Yesterday, I was reading the Greenville Hospital System (GHS) medical staff newsletter. One of the articles was excitedly explaining how GHS had struck an EXCLUSIVE contract with Blue Choice Medicaid. This means that the 14,000 members of Blue Choice Medicaid in the Upstate area will only be able to receive their medical care from GHS … Continue reading
In 1992, in order to encapsulate the central issue in the Presidential election that year, James Carville popularized the statement: “It’s the economy, stupid.” I am reminded of this during some of my patient encounters. I think of a couple I delivered a few months ago. This couple had transferred to me, from a local … Continue reading
After a great deal of thought I have decided to drop my health insurance. As everyone without health insurance knows, this a very scary position in which to find oneself. Being in the healthcare field myself, I am well aware that a single day of hospitalization can generate tens of thousands of dollars in bills. … Continue reading
Based on the number of comments from my last post on immunizations, this is a topic in which many people are interested. I had no intention of arguing for or against immunizations, though not surprisingly some of the comments did take up that issue. My goal was to bring attention to what I think is … Continue reading
Anyone involved in the healthcare of children knows there is a growing number of parents who are selectively immunizing or not immunizing their children at all. The medical establishment is becoming quite alarmed about this trend and becoming rather unpleasant towards parents who are questioning the benefits of immunizations. It has become an increasingly frequent … Continue reading
A patient recently asked about the crocheted stirrup covers we use in our office. I told her the story behind the original ones, which she enjoyed, so I thought I would share the story here. About fifteen years ago, Geraldine came to me as a new patient. She was 78 years old and was having … Continue reading
This past summer I had two very bright and eager student rotate through my office. One was a health administration student in the School of Business at Winthrop University. The other was a 3rd year medical student, who obtained an MBA prior to entering medical school. I asked both of these students the question: Why … Continue reading
What is a doctor? Sounds like a silly question. It is the person one goes to see when you are sick or want help to stay healthy. The reality is what occurs when one sees that doctor is dependent on what that doctor thinks it means to be a doctor. Here is what I think. … Continue reading
I had a lot of positive feedback from my last post on “my birth plan.” A few months ago I had a delivery that really made an impression on me and I wrote it down, so that I could remember the details. It illustrates the style, I wish was more prevalent in obstetrics today. This … Continue reading
I have been delivering babies now for 25 years. Birth plans have been around for that whole time, but they are certainly presented by couples to their doctors more frequently today than they used to be. The increase in birth plan development is a consequence of couples trying to influence what happens in a hospital … Continue reading
Approximately three years ago I was trying to figure out what this new word I was hearing meant. That new word was “blog.” Who would have thought that now I would be attempting to produce one of my own. I recently found out that the word “blog” is actually an abbreviation for “Web Log.” A … Continue reading