More people have high deductible insurance plans that in the past, but not everyone knows how to get the most bang for their buck. The pricing in medicine has long been a mystery, but many states (including Massachusetts) have a policy of "price transparency" to help patients be better consumers. What you may or may not know is that many providers are paid much more than others...and in most cases it's NOT because they are providing a higher level of care. Before you decide to have that MRI, knee surgery or even physical therapy, be sure to check and see if the provider you plan to use is both cost effective AND high quality. There are a few resources you can use. In Massachusetts, the Office of Consumer Affairs has a link to the cost estimator for all the major insurance companies (click here). There is also a group in New Hampshire called MyMedicalShopper.com and they take it one step further by reporting the average reimbursement for a number of providers...many of them in Massachusetts. Make sure you check out the links and be smart when choosing your provider. If you haven't already guessed we are high quality and low cost!

Although this has been a pretty mild winter, especially compared to last year, many people wait until spring to start really training more seriously for races later in the summer and fall. Most runners would like to run faster, but not many know the best way to do it. If you don't have the luxury of a running coach or the time to join a running team, we have put together some simple drills you can add to your training to help you improve your speed. Long story short: To run faster, you have to train faster. Most avid runners are "plugged" in and know their pace...now that you know what you pace is, you just have to decide what pace you want to get to and start training. Get to local high school track and try some of the pace work we have in this handy grid. Training use "ladder work", "pyramid work", and repeat 1/4 or 1/2 miles is a great way to start to run faster and learn a new pace. Get out there and give it shot!

At Blue Hills Sports & Spine, not a week goes by where we don't evaluate a patient with either back, hip or knee pain that has been caused because of weak gluteal muscles. Runners run, walkers walk and office workers sit, sit, sit...and none of these activities does much to strengthen your glutes. For the "gluteal insufficient" masses, we have put together a simple program for you to try. Adding some of these simple exercises into a routine may go a long way in keeping you out of our offices. Click here for the program and give it a try. Should you have any questions, contact the experts in any of our offices.