JUST POTPOURRI

Today I intend to take another break from "Health Care" as a subject, although I have a few brief remarks about recent experiences and also Iran's election and other world affairs.

Before any comments I am reprinting a comment from J.Clore to my Sunday's post, "Reflections".
I apologized after 48 hours because I did not realize my mistake until a friend pointed it out. I mistakenly addressed my letter to you instead of Rabbi Rosenberg. I did not mean to address you at all. None of my comments were actually directed at you. I apologized to you today on the Courier News website, and I apologize to you again now. Joseph A. Clore June 22, 2009 2:50 PM

Mr.Clore also added a comment to his on line edition of the letter in which he referred to my name as being a typo.

Although I had thought that references to my agenda in the letter had no relativity to Rabbi Rosenberg's letter, rather than asking JG for the name of one of his lawyers I am accepting Mr. Clore's apology with reservations. Except for the fact that his letter is on the Internet I consider the matter to be balderdash*.

Similarly, The Iranian leadership has acknowledged some slight non significant irregularities in the voting. It seems that in some 50 or 71 (it is irrelevant) towns there were more votes casted than registered voters. Shades of the Hague years in Jersey City.

More seriously is North Korea's boasting of its new nuclear capabilities and threatening us and the world. Perhaps the Chinese and Russians should have asked Israel to neutralize that nation before it became a threat on their borders.

A more pleasant subject was my brief "Shuffle off to Buffalo" recent weekend. 50 years ago on a family vacation with all three daughters, my son was too young, we stopped at Niagara Falls before visiting Montreal and Quebec City. This time I had a brief trip on "The Maid of the Mists" which was as much fun as two generations ago. I have some pictures of both visits although 1959 was from the Canadian side. In those days the border was non existent.

The first quartet were taken in 1959; the quintet is this years, some from the Observation Platform others from the "Maid".


The "Spanish Cable Car" over the whirlpool. I am told it is still there!



And 50years later:




The biggest change was how commercial the area has become. The other notable fact was the great ethnic diversity among the visitors especially with the large numbers of family's of Indian ancestry. How many of us who are second or more generation Americans have taken advantage of our heritage?

To end this extra long blog; Today two new facts about today's practice of medicine hit me. I went to my doctor and although I had been to that office over 20 years the receptionist ask for some identification such as a drivers license to copy for their files. It seems that the Federal Government is requiring that to be on file for Medicare claims since providers, I mean physicians, bill Medicare therefore they are "creditors".

If that was not enough, although I have maintained my practice and Federal and State drug licenses so that I can write my prescriptions without bothering my doctor's offices for renewals , the pharmacist asked for my NPI (National Provider Index) number which I never had obtained since I CAN NOT legally treat patients. The process of getting one took about 10 minutes but as of the past year must be on prescription blanks.

Factor both in and understand why your doctor is no longer the friendly family friend.

*"Balderdash" is spelt with a "c".