … Continue Reading →

Most primary care physicians (PCPs) who admit patients to a hospital are family practitioners or internists.  Since medicine becomes more complex each day, PCPs must remain up-to-date on the latest … Continue Reading →

Hospitals are sacrosanct pillars of a community with alabaster halls and sterile rooms where saving lives and curing disease emanates.  But fifteen years ago some floundered in bankruptcy, and that’s … Continue Reading →

A Purple Heart was displayed next to his bed so I knew he was a veteran.  Our only contact though was tossing bean-bags during activities at his Board & Care … Continue Reading →

You have a persistent cough and poor appetite, but for six months your doctor has prescribed an assortment of antibiotics after an initial chest x-ray showed a small pneumonia.  Finally, … Continue Reading →

Hospitals serve to provide a buffer between life and death, and are a last resort when one is ill or suffers trauma. They are perceived as towering buildings with sanitized … Continue Reading →

On occasion, I feel compelled to put in my two cents at Santa Clarita City Council meetings.  Recently there was a five hour meeting whether the city should subsidize the … Continue Reading →

A family matriarch is seriously ill and has been admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. Loved ones are by her side, but she is lucid, understands her medical condition, and … Continue Reading →

Many nations proudly tout “Life Expectancy” as a reflection of healthcare. In our country, this statistic has continually edged upward due to expanding technology, doctors/patient education, and vibrant emphasis on … Continue Reading →

Five years ago, I was elected to physician leadership on the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) at Henry Mayo Hospital and last week was my final meeting as a member. I … Continue Reading →

Two decades ago, I admitted a patient to the Intensive Care Unit for a heart attack.  His children were grown, and he looked forward to retirement purchasing an RV to … Continue Reading →

Dear Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Board of Directors: You have a duty to residents of the Santa Clarita Valley to ensure worthy hospital medical care is rendered should an individual … Continue Reading →