http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.chuljiandds.com/news//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/ http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=28 Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=28 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:46:33 -0800 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=27
Chicken Little was rather like an adopted juvenile delinquent, who only tolerates your other kids, doesn't much care for you, and requires you to stay on top of him to make sure he doesn't start stealing cars. He had a rough life--wild caught in the 1980's, imported to the US, bought by someone unfamiliar with birds who wasn't prepared for a noisy, messy, noncuddly pet. At some point he apparently had meningitis, which left him with a permanently crooked neck, thus his name--he had a "the sky is falling" gaze. He was taken in by a parrot rescuer who eventually found him a home in a group aviary for several years. When his new owner died, he went back to the rescue center, and came to live with us a few months after Chick Eastwood's death in January of 2010. He and Rose (Chick's mate) tolerated each other, but never really hit it off. When Rose died last January, I adopted Echo, a Blue Headed Pionus through a rescue shelter. Chicken Little and Echo soon bonded, with Echo even gagging up food at times. At first, Chicken violently refused any handling, but since he needed medication twice a day, I did interact with him (and got bitten a lot at first). Eventually he developed a routine for his medicine that didn't involve a towel and fighting, and after several months he would tolerate mild cuddling. In his final weeks he become a passionate grape eater, going through almost a dozen a day.

His death will leave a small parrot-shaped void in the family. Our friendship was very unlike that of Chick Eastwood and Rosebutt, who were with me almost 20 years, but he was still an important member of the household. I'm missing the morning medicine ritual, and that little beak snatching grapes out of my fingers.
]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=27 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:07:52 -0800 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=26
This shows that if you want to avoid winter depression, don't get up early. I hope this helps you get through the winter: spring's return is already evident well before solstice! For those who want more details, here's a website that explains the effect. (I don't know how durable the link is, maybe he only posts it around solstice, but the effect is due to the tilt of the earth and its elliptical orbit around the sun.)

http://larry.denenberg.com/earliest-sunset.html


]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=26 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:24:41 -0800 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=25
We are still waiting to process repeat claims on 6-month recalls, to see if the reimbursement levels are at least stable for the same person. It appears that WDS is doing their best to make it difficult for patients to see an out-of-network dentist. Note that out of network coverage is worst for preventive care: X-rays, exams, and cleanings. When it comes to crowns, fillings, etc. the fact that our fees are generally fairly low means that, even with the lower coverage percentage, copays at our office are comparable to most network dentists. Since preventive care used to be covered 100%, that's where most people are noticing the bite. We have increased our pay-at-the-time discount to 15% (20% over age 60) for all preventive care to help mitigate that, and encourage more of our patients to stay with us.

We again urge you to speak with your employers about choosing another carrier for your dental coverage, even if you choose to switch to an in-network provider. It's not in anyone's long term best interest to deal with an insurance carrier that plays dirty.]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=25 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:11 -0800 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=24


It's worth reading. The website of the group has more information as well. There is some problem with the linking of this blog, so you may need to type in the address, or copy and paste from this:

http://www.concerneddentistsofwashingtonstate.org/files/Response.pdf]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=24 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:23:11 -0700 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=23 Also, you should be aware that Delta underwrites dental insurance for several other companies, so even if you're not directly covered by Delta, you might still be a Delta customer. You should have received a letter from Delta this week notifying you of our withdrawal from the network. The letter seemed to imply you would have to file your own claims, but that is misleading. We are no longer legally required to file them for you, but of course will continue to provide that service. WDS just wanted to scare people away from out-of-network dental offices.]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=23 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:32:46 -0700 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=22
Breaking Update -- WDS Premier
After reviewing the new WDS reimbursement levels, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from that program as well, as of June 15th. In effect, we will be treating WDS the same as we do other insurance companies--we charge our regular fee, they pay a certain amount, and you pay the balance.
]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=22 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:29:49 -0700 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=21
The impetus for going digital was that our film processor was going belly up. It was either spend $5000 on a new processor, or spend $15,000 on digital X-rays, so I figured it was time. Of course, it wound up costing considerably more than it was supposed to, but what else is new. Anyway, I must admit it's nice having the X-ray the size of a computer screen, and it's a whole lot easier pointing out problems now, when the problem area isn't a half millimeter spec on the film. We can also forward records digitally without having to scan them in first. But it's disconcerting when I ask the assistant to take a film--I'm barely down the hall before they say "OK, here it is, please look at it." There's not even time to go into the staff room and eat a cookie!]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=21 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:32:48 -0800 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=20 null
My little green buddy, Rosebutt, died today in surgery. Last year Chick Eastwood had to be put to sleep on New Year's Day, so it was with relief January 1st came and went uneventfully this year. On January 2nd, however, Sweet Sadie was badly injured, losing a toe and nearly bleeding to death. And that day, I noticed Rose did not eat much. She didn't eat on the 3rd, either, so I took her to the vet. Dr. Ford detected an abdominal mass, which was blocking the passage of food through her intestines. Exploratory surgery on the 5th revealed multiple adhesions, probably from internal ovulation (eggs that missed the oviduct and got loose in her abdominal cavity). The surgery went well, although she had a few rough days. Sadie, meanwhile, recovered enough to have corrective surgery on her foot, and came home on the 13th. When I got home with Sadie, I noticed Rose was wheezing as though she had something caught in her throat, sneezing and shaking her head. I thought some food might have gone down wrong, but she kept it up and was in obvious distress. I gave her oxygen, which stabilized her somewhat, then drove her back to the animal hospital in Bremerton, where Dr. Ford checked her. The differential diagnosis was (a) aspirated food, (b) fungal infection, or (c) tracheal constricture. Dr. Ford took her to an advanced clinic and ran a tiny scope down her throat this afternoon. He discovered it was indeed tracheal constricture, possibly resulting from the several prolonged periods of intubation she'd undergone in diagnosis and surgery. While it is possible to bypass the stricture, I couldn't see putting Rose through yet another surgery and recovery--she wouldn't understand what was going on, and would be miserable. Regretfully, I had Dr. Ford put her all the way to sleep without bringing her out of the anesthesia. I wish I could have been there with her when she died, but it would have been unfair to bring her back, then just put her to sleep yet again. I did talk to her on the phone at the start of the procedure, at least.
We are planning the same cremation service we gave Chick Eastwood, her mate of 18+ years, visible in the photo behind Rose. She had a good life, and perhaps it's just as well she didn't outlive Chick by too long, as she clearly missed him. I will miss her too, caring for her was a way of keeping Chick's memory alive, and she was a sweet bird in her own right.]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=20 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:19:17 -0800 http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=19 null
It's that time of year again, when our hygienist, Candace, spends an entire weekend setting up her Christmas display in our office waiting room. (The amazing thing is, there's only room for half of it!) Next time you're at the Post Office, stop by and check it out--this year she put up the "Dickens" collection, which has pretty much every building you can imagine, except for a dental office. Even if we've gone for the day, the display lights are still on, and you can get a great look through the front door glass. The display will be up through the end of January, and the photo above is just one corner of the display, about 5% of the total :-)]]> Update http://www.chuljiandds.com/news/index.php?itemid=19 Wed, 1 Dec 2010 13:02:00 -0800