Tuesday, March 9, 2010

More Hospital, Canada and US, Medical ID Fraud.

Boy are we fed up with sitting around in hospitals although I must say yesterday was comparatively brief. This time Matt was sent to Emergency by the neurologist who first put him on Warfarin and we were only there about 3 hours. The end result, stop the pills, have an ultra sound and see the urologist. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed this will get things sorted. The nurse in triage were trying to tell us where everything was and we assured her we knew - we'd been there before *g*. Later we were chatting to a nice couple who were there with their 3 1/2 yr old daughter who had been upchucking since Saturday night and hadn't eaten anything either, poor little soul. Eventually she went to sleep which was probably the best thing that could happen to her. We had a very enjoyable chat with them and I am sorry we didn't exchange names.
We actually bowled in the afternoon, Matt did very well, I was too worried and uptight so made a right hash of the whole business - at least that's my excuse. I learned I have another tournament to go to in May - it's in Oshawa which is around an hour's drive from here, depending how you go. This time no-one is offering to pay a hotel so I guess drive it, we will. We have never been to Oshawa so that will be a new one for us. I started thinking, oddly enough, about hospitals and medical services in Canada. I grouse about the amount of time we spend in hospitals waiting to be seen, but at least we don't have to pay a penny for any of it, unlike our neighbours to the south. A lot of the waiting is due to an insufficiency of doctors and beds because the government has cut back a great deal on medical allotments. Today they had a segment on Good Morning America about medical identity theft. People are receiving bills from hospitals for operations they have never had. One woman was charged for delivery of a baby, her youngest is 2 yrs old, and the hospital wouldn't believe her that she had not had this baby even going so far as interrogating her children. Another man proved he had no scars from a $40,000 operation but they were still trying to collect the money from him. This is happening more and more because of the economic situation in the States. At least that is one crime we, in Canada, wont experience because everything is paid for anyway.
Isn't it amazing how things happen, I now find there is an article on Sarah Palin's family having used Canadian medical services, which she demonizes, in the 60's - mind you she can't have been very old - she was born in 1964. But she says she remembers her family used to hustle over the border from Alaska in order to receive treatment in Canada. This has lots of people upset. Of course, the Canadians were recently upset by a Newfoundland premier who hustled over the border (well he actually went to Florida) to have an operation. I don't know whether for the quality of treatment or the speed. Must have cost him a small fortune, every time we poked our nose inside a hospital in NC it cost us $2,000. There is a lot of hoo ha in the States about medical billing too, it is not always accurate. In my own experience I saw the bills of a friend who's husband had died in hospital and they were still charging for things the day after he had died. Another friend was billed for things after she had left the hospital. It is recommended that you check your hospital bills very carefully.
I just came across this classic chicken recipe which has been "slimmed down" somewhat. I have never made Chicken Divan, I intend to try this recipe very soon.
Chicken Divan Source: © EatingWell Magazine 6 servings
Once the signature dish of a New York restaurant, the Divan Parisienne, Chicken Divan became a party favorite. Here, its richer elements are streamlined, without sacrificing taste. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups diced leek, white and light green parts only (about 1 large) 1/2 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 cup 1% milk 2 tablespoons dry sherry (see Ingredient note) 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, or 1 pound broccoli crowns, chopped 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Tip: To clean leeks: Trim roots and ragged tops. Slice leeks and place in plenty of water, then drain. Repeat a few times. The slices do not absorb water or lose flavor. The "cooking sherry" sold in many supermarkets can be surprisingly high in sodium. We prefer dry sherry, sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store. DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in a medium skillet or saucepan and add lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and slice into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek and salt and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour; stir to coat. Add broth, milk, sherry, thyme and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add broccoli; return to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in 1 /2 cup Parmesan, mayonnaise and mustard. Spread half the broccoli mixture in the prepared baking dish. Top with the chicken, then the remaining broccoli mixture. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1 /2 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Have a great day

2 comments:

  1. Why would it be called 'divan'? Sounds nice. I do eat chicken, duck and rabbit occassionally.

    Hope Matt's tests will give you and him peace of mind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Because it was in the name of the restaurant. The Divan Parisienne.

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete