Posted on 01/06/2014 6:16:12 PM PST by lightman
South-central Pennsylvania has been clobbered by a nasty cold, flu, or combination thereof for all of this brief new year. So much so that the state is listed as "widespread" on the flu map published by the Weather Channel.
I get that.
What I don't get is why it took my adult son nearly twelve hours to obtain a Z-pack. He did the responsible thing by calling his primary physician (a truly unmercenary practitioner, who works solo and sees many of the poor who others shun) early this morning...around 10 AM.
The overworked physicians office--I did say this flu thing was widespread--did not have time to call the pharmacy until nearly 6 PM. That's eight hours. The pharmacy was running nearly three hours behind on filling new scrips--again, because of the widespread flu.
So now we are 11 hours past the initial call to the PCP, with another hour to go, according to the information from the pharmacy.
Now you may be wondering, how is this the fault of Øbamacare?
Simple.
Øbamacare does NOTHING to address the medical billing system.
The medical billing system (to any insurance, be it Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance) provides NO financial incentive to physicians for issuing prescriptions or renewals by phone, nor for phone consultations, nor for email communication.
To borrow a phrase from the legal profession, the only "billable hours" are for office visits and hospital visits. Period.
No incentive for delivering health care through any technology.
And certainly no incentive for doing so in a timely manner.
The market has failed.
And so has Øbummercare.
You’re right about clans. Take it from someone who grew up without an extended family. It’s easier for an “outsider” to see.
Clans will be essential for future survival. They’re the only defense against an all-powerful State.
Excellent point. Thanks. People who want to destroy history and people's ability to learn from it are behind this also.
That’s the issue. Those of us who have relationships with doctors who know our history and will do what is necessary to keep us well (our family doctor calls us after a visit to make sure we are recovering) are considered revolting by the zero administration. He would love to destroy that doctor/patient relationship in the name of “equality” (aka providing EVERYONE with poor care). That’s the fundamental transformation he was talking about.
Yep
Ummm… hate to break this to you, but A) Zpak will do nothing for a cold/flu except increase resistant bacteria for you and all others when you really need an antibiotic. B) Your doctor is terrible if he calls in antibiotics for cold/flu symptoms without a physical exam. He would have been better off if the MD never called it in and he just sucked it up and (gasp) took care of himself for a few days. It will pass.
I agree that they have probably thought long and hard to eliminate loopholes, but inevitably, loopholes will be found.
The intermediary, providing cash services to Medicare patients could locate offshore, thus avoiding some of the legal hazards of the law. The intermediary could promote their service to Medicare patients as a way to see the best doctors without delay. The doctor might still take on the Medicare patient at the usual Medicare rate, but the intermediary would pay the doctor a fee to see the patient quickly.
As far group practices are concerned, I believe that as long as the doctors bill under their own number, the doctor can decide, as an individual, whether they take Medicare/Medicaid or not. The opt out of Medicare applies to the individual doctor, not the group. I would expect that more of these hybrid practices to become more common. The non-Medicare doctor would purposely be the person responsible for urgent visits or some other important service. So if the Medicare or crap-care patient needs to get in and see someone right away, they will have to see the non-contracted physician, or else, they will have to go to the ER.
In hospital, reaction to the antibiotic, took 8 hrs to get the 1 pill, and needed 2. Did not see the 2nd until the next morning. This was Oct.
It is only going to get worse.
Seniors take heed, there are TWO flu shots, one is a super dose that is being given to seniors vs younger people, theory is you are more at risk. What you are at risk for is that the super dose has more side effects! Mine last year landed me in the ER.
23 seniors died after receiving this years flu shot sold by pharmacies
As you can see in the screen shot above, taken from the CVS website, senior citizens over the age of 65 are being targeted to get the “high-dose” flu vaccine.
Because in the United States vaccines enjoy complete immunity from lawsuits in the market place. If you are injured or die from a vaccine, you or your family cannot sue the manufacturer of the vaccine. This law enacted by Congress, was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011.
Yep, that’s exactly what I was going to post -
a lot of people will die directly as a consequence of implementing this monstrosity of socialized healthcare.
And I believe that’s one of the desired effects of the legislation.
‘bammers is all about “gettin’ YT”, and I think he believes that the majority of people that currently have insurance are 1) white and 2) have it too good.
Think “fish tank” and you’ll have your source of stockpile antibiotics...
I was going to post a link, but I don’t want this source of ab’s to be shut down.
If anyone wants predictions about Obamacare, this covers them all - It will only get worse.
Least substantive critique of Obamacare I have yet seen, mainly because this has absolutely nothing to do with Obamacare.
My doctor can send a prescription to the pharmacy via the computer. Takes seconds.
I got my zpac and a 21 day supply of cortisone in 20 minutes yesterday in Conyngham PA. I’m sure once my company drops our health insurance in the future I will probably drop dead of bronchitis.
Errr... no, you won't.
agreed. Aside from whether he should have gotten the Rx, this is common in pharmacies with “just in time” supplies. I routinely wait a day for them to get a drig in because they have a small inventory and a central supply and pills have to be sent out. Mothing to do with obamacare at all. And one can always pay out of pocket and tend to reimbursement later.
And antibiotics are of no help with flu.
“He needs Tamaflu not Z-Pack. I was diagnosed with Flu at Thanksgiving. Had a nose swab test. Doc gave me a script for Z-Pack but told me to wait an hour before I filled it. He would let me know if I had flu. I did. He called in Tamaflu for me. 10 pills with my insurance cost $115. Best money I have ever spent to make me feel better. After 1st pill, I started to come back to life. (I was feeling like a kicked dog)”
You have a very good and intelligent doctor.
He practices good medicine and is conservative but ready to drop the Z Pack bomb if necessary.
Correct. An antibiotic is totally inappropriate for this ailment. Z-Packs must be the most abused prescription medication, and are a contributing factor to these drug-resistant superbugs that are starting to spread.
Thanks for posting this excellent reality:
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) for flu/colds (antivirals)...antibiotics are for bacteria infections. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/flu-treatment-antibiotics-or-not
We are about out of effective antibiotics due to misuse/overuse/resistance: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/cdc-amr-rpt1/";
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.