A sign of bad economic times...

[Joey_V]

A true sign of the times, everybody.

As a background, I work at Cook County ED - we have 3 separate ERs: green, blue, and red (each with increasing severity). The normal number in the waiting room is approximately 60.

Yesterday, it me and another resident plus the attending (our Chair) in the blue team. We had 60 waiting in the BLUE team ALONE!! I counted and there were 160 waiting in the 3 ERs combined!!!!

We POUNDED through the patients and got through about 25 patients on our team.... my hand was on the verge of carpal tunnel, so much documentation. Still there were nearly 50 in the blue WR at the end of my shift (add in the newcomers).... barely made a dent. Not only that, but we have a STAGNATION of beds, we lack the space upstairs to send the admitted to! So we have placed patients in hallways awaiting their rooms!!

Every other patient I have now has a story about losing a job and insurance - previously seen in private hospital institutions. It doesn't help that University of Chicago is triaging patients away from their facilities and they end up ultimately at my doorstep.

And what's this I hear about Obama cutting medicare? How do we get reimbursed properly?

If this continues, I don't have any idea how our hospital (the handbasket for the uninsured in Chicago) can survive.

We've run out of viscous lidocaine... what's next??

 

[DrJRapp]

Hi there guy..nice to see ya again.

I know how bad things are getting in the medical arena. My wife (ARNP) runs a retail walk in clinic, part of a chain, that is not yet approved for Medicaid or Vista due to slow government action,so she has to turn away 75% of those who show up at her door because of lack of insurance. This breaks her heart. Many of those people wind up in the local hospital ER when they didn't need to be there.

The chain was one of the major startup projects of the gal who Obama appointed to head the SBA when she was in the private sector as a Venture Capitalist. Even with those connections, they can't get seem to get their approvals. So something that could be part of the solution has become part of the problem.

Due to medicare cuts many physicians here in south Florida are refusing to take medicare patients or are charging the patients their own monthly "capatation" charges to service them.

Everything is getting more and more f...d up rather than better.

And Obama thinks he can find ways of cutting medical costs. How ?

 

[Craig]

I heard of this same sad situation happening in America's emergency rooms on a radio news story the other day and your report only confirms that todays dire economic status is real. I'd like to see some of these TARP funds go directly to the citizens. Easier said then done though.

On the brighter side...It's good to hear from you Joey, how've you been?

 

[TomDac]

Hi Joey!! How the heck are ya??

Your Summits are fabulous, btw.. love them!

 

[FISH_MAN]

I will have to say that we have really let this country get F.U.B.A.R !

I am not much of a fan of the Democrats but I think JFK said it best "ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country" It's the me me me attitude that's killing this land. Hold fast I think we are in the eye the tornado Joey !

 

[amey01]

Good to see you posting here again! What stereo equipment are you running?

 

[twich54]

JoeyV..................... oh yeah, I know that young lad !!

yes Joey it's a sad testemant to our times, not that is ever been good to become ill, but it's even more important to stay healthy now !

Sounds as if your 'Real World' education is more than an enlightenment !

Good to hear from you again.

Regards,

'Pops'

 

[flykmair]

U want bad!

How about $10,000 a month for 30 day supply of an antibiotic at 2000 mg a day. 30 day supply cost me $10,000 and if I dont buy this med she will die. She has a virus in her bowels and blood and flagil and other antibiotics wont work. Name of the AntiBiotic is "VANCOCIN" made by ViroPharma. Thats a cheap new car each month. She has been on this since July 2008, you do the math I am broke. I was so upset I bought two sets of Summit X and a pair of spires. The Summit X's arrived today and I am going to be selling everything. I will keep my Aeon i's and maybe the Spires or one set of summit x's. I figure if I have to give ViroPharma all my money why not give it to Martin Logan... Atleast they make something I can use for more than 30 days and dont have to keep giving them $10,000 a month. So, I will be listing one set of summit x's in dark cherry, one set in Natural Cherry, my vistas, My spires, my Denon avr-38008ci, sony bdp-s550 just to raise money to pay a greedy company. If anyone wants anything I dont care about what they really sell for I just need to raise $10,000 buy April 3rd.

Yes the economy is in the trash, our health insurance has been canceled, reason is we have exceded the lifetime medical payout!. Well looks like death will be coming quicker than needed, just because of Greed. What company executive needs to make 650 million a year. Why so we pay a athelete 25 million to drop fly balls and complain about where he hits in the line up. The economy is out of control, period. People are over-paid and under qualified. Sorry for venting, just upset I have to shell out another $10,000. At what point does the cost of keeping someone alive come into play? Where would you draw the line. This is my mom, I will go bankrupt for another day with her and thanks to ViroPharma I am well on my way.

Best wishes to all in this troubled economy and time. Mike

 

[User211]

Good to see you posting here again! What stereo equipment are you running?

The sig sez "no system to list". How is life possible with "no system to list"?

 

[Len44]

Everything is getting more and more f...d up rather than better.

And Obama thinks he can find ways of cutting medical costs. How ? Doctors won't work at blue collar wage.[/QUOTE

My understanding is that his efforts to reduce medical costs and universal health care coverage are focused things like competitive bidding for drugs, changes to various processes for delivering health care, and lessening the bureaucratic burden currently hampering (and adding cost, but little if any value) to the process.

While of course I may be mistaken, I am unaware of any focus on reducing the pay of doctors or other health care providers.

 

[JMAUSGP]

Hopefully, you can still go home to listen to some kind of system that allows you to unwind. Unfortunately, it sounds like you are twisted pretty tight at work, I know it is hard not too, but that is why having some kind of work relief is so important. Until next time, take care of the Kid

 

[Dreamer]

Joey,

Are you FINALLY willing to reconsider your question from last spring about whether or not we are in a recession yet?

I hate to say "I told you so" bro, but I called this one in January '08, and you and several other members of this forum spent the next three months beating me down for presuming to "out" the corruption, graft, greed, and sociopathic ethic of the financial sector.

Now, even CNN, MSNBC, and Fox are using the term "sociopathic" to describe these "banksters". I should have copyrighted my posts in January '08.

Just say it. I was right, and you were wrong.

A simple apology from the few members of this forum who spent months trashing my premises, deleting and censoring my posts, and calling me names would be worth more to me than a new pair of Spires.

All I want is the props I deserve.

Cold comfort, considering the ramifications of being proved right, but it would be the honorable thing for some of you folks to do..

Because, believe me, in this situation, being proved right is NOT something that is bringing me any joy. In fact, it's rather nauseating when we're finding that the predictions I made 12 months ago are becoming the daily headlines today...

--Richard

 

[eknuds01]

Sounds like you are on the front lines of a terrible battle, Joey.

No doubt healthcare is a major issue and one that effects each and every American. It impacts just about every segment of our economy - from manufacturing to the cost of college.

This is such a complex problem and all I know about it is how bad it is getting; heath care costs never seem to go down. We will be reaching a breaking point soon. This is one issue that can certainly errode everyone's standard of living by a very large degree.

You are fighting the good fight, Joey. Hang in there. Hopefully this is one of the issues that all Americans can latch on to and come up with some reasonable solutions.

 

[Satch]

Hang tough, Little Bro... There's only so much one person can do.

Satch

 

[MiTT]

A simple apology from the few members of this forum who spent months trashing my premises, deleting and censoring my posts, and calling me names would be worth more to me than a new pair of Spires.

--Richard

Huh? Who deleted or censored your posts? The only person who can do that is the big guy (Tom).

 

[DrJRapp]

Yes the economy is in the trash, our health insurance has been canceled, reason is we have exceded the lifetime medical payout! Mike

Here is something that perhaps can help pay the bills

http://www.needymeds.org

 

[flykmair]

Many Thx

Here is something that perhaps can help pay the bills

http://www.needymeds.org

Thank you so much for the info. Called the manufacturer and they are willing to help. This month (April) I will have to pay only $2381 and next month (May) if she still needs it, it will be free and sent to her doctor. If there is anything I can do for you in return just let me know, but I am not giving a set of Summit X's for free.... LOL

Thanks So Much, Mike

 

[Pcar928fan]

Thank you so much for the info. Called the manufacturer and they are willing to help. This month (April) I will have to pay only $2381 and next month (May) if she still needs it, it will be free and sent to her doctor. If there is anything I can do for you in return just let me know, but I am not giving a set of Summit X's for free.... LOL

Thanks So Much, Mike

Mike,

That is GREAT NEWS! These programs are available from ALL pharma companies. None of them want to watch people die because they can't afford their meds.

Now, here is a heads up for you all... Not to many years ago there was NO VANCOCIN out there... People were dying from infections we can now treat. The company that you buy that from spent approx $1.5 BILLION to bring that to market. Why would they bother if they could not sell it to try to at least pay it off and make a little profit to fund the next big drug? They wouldn't and people would die from infections like the one your describe...in fact they were up till not so long ago.

The problem of course is that bacteria have been around several BILLION years longer than humans and ultimately are VERY good at surviving. What we are seeing now are VANCOCIN RESISTANT strains of MRSA! There is NO DRUG ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET TO CURE THIS INFECTION at this time... Unless your body SOMEHOW learns to kill this pathogen it will kill you. Many companies are spending BILLIONS to build a drug that will cure this infection. None have succeeded yet (that I know of). In the long run we will prevail, but the bug will mutate again and we will once again be facing resistance.

What will happen to this new drug whenever it is brought to market is that it will be RESTRICTED (and rightfully so) to ONLY Vanc-resistant MRSA infections. Thankfully that is a VERY SMALL percentage of infections so what will that drug have to cost? I would guess a course of therapy will be hospital administered and that it will cost in excess of $75,000...

We will see how it turns out in the long run.

Mike, I hope your wife gets well VERY SOON and I am so sorry to hear about her illness, but thank goodness there is some treatment for her! Glad you found some help in paying for the meds too!

To all, if you are having problems paying for meds be sure and check with the manufacturer as well as the mentioned website, but understand that advertising for drugs make up almost no part of overall drug costs. So, please don't waste you time believing that. Are there places drug companies could and should cut costs of course there are... that is why I am unemployed now, but I am thankful that there are companies out there taking the HUGE risk of discovering new drugs to treat unmet medical needs.

Best to you all... Oh, Joey, yes, this is a recession, a pretty big one and it sucks for all. Socialized medicine is not the answer FOR SURE though. Does anyone really want the founders and funders of the IRS running their healthcare? Not me...

 

[Len44]

By "Socialized medicine" do you mean the concept that everyone in America would have health insurance? Gad -- what an awful concept...

Or, um, should we just continue with the current system, that seems to be working so well for so many of our citizens...

 

[DrJRapp]

Thank you so much for the info. Called the manufacturer and they are willing to help. This month (April) I will have to pay only $2381 and next month (May) if she still needs it, it will be free and sent to her doctor. If there is anything I can do for you in return just let me know, but I am not giving a set of Summit X's for free.... LOL

Thanks So Much, Mike

You are so welcome. Your success will help disparage the general conception that everybody in the Medical industry is in it only for the money. There are those of us who do so to actually help people.

My wife, several other physicians and myself are in the process of creating an online publication (delivery system like Tone Audio) to educate medical personnel and the general public about certain health issues and their solutions. We will initially be doing research into childhood asthma and it's correlation to mold in the home. The company is a Non-profit educational organization, and we are currently in the process of getting our 501 C3 status approved by the IRS, thereafter donations will be considered tax deductible.