“Jimmy Clark figures he has only so much time left, maybe five years in a best-case scenario, less than two if things go south quick. He’s trying to stay positive, knocking things off his bucket list, but he knows the deterioration that comes with ALS portends a gradual loss of the ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe. Clark, a 59-year-old Texarkana retailer, wants to … Continue reading The “Right-To-Try” Before I Die
Several of my friends, independently, have told me their stories about their experiences with Obamacare. All the stories are similar in many ways and entail recounting of large deductibles and small coverage. The news media has recounted different stories, each with a different problem, but basically all with the same theme. My favorite of the most recent ones in my realm is of a wife … Continue reading Are We Sinking Ourselves in Medical Debt?
I received my notice that the HealthGrades Report on hospital quality outcomes for 2014 was online. If you are not well versed in the HealthGrades ratings, it may come as a shock that your hospital is not as good as you think it is. Their hospital rating reports for specific procedures and diagnoses are compiled primarily from Medicare claim data, and it includes all hospitals … Continue reading HealthGrades Report to the Nation for 2014
If you have been a patient in any health care situation recently, you have experienced a denial of some type of medical care. It could have been a procedure that was not approved, a diagnostic test that someone determined was not necessary, or more likely a medication that was not on your approved list. Health care is changing rapidly and even though you have not … Continue reading The Patient’s Rights and the 5 ”Rights” of Imaging
