My 42 year old friend who had dental insurance through his job, had not been to his dentist for a checkup in two years. Just a week prior to his dental checkup, his new Toyota Forerunner hit 5,000 miles and was scheduled for the recommended 5,000 mile service. The $30,000 question is WHY did he wait 24 months for the recommended 6-month oral cavity …
Head and Neck Cancer: Bundled Fees for Care
A pilot program is being developed by UnitedHealthcare and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to explore the benefit of a preset, bundled payment for head and neck cancer care that includes chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. “Patients are going to know right upfront what the total cost is,” UnitedHealthcare’s Dr. Lee Newcomer said. The collaboration is among the …
Talk 4 Hope: Cancer Survivorship Stats
How many cancer survivors are there in the US? The American Cancer Society summarized the data: 14.5 million cancer survivors are alive in the Unites States 64% were diagnosed 5 or more years ago 15% were diagnosed 20 or more years ago 5% are younger than 40 and 46% are 70 or over In 10 years, it’s estimated that the …
Apologies In Healthcare
If my oral surgeon apologized to me, I would have never pursued a lawsuit. However, after my husband called his office with the news that I was diagnosed at Stage IV, I never heard from him or his office again. No card, no flowers, no fruit basket, no words. I’m guessing he called his lawyer who said to him, ‘Don’t …
Medical Mistakes
Medical errors happen sometimes. Linda Kenney almost died because of a simple medical mistake. The emotional impact on her healthcare providers were never addressed so she founded MITSS (Medically Induced Trauma Support Services) to help prevent medical mistakes and provide support for all those involved. The year I attended an MITSS conference in Boston, I heard Dr. Nancy Snyderman speak. …