Comcast - Big Company, Stupid Rules

I live in an area that is considered “rural”.  It isn’t by comparison to lots of areas, but large corporations use that term for service designations.  That way they can deny certain types of service.  Over many years, I have gotten somewhat used to it.  One disadvantage is that there is no way to threaten to leave a certain provider, because there is no other business that does the same thing in the area. 

Case in point:  We only have one cable provider.  Because I have been dealing with the same issue for the last two years without resolution, I will even use their name.  COMCAST has decided that they can only send my electronic bills to a comcast.net address.  I have been using one of those free provider addresses since before my children were born.  They are now getting ready to graduate from high school.  Comcast used to send the bills to that address.  Then I made the mistake of moving my office.  Don’t ever do that.

Now they send the bill to (drlasermed) @comcast.net.  I told the nice man that I talked to forever last Friday that I don’t have a comcast.net address.  He said that I did.  I told him I have been using the other one for about 20 years, I get all my mail there, and I don’t understand why I can’t get his bill there.  He says it’s a “security issue”.  They won’t send bills to anything but a comcast.net address.  It’s funny, because I finally got the office bill to come to the other address. 

I can’t even pay the home bill on the internet.  Comcast billing (or Xfinity to be exact) won’t accept my account for anything other than my office bill.  It won’t accept my home account payment.  If I want to pay over the phone, it will cost an extra $5.00. 

I finally gave up.  I had argued with several different people.  I did get the bill paid.  But they can’t fix the billing issue.  So, [insert shudder here] they are going to kill a tree every month and send me the bill in the mail.  I will kill a tree [insert another shudder] and send them a check in the mail back.  I’m not paying $5 to pay the bill over the phone [until postage goes up that much]. 

Why can’t business be reasonable?  What is so unsecure about sending an e-bill to yahoo or gmail or hotmail or any other internet address?  If you work for Comcast or know the answer, please let me know. 

Techno Dinosaur April 8, 2012

Techno Dinosaur April 8, 2012

Today there are multiple issues from me, the techno dinosaur.  When I try to do stuff on the computer or the internet, some days I just get frustrated.

My favorite web site for doctors to bitch and complain has just gone to the cloud.  Now, half the time I try to check in, I get:

 Sorry, we were unable to locate the page you requested.

It might have been removed or might be temporarily unavailable. If you typed the page address in the address bar, please make sure that it is spelled correctly and try again. Or, you can go to our HOME PAGE and try a new Search for Postings.

Return to the (name removed to protect the guilty) homepage

I have posted a question about this, but their tech people won’t be in until tomorrow. 

I also tried to copy you a really cool youtube video that someone had on their web site.  All I could get was the URL.  I have no idea why.

Computer Guy was working on my office computer last week.  He works while gaming with my kids after being fed my Mr. Lasermed.  I took the computer back to the office and found out he had deleted the entire office medical record system.  Unfortunately, the kids were out of school, so I went in late.  I found this out 15 minutes before I was supposed to start patients.

AAARRRGGGHHH!

I hope Computer Guy is having a great vacation with his real family.  My computer is waiting for him when he comes back.  (He restored it before he left).

 

Why Parents go Crazy When Their Triplet Children are Teenagers

If I hadn’t gone crazy by the time my children had gotten to be teenagers, these years would put me in the funny farm.  My boys are in their senior year of high school.  This morning was one of those mornings that make me want to join a convent.  It’s a good thing Lutherans don’t have nuns.

To set the scene:  Three Speed has a paper due for his college English class this evening.  He never gets them done on the weekend.  He seems to like to get up Monday morning at 5:30 AM and do the work when the house is quiet.  He sleeps on the couch downstairs instead of his bed.  I think this is so he will get up.

I was taking my pills before I went up to bed last night.  I turned off the TV before I went upstairs.  I usually leave it on all night.  This was probably the major problem.

Mr. Impatient gets up at 4:30 AM every day.  If the TV isn’t on, he turns it on.  Then he turns on his computer, gets his breakfast and plays on the computer until the rest of us are up and ready to go to school in the morning.  We are normally ready around 7:15 AM.   He goes out about 7:00 to “start the car” and defrost it, if necessary.  Then he perseverates about why nobody else is ready to leave.

This morning, Mr. Impatient woke up Three Speed when he turned on the TV.  Three Speed got upset and turned it off.  He said it wasn’t 5:30 yet.  He was correct about that, but he is never up at 4:30 when Mr. Impatient comes down.  He said Mr. Impatient always comes down at 5:30 (incorrect statement). 

There is a problem with the remotes for the cable and the TV (different remotes – don’t ask).  Mr. Impatient can’t figure them out.  Three Speed got his stubborn up and wouldn’t fix it.  I came downstairs without my glasses, so couldn’t see the remotes well enough to fix it.  Mr. Impatient couldn’t find my glasses upstairs.  I can’t get my knees working well enough for a couple of hours after I wake up to go up and down the stairs very fast. 

I finally convinced Three Speed to turn on the TV so I could go back to bed.  Mr. Impatient didn’t need it loud, he just needed it on.  Now I can’t think straight at 2:00 PM.

Congratulations, Eagles on State Championships in Basketball!!!!!

Techno – Dinosaur – 8 – Hacked!

I started out today doing just fine.  I got the kids off to school, got to the office, cranked up the ol’ laptop, and went to do my morning stuff.  My e-mail inbox was EMPTY!!!!  I’m one of those folks that keeps a lot of stuff in there that I should run off or save to disk.  You all know who you are.

Actually, it wasn’t completely empty.  There was a failed notice to someone whose e-mail changed a while ago and I never deleted it.  There was also an e-mail from myself stating that I was stuck in London without money – you’ve heard it.  “…I’m freaking out…”

Now I am freaking out.  It got sent to my other e-mail account and evidently all my contacts.  If you get one, ignore it.  Just e-mail me back your correct e-mail. 

I reported to Yahoo.  I changed my password.  I Facebooked.  I Tweeted.  Computer Geek will be sooooo proud of me. 

There are all kinds of little red and green lines under stuff in the word processor as I type this.  I don’t care.  I’m blazing mad at the computer right now.  I’m also really glad that we don’t keep our patient information from electronic medical records “in the cloud”.  I knew there were reasons not to trust the internet. 

A New Year’s Wish – Medication Lists

This is something I have done for myself.  As a physician, I would wish that every person who has any medical problems would do this for themselves, too.

Please make a list of every medication you take.  Copy the name of the medication off the bottle.  If you get them from different doctors, write down the doctor’s name.  Write down the dose of the medication.  How often do you take it?  What do you take it for? 

Here’s a chart that you can copy or use notebook paper to set up:

Medicine Name	Dose	Directions	Reason	Doctor’s Name

Add as many lines as you need.  Mine is over half a page.  It wouldn’t hurt to write your allergies on the bottom or the other side.  Also put down a contact number in case you are in an accident and are unable to talk.  Your primary doctor’s name and phone number would be nice on there, too.

If you put this paper in your wallet behind your driver’s license, it will be available for any emergency personnel.  It will also be available any time you go to a new doctor or hospital. 

I tend to forget at least one of my medications when I’m stressed.  I know I’m not the only one.  I’m especially bad with the newest ones.  I actually told my medical doctor I was on the dose that was purple.  I was sure it was 20 mg; he thought it was 10 mg. We had to open up sample bottles to figure out which one it was.  I was right. 

It would save medical people lots of time if everyone would take a few minutes and write down their medicines.  I keep my list in my computer in a table like the one above.  If you don’t know how, get your kids or your local computer geek to show you how.  We will all be glad you did.

Techno – Dino 7 – I’m learning

My friend the Computer Geek was impressed with my Christmas post.  Not as much as I was, but he was impressed.  He did ask why he didn’t have a nickname or a place on the sidebar. 

Sooooo, today I decided to put Computer Geek and Yearbook Gal on my sidebar.  Unfortunately, they refused to appear in bold print.  Don’t ask me why. 

I, however, figured out (all by myself, mind you) how to go in and modify the html to make it bold.

If you don’t speak computer, I modified the language behind the program to get the print to be heavier like this because the little button that’s supposed to do that wouldn’t work properly. 

How cool.  Who knows what I’ll do next.

It’s all because Computer Geek showed me how to add those Amazon banners so you can order from Amazon right from my blog.  It took me forever to figure them out.  Just click on them, and you’re there!  Neat-o?

Maybe I’ll learn to do attachments to my e-mail next?

Laser

Techno-Dinosaur 6 – Christmas Post

I worked really hard on my Christmas post.  I figured out how to get my word processing program to translate “Merry Christmas” into a bunch of languages.  I was so proud of myself.

Then the column thingie wouldn’t work and I had to redo the entire page.  I wanted all of it on one page.

Then I found out that clip-art won’t post on the blog.  At least I can’t get it to (yet – oh, Adam……)

So I had to find my old Photobucket account, get a new password, remember how to download and upload pictures…. Did you notice the ones with motion?  I’m particularly proud of them.

I accidently put the same picture under two different languages.  I can’t have that.  I guess I have a little OCD.  So I inserted the one I intended to have there.  The old one didn’t come off.  OMG!!!!  Don’t panic!  Which button do I push now?

This one post has taken me the better part of a week, off and on.   I’m sure there are 6 or 8 hours of work in it.  I learned stuff, thank goodness.  I’m glad it has been a little slow in the office, or I would still be working on it. 

Merry Christmas

EMR Rant – 4 – Templates and Other Fixtures

Techno-Dino (that would be me) is still having issues with that ol’ electronic medical record.  It has things in it that make no sense.  At least to me. 

For example – if the page ends and needs a signature near the bottom, it will almost always put the signature on another page.  I print everything out, because I don’t trust this computer record (dinosaur, remember?).  So I waste a whole piece of paper saying I electronically signed the record. 

I have tried to write letters to consultants on the blasted thing.  It is not yet worth it.  Maybe I will figure it out within the decade.  After all, this is only 2011.  I couldn’t change any spacing of paragraphs, lines, etc.  I’ve been word processing since 1975 (give or take a couple of years – yes, I really am that old, folks), and can’t figure out how to get this one to behave. 

I finally just opened up “Word” and wrote the danged letter over.  I have decided to do this from now on.  I may even save a copy of my letterhead as a shortcut on the desktop because I know how to do that.  I really am somewhat computer literate. 

I’m still learning how to make my own “templates” for things like “normal GYN exam” and stuff.  I probably do a lot more typing than I really need to do. 

Plus, for some reason, now the EMR has spell checker.  However, it doesn’t know how to spell any of the medical words – you know medications, procedures, instruments and other stuff I use all the time.  This includes medications and directions it puts in itself.  So I have to teach it to spell things I didn’t put in – it did????

Remember, this is supposed to make your visit simpler???  I know that the government wants to collect data from these notes.  That’s probably all they are good for.  I’m not sure they are even good for that. 

Techno Dinosaur 5 Web based documents

I learned something new today. This may actually increase the amount of writing that I do. No groaning out there. I heard that.

My son showed me how to make documents on the internet. This means I can start something at home and finish it at work, or the other way around. The only problem I have is that I have no idea how this will look on the blog.

It’s great to have teenagers who learn stuff at school, then come home and teach their technologically challenged parents. When you tell Three Speed, make sure to tell him who you are, so I can find out who read the blog and told him. Make a point to tell him to tell me, because he forgets.

Who knows what I’ll learn next? Perhaps how to get my electronic medical record to write letters? I still can’t figure that one out!

HOW IT ALL STARTED

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot.  And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg.  Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"  And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, dear?"

And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success.   Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent. To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew To The People (HTTP).

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drumheads and drumsticks.

And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be known. He said, "We need a name that reflects what we are."

And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "YAHOO," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).

That is how it all began. And that's the truth.

(e-mail from a friend - I LOL'd and had to share the humor.  Hope y'all enjoyed!)

Getting a Person, Not a Computer

This web site comes recommended by some of my doctor friends.  If you are trying to get through to companies and would like to get a person, not a computer, try it.

http://gethuman.com/

Contact numbers, reviews, tips are available.

Feedback appreciated.

testing, testing, testing

This is a test of the Amazon widget.  I have my friend who knows stuff about computers.


Remember I am a dinosaur.  I "kidnapped" him from school after band practice - he's not in the band, but was doing chemistry.  


We'll see if this works.

Electronic Medical Record Rant 1

The Computer is NOT Always Right

The gobment wants us to use the electronic medical record (EMR).  They say it makes everything easier.  They want us to prescribe medications through the computer.  They even pay Medicare providers more if they do this.  We are trying to be good little followers. 

It’s not working.

Yesterday, I checked on a medication I wanted to use.  It is still listed in the computer version of the PDR – or all the drugs that are currently made.  OK.  It is also listed in the formulary in my EMR.  I clicked on it and sent it through the internet. 

This morning promptly at 8 AM, the patient called.  Her husband picked up her prescription.  It wasn’t the medication we talked about.  She had gotten it before.  This looked totally different etc. 

The pharmacy didn’t open until 9 AM.  I called, went through the menu, and spoke to the chipper pharmacy assistant.  She referred me to the equally chipper pharmacist.  I’ll start calling pharmacies at 9:00 from now on.  They are really zippy that early.

The pharmacist told me that the medication was off the market.  That’s why I had checked all those places.  Usually if a medication is discontinued, it is marked that way, both in the formulary and in the drug reference.  I thought it had been discontinued over a year ago, which is why I checked.  I know I can’t trust my brain.  It turns out I can’t trust my computer, either.

Electronic Medical Record – 0

Electronic Prescriptions – 0

Real People – 1

Sometimes the old way is better.

Techno – Dino 3

GO EAGLES!!!!!!

It took 3 teenagers this time!

Yesterday we finally added Amazon advertising to this blog. 

It took three teenagers and a week to get it done.

 I tried and tried.  Tall Guy gave it a shot.  Three Speed looked at it too. 

We finally had to bring in the big guns.

Thank you, Adam.  I hope it continues to work.

This one is for the senior class.  GO, EAGLES!!!!

Techno – Dinosaur, Part 2

Setting up the Blog

I am about ready to take a hammer to my computer.

I love writing.  I’m having fun getting my frustrations out on this blog.  However, the whole issue of age has quickly become apparent.  I really did NOT grow up in the computer era.  When I was born, the danged things were as big as a whole room.  When I was in high school, we learned to punch cards.  Do you see my issue?

I have no idea what a RSS feed is.  I don’t know if I have accidently added or subtracted something often until it is too late.  My children aren’t available 24/7 to answer my questions.  You have to know where to go on the computer to get the answers you need, and how to ask the questions you need answers for.  Those of  us who are old people don’t necessarily know these things.

I’m just the writer.  I can put a sentence together.  I’m pretty good at taking apart and putting together a human body.  But ask me to fix a computer problem, and I’m almost guaranteed to get a headache.  I even take several medicines to prevent that.  They are not helping.

I am grateful for things like spell check.  I really love that feature.  I love the back space to get rid of mistakes.  I can touch type over 70 words per minute on this danged machine. 

However, I am trying to add some photos to this thing, and you would think I was trying to solve some complicated physics problem.  I never understood physics.   In almost a month, I still have not succeeded.  You may or may not ever get pictures.   Trying to link another web site (http://healthcareroundup.com/) to this one – they say “just add the logo” like it’s a piece of cake – has raised my blood pressure and given me “excess stomach acid”.  

Pretty soon I will be over in the corner babbling like a small child.  I want my blankie! 

Techno – ignorance, the dinosaur version

I admit that I am a dinosaur in a lot of ways.  Having teenagers really emphasizes this.

When my children were little, they thought I knew everything.  It was amazing.  Now, when anything goes wrong with my electronics, I have to ask them.  It has become very humbling.

Yesterday, the mouse for my computer stopped working.  Usually this is a simple fix.  I just have Mr. Impatient bring me a new battery. 

No luck.

 I tried unplugging the USB thingie and putting it in another port.  Nope.

I tried pushing the reset button on the bottom of the mouse.  Nope.

I even resorted to rebooting the computer.  Nope.  By now I’ve spent 20 minutes, and I’m starting to say “bad words” under my breath.

Soooo…..I broke down and called for one of my computer geek kids.  We’re still discussing his blog name.  For today we’ll call him Three Speed. 

Anyway, it took him about 45 seconds to find a reset button on the USB stick, press it and fix the mouse.

Yup, I’m a dinosaur. 

I love my children.

And:  You learn something new every day.