[Rhodes22-list] Brad, flying, airplanes, 'Tort Reform'

Thu Nov 8 12:01:38 EST 2007

Robert,

You caught me walking out the door (and I really am going to give it a rest)
for the hangar.  Medicine is like flying, like music, like art.  All are
both art and science. The science is the easy part to teach.  It sounds like
your father was a good artist with a scientific background.  Fan and I are
taking tomorrow afternoon off to go see Ang Lee's latest movie,
"Lust-Caution".  Remember those great Chinese novels and movies from the
50's and 60's?  Forget it, maybe they just didn't have the right people in
government or the right level of government looking after things in those
days.

Brad

On Nov 8, 2007 10:45 AM, Robert Skinner <robert at squirrelhaven.com> wrote:

> Brad,
>
> While my father never turned away a person who really
> needed help (and there were many who did in the hardscabble
> farms up in the hills), he maintained that it was up to him
> to determine who qualified for free (or reduced rate) care.
>
> He was damned if he was going to have some bureaucrat tell
> HIM who qualified.  In his view, governments (or insurance
> companies) were not qualified to assess health conditions or
> the immediacy of need -- they are not trained in triage, nor
> do they have humanity.
>
> That was one man's view and way of life.
>
> Others are too busy counting their profits to give much
> service to their Hippocratic Oath.  When practices have
> "Managers" who are not practicing doctors, they lose the
> human part of medicine.  One doctor in Gorham had the gaul
> to announce in an interview that he regards those who come
> into his office as "Customers", not Patients".
>
> For me, that crosses the line.
>
> /Robert
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> Brad Haslett wrote:
> >
> > Robert,
> >
> > As a kid we didn't have health insurance but we had access to two good
> > 'country doctors'.  Dr. Greer was too old to make house calls but Dr.
> > Phillips would.  Both would take a pig, a cow, or credit for the bill.
>  My
> > Dad wasn't a farmer but he always found a way to pay the tab.  Mom took
> me
> > to Miller Greer when I was 18 months old because she was convinced there
> was
> > something wrong with me because I didn't walk.  Dr. Greer asked,
> "Bonnie,
> > who do you know that has a younger son that is walking?"
> >
> > "Ruth Busby"
> >
> > "Well, Mrs. Busby has just the one son.  Yours has three older siblings
> to
> > carry him around, when he gets tired of waiting, he'll walk".
> >
> > Doc Phillips kept practicing into at least his late 70's.  It was
> basically
> > socialized medicine, we just didn't have a label for it.  If you worked
> you
> > were expected to pay.  There weren't many people in those little farm
> towns
> > that didn't work.  It wasn't PC.
> >
> > Common sense goes a long ways, in medicine and in life.
> >
> > Brad
> >
> > On 11/7/07, Robert Skinner <robert at squirrelhaven.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > When the lawyers became involved in triage,
> > > rational decision-making was impacted.
> > >
> > > My old man was a doctor, and I worked in an
> > > ER going thru college so I had a chance to observe
> > > hospital practices in the '50s and '60s, .
> > >
> > > When I recently had to go with my wife to the ER, I
> > > noticed that the ratio of paper-shufflers vs. real
> > > medical personnel had risen sharply since the '60s.
> > >
> > > /Robert
> > > ----------------------------------------------------
> > > Tootle wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Brad said, I confronted her, "is he a patient or a prisoner?"  She
> ran
> > > for
> > > > one of the doctors.  Doc says, "I don't recommend leaving."
> > > >
> > > > "OK Doc, you've made your obligatory statement for liability
> purposes,
> > > if
> > > > this was your son would you put him through all this for a flesh
> wound?"
> > > >
> > > > "Probably not."
> > > >
> > > > The bill for that experience was over $6000.  Makes you wonder why
> > > health
> > > > care is so expensive.
> > > >
> > > > Can anyone say TORT REFORM?
> > > >
> > > > Brad"
> > > >
> > > > Brad, you ought to see it from the inside.  I have.  You said CAT
> scan.
> > > > Most people and that includes emergency room nurses and doctors who
> > > order
> > > > the scans do not know the total exposure to radiation that those
> exams
> > > give.
> > > > Nor do they appreciate the potential results of that ionizing
> radiation.
> > > >
> > > > Yes, some has to do with liability issues.  If an emergency room
> doctor
> > > does
> > > > not order a CT Scan and the condition 'may have been' diagnosed by
> one
> > > then
> > > > he is liable.  The fact that most soft tissue injuries do not show
> on
> > > CT's
> > > > for several hours is lost in the legal system.  The fact that 98% of
> > > exams
> > > > are normal is irrelevant.
> > > >
> > > > The fact that good ER doctors can with 99.9% accuracy tell which
> that
> > > other
> > > > 2% is does not matter.  The problem is those ER doctors who should
> not
> > > be in
> > > > the ER in the first place, but are there because of the work load of
> > > ER's
> > > > dealing with false emergencies.  Especially the line of foreigners
> who
> > > think
> > > > that the ER is for routine medical care!
> > > >
> > > > I could expound on this subject, but enough said.  You did the
> correct
> > > > thing.
> > > >
> > > > Only one Presidential Candidate has addressed the 'Tort Reform'
> > > issue.  Who
> > > > is it? (Anyone know correct answer)  I know because it is one issue
> that
> > > > concerns me and have watched for.  This issue affects us for many
> > > reasons
> > > > besides the unnecessary doses of radiation.
> > > >
> > > > Who pays for the unnecessary medical exams?  And believe me most of
> the
> > > ER
> > > > Cat Scan's are unnecessary.  Not all, but a substantial number are
> and
> > > are
> > > > done to cover ass or at family members insistence.
> > > >
> > > > And the AMA is advertising heavily for universal medical
> > > insurance.  Yes,
> > > > vote for socialized medicine so that your grand children have three
> eyes
> > > due
> > > > to unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation from cat scans ordered
> > > because
> > > > uneducated lawyers and medical personal thought they might find an
> > > answer to
> > > > a belly ache.
> > > >
> > > > May I emphasis that the effects of ionizing radiation are casually
> > > taught in
> > > > medical students courses.  Only future Radiologist study the nitty
> > > gritty
> > > > details!  No deleterious dose effect is taught to nurses and
> concerned
> > > > family members insisting that all medical tests be done!
> > > >
> > > > Tort Reform should concern all!
> > > >
> > > > Ed K
> > > > Greenville, SC, USA
> > > > "It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least
> the
> > > > equivalent of what he takes out of it."   Albert Einstein
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > View this message in context:
> > > http://www.nabble.com/Flying-Video-tf4743146.html#a13627158
> > > > Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> > > >
> > > > __________________________________________________
> > > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> > > --
> > > Robert Skinner  "Squirrel Haven"
> > > Gorham, Maine         04038-1331
> > > s/v "Little Dipper" & "Edith P."
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
> --
> Robert Skinner  "Squirrel Haven"
> Gorham, Maine         04038-1331
> s/v "Little Dipper" & "Edith P."
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>