Information and Critical Thinking for Your Health
(Snippets from the frontline) Cost of Drugs Pharmaceutical companies have a stranglehold on us. Medicare Part D was written by their lobbyists. Drugs developed decades ago have gone up 10 … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Hospital administrators on a pedestal Last month, a hospital administrator retired and all local media outlets had press-release headlines lauding his accomplishments. Two years ago, our … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Look at the medication As our mother entered her late 80’s, living at home alone became more challenging. Within a four month span, she was admitted … Continue Reading →
(Snippets from the frontline) Courage, Character, Responsibility Sometimes my surgical colleagues impress me with not just their skills, but the quality and spirit of their character. A neurosurgeon gets up … Continue Reading →
Denied You’ve been told surgery required to repair a herniated disc has been denied; a mammogram to evaluate a new lump won’t be allowed; or you must be discharged from … Continue Reading →
(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 →
A pediatrician decides a struggling teen with mental illness needs hospitalization to neutralize psychologic demons impacting their personal and social life. A Workers’ Compensation doctor requests a neck MRI in … 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 →
I had never heard the term “throughput” before a meeting at our hospital two years ago. It was used to discuss how the emergency department (ED) could yield greater profits … Continue Reading →
War is being waged on behalf of American citizens against the business takeover of hospitals, yet most people don’t realize this battle exists. Surprisingly, the warriors scattered throughout our country … Continue Reading →
Hospitals have always served as a lifeline to survival. Whether from pneumonia, heart attack, stroke, or trauma, they have been a community safeguard between life and death. Today, cost of … 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 →