Don't See Your Doctor Right Before Graduation - A Lesson in Health Insurance

This post is for those students that are going to be graduating and loosing their health insurance. Right before I graduated, I went to my physician to get a physical to make sure that everything was OK. At the time, this made sense and so I got my physical only to find out that there was something wrong and required specialized treatment. But once I graduated and started looking for alternative health coverage I realized that I made a mistake. Insurance companies have this thing called pre-condition, which is their way of saying that they won't cover any ailments you had on the previous insurance plan. So when my physician diagnosed me, I had fallen into this pre-condition trap. If I were to get an insurance plan with a pre-condition clause, I would not be covered for treatment related to that condition.

Now there are some nuances. Pre-condition is usually present in "cheap" insurance. I say this because even the cheapest, descent insurance is $300.00+/month. Good health plans, usually offered through employers, don't have pre-condition stuff. But the health plan advertisements you might get from your school or mail, are usually crap.

The lesson:
1. Don't go to your doctor right before you graduate, wait till you get health coverage through med school or job following graduation.

2. Get COBRA coverage. Its usually offered through your parents' plan an will give you the coverage you previously had under their plan but with a monthly premium ($300.00-$400.00/month).

3. DO NOT be without health insurance. Get a basic plan which you can afford. The worst thing is to be without nothing b/c a couple nights at the hospital can cost you the equivalent of a down payment for a house. The $200.00-$300.00/month will save you thousands in case something happens (and since you are young and very active it probably will)

My Interview Impressions & Experiences

I have now completed eight (8) interviews and would like to share my impressions on this process. Interviewing was at times a lot of fun and other times a big drag. The most positive experience was traveling; I got to travel to some pretty cool places such as NYC and the beaches of Florida. There were times when I was running out of money and did a red-eye interview and another time I stayed with my friends and had a great night. This brings me to a good point - if possible stay with a friend or another med student. You will learn way more about the location as well as have a less stressful stay.

There was a number of schools that impressed me due to their program and facilities. For example, Mount Sinai had the best view of any school, the Central Park. Their anatomy lab faces the Central Park and is an impressive site. The location is nice too, and the living cost is reasonable ($800.00) for a shared apartment, which is great for NYC. Ohio State impressed me with their Asian and Hispanic student run clinics. These clinics are ran by students and a lot of skills can be learned early on. LECOM Bradenton was a lot of fun because the day before I was on the beach, which is only 30 minutes away from the school. The school is on a nature preserve and has an alligator swimming in a pond that is next to the school. Their program is PBL only, and students love it; I sat in for a 2 hour session and was amazed at how the students are able to use what they learned to figure out cases.

Advice:

1. Go to every interview!
Even if you have an acceptance somewhere don't become complacent. Give yourself as many options as possible; you spent all that time studying and applying, interviewing is the fun part. Personally, there were schools that I thought I would not like at all, but was very impressed when I was actually there.
2. If you can avoid hotel stay, do so.
It is sometimes tough, but I did one red-eye and it worked out well for me.
3. Carry-on luggage only (or at least put your suit in there).
I was at Philly and was waiting for my luggage for an hour, only to find out that I was at the wrong luggage place. Thankfully I got my luggage, but I was getting ready to attend the two interviews in jeans and a smelly t-shirt.
4. The two interview questions I encountered most:
a. Why do you want to go to this school?
b. What are your three (3) strengths and three (3) weaknesses?
5. How you feel about the interview does not necessarily predict the outcome.
At the beginning I naturally felt that a positive interview would somehow result in an admission letter. But this is not the case; I was at an interview that I thought went terrible and yet I got what I wanted.

At this point I am still unsure as to where I will go next year, but I will keep you posted.

Sources:
Central Park Image: www.edsphotoblog.com
Beach Image: http://www.siestakeyassociation.com/Images/siestakeybeach.jpg

Magnetic Catheterization...it's cool and a whole lot of money

Every once in a while I run into new technology that appears to be years ahead of its time. The latest piece is a magnetic catheterization system developed by Stereotaxis. The concept is to make catheterization hands free, by replacing a person's hand with a magnetic field. Two large permanent magnets guide a probe through the vessels while the physician operates the device remotely by using a joystick and viewing 3D data on the screen. It looks quite cool, and costs a lot of money; hopefully the benefits of this device will make it a good investment.



image source: www.stereotaxis.com

Fruits Of An Engineering + MD Degree

Being a pre-med engineer can be confusing as most students do not know how they can use their degree in the medical career. It seems that almost all of the focus is given to promoting science majors as future doctors, while engineering schools have little information for its students with a medical interest. Sure, there is bioengineering, but degrees such as mechanical and electrical engineering also give skills that may be suited equaly if not better for future doctors, yet they are underrepresented.

The reality is that a great deal of technological progress is undergoing in the medical industry, and doctors with engineering backgrounds are needed more than ever to help bring technology to market. A great example of this is Dr. Anthony DiGioia who earned a bachelors in civil and masters in civil/biomedical engineering and continued on to Harvard Medical School. Doctor DiGioia used his engineering background and university contacts to link robotics and surgery by forming the Institute for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery. The work of this institute facilitates development of new surgical robotic technology. Some of the projects included the HipNav & KneeNav systems that allow for better positioning during hip/knee replacement procedures.

In technology development, the idea is everything. It is always possible to find bright minds to put things together, but it takes much more to develop the right idea. I believe that a combination of an engineering background along with a medical degree is exactly what is needed to push current medical technology in the right direction. Dr. DiGioia did it, and hopefully engineering schools will start educating their students about this new phase in technological advancement.

source: The Future of Surgery, Christopher Davis, Pittsburgh Business Times, Feb 8, 2002

Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty (UKA)

As part of my recent work experience I had a chance to learn about a unique knee arthroplasty procedure. The word unicondylar, means that only a single condyle gets replaced. The procedure is applicable to conditions where only part of the knee surface is damaged. Whereas total knee replacement would remove both healthy and damaged bone, altering normal kinematics of the joint, UKA will preserve some of the kinematics by keeping the healthy part.

Although the procedure is not new and has been around for thirty years, it is gaining more attention because it can be performed in a minimally invasive fashion. Minimally invasive procedure allows for smaller incision site, decreased recovery period, and reduced morbidity.
image source: www.emedicine.com

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Parrots Help Vets

I have been following the Journal of Military Medicine and almost every issue touches on the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS). The current war in Iraq has resulted in large numbers of soldiers with this problem, and has increased interest of the medical professionals. Today on the radio I heard of a parrot sanctuary that is used as a treatment center for vets. The place is called Serenity Park, and it houses abused parrots. The veterans take care of the facility and interact with the parrots. This interesting approach seems to have positive results.
image source: www.hedweb.com/animimag/parrot-hotlinks.htm

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The Forgotten History of Ambulance Service

In America, the ambulance service is something that impresses me almost daily. Having lived in Russia, I can attest that we have something that is truly great and dependable. Not only will the ambulance arrive quickly, there will also be equipment to sustain the patient till the hospital. During the Black History month, our university published an article about the Freedom House Ambulance Service, the first EMS service in the nation. Formed in 1967 by Peter Safar, its goal was to provide advanced care to people on the way to the hospital. The employees were African Americans from the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and together with the medical team at Presbyterian Hospital they developed nation's first EMS service that is common place today.
image source: www.freedomhousedoc.com

Further Reading