Work was tolerable today though not slow and then out of nowhere it was like a freakin' bomb went off and we were all running our asses in circles and up and down the halls to heal the sick. It was surreal how quick it turned into an episode of a TV medical show and it last about two hours. Here's the thing folks. There is a huge problem with healthcare in that it's mostly based on referring out based on acuity and often the receiving centers from rural areas like us are full themselves. Thus, you have your little bottle neck at the local level and it extends all across the region.
True Story. My friend had a heart attack two weeks ago. He is diabetic and was in DKA so that required about 48 hours to correct before the heart issues could be addressed. His platelet count dropped so diagnostic cardiology options were limited. Time to go, yet he was here for an entire week waiting for a bed in Jackson to become available. He had a cath which showed three major blockages and required an open heart procedure so he was THEN shipped to Vanderbilt. The last I heard there was still no surgery due to high blood sugar. Dayum, this is reality y'all and it's all on your dime. This whole ordeal will probably max out his employer subsidized health insurance benefits and there's nothing but high priced ACA out there. Which will be replaced, dontcha' know. Following repeal.
Obamacare was in theory a good idea except for the fine part. Without Republican approval of Medicaid expansion hospitals were hung out to dry and so were patients. When I first started work there you got a single bill from the hospital with a line item review of every charge. Then some genius decided it should all be separately billed and voila! I currently owe at least five megagroups who are packs of specialists who live off your deductible if you are well. They will get mine ten bucks at a time.
Blacklist is beginning to grab me so I think that's on for a long time since I'm a newbie. I can't help but think about where we were this time last year, in ICU and on 2N with everybody wearing Team Janice bracelets. I would go out on the floors with an armful of the beaded peace signs and crosses and put them on somebody's arm myself. The boys didn't get one. I became acutely aware of how blessed I was to have my work peeps with me every step of the way through the deaths of my parents. They cried with me and listened to me wail and made allowances ( sometimes ) for my grieving in the workplace. It was personal, on a lot of levels.
What amazes me the most is the complexity of the whole system and how it's all based on money. There's so much money in it that thousands of corporations make contracts in an effort to get a piece of the pie. Long term care is a disaster and can lead you to BK court quicker than you can say physical therapy. While lifestyle choices are always a factor, sometimes it's just genetics and the cards are stacked against you. That's where wellness comes into play.
My pantry looks like a college dorm room and it's still a week 'til the eagle takes a poop. Since I have no dishwasher, I just don't cook. Snacking is the norm because I hate washing pans. Ain't got time for that.
I'm gonna' shoot for another later bedtime so I can sleep in until time to meet my friend and go to a work meeting. On my day off. Ahem. Anywho.....y'all give me a shout if you're in the neighborhood.
Peace ~
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