California Implants

Implants are another hot topic for medical cost containment.  They're one of the biggest cost drivers in medical costs for workers' compensation and auto. A group in California was just indicted for fraud with medical billing.

100+ Busted in Medical Billing Fraud

The latest in medical billing fraud headlines reads: 107 people charged in healthcare fraud bust. It's a bust that's costing the government an estimated $450 million in false billings. 

Dr. Feelgood

More people are dying each year due to prescription drugs than cocaine and heroin combined. These non-illicit drugs are costing us more than $400 billion a year for healthcare, loss of job wages, traffic accidents, and criminal system costs. We no longer have a problem with prescription drugs, we have an epidemic, namely with pain killers and muscle relaxants which are considered palliative drugs -- they relieve or sooth symptoms of a disease or disorder without affecting a cure.

Crackdown on "Pill Mills"

The federal government is doing a very big push on "pill mill" opioid distribution centers, with a special emphasis on Florida. The investigators have even hit large legitimate companies like CVS and Walgreens, where a lot of people have transferred their prescriptions to since the mills are getting shut down.

Meanwhile, the sunshine state's year-old "pill mill" crackdown reports some staggering successes. I found it interesting that one of the main red flags indicative of a "pill mill" is paying for a large percentage of presciptions with cash verses healthcare cards.  This is a good example of Predictive Modeling being used to solve an issue.

Ideal Project Team Size

Studies have shown the ideal team size for maximum efficiency per person on a project is three to five people.  This assumes the highest quality of people where everyone is talented, engaged and driven.

Elegance

I'm fascinated by the word "elegance."   Elegance has been described as the point of maximum results with minimal energy used.

Reframing Your Communication

The type of critical reframing that's essential to the way we communicate is depicted in this short award-winning film from the Cannes Film Festival. You'll see how a small change in language can attract people and dramatically create results. Pay close attention, the subtitles flash quickly.

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

Everyone says "don't sweat the small stuff." People tell me I worry about little details too much. I think the opposite. I need to focus on them way more than I do. Why?  It sets the expectations for what is acceptable. I just read an article on the importance of sweating the small stuff.

Impossible is a State of Mind

"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation." – Pearl S. Buck

I love this quote. It's true, as companies age and grow, they need to not let "experience" block ingenuity. 

The Power of Speed

I was taking a boxing lesson the other day, and when doing a combination, I asked my trainer whether he wanted speed or power. He said speed. When I was done, he told me he answered speed because he wanted power. Speed is power.

Anyone that follows boxing or football has heard the expression power thrills, but speed kills. Think about it. Mass and velocity together determine the energy behind an object. Get hit by a car going one mile per hour, not so bad. Speed it up, and it is a different story. The same holds true in the business world.