Medicares Announcement that it will Now Pay for Obesity Counseling Benefits Robard Corporation Customers, Dieters
Mount Laurel, NJ (PRWEB) December 02, 2011
On Tuesday, November 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Medicare will pay for screenings and preventive services to help recipients curb obesity and the medical ailments associated with it, primarily heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
Beneficiaries with body mass index values of 30 or more can receive weekly in-person intensive behavioral therapy visits for a period of one month, followed by visits every two weeks for an additional five months, paid in full by Medicare with no copayment. Additional monthly sessions will be covered for up to six months afterward if the beneficiary has lost at least 6.6 pounds (3 kg) during the first six months.
To assist customers with this emerging opportunity, Robard Corporation already facilitates the training of weight loss professionals on how to counsel dieters as part of the vast number of free services it offers to customers to help grow their business. In addition, the average dieter on a Robard plan looses 2-4 pounds per week, thus aiding them in Medicare eligibility.
This CMS announcement is further affirmation that the worldwide obesity epidemic must be combated with a united front, said Robard President Robert Schwartz. We at Robard are proud to offer our partners the training, resources, and products required to help dieters improve the quality of their lives and decrease comorbidities just as we have for more than 35 years.
Robards business development team works directly with their partners to grow their businesses, providing business planning, marketing solutions and operational support nationwide to corporations, hospital networks, physician practices, medical weight loss clinics, surgical facilities, and others.
For more information on Robard and its services, please visit http://www.Robard.com.
About Robard Corporation:
As a designer and formulator of programs and products to the medical community since 1976, Robard Corporation provides customers focused business development solutions that can help:
Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: Announcement, Benefits, Corporation, Counseling, Customers, Dieters, Medicare's, Obesity, Robard
The Year’s Top 5 Health Tech Surprises
(PRWEB) December 06, 2011
2011 was a transformative year for health IT. Practice Fusion saw dramatic changes across the board: from medical practices forgoing paper charts to join the digital revolution, to patients taking more control of their health by enrolling in Personal Health Records (PHR). As the percentage of doctors who have basic electronic health records doubled between in the last few years, health information technology has become a top disruptive force while continuing to drive robust employment growth.
Here are the top five surprises that reshaped the health IT sector in 2011:
5. Heads Were in the Clouds
A recent IDC survey reported that 54 percent of medical organizations looked into using the cloud in 2011, while 21 percent adopted web-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems. The annual health IT conference, HIMSS 2011, was packed with new and established EMR vendors moving away from traditional client-installed servers to focus on web-based offerings. Skepticism of cloud-based EMRs faded as the sector saw value in giving doctors secure access to records anywhere, reducing installation hurdles, simplifying reporting and supporting interoperability.
4. Health IT Hiring Boomed
While other sectors continued layoffs in 2011, healthcare couldnt seem to hire fast enough. From Silicon Valley to the Research Triangle, the $ 805 billion US tech landscape soared despite the recession and saw a new focus on health. The 2009 economic stimulus plan was predicted to create 50,000 to 100,000 new jobs to support the EMR transition. Practice Fusion more than doubled in size since 2010, growing 50 percent in just the first quarter of 2011. Epic announced plans to add 900 new employees, Allscripts to add 300 in Chicago and Greenway to hire 400 over the next few years.
3. Tablets Took Off
In addition to their emergence in hospitals, 2011 saw an upward trend of iPad usage among small practice providers, including those offering traditional house calls and concierge care. With 22 percent adoption among medical providers, as reported in a Chilmark Research report, the iPad is emerging as a key tool for US doctors and medical professionals transitioning from paper charts.
2. Google Health Said Goodbye
In July, Google Heath announced the end of their Personal Health Record (PHR) system and stirred up forecasts of the permanent death of the PHR. Launched in 2008, Google Health struggled with getting access to medical data and finding patients to participate. The failure of Google Health, contrary to heralding the end of PHRs, showed the importance of PHR systems being natively connected to EMRs. Connected systems at Kaiser, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Practice Fusion continued to succeed with giving patients control of their records.
1. Small Practices Led Meaningful Use
Contrary to predictions, small medical practices – not hospitals – led the national Meaningful Use program for EMR adoption in 2011. According to research by Practice Fusions Medical Director, Dr. Robert Rowley, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) records show that nearly 4,000 eligible medical professionals (most solo practitioners) received their stimulus checks in 2011 so far. Eligible providers received up to $ 18,000 to $ 21,000 each in their first year under the incentive program.
Small practices are signing up, and receiving their incentive money in significant number, says Rowley. The availability of web-based and free EHR options has been particularly significant for the smaller-practice end of the healthcare delivery spectrum, which is still where the majority of practitioners reside.
Practice Fusion is a free, web-based Electronic Medical Record system. Over 130,000 healthcare providers use Practice Fusion for charting, scheduling, e-prescribing and sharing records with patients. For more information, please visit practicefusion.com
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Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: Health, Surprises, Tech, years
World AIDS Day Kicks off Awareness Month in December
Belleville, Ill. (PRWEB) December 01, 2011
December 1 is recognized globally as World AIDS Day, and December is AIDS Awareness Month in the United States. Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation and Medicare plan selection services, is distributing free posters to raise awareness of the importance of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention and treatment.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Gilman Law LLP is Investigating Potential Employment Complaints Against Massachusetts Companies that have Misclassified Workers as Independent Contractors
Naples Fl (PRWEB) December 01, 2011
Massachusetts workers win back wages and other damages by filing independent contractor misclassification complaints.
Recently, Massachusetts workers in a number of fields have been able to win back wages and other damages by filing independent contractor misclassification complaints against their employer. Massachusetts has some of the strictest laws in the country governing the classification of workers as independent contractors, and provides for the payment of treble damages and attorneys fees in civil suits. Gilman Law LLP is offering free complaint consultations to any Massachusetts worker who may have been misclassified as an independent contractor. If you or someone you know is being wrongly classified as an independent contractor in Massachusetts, it is important that you contact Gilman Law today to discuss your misclassification complaint with one of our experienced employment lawyers. nytimes.com/2010/02/18/business/18workers.html?pagewanted=all
Massachusetts Independent Contractor Misclassification
Independent contractors generally include self-employed workers who are not covered by the tax and wage laws that apply to employees. When a worker is deemed an independent contractor, employers are not required to pay Social Security, Medicare or federal unemployment insurance taxes. The federal FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime requirements don’t apply to independent contractors, and they are denied benefits under the Family Medical Leave Act and many other protections. In a tough economy, it is easy to see why some companies might be tempted to misinterpret or ignore the federal and state laws that cover the classification of employees as independent contractors.
nytimes.com/2010/02/18/business/18workers.html?pagewanted=all
How do Massachusetts courts determine a independent contractor misclassification complaint
To determine whether an individual is an “employee” under the FLSA, courts look to the economic reality of the parties’ business relationship as a whole. A workers status is determined by whether the individual is economically dependent on the business he or she is working for, or, as a matter of economic reality, is actually in a business for themselves. Massachusetts law goes even further, creating a presumption of employee status for purposes of the Commonwealths wage laws and requires businesses to meet a strict three-part test to overcome this presumption. That test requires that:
A worker must be free from control and direction in performing the service. In other words, it is up to the independent contractor to decide when to work, how to work and where to work.
Services provided by the independent contractor must be outside of the usual course of the employers business.
The worker must be in an independent trade, occupation, profession or business.
boston.com/jobs/employers/hr/hrcolumns/2011/02/massachusetts_independent_cont.html
Massachusetts courts have been interpreting the states independent contractor regulations very broadly. For example, one court recently found that exotic dancers who worked at a strip club were integral to the business of the club, and were therefore employees. Massachusetts courts are increasingly finding that workers such as truck drivers who deliver products or packages for the company are employees.
If a Massachusetts employer is found to have violated the states independent contractor law, they may face criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment. Civil penalties are significant and include treble damages and attorneys’ fees. The misclassified employer may also be eligible for any wages (including overtime) and benefits he or she would have received as an employee, including holiday pay, vacation pay, and any other employee benefits.
mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws/massachusetts-independent.html
Legal Help for Victims of Massachusetts Independent Contractor Misclassification
Massachusetts workers illegally classified as independent contractors may be entitled to significant damages, back wages and benefits. If you think your Massachusetts employer wrongly misclassified you as an independent contractor, Gilman Law can help. For a free evaluation of your case, please fill out the online form on the left or call Toll Free at 1-888-252-0048.
Contact:
The Gilman Law LLP
Tel.# 1-888-252-0048
Beachway Professional Center Tower
Suite 307
3301 Bonita Beach Road
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
Tel.# 1-888-252-0048
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Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: against, companies, Complaints, Contractors, Employment, Gilman, Independent, Investigating, Massachusetts, Misclassified, Potential, Workers
Eligibility for Medicare Part D – Beers Mallers Backs & Salin LLP
Medicare Part D Dual Eligible: Qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid
Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: Backs, Beers, Eligibility, Mallers, Medicare, Part, Salin
Medicare Shared Savings Program Overview 12/7/11
An overview of the Medicare Shared Savings Program by John Pilotte, Director of the Performance-Based Payment Policy Group at CMS, followed by a question and answer session.
What is the Medicare Process and How Does It Work?
Understand the different parts of Medicare as well as the eligibility requirements and general costs.
Video Rating: 0 / 5
Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: Medicare, process, Work.
Medicare and medicaid : implementing state demonstrations for dual eligibles has proven challenging : report to the Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate (SuDoc GA 1.13:HEHS-00-94)
Medicare and medicaid : implementing state demonstrations for dual eligibles has proven challenging : report to the Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate (SuDoc GA 1.13:HEHS-00-94)
Price:
Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: 1.13HEHS0094, aging, challenging, Committee, demonstrations, dual, eligibles, Implementing, Medicaid, Medicare, proven, Report, Senate, Special, State, SuDoc, U.S.
Medicare A-Z: Allsup Offers Consumers Free Answers to More than 100 Medicare Questions
Belleville, IL (PRWEB) November 11, 2011
To help make Medicare annual enrollment easier for the 48 million people who rely on Medicare for their healthcare coverage, Allsup has launched Allsup Medicare FAQs 2012, at http://medicarefaqs.allsup.com. The free online database includes more than 100 common questions Allsup Medicare Advisor specialists have fielded. Allsup is a nationwide provider of Medicare plan selection and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation services. Medicare annual open enrollment is now through Dec. 7.
Most Medicare recipients are inundated with information during annual enrollment. Yet, they have a hard time finding answers to important questions, said Adrienne Muralidharan, senior Medicare specialist for the Allsup Medicare Advisor
Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: Allsup, Answers, Consumers, Free, Medicare, More..., Offers, Questions, Than
Categories: Medicare Eligibility Tags: Eligibility, Periods22.wmv