I have just spent 45 days around a hospital ICU as my wife had a brain hemorage. She is recovering slowly but steadly.While sitting around waiting I had some intersting discussions with the Trama staff and thought it worth passing on here.
People are now being advised to enter a clearly identified contact in their cell phones. Make it read as follows because paramedics are being trained to look for this:
ICE – then the name of the contact
Then enter all appropriate phone #’s
If the Do this even if the contact person is allready in your contact file.
If the Contact person is someone you frequently travel with such as a spouse then add another contact as:
ICE2 – then the name of the contact
Another aside remember you never know when you might need emergency treatment. If the ICE is not a close relative they could not authorize treatment and the procedure to get court permission to proceed can be unnecessarily delayed. So consider having that person or someone they contact set up with “durable power of attorney”. You would never believe the decisions someone might have to make for you; so be sure both of you are on the same wave length as to your desires.
Replies
Sorry to hear about your Wife, but glad she's recovering.
Yea - hope she has a speedy recovery. That's pertty interesting about the ICE thing.... But wouldn't it be ICoE? ;-)
Edited 4/5/2007 7:24 pm ET by Matt
Good advice.
Hope all goes well with your wife.
Doug
Glad to here your wife is doing well. M wife just spent 5 days in the hospital for a brain tumor. I had all my girls (3 teenagers) program there phone with ICE. But they all have there phones locked and without the code it is useless. It is still a great idea.
What does ICE mean?
blue
"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
In Case of Emergency.Nicht schneien, NICHT schneien. Kein Wind, KEIN Wind.
I hope your wife makes a full and complete recovery.
The ICE is a good idea but I have a question. If I program my cell phone ICE to my wifes work and they are gone for the day, do I then ICE2 to my home phone?
For good new rock music, click on: http://www.wolfmother.com
You can ICE as many people as you like. Down the chain so to speak.
[email protected]
Just put in multiple numbers.
Office
Cell
Home
If they get no answer on one they will try the next one
My phone has an 'ICE - Wife' for her cell and and 'ICE - Home' for our home number.
Between the two, someone should be able to get in touch with her.“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
The phone I use has multiple number possibilities for each contact. I.e. a contact named ICE could have a work, home, and cell. You pick one as the primary, but the others can be used by just picking them from the list. If your phone has this feature, you wouldn't' t have to have an ICE1 for your wife's second contact number.
I hope the recovery stays on the right track to a full and speedy recovery. Don't forget any remaining hospital bills (that your insurance may not cover) are negotiable. Usually to the tune of 25%. DanT
That's a good point on bills being negotiable. Being retired her primary insurance is Medicare who themselves have negotiated rate adjustments. Their negotiated rate was approximatly 50% in our case. These of course are not done on a case by case basis but are prenegotiated in the form of a schedule of what Medicare will pay. Then the medical entity just shows a billing adjustment accordingly.
As an example her physician's joint bill started at $52000; adjustments were $26000; Medicare paid $25000; and Co-Pay paid $1000. Of course Medicare "full" pay is only 60 days then 80% for next 30 days. BTW, that doesn't even include hospital billing.
How good is your insurance everyone?
I've done this for a couple of years now. The Contact entries for my wife and daughter's cell phones has their first name followed by (ICE).
If someone scrolls thru my contacts, they will get three possible ICE contacts and it would be rare if none of them answered their cell.
Wouldn't it make more sense for the ICE to be first? This way all three numbers will be in the list right where they would be expected“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Yeah, that would probably work better.
Having multiple ICE numbers in one entry would provide obvious alternate numbers. My method requires that someone scroll deeper into the list if the first ICE number doesn't answer. That assumes that they would actually look for alternate ICE numbers.
You should know that you've really browned me off!! Now, I gotta try to find the users manual and re-learn how to program my electronic leash. You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? - lol
Personally, I would like to see some kind of ICE function pre-programmed into all cell phones. It could have space for 3-4 name/number entries that the owner could enter in order of preference.
Personally, I would like to see some kind of ICE function pre-programmed into all cell phones. It could have space for 3-4 name/number entries that the owner could enter in order of preference.
Last I heard, the various companies are actually now talking about just that.
I know I had a hassle when I got my new sanyo, in that I just copied the old samsung's ICE entry in. Surprise! That entry was "first," so I kept getting ICE calls, because the phone "knew" that was the tag for a given number, and not vice versa.
Now the ICE listing has an instruction to look for ICE suffixed to existing contact entries. Anyone scrolling through the phone book will find the right numbers to call, if less elegantly than I'd prefer.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
My wife asked me about the ICE. I asked back how many people know about ICE? Maybe more now than then. How many people know what Wife, Husband, Mom, Dad, Home, or Emergency means? Why add another acronym that so far a limited amount of the polpulation recognize.
I think the most recent calls list is the best place to look in the event of an emergency. Odds are there will be somebody righ ton that list that will jump out to you as someone to call.
But if I were to put ICE in my phone I think the number would be 911.
Why add another acronym that so far a limited amount of the polpulation recognize
ICE is not for the average person, it's for emergency personell. I would bet that every EMT, doctor, fireman and cop knows what ICE stands for.
In my phone, I never had a listing for "wife" - it was actually her initials. If you didn't know me, no one would know quickly which number to call in case of emergency. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
I asked back how many people know about ICE?
Actually, the UK emergency services types have been recommending it for almost five years now. There will be "filler" news items on the topic every so often in popular press.
It's no longer a bullet point of much surprise in the emergency management field, I notice of late--which is good.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
No problem if I was in the UK.
You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? - lol
Excuse me, I was just trying to care about you. Won't happen again. ;)
I also tried someone's idea about using ".ICE". Didn't work on my phone, it actually put it at the end of the list, instead of the front. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
The "lol" at the end of that sentence was intended to mean that I was just joking with you.
I see people change stuff in their cell phones all the time and without a problem. I always have to find the users manual and re-learn how to change things.
The wink ;) at end my sentence meant that I was going right along with the sarcasm.
We're good.
“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Oh Lord, not another one!! My daughters and I can get going like that and it makes everyone a little nuts. They're never sure if we're teasing or really hate one another. - lol
I like that idea.
blue"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
>>Wouldn't it make more sense for the ICE to be first? This way all three numbers will be in the list right where they would be expectedYes,and the "best listing is actually .ICE - the period means that it sorts to be the first entry in you phone book so when the phone book is activated, it appears on screen immediatelyI duplicate listings with both ICE and .ICE(And .ICE2 etc)
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
- Psalms 109:30-31
I'm sorry to eat of her/your situation
You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
- Psalms 109:30-31
I'm sorry to hear about your wife. Thank you very much for the advice, I just finished programming my phone.
Further Info on ICE see the attached web site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_case_of_emergency
I leave the keypad on my cell phone "locked", but not password protected. Since the phone lives in my pocket, keeping the keys locked prevents an accidental call.
"Locked" means that 2 keys in sequence must be pressed to enable the keypad. If all/most cell phones use the same technique to lock the keys, then it makes sense for me to add an ICE entry. Otherwise, EMT wouldn't know how to use my phone anyway. Anyone know?