"Our favorite characters on "Grey's Anatomy" may be able to get away with outrageous behavior on the job, but in real life medical authorities are saying enough. The Joint Commission, an agency that evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 healthcare organizations nationwide, issued a bulletin Wednesday saying that rude, hostile and disruptive behavior among doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, support staff and administrators will no longer be tolerated."


Have you ever experienced "rude, hostile, or disruptive behavior from any in the medical profession?

I have experienced "rude" behavior. 

Nothing more.

It is a customer service job. 

Some people just aren't cut out for it.

But obviously, people have had worse experiences or this bulletin wouldn't have been issued.

I'd be curious to know what's really going on.

Here's the full article from the LA Times    ç here

In the meantime...medical shows like Grey's Anatomy have always been popular...Calling Dr. Kildare.

That and The Boy Who Cried Wolf...

How many other "stories" can we link to the salmonella crisis running amok?

Over 1000 people sickened now and still no confirmation as to where the origination of the bacteria is coming from? 

Could there be a carrier harboring the strain?

This is now the worst foodborne outbreak in a decade. 

A decade!

And the CDC doesn't have a clue?

Last week we were told raw tomatoes were okay again. 

They are back in restaurants and stores.

And today, again, we hear certain ones are suspicious.

Also, raw jalapeños are dangerous.

Maybe this isn't the food at all and it is deliberate and that's why they can't find the cause.

"The CDC acknowledges that for every case of salmonella confirmed to the government, there may be 30 to 40 others that go undiagnosed or unreported.

"The outbreak could actually be tens of thousands of people rather than 1,000 people," agreed Caroline Smith DeWaal of the consumer advocacy Center for Science in the Public Interest. "It's certainly a disturbing event to have this many illnesses spanning this many months."

Disturbing?

That's an understatement.

from My Way the full article  Salmonella Infects Over 1,000; Peppers Now Eyed  

 

and revisit It's Always Something

and from a past Righty Blog  About That Salsa


So how's your garden doing?

 

Drugs cost enough money the way it is.

We’re all feeling the pain when it comes to insurance and medical costs.

You want to believe you are being charged the least possible price for medicines at the drug store.

Here are the latest allegations about Walgreens:


“To save taxpayer dollars, Medicaid limits how much it pays for popular forms of drugs. But it doesn’t bother to set price-ceilings on rarely used versions. Take generic Zantac, or ranitidine, for example. The antacid is a huge seller in tablet form. Medicaid limits payment to 34 cents apiece. The same drug as capsules has no price-ceiling because it was so rarely prescribed. Medicaid pays $1.25 each. Walgreens figured it could pocket millions by switching patients from tablets to capsules.”


Read the story from CBS News     ç   here



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And another topic...

I don’t know if you’ve ever gotten an insurance Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in the mail after visiting your doctor.  Here’s what I’ve found several doctor’s offices have done in the past.  They do a procedure in the office and choose a “code” to mail in to insurance.  You get the EOB and it states that you had something totally different done. 

I’ve had EOBs say I had surgery done at a doctor’s office.  Upon calling, the doctor’s office will just say, “That’s just the code we use.”  Well, that code allows them to be reimbursed for higher fees.  The fact is, I never had a surgical procedure and should not be charged as if I did, and that should be reported to the insurance company.  This has happened to me more than once, at different offices.  I know other people who have complained of the same thing.  It pays to read your doctor bills and compare them to your EOBs.

And we wonder why insurance costs are rising so much.


 

Let's see....

Here are a few of the recalls/health scares that are in the news just TODAY!

Six medical centers in Las Vegas close down for reusing syringes

Sixth Las Vegas Center Closed


Quaker Oats recalls Aunt Jemima Pancake/Waffle Mix for Salmonella

Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix Recalled



California - largest beef recall in nations history

California beef recall - downer cows



California - Alfalfa Spouts recalled for Salmonella

Three Brands Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled



Recalled Heparin contained Contaminant

Drug Tied to China Had Contaminant




Frozen Chicken Entrées Sold In Colorado recalled

Frozen Chicken Sold in Colorado Recalled


What the heck is going on?



Well, the only thing that could make this any more worrisome would be if there was another Cryptospyridium scare! 

After all, in March of 1993 when that happened, it was after a winter season where there was a lot of water run off. 

Let's hope the water quality is being monitored closely this spring.


Just in case, there is a new product out for purifying water:


Steripen  ÷  here

Dentists are known to have one of most stressful jobs of all-time.

Maybe that's because people are constantly saying "I hate going to the dentist"

It isn't that we "hate" the "dentist."

It's just the thought of going "there."

I admit, I had a poor dentist when I was a child.

Later in my adult life, I heard he was found to have been treating patients for fillings, extractions, etc. that they didn't need in the first place.

That didn't make me feel very good.

To this day, I can still remember those Saturday mornings when one of my parents would drop me off at his office. 

It was a white, two story building. 

Walking inside, I'd see an old fashioned staircase with a long, ornate banister. 

And the smell of the dental office would creep down the stairs. 

What was that?  Disinfectant?  Novocain?  I haven't a clue. 

But that smell was there and I can't forget it. 

I just did not like that dental office.

As an adult, I've found a dentist I'm comfortable with....almost. 

I just have a twinge of creepy, bad memories in the back of my mind whenever I have to go for my check-up.

I really do hate going to the dentist.

And the following story just makes me think about those days.



Wikipedia


-------------------------


Because of the spiraling cost of dental work in the United States, Americans are now going to Mexico for cheaper dental procedures. 

Let's face it. 

If you are uninsured, dental procedures are unaffordable for the average person.

If you are insured, the co-pays on crowns is still high.

"US dental treatment costs up to four times as much as in Mexico, making it tough for uninsured Americans to treat common problems such as abscessed teeth or pay for dentures".

"A dental crown in the United States costs upward of $600 per tooth, compared to $190 or less in Mexico."

"Americans have long crossed the border for cheap medicines, flu vaccines, eye surgery or specialist doctors, but dentists are now in highest demand."

"Dental clinics are on almost every block in central Ciudad Juarez, ranging from dingy dives to clinics that look more like posh hair salons. Getting there involves dodging prostitutes, drug pushers and cowboy-boot sellers."

Read the entire story from Reuters

Americans Go to Mexico for a Cheaper Perfect Smile   à here



I just don't think I could go to Mexico for my dental treatment, or any other health treatment. 

It's important to me that my care is held to a certain standard.

Would I get that in Mexico?

I haven't got a clue.

I've got a guess.

Rep. John Read, R-Mississippi



It's difficult enough to get bars and their employees to follow the law and know when to stop serving intoxicated customers.

We know the sad reality of that all too well.

Imagine this.

Imagine if you are overweight.

On the upper end of that BMI scale.

You go into a restaurant.

The server comes to the table and looks you over....

and says "No food for you!"

Well, that just might be possible in Mississipi...the "fattest state in the nation."

That is, if Republican Rep. John Read has his way....

Read the article

Mississippi Considers Restaurant Ban for Obese    É  here

Boy, oh, boy...

Now that would be a hard one to enforce.

What....do you have booths with built-in scales?

Is obesity in the eye of the beholder?

I know there is a problem in our country, but are we capable of policing each other in regards to weight?

I know insurance costs have risen because of the health related issues for obesity.

But, it is not illegal to be huge.

And isn't it bad enough having an overweight doctor telling a patient they are fat?

Now they want a waitress to tell you?

How about this...

Look in a mirror. 

Check the size tag on your clothes.

Those two things will tell you right there.

Each person has to make up their own mind whether they will or will not lose weight.


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