Health Care

Smokers and the obese cheaper to care for, study shows

By John Wiens DC|April 5, 2011|Health Care|

Preventing obesity and smoking can save lives, but it does not save money, according to a new report.

It costs more to care for healthy people who live years longer, according to a Dutch study that counters the common perception that preventing obesity would save governments millions of dollars.

“It was a small surprise,” said Pieter van Baal, an economist at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, who led the study. “But it also makes sense. If you live longer, then you cost the health system more.”

In a paper published online Monday in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal, Dutch researchers found that the health costs of thin and healthy people in adulthood are more expensive than those of either fat people or smokers. (more…)

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World Spine Care

By John Wiens DC|February 14, 2011|Health Care|

Source WorldSpineCare.org

World Spine Care was founded in 2008, the inspiration of Scott Haldeman, a leading figure in the assessment and treatment of spinal disorders. World Spine Care has rapidly attracted a world-class leadership team around its vision of universal care for the devastation caused by spinal disorders in the developing world. The Board of Directors includes Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and Chairman of the Musk Foundation. Active participants in the World Spine Care programs include medical physicians, surgeons, physiotherapists, chiropractors, and scientists from Canada and the U.S., with representation from Europe, Asia and Africa.

World Spine Care (WSC) has been launched to fill the profound gap in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions found in the developing world. WSC is a multinational not-for-profit organization, bringing together the full spectrum of health care professionals involved in spinal health – medical physicians and specialists, surgeons, chiropractors, and physiotherapists. WSC is focused on providing evidence-based, culturally integrated prevention, assessment, and treatment of spinal disorders in the developing world. The flagship project involves developing and initial deployment of a universal model of care for spinal disorders, designed for practical application by front-line health care workers in developing nations worldwide. (more…)

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Congress Moves to Expand Chiropractic Services to Veterans and Military Beneficiaries

By John Wiens DC|February 4, 2011|Health Care|

Chiropractic Profession Urged to Enlist Support from Local Members of Congress

Source The American Chiropractic Association

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges (ACC) today expressed support for newly introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives designed to expand the availability of the services delivered by chiropractic physicians in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and to those who utilize the military’s health care delivery system, TRICARE, run by the Department of Defense (DoD).

Ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), has again introduced the Chiropractic Care to All Veterans Act (H.R. 329), a bill similar to legislation that was overwhelmingly passed by the entire House in 2010 but was not considered in the Senate. H.R. 329 would require the VA to have a chiropractic physician on staff at all major VA medical facilities by 2014. It would also amend the current statute, the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001, ensuring that chiropractic benefits are included in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations and therefore, cannot be denied. (more…)

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Concierge Chiropractic

By John Wiens DC|February 2, 2011|Health Care|

Chicago, IL (PRWEB)

Doctors Bryan Abrams and Anthony Ries have recently launched Concierge Chiropractic, a new business venture that brings treatment directly to the patient’s residence or business in downtown Chicago (specifically Gold Coast, River North, and Streeterville) Chicago. The doctors come equipped with a portable table, doctor’s kit, assistant and patient gowns to readily transform any home into a chiropractic office. (more…)

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The Concierge Practice

By John Wiens DC|September 16, 2010|Health Care|

Sources: Modern Medicine, How to set up a concierge practice
The Health Care Blog

Doc, you realize your office is a lot like Disney World,” an unhappy patient quipped to Mark R. Wheeler, an internist in Louisville. “It’s a three-hour wait for a 20-second ride.”

“That comment spoke volumes about what was going on in my practice,” says Wheeler. “I was always behind. My patients weren’t happy, and neither were my staff, my family, or me.”

Today, Wheeler is a changed man, calling his partner, internist John Varga, and himself “two of the luckiest physicians on the face of this earth.”

The turning point came last September when the two physicians officially opened OneMD—a retainer or concierge-style practice that caps the number of patients at 300 per doctor. In return for a $4,000 annual fee ($6,000 per couple), patients get 24/7 access, reduced in-office waiting time, house calls, an enhanced yearly health exam, and other gold-plated services not generally covered by insurers. About 200 patients to date have enrolled—and the practice is “right on the fringe” of profitability.

“We don’t claim to be practicing better medicine,” says Wheeler, “but the fact that we can spend more time with our patients means they’re going to get better care.” (more…)

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Health insurers shifting costs ahead of law – report

By John Wiens DC|April 16, 2010|Health Care|

Source Reuters
By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some of the largest U.S. health insurers are changing their accounting practices to book administration costs as medical costs in an attempt to circumvent new industry reforms, according to a U.S. Senate panel’s report released on Thursday.

Under the healthcare law passed in March, insurers must adjust their spending habits to meet new requirements. For example, large group plans must spend at least 85 cents of every premium dollar paid to them on actual medical care as opposed to administrative costs, while individual and small group plans must spend 80 cents.

Wall Street closely watches such spending levels, known as medical-loss ratios, or MLRs, as a sign of potential profits. Major health insurance stock indexes fell after the report. (more…)

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