Monthly Archive for January, 2009

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Jamie Dimon says restoring health-care system will help financial crisis

Published on January 13, 2009 in Health Insurance. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Although Jamie Dimon, CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase, extends most of his energy working on our disastrous financial situation, he spoke briefly at his company’s conference, on January 12 in San Francisco, to deal with the nation’s troubling health-care system. During the luncheon speech, Dimon said that part of dealing with the financial crisis is to restore our health-care system. He urged the U.S. to offer universal coverage for all citizens. 

He told the listeners that it’s unethical that almost 50 million Americans are uninsured, many working or investing in companies that offer services to the $2 trillion health-care economy. He went on to say that statistics show that the U.S. spends two times as much as the ordinary OECD country does on health-care, but our life-expectancy is below average.

Not offering any new ways to deal with the current problem, he called for universal coverage, as it will expand the present employer based system. He also said that the present tax subsides for employer-sponsored insurance are not right, and he asked for incentives that support entrepreneurial solutions and demand both corporate and individual responsibility.

He claims that people who are not covered make the system more expensive. He said “if you don’t cover people, they will be a burden on everybody else.” This said, he called for the health-care situation to be fixed ASAP for a more effective country.

More demand for locum tenens jobs

Published on January 13, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Due to the business of general surgery getting harder, there is more demand for locum tenens jobs. On January 13, the WSJ reports that numerous surgeons are moving their focus from established practices to locum tenens. Some, like myself, may not know about  locum tenens. Well I found out that they are temporary  jobs in which a hospital pays a day rate for general surgeons to come in when needed.

So what specialties are more in demand than others? Staff Care, a national locum tenens company, revealed its’ report that was assembled last year by basing findings on 2007 data. It seems that most providers are seeking primary doctors, although the demand for surgeons is increasing.

During the staffing days that were demanded by the company’s clients, here is how the specialty areas were broken down:

* Primary Care, 41.5%

* Anesthesiologists, 20%

* Behavioral Health, 17.6%

* Radiology, 11.6%

* Surgery, 7.7%

* Dentistry, 1.6%

The report said that the total number of locum tenens provider days that were sought after by Staff Care clients rose by more than 20% between 2006 and 2007.

Tamiflu may not work on all flu cases this year

Published on January 5, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

tamifluGovernment health officials warn that a dominant flu medicine called Tamiflu might not take care of all flu cases this year. Currently, the most  common flu sickness is extremely resistant to Tamiflu.

This cautionary notice is an early alert to doctors. According to Dr. Julie Gerberding, if present situations continue, we may need to alter how we treat patients this flu season. She is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fortunately, health officials say they are not excessively worried for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is still early in the flu season and we’re not sure that this certain strain will continue to take control through the season. Secondly, there are not that any people who take antiviral medicines for the flu and last of all, the flu vaccine appears to be well matched to the bugs that are currently out there.

But William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert, warns that doctors do need to carefully consider the danger of this new resistance.

The first case of the flu in N.C. was diagnosed in late December. Health officials are hoping that more people will get the flu shot. The supply is abundant this year.

All children from age 6 months to 18 years of age should be vaccinated against the flu, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also recommend a vaccination for any adults who want to protect  themselves from getting the flu. Those strongly encouraged to get vaccinated are adults 50 and older, people with chronic medical conditions like asthma, people who are in contact with people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and health care workers.

Other than getting the flu shot, other actions to stop the spread of the flu and other respiratory diseases should be taken. These include covering coughs and sneezes, using tissues and disposing of them after use, washing hands frequently, and staying home if you have flu symptoms.

In the United States the flu causes 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations each year.,

2009 Blue Cross fee structure for non-emergency surgery for federal workers is changed

Published on January 5, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Blue Cross/Blue Shield has announced that it will pay 70 percent of the fee that it permits for non-emergency surgery by out-of-network doctors. This will put the patients responsible for 30 percent of the charges, plus any difference between the allowed amount and the actual charge.

This alteration of the fee structure is in reaction to distressed Congress members as well as some upset federal workers who have the Blue Cross/Blue Shield standard option.

According to the company’s initial fee structure for 2009, 100 percent of the surgery fee, to a maximum of $7,500 per surgeon, per surgical day, would have had to be taken care of by Blue Cross/Blue Shield members. Under the office of Personnel Management, health insurance companies were allowed to change their surgical benefit and permit employees to change their insurance selections through the end of January.

In situations where the surgeon’s bill will be $5,000 or more, Blue Cross is currently offering members a better service system that will give members information ahead of time that will show them what the company will pay when concerning a procedure.