9/17/14

Workers' Comp - Feeding the Heroin Dragon

<I'm now writing some articles for Risk & Insurance magazine that readers of my blog may find of interest. Periodically, I will post links to them here: Workers' Comp - Feeding the Heroin Dragon.>

Read more at Risk & Insurance »

8/29/14

ALS Association, Don’t Waste this Opportunity

I have a different perspective on charitable organizations than most. My first job at 13 years old was cold calling for charities. I would sit in a smoke-filled room dialing lists (phone book, past donors) for hours. I hadn’t hit puberty yet so most prospects would call me ma'am. I got more donations when they thought I was a female, so I ran with it. The owner of my company drove a new Ferrari. His 19-year-old son, who ran my office, also drove a Ferrari (one of his dad's old ones). They would ask the police or a charity in the town if they could raise money for them (say $10,000) and if they raised $40,000, they kept the difference. I started to see how easy it was to use people's good nature to raise money for purely selfish reasons and I developed a healthy distrust of charitable organizations.

8/27/14

Hospitals Are Not Getting Safer

<I'm now writing some articles for Risk & Insurance magazine that readers of my blog may find of interest.  Periodically, I will post links to them here:
Hospitals Are Not Getting Safer.>

Read more at Risk & Insurance »

8/21/14

Smiles and Hugs Matter

This is the heartwarming story of a young man who started his own restaurant.  That, in and of itself, is a nice accomplishment.  Tim is his name.  However, what makes the story truly amazing and touching, though, is that Tim has Down’s syndrome.

5/1/14

Exciting Advance in Treatment of Paralysis

I am sure many of you saw this, but I recently read about one of the most amazing medical advancements I have heard about in years.

A group of researchers recently restored movement to the legs of paraplegics. There were four participants in the research study, and all four of them regained movement.

2/27/14

Your Internal Clock - Morning Person or Night Owl?

This article was great. It addresses people and their various requirements for sleep.

Each of us requires a different amount of sleep. Each of us also has a different internal clock. Biologically, we are programmed to be morning people or night owls. The combination makes us who we are.

2/19/14

Variability in Surgical Costs - Bill Goes Viral

This article features a patient that posted their $55K appendectomy surgery bill online, and it makes some very interesting points.

The University of California San Francisco researchers set out to find out how much an appendectomy cost in California. The price varied from $1,529 to $182,955. 

2/13/14

Re-Injury Stats After Employees Return-to-Work

I found this article very interesting on Return-to-Work (RTW) in the workers' compensation environment. Most would agree that the goal is to get employees back to work at pre-injury status or maximum improvement (MMI). Easier said than done however, and there are varying levels of success.

2/5/14

The Doctor Shortage & Surgical Care

There is a looming crisis in access to care as noted in this article. All of the numbers point the same way. More people are getting coverage. More doctors are retiring. Medicaid patients are already having trouble finding care. Medicare and work comp are next. Accessing care is huge concern for many of the payers I speak to. They know what is coming.

1/21/14

Traditional Hospitals Believed to Become Obsolete?

This study shows that many people believe traditional hospitals will be obsolete in the near future. I’ve thought this for a long time. Traditional hospitals have an obsolete method of performing healthcare. Centralized, bureaucratic, overpriced, non-competitive, and full of sick people with open surgical wounds. The list of issues is endless.

1/15/14

Medicare Starts to Enforce MSA Allocations

Years ago, the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) discovered in an audit $48 million they had paid out for treatment that had already been paid for in a settlement from another payer. Since then, a long process has been started by CMS to control these costs.

1/7/14

Medical Concierge Approach to Handling Claims

This article highlights issues the City of Ft Worth is having with their workers' comp Third Party Administration services. I never know what is true or not in the press, but some of the employees' comments imply there could be some real issues.