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December  2013

 

Greetings!
Are your employees being offered enough physician choice? Happy Holidays from Willwerth,Caven & Associates 

The doctor won't see you now

 

Physicians are opting out of exchange contracts for one big reason: They don't pay - at least, not enough

Hundreds of thousands (perhaps even millions) of newly insured Americans will be covered starting Jan. 1, 2014, by the health insurance exchange products being peddled as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

Some experts believe this influx of new patients will lead to physician shortages in both primary-care and specialty realms - and those shortages could become even more pronounced due to some physicians choosing not to contract with the payers offering coverage through the health insurance exchange.

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Medical test surprises: What should you be told?

It's a growing side effect of modern medicine: A test for one condition turns up something completely unrelated. It might be a real danger, or an anxiety-provoking false alarm.

Doctors dub this the dreaded "incidentaloma" - so-called incidental findings that tell people more than they bargained for, things they might not need or want to know. 

A presidential advisory council said Thursday it's time to be more up-front about that risk with patients before their next X-ray or gene test turns up a disturbing surprise.

"Incidental findings can be life-saving, but they also can lead to uncertainty and distress," cautioned Amy Gutmann of the University of Pennsylvania, who chairs the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Read More



The rise of telemedicine

 

Tim Bright's work as a well-site geologist for Denver-based Columbine Logging Inc. takes him from his home in Las Vegas to jobs all over the Rocky Mountain region. One Saturday in early November, Bright was preparing to go to an undeveloped job site in northern Nevada, where he would spend three weeks away from civilization.

Then he realized he didn't feel well.

"My throat was sore and my lymph nodes hurt," he says. "As time went on, I felt worse."

Going to his doctor would have meant not working on Monday-if he could get a Monday appointment-and when Bright isn't working, he doesn't get paid. 

Going to the doctor from his job site wasn't a great choice, either. Read More

 
Denise M. Caven  
Willwerth, Caven & Associates, Inc.
Employee Benefit Solutions