● 32-pages inside the July Health & Wellness issue of About, reaching 35,000 households
in Stark County, w/overrun of book-only for your membership distribution.
● Piece prints June 2.
● ~35,000 copies included as a special section inside the July issue of About magazine,
reaching a combination of subscribers to About and The Canton Repository.
● 1,000 copies to be distributed by SCMS.
For complete details click here: Stark Medical Society 2017-18 Rate Card
Rotary Club of Canton Semi-Annual
Health Screen & Wellness Fair!
Saturday,
Apr. 29, 2017
7 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Mercy Hall Auditorium, 1320 Mercy Drive NW, Canton, Ohio 44708
For more information, click here: RotaryWellnessScreenFlyer 4-29-17
I had just finishing my evaluation of a potentially problematic patient. Ben (not his real name), a 52yo 2 pack per day cigarette smoker, had presented with a mass in his throat which was, unless proven otherwise, most likely cancer. He was scheduled to undergo a biopsy procedure to obtain a definitive diagnosis and I was formulating an anesthesia management plan. Coincidentally, I had just read a blog on KevinMD entitled “Who coordinates patient care? Maybe no one.”1 Then I was presented with the answer to that question for cancer patients treated at our institution.
A diminutive woman was standing in the doorway in polite deference while I completed my preoperative assessment. Once I told her that I had finished she took control of the situation with a no-nonsense demeanor that instantly spoke of competence and engendered confidence. She directly stated that the mass in Ben’s throat appeared to be cancer and that the biopsy would determine whether or not that was the case. She informed him that this was the beginning of a process and that she would be helping to guide him and his family through that process. She assured him that he was “not alone” and that she would be with him “at every step of the way!”
I was so impressed with Candace (another alias) that I reached out afterwards to learn more about her. In the years since her graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing she has worked solely with cancer patients. She has cared for patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition she has participated in clinical trials that research innovative cancer treatment regimens. So she brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge to her approach to cancer patients.
She believes that the paramount strategy begins with an attempt to “take the fear out” of the experience. Most if not all of her patients are “scared to death”. Her goal is to let them know what to expect because she believes that knowledge is the key to their surviving the experience successfully. Once the biopsy confirms the diagnosis as cancer the treatment process begins. It is a complicated journey that includes enduring numerous consultations with many different doctors, and submission to a multitude of lab tests and imaging procedures. It may also include undergoing one or more surgical procedures as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Through this maze Candace is the one constant link. She communicates among the various providers so that all involved in a particular patient’s case are up to speed as to what has been their respective input into the patient’s care as well as that patient’s progress. In addition, she addresses the multiple concerns of the patients and their families. Not only does she act as an interpreter, explaining the often complex nature of cancer therapy, but she also helps deal with what she terms as “barriers to treatment”. These are such practical issues as “transportation to the numerous appointments, securing a babysitter, or paying bills”.
Providing such comprehensive care is wrought with frustrations. Among the most vexing issues are the various “hoops” that she has to “jump through”. These include the fact that Medicare and other payers do not provide transportation to and from appointments. But perhaps the most frustrating “hoop” is the specter of prior authorization. This is the process by which approval is sought from an insurer to perform a certain diagnostic or therapeutic procedure or provide medication. Without prior authorization, payments for these services are withheld. This approval is too often illusive and the decisions are seemingly arbitrary and the approval, when obtained, can be revoked retroactively.
This emotionally and professionally taxing job can lead to exhaustion and “burnout” among its providers. Candace was quick to provide the answer to the question, “Why am I doing this?” The answer is “staring her right in the face”. It is the gratitude that she sees in the faces of her patients and their families. It is appreciation that is well deserved!
2017 OHIO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CONFERENCE
Access & Equity: Intersections in Education and Health
April 21, 2017
8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Venue: Stark State College
The Gateway Center
6200 Frank Avenue
For more details click here: Conference flier 2017 FINAL
I was struck by the incongruity in GOP policy with regard to the “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the defunding of Planned Parenthood and the opportunity for economic advancement for those who have felt left behind. A major obstacle for young people to overcome is early pregnancy. The major portion of services (80%) provided by Planned Parenthood are for prevention of unwanted pregnancies1. Of the 2.5 million visits to their clinics 84% of the men and women served are 20 years old or older and 1 in 5 women have been served in those same clinics at least once in their lifetimes1. So the defunding of Planned Parenthood is a move that jeopardizes those services and insofar as part of the legislation against the ACA involves a rollback of the expansion of Medicaid GOP policy is about to deliver a “double whammy” to the systems that provides birth control services to the most vulnerable women in the country.
To thrive in this economy one needs marketable skills. The skills that are most marketable require highly technical training. Having the responsibility of child rearing presents an almost insurmountable burden for many poor women and men, especially the mothers. At the website babycenter.com the “cost of raising a child calculator” computes that raising a child to 18 years costs $164,1602. So the likelihood of achieving self- sufficiency is greatly increased by avoiding early unwanted pregnancy. It seems that GOP policy against the ACA is inconsistent with their purported policy to address economic inequality.
Single mothers are usually young and are members of communities where having a baby is viewed as normal. The relationships from which their pregnancies result are not stable and the parents soon drift apart. In doing so they find new partners and new offspring result. Research has shown that a majority of children (60%)3 have a half-sibling at birth and an even larger majority by age 5 (70%)3. Thus is the manner by which single-parent families are made and the mothers are by far the predominant heads-of-households in these families. And single-parent families and income inequality are intimately linked.
Mothers as heads-of-households are at a disadvantage in the job market. As a consequence their families are disadvantaged with respect to economic status, health care, and housing conditions1. Furthermore the reduced resources that plague single-parent families lead to lower educational attainment in many of their children. In fact, teens from single-parent families tend to leave school earlier than their counterparts from two-parent families. This is a situation that tends to perpetuate a cycle of poverty which has led to the development of a permanent underclass.
So it seems to me that part of the strategies that should be put in place to address income inequality should include policies intended to reduce unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Policies that support and promote reproductive education, life skills counseling, better contraception, as well as delayed sexual activity are some of the approaches that can be utilized to reduce the problems encountered by single-parent families. As the GOP proceeds with the “repeal and replace” of the ACA and the defunding of Planned Parenthood they would do well to consider the effects that these actions will have on at-risk populations.
Click here to review SMCS News: november-december-2016
Dr. Tom Price, the 6 term Representative from the suburban Atlanta 6th Congressional District is a veteran health-care policy maven. He is well versed in all aspects of health care and has been a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He has produced a comprehensive GOP alternative in the form of the 242 page “Empowering Patients First” Act. Among his proposals are tax credits to purchase health insurance based on age rather than income as well as tax credit incentives to opt out of Medicare and Medicaid in favor of private insurance. He has also proposed expansion of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) as well as allowing interstate health insurance sales.1
Dr. Price voted in favor of the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) which enjoyed support from the AMA. However he has been critical of both the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. His major objection was the requirement that doctors and hospital participate in bundled payment models. He has been very vocal in his concern that the revamped payment models amount to a hostile take-over of clinical decision-making as well as possible detrimental effects on the doctor-patient relationship.2
As the GOP uses its control of both the legislative and executive branches of government to supplant the ACA, it is Dr. Price will be the head of the agency that will write the regulations that will enable the changes that will take place. It will be very interesting to see how things develop.
The most recent survey of physicians sponsored by The Physicians Foundation provides a predictable “snapshot” of their opinions concerning the state of our evolving healthcare environment. Physicians have had to adapt to several new and ongoing events which profoundly impact their practices. For instance, the Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage to include 20 million people. The Medicare Access and CHIP Re-authorization Act (MACRA) has been passed which will change reimbursement from pay for “volume” to pay for “value”. ICD implementation has increased the number of disease codes that physicians use from 14,000 to 68,000. Furthermore the healthcare environment is one of ongoing consolidation with merger activity amounting to about $400 billion and involving over 100 hospitals/health systems. In total 17,236 doctors responded to the survey and as might have been predicted morale is low, patient access to care is limited and physicians’ adaptation to changing delivery and payment models continue to be problematic.
54% of respondents would classify their morale as “somewhat or very negative”. Only a little more than a third of physicians feel positively about the future of medical practice. Nearly one-half of doctors experience some feelings of burnout and an equal number would not recommend that their children pursue a career in medicine. One factor that contributes to the level of dissatisfaction indicated in the survey is that practitioners spend 21% of their time on “non-clinical paperwork” and only 14% of doctors have the time that they deem necessary to deliver high quality health care.
The findings of the survey convey the frustration that physicians feel as they continue to practice medicine. In order to pay for “quality” certain criteria must be demonstrated to have been met. In order to do so, data points must be recorded, retrieved, analyzed, and reported. To achieve this, physicians must spend even more time in front of computer screens and less time with patients. The proliferation of disease codes have further complicated practices by increasing the number of man hours required to correctly file for reimbursement. These factors are compounded by decreases in physician income and increases in the overhead of maintaining a private practice that is forcing doctors to become employed. So physicians are experiencing increased workloads with paradoxically insufficient rewards along with a loss of autonomy and control over their life’s work. No wonder morale is low!
SecuraWealth – Wealth Management Seminar – Disability Product Videos
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https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1f227c7dsoo9c9/Meet%20the%20Voices.mp4?dl=0
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Video 2 – Business Overhead Expense Protection
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c0h3cezyxskxhuh/Video-Overhead%20Expense.mp4?dl=0
“A Business Overhead Expense (BOE) disability insurance policy reimburses the business owner for existing overhead expenses incurred while they are disabled; keeping the company up and running while the owner recovers. Regular expenses that could be covered under a BOE policy include employee salaries, rent, leases and utilities to name a few.”
Video 3 – Disability Buy Out Protection
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0rw947kd7kxwz3c/Video-Disability%20Buy%20Out.mp4?dl=0
“While many business owners plan for the survival of their business in the event of death, many do not consider the effects of disability on the firm’s future. Or, like many of us, they just do not believe they will ever become disabled.”
Video 4 – Individual Income Protection
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bsw4llq0luje7kr/Video-Individual%20Disability%20Income.mp4?dl=0
“Income protection products are designed to help protect your income if you are unable to work due to injury or illness. Life can change in an instant. What would happen if you no longer had the means to pay your mortgage, health insurance premiums or provide for your family? Adding Disability Insurance to your financial plan is the most important step you can take to protect your financial future.”
Jeffrey Eisenberg is president and CEO of SecuraWealth Investment Strategies, an Ohio independent Registered Investment Advisor. To learn more, call or email us at: (330) 605-2564 / [email protected]..
Stark County Medical Society Celebrates 150 years!
Click here for your digital copy: september-october-2016
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