Urgent message to all cell phone users
March 23, 2004 | 12:00am
You’re driving and you find your gas gauge precariously close to empty so you pull into the nearest gasoline station. You open your gas tank and see this big warning sign posted near the gas pump, showing a cell phone with a big X across it. So you go on a mad scramble for your cell and hurriedly turn it off, even if you don’t know what the hell for. (Of course, there are those who simply ignore the warning.) Here’s why: The Petroleum Equipment Institute is running a campaign to make people aware of fires as a result of "static" (static electricity, that is) at gas pumps. The Institute researched 150 such cases and came up with the following findings:
• Out of the 150 cases studied, a majority were women.
• Almost all cases involved the person getting back in his car while the nozzle was still pumping gas (at a self-service station). When done, he went back to pull the nozzle out. The fire started then as a result of static discharge.
• Most men never get back in their cars until completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
• Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
• Don’t ever use your cell phone when pumping gas. The RF energy from a cell phone (a radio transmitter) can cause a sparking on bare metal, much like aluminum foil in a microwave oven.
• The vapors that come out of the gas cause the fire, when connected with static discharges.
• In 29 fires, the vehicle had been reentered and the nozzle was touched during refueling. This happened in a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, the station and the customer.
• Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.
For more info on this awareness campaign and more, gas up at www.pei.org. When you get there, simply click in the center of the screen where it says "Stop static."
We received quite a healthy dose of feedback on the "morbid hospital story" of Rica Martin (not the sender’s real name) published last March 3 in this column. We’re reprinting excerpts from some letters:
Josebelo D. Chong, MD: As a medical doctor, I could not help but be more than a little disturbed after reading Rica Martin’s story, not so much because of the details of the story itself as of some dangerously misguided opinions that Ms. "Rica Martin" presented.
Regarding "unnecessary" examinations: Prior to any major elective surgery, the following ancillary examinations are usually requested: CBC, fasting blood sugar, serum creatinine, serum sodium, serum potassium, 12-lead ECG and chest x-ray. These are minimum requirements in securing a cardiopulmonary clearance. This is not a minor point. The standard battery of tests that doctors do are tried-and-tested screening tools that rule out the most common problems encountered during surgery. Not performing any of these examinations could lead to a missed diagnosis – that is, a subclinical condition could remain undetected and only manifests once exposed to the rigors of major surgery. Not doing an ECG, for example, opens the possibility of a heart attack – even in a patient with no prior history of chest pain or heart disease – while being operated on.
The surgery Ms. Martin underwent last year was most probably minor- or medium-level surgery (i.e. low-risk procedures) with no comorbidities. If it were a resection of the colon as she said, she was lucky that nothing happened. Generally, surgeons do not perform major surgery (unless in an emergency) without referring to an internist and getting CP clearance. The expense is secondary to the patient’s health. How can you put a price tag on a patient’s well-being? to quote: "If one doctor practices selective testing and manages the patient well, what’s preventing others from doing the same?" The answer is sound medical practice. In short, while Ms. Martin sings praises for Dr. Reyes, it is more likely that HE was the one at fault (by exposing the patient to unnecessary risk) rather than Dr. Cruz. If something had gone awry during the previous surgery (assuming it was classified as major), Ms. Martin would be suing Dr. Reyes for not doing these mandatory exams. Sorry to say, but it seems the doctor you look up to actually gambled with your life without your knowing it.
Regarding hospital costs: Many hospitals and doctors practice "taking from the rich and giving to the poor." Professional and other fees generally increase with the room rates, meaning patients in wards get charged less while patients in suites get charged more. Therefore, the wards operate on a deficit while the suites operate on a surplus, which works for the benefit of the indigent. Ms. Martin stayed in a room worth P1,2000, which usually gets a private room with an air conditioner, a TV set (with cable) and probably a refrigerator. I guarantee that if she had really wanted to save, she should have gotten a ward bed instead and paid much, much less. Living the high life naturally costs more.
By her own admission, Ms. Martin spent at least P7,000 more than she needed to because she chose to stay two days longer. No one told her to try and squeeze two days of unnecessary hospital stay out of her HMO; she just assumed it would be more convenient to stay in the hospital, as opposed to getting another room in two days’ time. This is obviously no one’s fault but her own.
dr. causing: No one can afford to be sick especially in the Philippines where the cost of hospitalization has skyrocketed. I am a doctor and I would like to comment on what Rica Martin wrote but not on her medical case. I think the financial problem started when she was admitted under Dr. Cruz, in whose care she was at the time. When a new mass was found, she was then referred back to Dr. Reyes. In retrospect, at this time, if she was concerned about her medical expenses, she should have talked to Dr. Cruz if it was okay that she be solely under the care of Dr. Reyes because of financial constraints. I believe Dr. Cruz would be understanding enough. At this point, she should have contacted her HMO because in every hospital, there is always a medical coordinator and I think her HMO should have made this clear to her as its member beforehand.
Regarding lab requests, these are done before the operation to know if you are fit to undergo one. Each laboratory exam has a purpose, it is not de cajon. For example, we do not request for an ECG routinely on a young adult, except when there are heart findings and the person has reached a certain age limit. Regarding the CBC that was done on her, how sure was she that there was no blood loss as this was a major operation? CBC was requested after the operation to know if there was indeed blood loss or if there was an ongoing one. She was blessed that she did not receive any blood transfusion.
I believe this is not a morbid hospital story. It is a story where the patient failed to ask her doctors about some concerns. If she had only talked to her doctors beforehand and not stabbed them in the back, I believe she should have come out of the operation a happy person. Every patient has the right to ask his/her doctor so exercise that right.
INSURANCE EXECUTIVE: I am an insurance executive with one of the country’s leading insurance consultancies. Prior to this, I spent a good part of my career with a life insurance company and, later on, with its HMO subsidiary. I was thus surprised when Ms. Martin mentioned that she was charged by her HMO’s medical coordinator. She went on to say that "HMOs have medical coordinators who are affiliated with hospitals and carry out some work for the HMO. Instead of the HMOs paying for the services of these doctors, it is the client-patient who foots the bill."
The first statement is absolutely correct. However, the second statement is a falsehood. All HMOs, at least those I’ve known in my six years with one of the leading HMOs, do not – repeat, do not – allow their medical coordinators to get payments from client-patients. If the narration is accurate in its details, "Rica Martin" should complain to her HMO and seek redress. All hospital expenses – as long as it is an eligible illness-confinement and bills do not go beyond the maximum allowable limit – are paid for by the HMO. These include professional fees of accredited doctors, including medical coordinators. Only unnecessary expenses (i.e. extra meals, special nursing services and the like) are not payable.
This is to inform and enlighten your readers and the general public. I have grown sick and tired of doctors charging their HMO patients for more, reasoning out that HMOs pay them very little. Conveniently left out is the fact that HMOs do not ram down their throats the agreed fees.
• Out of the 150 cases studied, a majority were women.
• Almost all cases involved the person getting back in his car while the nozzle was still pumping gas (at a self-service station). When done, he went back to pull the nozzle out. The fire started then as a result of static discharge.
• Most men never get back in their cars until completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
• Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
• Don’t ever use your cell phone when pumping gas. The RF energy from a cell phone (a radio transmitter) can cause a sparking on bare metal, much like aluminum foil in a microwave oven.
• The vapors that come out of the gas cause the fire, when connected with static discharges.
• In 29 fires, the vehicle had been reentered and the nozzle was touched during refueling. This happened in a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, the station and the customer.
• Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.
For more info on this awareness campaign and more, gas up at www.pei.org. When you get there, simply click in the center of the screen where it says "Stop static."
Josebelo D. Chong, MD: As a medical doctor, I could not help but be more than a little disturbed after reading Rica Martin’s story, not so much because of the details of the story itself as of some dangerously misguided opinions that Ms. "Rica Martin" presented.
Regarding "unnecessary" examinations: Prior to any major elective surgery, the following ancillary examinations are usually requested: CBC, fasting blood sugar, serum creatinine, serum sodium, serum potassium, 12-lead ECG and chest x-ray. These are minimum requirements in securing a cardiopulmonary clearance. This is not a minor point. The standard battery of tests that doctors do are tried-and-tested screening tools that rule out the most common problems encountered during surgery. Not performing any of these examinations could lead to a missed diagnosis – that is, a subclinical condition could remain undetected and only manifests once exposed to the rigors of major surgery. Not doing an ECG, for example, opens the possibility of a heart attack – even in a patient with no prior history of chest pain or heart disease – while being operated on.
The surgery Ms. Martin underwent last year was most probably minor- or medium-level surgery (i.e. low-risk procedures) with no comorbidities. If it were a resection of the colon as she said, she was lucky that nothing happened. Generally, surgeons do not perform major surgery (unless in an emergency) without referring to an internist and getting CP clearance. The expense is secondary to the patient’s health. How can you put a price tag on a patient’s well-being? to quote: "If one doctor practices selective testing and manages the patient well, what’s preventing others from doing the same?" The answer is sound medical practice. In short, while Ms. Martin sings praises for Dr. Reyes, it is more likely that HE was the one at fault (by exposing the patient to unnecessary risk) rather than Dr. Cruz. If something had gone awry during the previous surgery (assuming it was classified as major), Ms. Martin would be suing Dr. Reyes for not doing these mandatory exams. Sorry to say, but it seems the doctor you look up to actually gambled with your life without your knowing it.
Regarding hospital costs: Many hospitals and doctors practice "taking from the rich and giving to the poor." Professional and other fees generally increase with the room rates, meaning patients in wards get charged less while patients in suites get charged more. Therefore, the wards operate on a deficit while the suites operate on a surplus, which works for the benefit of the indigent. Ms. Martin stayed in a room worth P1,2000, which usually gets a private room with an air conditioner, a TV set (with cable) and probably a refrigerator. I guarantee that if she had really wanted to save, she should have gotten a ward bed instead and paid much, much less. Living the high life naturally costs more.
By her own admission, Ms. Martin spent at least P7,000 more than she needed to because she chose to stay two days longer. No one told her to try and squeeze two days of unnecessary hospital stay out of her HMO; she just assumed it would be more convenient to stay in the hospital, as opposed to getting another room in two days’ time. This is obviously no one’s fault but her own.
dr. causing: No one can afford to be sick especially in the Philippines where the cost of hospitalization has skyrocketed. I am a doctor and I would like to comment on what Rica Martin wrote but not on her medical case. I think the financial problem started when she was admitted under Dr. Cruz, in whose care she was at the time. When a new mass was found, she was then referred back to Dr. Reyes. In retrospect, at this time, if she was concerned about her medical expenses, she should have talked to Dr. Cruz if it was okay that she be solely under the care of Dr. Reyes because of financial constraints. I believe Dr. Cruz would be understanding enough. At this point, she should have contacted her HMO because in every hospital, there is always a medical coordinator and I think her HMO should have made this clear to her as its member beforehand.
Regarding lab requests, these are done before the operation to know if you are fit to undergo one. Each laboratory exam has a purpose, it is not de cajon. For example, we do not request for an ECG routinely on a young adult, except when there are heart findings and the person has reached a certain age limit. Regarding the CBC that was done on her, how sure was she that there was no blood loss as this was a major operation? CBC was requested after the operation to know if there was indeed blood loss or if there was an ongoing one. She was blessed that she did not receive any blood transfusion.
I believe this is not a morbid hospital story. It is a story where the patient failed to ask her doctors about some concerns. If she had only talked to her doctors beforehand and not stabbed them in the back, I believe she should have come out of the operation a happy person. Every patient has the right to ask his/her doctor so exercise that right.
INSURANCE EXECUTIVE: I am an insurance executive with one of the country’s leading insurance consultancies. Prior to this, I spent a good part of my career with a life insurance company and, later on, with its HMO subsidiary. I was thus surprised when Ms. Martin mentioned that she was charged by her HMO’s medical coordinator. She went on to say that "HMOs have medical coordinators who are affiliated with hospitals and carry out some work for the HMO. Instead of the HMOs paying for the services of these doctors, it is the client-patient who foots the bill."
The first statement is absolutely correct. However, the second statement is a falsehood. All HMOs, at least those I’ve known in my six years with one of the leading HMOs, do not – repeat, do not – allow their medical coordinators to get payments from client-patients. If the narration is accurate in its details, "Rica Martin" should complain to her HMO and seek redress. All hospital expenses – as long as it is an eligible illness-confinement and bills do not go beyond the maximum allowable limit – are paid for by the HMO. These include professional fees of accredited doctors, including medical coordinators. Only unnecessary expenses (i.e. extra meals, special nursing services and the like) are not payable.
This is to inform and enlighten your readers and the general public. I have grown sick and tired of doctors charging their HMO patients for more, reasoning out that HMOs pay them very little. Conveniently left out is the fact that HMOs do not ram down their throats the agreed fees.
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