(Photo from NSF.gov[i]) (TL/DR[ii]: Don’t let fear of COVID stop you from getting routine care and screenings.) I was a little surprised to see news of TWO cancer studies in my feed on the same day. The one from USA Today began with an upbeat headline “3.5 million cancer deaths prevented”[iii] while the other one …
Credit: Featured photo taken by Daniel Sherer Every day, whether running your business or just around the house, you’re faced with choices when you need something done. In many cases, it’s so obvious whether you should take care of it yourself (assuming you don’t just ignore it) or get someone else to do it. It’s …
“Do-it-yourself” or “Hire a Pro”: How do you decide? Read More »
Credit: Photo courtesy of and copyright Vintage Stock Photos, www.vintagestockphotos.com Did that get your attention? Read on and it’ll make sense in a minute. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently published a story “The Charges Seem Crazy”[i] about a trick that hospitals are using to extract more money from patients, it’s called a “Facility Fee”. It’s …
Credits: Grocery Store Image by Vectorportal.com I know, you had to read that twice, it’s stupid and was hard for me to write, but basically, it’s the exact and very short-sighted action that the state of Massachusetts just took. You can read the details in this 11/27/2021 report by Fierce Healthcare (https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/mass-calls-hospitals-to-reduce-elective-procedures-amid-staffing-shortages). But let me …
Who could possibly be hurt when you restrict what services hospitals may provide? Read More »
Note: This is Part 3 of a 3-Part transparency series. Part 1 Part 2 (Which hospitals got penalties due to poor performance?) If you’re not “an insider” you may not be familiar with the term “Hospital Readmissions”, but maybe you should be. In most cases[1] being RE-admitted to a hospital is bad. It’s bad for …
Source: Dwight from “The Office” feature photo from knowyourmeme.com A friendly disclaimer: The information presented is intended for general education purposes about health benefits. All terms, concepts, and lessons have been simplified for easy viewing and consumption. Each person’s situation is different. Please talk to your Human Resources department / representative(s), along with the appropriate …
Selecting the right plan, it’s a “no-brainer”, right? Read More »
Source: “Michael Scott Best Womp Womp Ever” feature photo from knowyourmeme.com Note: This is Part 3 of a 3-Part employer series. In my last post, I talked about the importance of health literacy. If your employees don’t know the difference between a coinsurance and deductible – insurance basics – then how do you expect them …
Source: “Michael Scott Best Womp Womp Ever” feature photo from knowyourmeme.com Note: This is Part 2 of a 3-Part employer series. If you, your employees or their dependents don’t understand the fundamentals of US healthcare, then they won’t understand the choices they face and they are virtually guaranteed to make mistakes that result in higher …
Source: “Michael Scott Best Womp Womp Ever” feature photo from knowyourmeme.com Note: This is Part 1 of a 3-Part employer series. It’s getting to be that “time of year” again. No, not Pumpkin-Spice season, “Open Enrollment” season, at least if you live in the USA and get commercial health insurance. It’s almost time for employees …
Maybe you’ve seen the signs or advertisements and just ignored them. They’re all around, on the side of the highway, the bottom of the screen during the evening news and DEFINITELY on the hospital’s website. They’re a force for good, right? Well… yes. Good for the investors who own the hospital. For you? Not so …
Emergency Departments publishing “Expected Wait Times” Read More »
