You trust your staff.  And you should, ... to a point.

There is a lot of trust that is needed in an office setting, otherwise, you would have to watch over everything that was done, by everyone. That simply can't be done effectively, nor should it.

But there are still items that your staff simply should not have access to. It's not that hard to take control over various items in the office that can get you into trouble. Yes, get YOU in trouble.  Often these items can be controlled through your EMR program and effective policies, procedures, job descriptions, employee handbooks ... and fair, yet effective disciplinary actions for violation of those policies.  

So what are these items?  In an article in Physician Practice, the author Ericka Adler, mentions various "at-risk" items such as...

• Unrestricted employee access to medical records
• Employee's ability to write orders for their own use (i.e. lab tests)
• And amazingly... employees...

Are you in Information Overload?

I know that I am.

Yes, I confess it…I am overloaded with information.

But I have to also say that it’s not all the time.  And most of the time I like where I am at with all of this new information coming at me.  It creates a buzz (not an illegal buzz).  It’s exhilarating.  But it can also be exhausting. And it’s my own responsibility to manage the information “feeders” that sometimes inundate me.

Where is it all coming from?

Back in the 60′s and 70′s there was a promise that these “new” advances…computers, cell phones, pagers, fax machines, voice mail, answering machines, etc. were supposed to help us work more efficiently and work less.  Yeah.  Right.

Now we are seeing other new sources of information…Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin, and on and on (There are hundreds of social media outlets with more coming on daily it seems), the amount...

Another day in the office (Not!)

Receptionist: "Mrs. Jones, the doctor will see you now."

Doctor in the room: "Hello Mrs. Jones, what can I do for you today?"

Mrs. Jones: "Before we get started, I would like to let you know that I will be recording our visit today...."

Ok, now what?

It's not a question of if this will happen, but a question of when this will happen in your office.  And furthermore, it's likely that you have already had your visit recorded by a patient or someone with them, without your knowledge.  Some studies have suggested that perhaps up to a quarter of patients have recorded their physician visit.  Some with the doctor's knowledge...many without.

In this "digital age", such recording will surely become more common, and in some cases, embraced, by patient advocacy groups, as well as health care groups, insurance companies and others who feel it helps improve patient communication and understanding....

Ring, ring.

No answer.  

That's not a problem, I will just listen in on the other user without their permission.  REALLY? 

Yes, really.  Although by the time you read this, the "facetime bug" will have been fixed, it does highlight some real problems with high complexity technology.  They put your privacy at risk.  Audio and video feed to others without your permission ARE possible.  

The Apple "Facetime bug" Fix

While this current bug is being fixed by Apple, there are two major questions that remain, in regards to your personal privacy.

1. What other bugs are out there that we, the general public, don't know about but others' do?  Others that are looking to exploit those bugs for any number of reasons.

2. If this is possible by a "bug", what is possible when it's programmed in intentionally?  Who has the keys (i.e. knowledge) to use your phone or computers video camera and microphone without your permission?

...

Who doesn't like FREE MONEY? 

I think that everyone would want something for nothing.  Heck...it seems like there are a lot of politicians that are counting on getting elected by giving away "free" stuff.  But you and I both know that none of that is free.  Somebody else is paying for it.

And in this case...my call for "free money" isn't really free.  It's actually your money that somehow just happened to never get to you and ended up in some state politicians piggy bank.  They are called "unclaimed funds".  It's your money to pick up, and if you don't within a certain period of time, it's likely to revert to the state.  (Now that's free money for them...)

Each state is different and likely has its own way of you claiming these funds which are in limbo.  

I just got off my state's website for this function and found there were several checks for work that had been done that never made it to my billing company.  It...

Your smart phone. 

It's become "your life". It can do everything ... store your calendar, send messages, manage your email, map out your trips, entertain you, manage your pictures and videos, feed you news ... and on and on.   

There is SO much of your life on your phone.  Both public ... and private.   

Smartphones and privacy

You wouldn't give people your diary.  Or your calendar. Or your travel plans. Or finances. Or passwords.  But you might be giving others access to these if you keep these items on your smartphone.  

So Happy New Year!  It's time to put an end to some of the worst offenders that hijack, steal, monitor or just look at your public and private information on your smartphone.  

In this article, they provide you with some of the greatest offenders when it comes to your privacy.  And it's a great invitation to delete these from your smartphone and kick them out of your life.

Get These Off...

It's that time of year where people feel obligated to "promise" to change.  Maybe lose weight.  Or be nicer to people.  Read more.  Save more.  Learn more.  Exercise more.  Smoke or drink less.  You name it - there is probably someone, somewhere who has made it into a New Year's resolution.

But HOW do you really boost your ability to achieve your goals and objectives? What can you do to help you attain what you are setting out to do?  How do you stack the cards in your favor to reach your goal and not abandon your resolutions?

Here are some of the takeaways that I have on this topic...and the "pearls" that I have seen recently on many different articles and posts about resolutions.  

• Be realistic.  Only set a small number (3-5) goals for yourself.  Too many will overwhelm you.  It's far better to have a small number of items that you successfully attain than a large list that becomes abandoned. 
• ...

Medicare.

Simply the sound of the word creates confusion for most people who are facing or preparing for retirement.  There are many different choices that you need to make that can have significant financial ramifications to the amount and type of coverage you receive.  

One type of Medicare coverage you need to become familiar with, to determine if it's right for you, is the Medicare Advantage plan.  This is also known as a "Medicare Private Health plan" or sometimes called "Medicare Part C".

An advantage plan is a Medicare plan which is offered thought a private insurer.   Such plans have different benefits, sometimes more than a standard plan, but can also have elements of coverage or flexibility that are more restrictive than a traditional Medicare plan.  

Confused yet?  

There are two resources that can help you better understand your options so you may make the best choice for yourself. 

The Kaiser...

In a recent article in Investors Business Daily (week of Dec 17, 2018) the article Stretch IRA: Shielding Savings From Tax Man provides a great description of an option to save a significant amount of tax if you will your IRA balance(s) to others who are younger than you are.

SPOILER: This information is provided to make you aware of this option and is NOT a tax or other financial advice for you specifically.  If this is of interest to you, then discuss this topic with your personal tax advisor or others to make determinations about your own individual situation before making any financial decisions.  

Here is a brief summary of the article and some of the strategy that is described.  

First, there are specific IRS rules regarding the distribution of an IRA based on the owner's age and potential longevity.  If the IRA balance is passed to your beneficiary upon your death and they are not listed as a beneficiary on the IRA...