Hospital Fees, Minus the Actual Hospital

​There is a trend towards consolidation in the healthcare industry. We're seeing hospitals buying up medical provider offices (or forming them). The main financial advantage is that they can then bill at hospital rates or bill for things like room charges without the actual hospital overhead. This article documents one example of this practice in Boston.

Growing a Company Montessori-Style

I’ve been looking at schools for my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and I was floored by the quality of education available today.  

One school, Near North Montessori, really stood out from the rest. It’s fostering a science and culture of learning that is unbelievable.  The days I remember of mindless memorization and hours of sitting bored and frustrated listening to lectures are no more. While I wish I could relive my school years, I realize, especially after my recent Montessori school visit, that I’m reliving those years every day alongside our Company’s 200+employees. I discovered that what we’ve been fostering for the past 14 years within the Company’s culture is based heavily on the Montessori method. Here are six common philosophies we share to develop the human potential:

Healthcare Costs on the Rise in Workers' Compensation

Medical inflation in workers' compensation is back. This article in Managed Care Matters documents the trends that we have seen in our own data.  Studies in IN, VA and NJ show significant increases.  Facility and hospital costs are driving a lot of this increase.  

ASC Behavior and Payment Disparity

Outpatient surgery in an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) costs much less than in an outpatient hospital setting or ASC owned by a hospital.  The gap has been growing due to the need for ASCs to compete and be efficient, and regulations and rates as defined by the largest payer in the country, Medicare.

Freedom: Ron Paul Farewell

America was founded and successful based on two principles.  Liberty (or freedom) and opportunity.  Actually, with pure and true liberty, opportunity is a given.  Liberty was the primary basis of America at the onset.  It was what made us great.  Unfortunately, I believe the meaning and understanding of the word has been lost on most of us over the years.

The Primal Origins of Morality and Bias

CBS' 60 Minutes aired an amazing episode Nov. 18, 2012.  It was a special on what aspects of morality and bias are innate. Yale University's Baby Lab studied babies as young as three months old, as well as children of differing ages and came to some interesting conclusions:

Pay Yourself First

One of the first lessons I learned in personal finance was the principle of "paying yourself first." We all want to save ... for retirement; for a bigger house; for school; for safety; for a new toy.  The key to reaching these goals is the concept of "paying yourself first."  Before spending a dime, pull out your savings goals first.  Then live off whatever is left.  Pretend you never had it, or else you will spend it.

Leadership vs. Management

Leadership and management are two very different things. Leadership "pulls" people. Management "pushes" people.

EMRs: The Law of Unintended Consequences

The government has been pushing for electronic medical record keeping for many years.  The thought was it would drive efficiencies, reduce costs and improve care.  Billions in incentives have been spent trying to get hospitals and providers to upgrade their systems to allow for electronic medical record keeping.

New Findings on Long-Term Opioid Use

WCRI recently completed a great study on long-term opioid use. You can read a summary of the study here.