Your Medical Records Belong To You

I've been engaging a lot recently with the notion of an electronic health record. For those of you who don't know, this is usually an online version of collated data to do with your health. Simply - your pathology, your doc notes, all the hospital visits, illnesses and drug usage are kept in one secure place. You can access it and most of the time, so can a healthcare provider.

For those of you that are not in tune with the medical world - this is something you have to know about as it is the backbone of the Obama administration. By having an electronic health record, there is a saving on administration as well as all the good things a centralised database brings. eg. Less duplication of tests and better management of healthcare.

Discovery Health in South Africa is launching one next year. It'll be interesting to see how the "population" engages with it.

This blog is very interesting in that it clearly outlines the fact that your medical records belong to YOU. Many people are under the misconception that your doctor owns your medical records - and that the only way to access them is via that doctor. This is not true. Your health. Your body. Your money spent to purchase medication/tests etc.

It belongs to you.

Medical... Aids...

Unfortunate wording of an ad that appeared on All Scrubbed Up. No real alternate option though if you think about it... Medical SCHEME doesn't sound too great. Neither does Aids.


Shouldn't really be making jokes about this, should I?

WTF Medical Aid Funding Requests #3

What is a reasonable request from your medical funder? This All Scrubbed Up series looks at funding requests - from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Just remember. A medical aid funder is allocating money to all their members for REAL medical reasons.

Part 3. Your other lips.

Like most medical aids, we don't cover cosmetic surgery. But believe it or not - we always give people the benefit of the doubt. So when a request comes in for something that is seen as plastic surgery, we always ask the member for a doctor's motivation as to why this procedure is NOT cosmetic, thus repairing a functional impairment.

Labial Reductions.

(That means reducing your "other" lips in size - to look good when the lights on. You know.)

Sometimes there are "functional" reasons for this procedure to take place. For instance, the labia are so large, the person can't straddle a horse. I'm not joking.

The best application we received recently was for a member who's motivation for reduction was: she sprayed in every direction when she peed.

Girl's sit on toilets (I think?). HOW is that a problem? I am a Doctor. A Girl Doctor. I'm sorry - I would not want my pink bits operated on to that extent. We all know that mole removal scars hurt for weeks (and everytime in gets cold!). Can. You. Imagine.

WTF Medical Aid Funding Requests #2

What is a reasonable request from your medical funder? This All Scrubbed Up series looks at funding requests - from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Just remember. A medical aid funder is allocating money to all their members for REAL medical reasons.

Part 2. No time to eat.

Middle Aged Male has a feeding tube because of oesophageal cancer (a feeding tube is a tube straight into your stomache, allowing food to be syringed in).

Request is for a feeding pump. One that provides feeds at a continuous rate throughout the day. Reason for needing a pump? Male travels from Pretoria to Johannesburg every day. Spends approximately 4 hours per day in the car. Doesn't have the time to feed himself.

Join the club mate.

WTF Medical Aid Funding Requests #1

What is a reasonable request from your medical funder? This All Scrubbed Up series looks at funding requests - from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Just remember. A medical aid funder is allocating money to all their members for REAL medical reasons.

Part 1. Eye are not wearing glasses.

Middle age male requests payment in full for laser optic surgery. Male has optical limit, as with most benefits. Reason for requesting full payment: He currently feels that he cannot do occasional activities of daily living, like volleyball and playing with his kids while wearing glasses. In a motivation, the middle aged male said: "They might come off or get broken!".

Further information was volunteered. "I can't wear contact lenses, because I couldn't imagine sticking something in my eye."

Discovery investigates (refutes?) Schabir Shaik’s 76 day medical aid claim!

Recently spotted on iAfrica.com.

Medical scheme, Discovery Health, is investigating claims made by fraud convict Schabir Shaik for his 76-day stay at a Durban hospital, the Sunday Times reported.

Yeah. Isn’t it great when your medical aid is working for you. Making sure dodgy claims get thoroughly investigated before implementing a rate hike to cover its losses.

Shaik, a dependent on his wife Zuleika's Discovery medical scheme, was admitted to a private hospital, St Augustine's, where the cost of his bed alone totals more than R150 000.

His admission into hospital, 16 days after his prison term commenced, sparked an outcry from medical experts and the public.

No shit, Sherlock! R150k just on a bed is a cause for concern! So is the very fortunate timing of our beloved fraudster taking ill.

I wonder what’s wrong with the poor man? Nothing a quick stint at Bara won’t fix?