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LMV

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Posts posted by LMV

  1. 6 hours ago, Joker2 said:

    My mom’s hospital is losing staff due to burnout, not vaccines. Healthcare workers where she’s at are just done.

    I think that this and that in reality some healthcare systems are just horrible to their physicians and at some point when you’re working overtime, literally getting assaulted, literally risking your life, something has to give. I may work in one of the few decent health systems so I’m not personally worried for myself but as a mom, wife, daughter, and sister the physician loss in the US concerns me for the healthcare for my family, and our nation.

    • Like 8
  2. 1 hour ago, TechWife said:

    ETA: Hospitals must be accredited by the Joint Commission in order to bill Medicare and Medicaid. It's a requirement of participation. If a hospital were to lose their accreditation, they would become financially insolvent and would quite literally have to close their doors. Accreditation is a rigorous process, taken very seriously by all involved.

     

    In the past JCAHO could grant Medicare certification but Medicaid was more complex in some states. That changed in 2010 with MIPPA. CMS is now the Medicare authority. Medicaid is still regulated largely at the state level and several states do not recognize JCAHO for state facility licensure. 

  3. I find it interesting how so far in this thread all I've read about is a female person hosting.

     

    Why is it that the men in the families aren't hosts for big family dinners?

    My husband actually did the bulk of Thanksgiving this year. I worked a physician overnight shift in the ED 11/22 into 11/23. It was a really busy night and pretty much everyone truly needed to actually be in an ED (or ICU). Somehow everyone survived. I left the hospital and went to run a Turkey Trot with our daughters. I came home, showered, and went to sleep. DH did pretty much all of Thanksgiving Dinner except some of the pies I made ahead of time. Also when I got up and felt human again I pulled together a quick spinach lasagna to go along with the rest of the meal (a tribute to my Italian heritage and a kindness to one of my vegetarian colleagues who was joining us). He also supervised the kids (including DD2 and DD5) while I was sleeping. I’m sure he delegated some but I’m still pretty thankful to have him.

    • Like 1
  4. Dd17 gets angry with me when she discovers that dd 15 wore her clothes without asking. Because I drive dd15 to school, Dd17 thinks I should pay better attention and send her back inside to change. I've talked to dd15 about asking first and she says ok. But she doesn't. It can be days before Dd17 discovers something is missing. She wants me to "do something" about it.

     

    To further complicate it, dd15 has given dd17 permission to wear whatever she wants when she wants. Dd17 has not given that permission and will, in fact, say no most of the time when dd15 does ask.

     

    How much should I be involved in this? Should I be giving consequences?

     

    I am going through some real crap right now and can't think clearly about this. Help appreciated.

    I'm sorry for whatever else is difficult and complicated in your life. I think I would impose consequences for taking/destroying her sister's things. In our family, while we encourage sharing and helping, we do respect our children's right to have choose not to share some possessions and in some contexts and situations to choose not to help. Generally they do choose to share with and help their siblings.

     

    For example, when our current DD17 and our eldest daughter were both living at home they did share clothes some [as possible---our eldest is quite tall so some things were just not shareable] without any issues. Fast forward four years and now they are college freshman/first year medical student attending the same institution and sharing clothes again at least somewhat which is kind of sweet.

    • Like 4
  5. We have adopted through foster care and we had guardianship of my husband's godson (his late father was one of DH's best friends) while he aged out of foster care in our home. Having said that, I truly see myself as a mother of ten. Although I have different connections to and special relationships with all of my children I see that as the reality that they are all unique and special individuals. Each of them bring something different, yet very beautiful, to the fabric of our tightly woven family. Half of our children are my biological offspring, 60% of our children are my husband's biological offspring, but they have all grown into our hearts in a way that has certainly changed us, and our collective family, for the better.

    • Like 2
  6. You could become involved as grandparents but not take custody. I agree that if he is in a good stable foster home then disrupting that unless you are committed to taking him until he is an adult isn't the best.

     

    You could still be a respite family for the foster family and develop relationships with him and them. Our son had relatives that we have seen all along but we're not in the position to care full time for him.

     

    First step would be to call the worker and find out the exact situation. Some kids the goal is to go home quickly, others are never expected to go home.

    I agree that you can be grandparents without taking custody. Our DD13 and DD9 have a strong relationship with their biological MGF who has really become a part of our extended family [ie he was recently here to celebrate our biological daughter's second birthday with the rest of the family].

     

    This grandfather actually briefly raised DD13 when she was four right after her parents' death and then in quick succession after the death of his wife and her grandmother. He had a MI and many complications and as there really wasn't any other family to care for her she went into emergency foster care and then when her infant sister was released from the NICU they both went into a foster adopt home. By the time their grandfather was out of the hospital and physical rehab the girls had just turned five and one and the foster parents were working towards adoption. Those foster parents were not interested in him having contact with the girls as they believed it would be confusing and he says that hurt him but he was led to believe they were happy in their new home so he felt he should try to respect their new parents. For various reasons the foster adopt placement was not a good fit for DD13 and the adoption never happened because the court would not separate the girls adoptions. We started taking DD13 as a respite child when she was seven and then ended up with her after the foster parents abandoned her at our house. They took DD9 with them when they fled the state. When they were apprehended a few months later DD9 (who was four at the time and traumatized) was placed with us as well. Ultimately we have managed to adopt both girls and allow them to re-establish a relationship with their biological MGF.

    • Like 3
  7. To verify board certification check with the relevant board. In your case, this would be the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology. If the physician happens to be a DO then they may be boarded through the Osteopathic board (although many DOs are allopathically boarded or also allopathically boarded). In 2020 all GME will be fully merged everyone finishing residency then and beyond should be allopathically eligible.

    • Like 1
  8.  

    Thank you so much for your help and thoughts, everyone. I really appreciate people sharing their hard-won experience in this area.

     

    I spent hours today going through more lists. Based on what I could find, it seems like my options are psychiatrists with bad reviews/questionable experience, those affiliated with clinics in bad areas, and those affiliated with hospitals. I'll call the hospital affiliated ones on Monday, but IME, whenever I've called hospital-affiliated specialists listed in our insurance database, they don't actually see patients (as in, they're only teaching or are administrators), or they only see patients in the hospital setting.

     

    I widened my search area today, and I finally found one about 50 minutes away who sounded great, and I was so excited. The intake guy called me back right away...and they only see clients who reside in their own county. I wanted to cry.

     

    If anyone's still reading, can you weigh in on this? What do you think is the least bad option here?

     

    1) Trying to see someone in your network who didn't have great reviews (lack of responsiveness, late to or canceling appointments, etc.).

     

    2) Taking your child to a clinic or non-profit in a bad neighborhood? Does a doctor's employment in a place like that make you concerned about the level of care they could provide? I just envision burned out docs phoning it in, which may or may not be accurate, since I have no experience whatsoever in this area!

     

    3) Taking your child to a psychiatrist who doesn't specialize in teens but has good reviews.

     

     

    We could pay out of pocket for at least the psychiatrist, probably, but it would literally take all extra cash we'd have available each month. We do have out-of-network coverage, but we have an $8000 deductible, and we will never hit it. I can't figure out what's the least awful option here. If I'm overly biased and ridiculously jaded, please feel free to tell me so.

     

    And thanks again.

    1.) I have never looked at reviews. Verify no disciplinary action and current board certification if it is an unfamiliar physician sure. I personally also make sure that my child will be seen by a physician at least for part of the visit. [so I am ok with physicians who do use NP/PA as physician extenders but still examine all patients and sign off on the plan but not physicians who supervise only retrospectively.]

     

    2.)If I had personal safety concerns with the area then I would avoid for that reason. Otherwise, no, my eldest daughter's unsung hero of a pediatrician worked in an FQHC and was amazing.

     

    3.)Child/Adolescent is a subspecialty fellowship off of Psychiatry. With a teen I think if you have CAP availability you can/probably should start there but if you don't have CAP availability and have general psychiatry comfortable with teens that could be a good option. In your case I would call the office and ask if they would be comfortable. I personally wouldn't put much stock in online reviews but if you have had good success picking physicians via review sites then maybe that is a good approach to continue.

  9. I agree with this. NP's are also advantageous for other reasons - in most states they typically are overseen by a specialist MD, so you get the oversight by the specialist, but the extra time and attention of the NP. Best of both worlds.

    With all of the push for independent practice from NPs (and even PAs sadly) I don't think this is a safe assumption. Regardless unless the physician is also seeing the patient on the same day then the supervision is retrospective and will be more on the order of identifying mistakes after the fact rather than ensuring quality care is delivered in real time. Additionally if the supervising/collaborating physician never sees the patient at all but just looks at the NP/PA documentation then it may look like acceptable care but in reality the diagnosis may be completely incorrect and critical exam findings may be overlooked.

  10. Truth. I'm a redhead. I have a high pain tolerance but I also don't process pain meds well, or rather I process them too well and too quickly. The idea of tylenol working for post surgical pain is laughable to me. Heck, after my bariatric surgery I was BEGGING for more pain meds in post-op, to the point where they finally said, "We've given you a LOT of morphine...we can't give you any more." And i was STILL in the worst pain of my life (and I've delivered a 10 pound baby with no drugs).

     

    I gradually tapered my pain meds as the pain lessened. But I was still taking some nucynta many days later, at least at night so I could sleep.

     

    We need to be better at figuring out who needs how much. And coming up with alternate drugs. The nucynta was nice because it is a synthetic so it supposedly isn't addictive? Worked about as well as vicodin. (I love vicodin, but for all the wrong reasons, so am careful about taking it)

    Tapentadol works on the Mu opiate receptors so addiction issues are certainly a concern and a reality for some. I think the DEA was doing the right thing when they classified it as a schedule 2 drug.

  11. I'm pretty sure I got toradol in the hospital after my last c-section. They didn't send me home with it, gave me percocet. Maybe toradol is only IV? Don't know.

    Oral ketorolac does exist and actually has been shown to have similar/superior in some studies efficacy to hydrocodone/acetaminophen.

    • Like 2
  12. I don't know a lot about it but had the impression that illegal opioid drugs (stronger than from the pharmacy) were the cause of the spike in deaths.

    Statistically where I practice this is the case but the issue is a bit more complicated and multifaceted than that. A lot of communities now are also seeing heroin contaminated with fentanyl, and carfentanil which are increasing the overdose and death rate.

    • Like 5
  13. I live in the heart of it . . .

     

    and, no, we don't need a state of emergency.

     

    We need funded rehab, funded mental health, funded regular medical care (to treat pain properly, with follow up/recheck appointments, etc), funded child care for kids whose parents are in rehab -- in or out patient. We need more doctors allowed to prescribe suboxone.

     

    If rehab and health care were available and affordable, it would do a lot to heal the problem.

     

    Waiting lists are weeks to months long.

     

    I have a friend who is an MD working in addiction medicine (suboxone treatment, etc).

     

    There are a lot of problems that can be addressed to decrease the damage done by addiction. We just need the money to deal with it.

    I can agree with a lot of your post. Unfortunately, I do not think Suboxone is the answer so many believe it will be. I do not favor increasing suboxone caps or allowing non physician members of the healthcare team to prescribe.

    • Like 1
  14. First, I have to say I'm surprised that opiods are sent home with patients after c-sections. I was given Tylenol for one and Advil for my second, so I simply didn't know they did that.

     

    Two, I thought that pharmacies shared info everywhere (not just in Fl). If they are not, I think they should be.

     

    I don't know how a national emergency declaration is going to improve the situation. I think doctors need to take the lead here in being responsible for what they prescribe. They also need to be having very real conversations with their patients regarding risks and discussing other options. (Pharmacists should also be having these conversations with clients.)

     

    But, I curious how much of this opiod problem is caused by written prescriptions. I have a sneaky suspicion that much of these drugs are being bought on the street. Maybe that's where a task force may be useful?

    I had one cesarean section and four vaginal births. Three were VBACs. I didn't take narcotics after any of my births. I think that was probably a bit atypical in the initial twenty four hours after my cesarean and I won't say I wasn't in pain but it was manageable albeit not completely eliminated with non narcotic options. Interestingly after the birth of our final daughter a little under two years ago the nurse I had in post partum was aghast that the only thing my OB had written for pain was ibuprofen. She made a big deal of paging and "advocating" for me to get something (while ignoring my attempts to explain my OB probably knew I didn't want anything else and if I was in sufficient pain to need something else then I was probably having some horrible complication and needed re-evaluation much more than narcotics).

     

    I don't disagree that physicians need to take responsibility for what/when they prescribe. However, I think there are some regulatory and reimbursement scenarios that penalize physicians who do prescribe responsibly. I don't offer that as an excuse because I firmly believe that when you are sacrificing your clinical judgment for external forces and pressures then it is time to stop practicing. I stand by that and I know I am fortunate to work for a medical director and healthcare system that respects my profession and my professional judgment. Not all physicians are so fortunate and some of that is part of our physician shortage. Then of course there is last week's tragedy in Indiana.

     

    At this point the opioid epidemic is shifting back into heroin partly because it truly has less street value than prescription opiates. [based on my statistics as a toxicologist not personal experience.] Controlled substance restrictions are also making prescription opiates harder to procure which contributes to the shift.

  15. We have never belonged to HSLDA because some (ok, probably most, or even all) of their views, values, and political agendas contradict our Christian faith and approach to raising our children. Beyond that, my attorney husband believes that they have committed legal malpractice in a few cases in a few states he is admitted to the bar.

    • Like 2
  16. In my experience as a physician, unfortunately it seems that nutritional restoration, medical monitoring, and management of medical complications due to suboptimal nutrition are very overlooked aspects of eating disorder treatment. I would definitely schedule an appointment with your primary care physician.

    • Like 1
  17. So far our kids have lived:

    -in our guesthouse while commuting to a state university about 40 minutes away.

    -in a townhouse he owned [he went into the military at 17 and then came home to work his way through a BS while working].

    -in a freshman dorm as her school doesn't have separate dorms for athletes.

     

    Current DD17 will also be living in an on campus dorm when she heads off this fall.

  18. I'm trying to avoid quoting so bear with me if the response seems very disjointed.

     

    *Please pursue professional evaluations. Too often I see foster families buy into the all they need is love and good parenting mantra. While I agree that all children need these things children with trauma need specific treatment and if there is superimposed or secondary mental illness that needs to be treated as well. If you want to advocate for these children then push for the evaluation and necessary services. If necessary present for a crisis evaluation to your local ED or mental health community center.

    *The superficially charming mommy shopping behavior with raging at home is a red flag for RAD but there is a lot of overlap with other diagnoses like PTSD/CTSD, depression, TBI (sometimes meeting ASD diagnostic criteria), and ASD as well. I think the best option is to keep an open mind about all diagnoses. The evaluating child psychiatrist should not rush to a diagnosis either and often a second opinion is very appropriate and helpful.

    *If PTSD is a consideration then I think treating that should be the top priority. TF-CBT with a certified and skilled clinician is an evidenced based approach that can be used (and studies have included) children as young as three. If you have specific questions about this feel free to message me.

    *If you're getting angry then please look into what options there are for support for you. Are there additional parenting classes that could give you some new skills? Are the kids eligible for some respite? Is this just a bad fit placement and would it be best for the caseworker to seek a better fit?

    *Gently, and I really believe that you're doing the best you can, I don't think any child needs our anger. Yes, I can imagine if you are angry/loud/scary enough they may capitulate in fear [unfortunately, that may just entrench the PTSD/CTSD and make things worse in the long run].

     

    Good Luck!

    • Like 3
  19. As an EM physician, I have seen some bad burns/injuries from consumer fireworks gone wrong so I don't have a problem with states that outlaw them. The majority of states where we own homes only allow sparklers and I think this is generally a good compromise although I have also seen some misadventures with these and they are not something we personally will have at least while we still have small children at home.

     

    Our communities do have organized fireworks displays on certain holidays and I think that can be nice (and since it is at one discrete pre-planned time it is much more possible for pet owners, veterans, parents etc to plan ahead). Where our main home is we can actually get a quite nice view of the display from our side lawn/patio/pool but really don't hear much. For our family, viewing July 4th fireworks from the pool is a great option.

    • Like 3
  20. We will encourage our sons, especially, to go down career paths that will allow them to support a family so that if his wife doesn't want to work and stay home with the kids, it won't be such a burden.

     

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

    While we certainly have tried to show and model the importance of supporting your children financially and emotionally we do not agree that sole earner scenarios are always the responsibility of the male half of the couple.

    • Like 3
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