Recent Posts
The Canary’s Song
I think I’m probably not much different than most citizens of our town. I pay attention to what goes on politically in an election season, kind-of. I do vote. Generally I vote on what I may have read in the newspaper or heard from friends, or vote based on limited ...
And Now for Someting Completely Different
I've neglected my own blog in part because I've recently started a new Blog... the Historic Camden Blog. I'm Chairman of the Historic Camden Foundation. Camden is South Carolina's oldest inland town that was founded in 1730, and incorporated in 1732. Historic Camden is the regional advocate for early Camden, ...
“It’s a Great Day in South Carolina” — New S.C. Laughing Stock Fodder
While this is not particularly as healthcare focused as most of my blog postings, it’s just too inviting to pass up commenting on muddleheaded governmental mandates. And, I have, in my own inimical way, linked it to healthcare eventually. At a time where most citizens are thoroughly disgusted with government, our ...
Teacher Crisis Parallells Physician Crisis
I read with interest a msnbc article about the “classroom crisis,” citing many teachers have little or no experience. The roots of the problem, according to the article, stemmed from retirement of Baby Boomer teachers, added demands of regulatory burdens, and “an economy that has encouraged pursuit of better-paying opportunities ...
More for Less…. Don’t Hold Your Breath, Medicare. (Then again, DO hold your breath!)
Yesterday, MedPAC, (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission), those folks physicians have been working with for YEARS to eliminate the SGR, (Sustainable Growth Rate), formula that is marched out every year to threaten physicians with a pay cut for Medicare Reimbursement. And, every year, (every year until now, it seems), the pay ...
Putting up with Termites and Fire may be Preferable to “Protection”
As the Chairman of the Historic Camden Foundation my board and I are charged with maintaining our wooden building collection, some more than 200 years old. I recently heard of a product that had previously been promoted to protect wooden buildings from fire and insect damage. Fortunately, we did not ...
What are we to think if they can’t make iced tea inside the beltway?
Last week I was transiting through Washington’s Reagan Airport and got an iced tea. Well, I ordered an “iced tea.” What I received, simply, wasn’t. I’m not going to get in to the southern/northern “sweet tea”/ “un-sweet tea” discussion. I’ve learned long ago, that once you are out of the South, ...
Earthquakes Are Not “Weather”
Why does weather news cover earthquake stories? Earthquakes aren’t “weather.” Earthquakes are natural disasters. Like hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires, mudslides, and volcanos. Somehow weather news feels these events are its domain. Floods and mudslides? Well, if they were caused by RAIN, (which is “weather”), I can understand on the basis of ...
Ignore Expiration Dates
Camden lost a lifelong resident last week - a surrogate mother to my wife, a surrogate grandmother, (TeeTah), to my children, and a friend to me who enriched my life in many ways. But not so much in culinary arts. Theresa would occasionally call Jane to come over to her house ...
The Potential Leukemia Cure that Almost Wasn’t
Research published last week demonstrated University of Pennsylvania, (proud to say, my med school alma mater), researchers may have discovered the magic bullet to treat Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, (CLL). The findings are certainly based on very small numbers, (only 3 patients), but the results, (two “cures” and one drastic improvement), but ...