Hurley's Gold

Coronavirus Epidemic, Part 2

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  • TX OMFS

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    Direct pay and concierge models wit up front pricing have been around for quite a few years now, but I’m pretty certain there’s not a single primary hospital using that model.

    I have several friends in the helicopter EMS business. You think hospitals are systemically broken when it comes to charges, the HEMS segment specifically and the entire aeromedical Evac industry in general is even worse. You don’t even get to choose whether or not that’s how you’re going to be transported and the billing isn’t generally covered under any health insurance unlike ground EMS trips.

    Yep. Outlying small town ERs use helicopters for really stupid stuff. The outlying docs order the helicopter due to liabilty fear.

    Concierge & direct pay are two different business models. Concierge is for wealthy folks and for people who like the image it conveys or feeling it gives them. Direct pay is not about image so much as a simple way of doing business. I am not aware of a difference in service other than maybe housecalls with Concierge. Some DPC do housecalls too.
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    TX OMFS

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    Whenever someone here in the big town has a major problem they get airlifted to San Antonio. Heart problems, major surgeries etc. Hence the wife and I got helicopter insurance, which is what the FIL had when he had his stroke and they airlifted him. Saved them about $30k..
    Dies it insure all helicopter companies or only one? If it's only one you could have a problem if that company's not flying that day. I have no problem w/ the insurance but make sure you know the details. They can be kinda scammy.
     

    TX OMFS

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    With an industry that kills over 250,000 people a year due to medical mistakes, it sometimes doesn't inspire confidence or trust in going to a doctor, or hospital when you're hurt or sick.
    That statistic is not true.

    Like most statistics, it's used to feed emotions.

    People question everything about COVID statistics then buy right into random medical mistake numbers from various sources. Don't cite the CDC or a news article unless you're willing to embrace their COVID data as well.

    We know it's hard to quantify COVID deaths & those statistics are not exactly reliable, yet it's easy to determine that a very sick person died only because of a medical mistake?

    We know COVID tests aren't 100% reliable but every reported "mistake" is really a mistake? C'mon.

    And don't give me examples of mistakes you know of. That's no more meaningful in policy making than if Gov Abbot told us stories of COVID deaths then concluded we needed to lock down for a year. One off examples aren't relevant in policy discussions. They're used to feed emotions.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    Dies it insure all helicopter companies or only one? If it's only one you could have a problem if that company's not flying that day. I have no problem w/ the insurance but make sure you know the details. They can be kinda scammy.

    I believe it’s actually a service contract, kind of like CCW insurance.

    There’s subscription/membership plans available for. LifeFlight and Air Methods and their ‘network’ providers. There’s also travel medevac plans sold, too but those are mostly focused at international repatriation.

    My HEMS contacts say the key is finding out which of the two major networks is in your area and go with them. They don’t usually compete in the same market. In our Trauma Service Area, I believe it’s Methodist and Airlife as the two major providers of HEMS. Airlife is Air Methods and Methodist is LifeFligth.

    Both plans are secondary to any primary coverage you may have.
     

    TX OMFS

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    I've read reports of cases where helicopters from competing companies showed up to the same trauma. That info is kind of anecdotal but just something to be aware of. Hopefully if you have the contract & aren't responsive someone will advocate for you & make sure you get the right bird.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    Now back to your regular scheduled programming, I’m hopeful all the major pro and college sports sit out the season.

    Not that I don’t enjoy some UT and A&M football, but it should serve as a reminder that in the end, these things are just games.
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    oldag

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    I've read reports of cases where helicopters from competing companies showed up to the same trauma. That info is kind of anecdotal but just something to be aware of. Hopefully if you have the contract & aren't responsive someone will advocate for you & make sure you get the right bird.
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    toddnjoyce

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    I've read reports of cases where helicopters from competing companies showed up to the same trauma. That info is kind of anecdotal but just something to be aware of. Hopefully if you have the contract & aren't responsive someone will advocate for you & make sure you get the right bird.

    I think that’s a rare occurrence, but it’s entirely dependent on who’s able to advocate for you. First responders have no clue what your coverage is unless you’ve got it tattooed on your forehead.
     

    Fishkiller

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    Dies it insure all helicopter companies or only one? If it's only one you could have a problem if that company's not flying that day. I have no problem w/ the insurance but make sure you know the details. They can be kinda scammy.
    The wife found it. According to contract they cover all forms of medical transport, fixed wing, helecipotor, ground. They are however a secondary coverage and pick up what the primary do not cover. Hope I never use them.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    The wife found it. According to contract they cover all forms of medical transport, fixed wing, helecipotor, ground. They are however a secondary coverage and pick up what the primary do not cover. Hope I never use them.

    I’d be interested in who the provider is. PM is fine.
     

    SQLGeek

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    Now back to your regular scheduled programming, I’m hopeful all the major pro and college sports sit out the season.

    Alright, I'm gonna poke at you a bit. I've gotten the impression from your posts that the Covid is a big nothingburger. So I'm a little surprised to read this from you. Have I misinterpreted what you've been saying?

    As an aside, I'm not going to lie. I think sports have become too powerful, especially collegiate football. I'm having a hard time ginning up much sympathy for these institutions that rely so much on the money and prestige that collegiate sports has brought them.
     

    sidebite252

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    In regard to sports I don’t think we will see college football this year and I have my doubts on all stick & ball sports. Baseball has a chance but it’s gonna be difficult with the others.

    NFL has published some of its “Covid” rules. I believe they said no jersey swaps between rival players after the game and no socializing between opposing players after the game??? Let that soak in.........

    We gonna beat, bang, spit, sweat, $ bleed on each other for 4 quarters but we can swap jerseys or visit after the game. I don’t see this happening.
     

    SQLGeek

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    I know Texas is pushing like crazy for high school football this year. Some of the proposals I've been seeing and hearing about for just the referees are absolutely insane. Even if football occurs this season, I don't see myself being a part of it.
     

    Hoji

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    In regard to sports I don’t think we will see college football this year and I have my doubts on all stick & ball sports. Baseball has a chance but it’s gonna be difficult with the others.

    NFL has published some of its “Covid” rules. I believe they said no jersey swaps between rival players after the game and no socializing between opposing players after the game??? Let that soak in.........

    We gonna beat, bang, spit, sweat, $ bleed on each other for 4 quarters but we can swap jerseys or visit after the game. I don’t see this happening.
    Pants on head retarded
     

    toddnjoyce

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    Alright, I'm gonna poke at you a bit. I've gotten the impression from your posts that the Covid is a big nothingburger. So I'm a little surprised to read this from you. Have I misinterpreted what you've been saying?

    As an aside, I'm not going to lie. I think sports have become too powerful, especially collegiate football. I'm having a hard time ginning up much sympathy for these institutions that rely so much on the money and prestige that collegiate sports has brought them.

    I believe sports and athletes have too much influence. If places want to curtail their money-making operations because of what they believe, we’ll, let them eat their cake.

    As you noted, sports and endorsement income impacts payroll and other expenses, as well as subsidizing others (at the college level), maybe that reduced income will reduce the influence athletes have.

    That also can impact viewership, which means media companies take a hit on revenue sharing and ad money. Q3 advertising dollars are already shrinking, so that is icing on the cake for me.

    Sports are a game, nothing else. Meanwhile, United Air Lines is forecasting a 36K employee lay-off in Q3. AA and Delta haven’t released numbers yet, but it isn’t looking pretty for them either. Those 36K represent 7x the number of pro athletes who mostly contribute nothing to American productivity.

    Why this is also important is that airlines are what have made continental travel accessible. Those kind of cuts along with increased expenses mean that it’s quite likely a return to regulation-era ticket prices and service is a reality.

    Families spread across the nation aren’t going to be flying anywhere for a long while, and if it gets expensive enough, they just won’t fly. That hurts in a lot of ways.
     

    etmo

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    I know Texas is pushing like crazy for high school football this year. Some of the proposals I've been seeing and hearing about for just the referees are absolutely insane. Even if football occurs this season, I don't see myself being a part of it.

    For the kids, it's probably a good thing. Kids get covid and bounce back. That increases herd immunity, and decreases the pathways for covid to reach the vulnerable (assuming we are properly isolating the vulnerable).
    But no crowds of fans, no old coaches, no old refs, doctors, etc, etc, means not really football as Texas understands it. Kids can play pickup ball without any adult intervention, and that's not what high school football has become in Texas.

    Sports are a game, nothing else.

    True, but also not telling the whole picture. We know that wars were postponed simply because of the Olympic Games. Sports enable us to cross barriers that society at large is not ready to cross (think Jackie Robinson in baseball, and of course the Olympic and indeed any international competition).

    And in times like this, entertainment is very important. People are stressed, and entertainment provides a much needed chance to relax for a bit. Not siding with corporate bullcrap like Colin Kapernick and that side of pro sports -- and I saw a lovely article where some entitled, spoiled NBA thug was whining that the quality of the accommodations for the NBA players was beneath him -- pro sports is, imo, hypocrisy. You can't run your small business but these millionaires can swap sweat and breathe on each other for hours? Is anyone stupid enough to believe that these spoiled rich punks are going to respect total quarantine? You can bet the whores and drugs will be shuttled into these players by the truckload, and they'll be getting into league-funded, blacked out limos in underground parking lots so that the MSM can't see them coming and going to strip clubs and parties because that would damage the image.

    So I'm GTG for actual sports, but down on professional hypocrite sports.
     

    TheDan

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    People question everything about COVID statistics then buy right into random medical mistake numbers from various sources. Don't cite the CDC or a news article unless you're willing to embrace their COVID data as well.
    Of course all those numbers should be looked at dubiously, but it's fun to point out the number of covid19 deaths roughly tracks that of medical malpractice. :laughing:
     

    dsgrey

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    That also can impact viewership, which means media companies take a hit on revenue sharing and ad money. Q3 advertising dollars are already shrinking, so that is icing on the cake for me.

    My daughter works for a decent sized ad company - print, TV, radio, etc. They've already taken a big hit and expect more. Clients are cutting back expenses so the ad company has already performed it's first round of layoffs and salary deductions.
     
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