Hospital numbers (07/05/04 archive)

Hospital numbers

Date: 7/5/04 at 4:16PM

Hospital	Mitral Valve Repairs, 2002-2003, Age=45-84 yrs.
Florida Hospital (Orlando)	147
Mt. Sinai (Miami)	42
JFK Medical Center	≤57
Palm Beach Gardens Med. Ctr.	≤20
Lawnwood Regional Med. Ctr.	≤10

Hospital	Average length of stay (days) for Mitral Valve Repair, 2002-2003, by age group
Florida Hospital (Orlando)	10	12	12	14
Mt. Sinai (Miami)	13	8	13	14
JFK Medical Center	25	12	18	21
Palm Beach Gardens Med. Ctr.	5	19	16	10
Lawnwood Regional Med. Ctr.		10	15

I don’t know why it keeps adding all the white space…
but I think I’ll stop doing tables.

It’s pretty obvious where most of the mitral valve repairs are being done. But it’s also interesting to see the difference in hospital stays. Low numbers of MV repairs, with a few of them having long hospital stays, can really mess up their totals!

The numbers were taken from Florida Health Stats

Surgery date (07/16/04 archive)

Surgery date

Date: 7/16/04 at 7:35PM

Surgery is set for August 5. I’ll go to Orlando the day before and have the pre-op tests done, then go in to the hospital very early the next morning.

See the links on the left for the hospital web site and location (in the Links box).

Now, to satisfy my morbid need for yet more information, I guess I’ll go look up what happens before and after surgery…

First answer (08/11/04 archive)

First answer

Date: 8/11/04 at 8:41PM

I heard through one of the doctors that Cigna has denied the appeal. So I called, and the nurse handling it recommended I take it to the second level appeal and send all the documentation I can get, including all the doctor’s records, to expedite the process. I spent part of the afternoon getting records from the various doctors I’ve seen.

Out of curiousity, I looked up the average cost of this procedure in Orlando and locally, using the Florida Health Stats database. The cost is about $70,000 more here than in Orlando for Cigna. Go figure.

But they seem to be convinced there is someone locally with enough experience to do this, so I will try again tomorrow, narrowing my search to doctors affiliated with hospitals which do the highest number of this procedure.

I sure wish Cigna would offer some help, but so far no one there seems to have much information about the doctors in their “network” (at least that’s what they have said so far).

Pre-ops (08/25/04 archive)

Pre-ops

Date: 8/25/04 at 12:34PM

I got my pre-op tests done on Monday, which included things like blood work, chest x-ray, and a physical. They all indicate I am in great health, except for one critical detail, of course.

I get to take it all down to the anesthesiologist on Friday when I pre-register at the hospital.

Finally ready (08/28/04 archive)

 

Finally ready

Date: 8/28/04 at 9:46PM

I spent most of the day Friday in Hollywood being poked, jabbed, stuck, probed and interrogated, otherwise known as going through pre-registration. But they finally got all the information they need.

Well, almost.

They still want a pregnancy test Tuesday morning when I go in for surgery. That, more than anything else, just boggles my mind. But they want to be thorough.

Cigna provided humor for the week: when contacted for authorization for the surgery, they said I can’t do that while I’m on their “guesting” plan in Tennessee.

Oh, What a beautiful Morning (09/01/04 archive)

 

Oh, What a beautiful Morning

Date: 9/1/04 at 10:59AM

Sept. 1, 2004
Hollywood, FL
On post operation day 1 Carol has had the endotrachial tube removed, has sat in a chair for about 4 hours, recognized from the chest X-ray on the view box in her room that she did not have a valve replacement but a valve repair, has had breakfast, is talking with a sore throat, and seems to be returning to usual self. At the moment she is being moved out of the ICU to a regular room and has had the chest drainage tube removed.
Her sister, Marilyn Bean Oscar, is with her most of the time and reports a very good attitude, interest in her boys at home and fully aware of all around her. She does have some post op pain which is being medicated, and is dizzy-an expected symptom with this type of surgery.
The schedule indicates she will be walking today.
My what a beautiful morning.
Bill Bean