Today I went to an auction. A real life, edge of your seat, money flying everywhere auction. "We got 2 going 3, 3 bid 4, 4 whose got 5." Next thing I knew I was the owner of a 3000 dollar table. We had to redo that round.
The Great American Company, an appropriately beautiful name, is in charge of many such auctions. They take all your materials and sell these goods (I assume at no cost to you). Then they charge a ten percent premium on the amount you pay. Kind of like the house in blackjack except more.
Hospitals are not just a health source they are a life source. The auction was selling all items from St. Vincent's Hospital. They had the usual tables and instruments but also a pizza oven, a fridge, a gym, and a Honda passport with 143,000 miles. I could have started a town today. Instead, I sat for a long time and watched characters do their thing. The greasy men with the glitzy watches, the brothers with the huge beards, the Russian lady buying the metaphorical house. What a world. I guess we need to remember about these things, maybe one day we will all be back.
In other news, and there is so much news, Medicare reimbursement will soon be based on a departmental division in medical treatment. Meaning, the reimbursement rates will not increase or decrease in unison for all doctors, but will be based on the type of medicine you are practicing. Proportionally, internist pay can now show a slower growth then surgeons. By the way, what is Medicare prescription plan part D?
Warfarin, a popular blood thinner used during transplant surgery, has been shown
to have a greater affect in patients with two specific genetic variations. The genetic test controversial because the medical field does not yet understand the exact change in dosage that should accompany such genetic variability. In addition, Warfarin is often needed on a moments notice, and science has not yet developed a fast enough testing method.Bisphenol A, a compound found in many plastics including most baby bottles, has been shown to be safe and
unsafe by two different agencies. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) showed that Bisphenol A is dangerous in low dosage to rodents and potentially humans. The Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) didn't. Different strokes for different folks. Long story, but I think NIEHS might be right. Check out www.cen-online.org for more info. But wait you need a password. Still a good site.By the way, sunscreen will soon have star ratings YAY! 1 star = little UVA protection, and 4 stars will mean great UVA protection. I guess 15 or 45 does not mean as much as we thought.
A joke at every end:
In progress
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