CheriAiello

Seven percent of the cost to administration doesn't sound like that much, but from what I can tell, that's the clearly administrative money. What it doesn't appear to include is the amount of money that is paid out to various sectors (physicians, hospitals, etc.), that ALSO goes to cover the administrative costs of providing medical care. My former office was run in a pretty lean manner, and we still had four full-time staffers for two docs (in Idaho, one of the less bureaucratic states in which to practice medicine). The hospital I currently work with has an army of coders and billers, who spend countless hours making sure the ICD-9 codes are exactly right. Because, if the hospital bills for the femur fracture the wrong way (and there are a gazillion ways to code a femur fracture), the patient's entire stay may be denied--and then the paperwork has to be redone for appeal. The cost for that portion of health care is going to show up in the hospital portion (if I'm reading correctly), and not in admin costs. Similarly, the cost of the all the people you see working back there in the charts when you go to your doctor's office is going to show up in the physician portion of the pie. There are other areas where the costs of the burden of practicing medical care in our current fashion are going to show up in non-administrative areas, as well, but that's the first example that came to mind. Interestingly, there is a small movement in medicine for small, low overhead practices. These docs seem very happy. The primary way they keep their overhead low is by not taking insurance (including Medicaid or Medicare). Most of these docs are able to get by with one staff member (and many have no office staff). These docs are able to focus on providing care to patients and don't have to deal with most of the bullshit paperwork that the rest of us spend way too much time on. Bottom line--I think the reporting of seven percent of health care costs as going to administrative expenses is a bit of an oversimplification.

I'll admit that I have a personal bias on this subject, but I'm more than a little sick of the Tom-bashing, and so I'll step into the fray. In the four years that Tom and I have been together, I have never heard him claim to be an outstanding BASE jumper. In fact, I've heard him discuss his BASE errors many times with his students and other jumpers. His injury history is no secret and he makes no attempt to hide it--he uses it as a teaching point in hopes of keeping others from making some of the same mistakes. Admitting one's screw-ups and trying to keep them from happening again is certainly better than ignoring or minimizing them, don't you think? As far as being an "authority", I don't think he'd describe himself as such, but he does take BASE instruction and safety very seriously. Yes, Nick, I do know what "kind of person" he is. A lot better than you do. He's a good person, a good friend, and an amazing husband and father. Now please, learn to play nice. Cheri

Congratulations!

Congratulations

Huckthis and nicknitro71 (and anyone else who is wondering), I'm not Tom. I'm married to Tom. I post under my own username. Tom posts under his. As y'all know, he always signs his name to what he writes (it's one of the things I love about him). Cheri (wearing my own bra and panties, thanks)

The Idaho Department of Transportation (owner of the Perrine Bridge) has requested that jumpers not stand on the rail. Jumpers standing on the rail are much more visible than those standing on the sidewalk, and can be distracting to drivers on the bridge. Since the bridge is the primary road into and out of Twin, accidents on the bridge can, and do, cause serious traffic backups in town. I have spoken to quite a few people (not locals or jumpers) who have been _very_ surprised, and a little freaked out, by seeing jumpers while they were driving across the bridge. Drivers suddenly slamming on their brakes can cause big accidents. Obviously, the less visible jumpers are to drivers, the better. As a non-jumper local, I've seen the town as a whole be quite welcoming to BASE jumpers---but the warm fuzzy feelings can disappear really quickly when jumpers create problems (real or perceived) for the townspeople.

Hope you're having a great one

JT, I have spoken with a local jumper who was stopped during Dan's event by a young man (Dan's son?) as he was walking onto the bridge to make a jump. He was told that he could not go onto the bridge. Nikki Daisher was in our home for a dinner party on Wednesday evening and stated that she and Miles requested that non-invited jumpers not jump from the bridge during the event. I'm very happy to hear that they have decided to change this, but Tom's post was based upon what she had told me (and several others) less than 24 hours before. Just wanted to clear things up.... Cheri

Many of you know me as Tom's wife. I'm also a physician here in Twin Falls. One of my colleagues and I have decided to do a study on BASE jumping injuries. Since Magic Valley Regional Medical Center probably treats more BASE injuries than any other hospital, we are collecting data on the injuries seen here. In doing this, I'm not trying to demonstrate the dangers of the sport. (In fact, I expect the data we collect will show that jumps off the Perrine Bridge result in a surprisingly low number of injuries.) I am asking for your help in compiling this information. There's no way to do a chart review for BASE injuries (no way to sort the medical records looking for BASE injuries). So, if you've ever been seen at MVRMC for a BASE injury (no matter how small), I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me out. I WILL NOT release ANY information that identifies you to ANYONE. We plan to analyze the data and write an academic paper for a medical journal that summarizes the types of injuries that have been seen in our hospital. If you are willing to help out, please PM me with the following information: -Your name -Date of your injury (approximations will work if you aren't sure) -Type of injury -Contact information where I can reach you in the event I need further information If you have any questions about what we're doing, please feel free to PM me. Also, if you know of a jumper who has been treated at MVRMC for an injury who doesn't read this forum, please let them know about this request. Thanks in advance!! Cheri

Yes. It is correct. It has not been a good weekend here in Twin.

Congratulations! Best wishes for continued healing...

I'm pretty sure they open at 6:30 am.

Congratulations Tony.

Yeah, those fucking rehab doctors, trying to rehabilitate your injuries with their Nazi shit. Yes, we suck Get well soon, Matt--and hang in there.