Finance Tips

Doctors reviews can be helpful in selecting a new physician. Whether a new doc is needed due to move, a change in health status or because the old MD isn’t a fit anymore, a new practitioner is available with a simple phone call. Just who that phone call should be made to can be decided upon after a person looks online at the options.

When moving to a new town, it’s imperative to find a local health care practitioner. Change can be difficult and for this reason some patients want to hang on to their old familiar doctor in the old locale. They plan to make an annual exam appointment that coincides with a vacation back to visit family and friends. While this may work out to a degree, it isn’t a feasible plan if the person or one of their family members gets sick. When someone becomes ill, a close-by hospital and doctor are important in order to snap the person back to health.

A change in health status can mean that a woman has become pregnant and needs to see an OBGYN or a person develops a disease that requires a specialist. A referral can be obtained from a primary care provider, friends, family and neighbors. It’s also very helpful to read some impartial reviews online.What do the former or current patients think about the place?

Sometimes an MD just isn’t a fit any longer. Perhaps the patient has become very interested in alternative treatments such as hypnosis, acupuncture or massage therapy and the old doctor thinks that’s all hogwash. Well, to each his own, but when belief systems don’t align, it’s time to get a new practitioner.

Some tips for interpreting online doctors reviews sites include:

- Pick a reputable website that has multiple posts of past patients. The more feedback available, the better pool of information it will be.

- Disregard any emotional rants, either positive or negative. The reviews should be fairly factual and journalistic in quality in order for them to be useful.

- Some websites have doctor commentary and responses as well as patients. This is another way to give a helpful and balanced slant.

- Convenience factors should be notated during screening of possibilities. Look for places that are close
to your home neighborhood and have hours of operation that align with your schedule.

- Look for insurance policy compatibility. If certain offices don’t take your type of insurance, better rule them out unless you want to pay cash. Sometimes a person’s insurance company can give them a list of providers in the area which saves a lot of screening time for a potential patient.

- Are they taking new patients? Many times the websites will state that they are or aren’t. It’s best to follow up with a phone call to the office, however, because this status could change daily.

- Bedside manner and communication style: Are the office staff members and doc friendly and professional? This is important to discover.

- Philosophical bent? Do they have a standard western medicine or alternative med philosophy? Do they combine the approaches? This information may be available for viewing, as well.

Online doctors reviews can be a helpful way to find a new physician. A bit of interpretation and thoughtfulness will make it easier to choose.

When it comes to insuring ones health there’s no denying the fact that this form of insurance is a must for everyone even though it’s not legally required and is purely optional. It’s hard to imagine the current healthcare system without insurance because otherwise people couldn’t afford most medical services and doctors wouldn’t get their high salaries, which are among the highest all over the world. Thanks to insurance both customers and service providers are pleased, and everyone’s getting the thing they want. Among many types of insurance available managed care plans are the most widespread, so let’s take a closer look at some of the most common forms of insurance offered by insurers:

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO)

This is the most common form of managed care plans as it provides the lowest price and a wide range of services included. It’s main drawback is the lack of flexibility in what concerns the places you get care from. Under HMOs you are limited to a network of facilities and specialists you may get care from and covered to the full extent. If you choose to get your services from someone outside the network your costs won’t be covered at all. Moreover, you are required to choose a primary care physician who will refer you to all the required specialists, so there’s more paperwork involved with this type of plans. Yet, you usually pay lower premiums for that so it’s really worth the effort.

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)

Preferred Provider Organizations offer more flexibility but for a higher price if compared to HMO plans. You are still limited to a network of providers to get care from, however if you choose to go out of network there will still be some part of your bill covered only to a lesser extent compared to in-network services. And you aren’t obliged to choose a primary care physician so there’s not so many office visits to do under this type of managed care plans. If you have the additional money and want more flexibility with your health insurance this plan type will definitely appeal to you.

Point Of Service (POS)

Point Of Service plans are often referred to as a mix of HMO and PPO plans as they provide the benefits of both these forms of health insurance. You gain the flexibility of PPO in what concerns the places you get services at, yet you still have to choose a primary care physician and have a network of providers to work with. One of the greatest benefits is that you may choose your family doctor as a primary care physician even if he or she doesn’t make part of the insurer specified network, which is definitely appealing to those who have long term relations with their family doctors. PPO plans may vary in price so it’s really recommended to shop around if you want to get the best rate possible.

As you see, managed care plans come in different forms with the sole purpose of giving you exactly what you need. So it’s really important to assess your individual health insurance needs before choosing the plan type to address them adequately.

Physician dispensing envisages a dual role for the physician i.e. of prescribing medication, and distributing the same to patients at ‘Point of Care’. Although this concept is currently being followed by a mere 10% of physicians in the country, it is gaining momentum because of the inherent benefits to both the physician and the patients.

Till the early 20th century, pharmacists manufactured medications and physicians prescribed and dispensed them. Then the trend changed around early to mid 20th century, when physicians only prescribed medications, pharmaceutical companies manufactured them and pharmacists dispensed them. This trend seems to be changing once again.

Benefits of Physician Dispensing

1)Increased Revenue: The most important benefit is the increase in physician’s revenue through this new revenue stream. Initially, however, the staff will have to be trained and the process of implementing physician dispensing might take time and some investment, but in the long run it will prove to be financially beneficial.
2)Reduced Pharmacy Callbacks: Physicians have to spend a lot of time everyday dealing with pharmacy issues and attending to pharmacy call backs.

Moreover, each callback costs – per call and roughly ,000 a year. These costs and time losses can be avoided with physician dispensing.
3)Improved Patient Care and Patient Compliance: Writing and dispensing errors will be eliminated. The compliance rate of patients getting prescriptions filled and taking the medicines as directed will improve by more than 60%. The overall health care costs will reduce with improved compliance.
4)Reduction of Adverse Drug Events: Illegible writing of prescriptions, unclear abbreviations, unclear or inappropriate dosages, and unclear telephone/verbal orders cost primary care practices a large sum of money as overheads and these can be avoided with physician medication dispensing.
5)Increased Convenience: It will be more convenient for the patients as they will not have to drive to the pharmacy and wait for dispensing of the prescription which can be upwards of one hour. Patients can receive their medication at the point-of-care with physician dispensing and save time spent on commuting and waiting at the pharmacy. This will be especially convenient for the disabled, elderly patients and parents with sick children.
6)Lower Cost Substitution: Since physicians are aware of the costs of different medications, they can make substitutions on-the-spot for needy patients, or if a particular medication is not available. Pharmacists on the other hand would have to call the physician and wait for the physician to call back to approve any change required. This loss of vital time can be avoided with physician dispensing.

In 44 out of 50 states of US, physician dispensing is completely legal. In some other states, there are restrictions on this practice and other states have prohibited it altogether. However, there is no doubt that physician dispensing improves health of patients and it increases the physician’s practice revenue. Overall healthcare costs for patients are reduced with higher compliance rate, achieved through physician dispensing. This practice is safe and endorsed by AMA provided the physicians comply with federal and state guidelines and give their patients a choice of where to purchase medications.

The practice of physician dispensing is gaining momentum because of its inherent advantages to both patients and physicians. It increases the physician’s revenue and makes it more convenient for patients, by providing them with a one-stop solution to their ailments.

Got questions about health insurance? Here are the top 10 health insurance questions and answers:

1. What kinds of health insurance plans are there?

There are two basic types of health insurance plans – indemnity plans and managed health care plans. Indemnity plans let you choose your own physician, while managed health care plans – HMOs, PPOs, and POSs – assign you to a network of physicians and hospitals. Managed health care plans are less flexible, but much cheaper than indemnity plans.

2. What’s an HMO?

With an HMO you pay a monthly premium for which you are assigned to a network of physicians, specialists, and hospitals who provide your medical care. A primary care physician oversees your care and you can only see physicians within your network. Prescriptions may completely covered or partially covered and generally require a co-payment of $5 to $10. This is the cheapest type of health insurance.

3. What’s a PPO?

A PPO is similar to an HMO, but it allows you to visit non-network physicians without a referral from your primary care physician. You may have to pay for the non-network physicians fee, then get partial reimbursement from your PPO provider. Co-payments are generally $5 to $10, and this plan costs a little more than an HMO.

4. What’s a POS?

A POS plan is a combination of an HMO and a POS plan. You choose a primary care physician within your network, but you can also see physicians outside the network. If your primary care physician refers you to an outside physician your POS provider picks up the costs. This is the most flexible and the most costly of the three managed health care plans.

5. What is a deductible?

A deductible is the amount you pay toward a claim before the insurance company pays.

6. What’s coinsurance?

Coinsurance is the percentage of your medical expenses you have to pay after you pay your deductible.

7. What is a co-payment?

A co-payment is the amount you must pay when you visit a physician.

8. How do I choose a health insurance plan?

Ideally, you want to choose a plan that will give you the most amount of benefits for the least amount of money. If you want to continue seeing your current physician, find out what plans he or she is associated with. And if you have special medical needs, make sure the plan you choose will provide for those needs.

Other things to consider when choosing a health insurance plan are:

* What are the co-payments, deductibles, and coinsurances?

* Does the plan cover pre-existing conditions?

* What is the waiting period for pre-existing conditions?

* Will the insurance company give me good service?

9. Where can I get cheap health insurance?

Insurance premiums vary substantially from one company to another, so you want to get quotes from several companies in order to get the best price.

The quickest way to get quotes from different companies is to go to an insurance comparison website. Once there you’ll fill out a short questionnaire, then receive your quotes. The best comparison sites only deal with A-rated insurance companies so you know you’ll be getting a reputable company. They also have an insurance expert on call to answer your questions. (See link below.)

10. How do I know I’m getting a reliable health insurance company?

One of the best places to check out an insurance company is your state’s department of insurance website. You can also visit J.D. Power & Associate’s website (jdpower.com) to get consumer ratings on insurance companies, and A.M. Best’s website (ambest.com) to get financial ratings.

Article by Gene Rotter

All babies develop at different times. There is no set schedule for the development of individual babies. As parents, it is important to keep in mind the varying rates at which babies develop prior to becoming concerned.

A newborn baby spends most of their time sleeping, eating and performing the most basic human functions. This is an important developmental time for newborns, as they are becoming accustomed to their new environment and surroundings. Their skin is sensitive, but their senses, such as: hearing, sight and smell will already be quite developed. It is important for the mother to stay close to their newborn during this time and provide the needed warmth and sensitivity, so that the baby can be comforted.

As your baby begins to transition from the sleep phase, they will begin experimenting with opening and closing their fists, holding their feet and generally squirming around. As their eye sight develops they will become more engaged by objects and people around them; smiling and shifting to look at things.

By the second month, most babies are continuing to develop the skills of moving, drooling and rolling. Kicking and increased hand control will begin at this stage.

By three months, baby’s hand eye coordination will continue to improve and they will begin recognizing their care takers. Their legs will also begin to straighten as preparation for standing.

Around four months, babies will begin gripping and holding. They might grip their feet or objects. They will also be experimenting with noises and sounds.

The fifth month is an important developmental time for babies, as they beginning wanting to participate in activities. They are physically able to roll, grasp and are making the first steps towards developing their strength to crawl. Also, emotionally babies are developing and requiring more attention at this time. They will become upset when their primary care-giver leaves and they can become shy around strangers.

During the eight month babies begin to understand interactions with objects. They start to grasp the correlation of moving something and having it in a new place. They begin sitting and start developing reflexes such as holding out their hands to cushion a fall. These will continue to develop throughout the next few months.