My dreams for this young boy from ten years ago were shattered into tiny little pieces. In my mind, at the tender age of seven, he had been a ball of clay ready to be molded into something beautiful. Instead, all hope had been extinguished from the young man who stood before me now. There was no sparkle in his eye; the devilish grin was all that remained of that innocent child I once knew.
Whether or not we reach 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 miles together in our lifetime, we will have time spent enjoying one another. Time is a gift we should all appreciate. I am well aware of the fact in 10 years, she could recoil at the thought of taking a walk with dear old mom, but what if she doesn’t?
The Pacific Northwest hospital group may be considered the “golden child” for now, but what happens if profit margins decline and further cutting costs is not feasible? The Jewish Hospital merger experience should serve as a cautionary tale for Kitsap County. Will our beloved community hospital be sold off five years from now or can we escape the same fate by devising a viable alternative for healthcare in our community?
My advice for patients everywhere: Whenever possible, find an independent practice, whether a solo doctor or direct primary care clinic, and patronize that physician. Your care will be more personalized, cost less in the long run, and your health will be better for the investment you made in yourself.
After residency, a physician has accrued a minimum of 20,000 or more hours of clinical experience, while a DNP only needs 1,000 patient contact hours to graduate. As healthcare reform focuses on cost containment, the notion of independent nurse practitioners resulting in lower healthcare spending overall should be revisited. While mid-level providers cost less on the front end; the care they deliver may ultimately cost more when all is said and done.
Something that cannot be lost is almost 27 years of shared memories. His smile is indelibly imprinted on my brain, his laugh can be found tucked away deep inside my soul, and his infectious personality is intricately woven into each story I share. Preparing him for those job interviews, giving him advice about girls, and helping him clean his perpetually messy apartment are experiences to be cherished for the rest of my life.
After reviewing more than 100 EOB’s personally, a clear and definitive pattern of fraud emerges demonstrating GEHA makes every single patient responsible for $50-100 in out-of-pocket costs for immunizations. Language in our GEHA contract clearly states we must follow their specifications according to each EOB we receive.
There are people who say you’re the wrong man for this job. I am undecided on this. You’re famous for your hatred of complicated solutions. They annoy you. They annoy you because you know they’re a waste of time and energy. Time and energy that can be put into more important things.
May 1st, the Washington State Department of Health will rule on the Certificate of Need (CON); whether or not CHI closes hospital operations in Bremerton and moves all services to Silverdale. CHI will invest $680 million to expand campus size and build a state-of-the-art facility; they will save $9 million annually in improved efficiency. It will take just 75.5 years to recoup the cost.
An article published in Health Affairs found seven of the nation’s 10 most profitable hospitals were of the non-profit variety, each earning more than $163 million from patient care services. Revoking their property tax-exempt status for not functioning as a charitable entity could return billions in healthcare dollars to local government, communities, and citizens, struggling to afford quality health care.
