The Basics of Business Health Insurance

Business health insurance is taken out to give private organisations' employees medical care when they most need it. You will gain private treatment by qualified doctors, ensuring that your employees are back and fit for work as soon as possible. Insurers will typically offer a range of over 250 hospitals spread across the nation, so there will always be a centre that you can get an employee to in a situation that requires it.

Health insurance is one of the benefits that is most sought-after by employees, meaning that your business will stand out amongst the crowd as championing the health of their employees. In the 21st century, healthiness is extremely valued by everyone, and having private insurance has been linked to helping to increase the productivity of workers.

Although still relatively underutilised in the UK, health insurance has been around for a significant number of years. The growth in businesses that purchase private insurance has led to an increase in optional additions to policies, such as having a private health advice phone number and even cancer support and gym membership.

The cover that you get as standard, will change depending on which insurer you go with, and the price that you pay for the insurance. You can expect in-patient and out-patient care as standard, where the company will pay for accommodation and medical fees, as well as diagnosis tests and x-rays. You may find that policies on the lower end of the spectrum limit the amount they will pay for out-patient care, but higher-end policies will usually pay in full.

Support for employees that have been diagnosed with cancer will be an attractive benefit of some insurers, as it is the time in an employee's life that they are most vulnerable. Most insurers have specialist teams that deal with cancer patients, but you will need to check whether cancer care is included in your policy. You may also wish to see if there are other benefits, such as long-term psychiatric care.

Premiums work in the same way with business health insurance as they do in other types of insurance. An excess will keep the cost of the insurance low, but the individual will be required to pay an excess for every claim that they make; excesses can be very high and even unaffordable for some employees (up to £500), so you should make sure that you know how large the excess is.

The reason for most companies purchasing private health cover is to make sure that their employees are back to work as fast as possible. The way that most insurers work is to compare the time that they can treat the patient in compared to the NHS - if the NHS waiting list for treatment is longer than a six week period, private cover will be paid for instead.

In the UK, health insurance works in conjunction with the NHS. GP services and emergencies are typically not covered by insurers, so employees should not expect to never use the NHS again.

Create Healthy Soil to Grow a Thriving Holistic Health Business

How does your business garden grow? Have you haphazardly scattered a few seeds among the rocks and weeds? Do you neglect it for months and then wonder why it isn't producing food and flowers?

Picture your holistic health care practice as a plot of ground where you want to grow a flourishing garden. Have you been expecting it to thrive when you haven't prepared an environment that fosters growth?

Success starts with creating a healthy mindset for the foundation in which to plant the seeds of marketing, to grow a flourishing healthcare practice. Working on mindset, we find and remove the "rocks, weeds and bugs" that compromise growth and success. Then, just as with consistent garden maintenance - weeding and watering - continue with mindset work as a recurring activity throughout your career. As motivational author Stephen Covey says: "You have to water the flowers if you want them to grow."

Dedicate specific time in your schedule to work on your money mindset. Focus on affirmations, appreciations, goals, challenges, solutions and successes. Positive beliefs create healthy "soil" in which to plant and grow a variety of marketing strategies that help you achieve business success - a bumper crop of great clients and blooming income!

Now I can hear you saying, "Hey, wait a minute - I thought this was a marketing article. What's up with all this woo-woo gardening stuff?" Yes, it is a marketing article. And yes, marketing is crucial to the success of your practice. But without a solid foundation of healthy beliefs about business, money, success and self-worth, success can be elusive. So... mindset comes before skillset!

Mindset consists of the attitudes and beliefs that we have accumulated and developed over our lifetime. The right mindset isn't only about positive thinking or writing affirmations. These valuable concepts have been around for centuries and recently revived. They are now so prominent in popular culture that you probably already know about them from media such as the film, "The Secret," writers such as Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra, and philosophies such as The Teachings of Abraham.

But mindset is about much more than that. It's about getting out of your own way so that you don't sabotage your success. It's about facing and overcoming deeply ingrained doubts and fears that impede forward momentum in business. It is less about busting through obstacles and more about making shifts in what you believe to be true about yourself, so you can take empowered action to create success and abundance in your life.

Mindset also includes the passion that you have for your work, your enthusiasm for helping others and your pride in being of service in the world. Overcoming self-doubt, breaking through your limiting beliefs, and learning new habits of self-talk will help you create and maintain the confidence you need to take action toward achieving your goals. Your mindset will determine the basis for your long-term success as a health service professional.

Mindset is the controlling factor in all of our business and personal interactions. We have all had both positive and negative experiences in our lives that have influenced our mindset. Some of these beliefs are valid and serve us in a positive way. Others may have been appropriate at one time, for a particular situation, but we continue to hold on to them and base our actions on them out of habit, even if they are no longer relevant in our present situation. And some beliefs were, and continue to be, useless attitudes that never have and never will serve our needs for personal growth or business success, and in fact hold us back from achieving our fullest potential as holistic health practitioners.

Young and Adult Fitness Protects Your Health in Middle Age

If you take good care of your body in return it will take care for you too. All your efforts will be well rewarded now and for years to come. And the sooner you start taking care of your body the better health you will have.

Clinical studies have shown that regular cardiovascular exercises performed in the early adulthood plays a critical role in decreasing the risk of developing many heart diseases in the future. Maintaining good fitness levels now will decrease the possibility to develop high blood pressure and diabetes in the near future. These are conditions which can lead to heart attacks in the old age.

If we perform often exercises our heart muscles grow thicker and our heart is able to pump more blood. Our metabolism and energy levels are improved. So fitness is beneficial if we want to maintain a reasonable health.

The importance of fitness does not have to be underestimated even if you are young and healthy. If you feel good and comfortable in your body, it doesn't meat you don't need to exercise. In fact if you take the effort to do it you will feel even better now and will not have to deal with sedentary-life problems later. Also you will need a proper nutrition and maintain good eating habits, because eating tasty foods may be great but after some years it may turn to be a serious health problem.

Many young people think that middle age is so far away, but you will be surprised how fast time flies. With regular everyday exercise you can still be healthy and after all it doesn't matter how old are you, it only matters how well are you feeling.

How To Protect Your Health Working In The Office

Many people have to spend almost half of their time in offices. This badly influences their health. The office employees face such challenges as chronic fatigue syndrome, problems with slumber and digestion and visual impairment.

Today there are very few offices where there are no computers. But all the visible advantages apart, there are some disadvantages. Staying in the office, where computers constantly work, for a long period of time leads to heightened irritability, headaches and fast fatigability. Moreover, working at the computer for a long time is damaging for eyes.

It is necessary to make a 15-minutes break every hour if you want to protect yourself from the diseases which are provoked by the influence of the computer monitor on the retina of your eyes. The operators who have to constantly watch the screen should buy special spectral glasses which can be either with the diopters or without them. They make the picture more contrast and protect the eyes from the overstrain.

Besides the direct influence on the operator's eyes, the working computers change the structure of the air in a room, which badly affects the health of all people inside it. But this problem not always can be solved by simple ventilation, especially if the office is situated in the center of the city. The using of a modern air cleaner is more effective. Such devices not only clean the air from dust and tobacco smoke but also ionize it and destroy viruses and bacteria. The air cleaner helps to fight with lung diseases of the staff, prevents the development of asthma and season allergy to the blossom dust.

If the firm has no dining hall many employees have to manage with sandwiches and coffee. Such situation leads to the problems with digestion. In such cases it is necessary to take the dinner from home, which can be easily warmed up in the microwave own. The compact fridge-bag or the thermo container will help to avoid the spoiling of food if there is no fridge in your office. They preserve foodstuff fresh for 12 hours. Moreover, the fridge-bag can help to cool the drinks when it is hot.

E-health Bussines

Information Technologies offer a wide range of possibilities for the renewal and improvement of patient-physician relationships, physician-physician relationships, etc. The object is to improve treatment processes, monitoring and communication mechanisms, and streamlining of bureaucratic procedures.

Education as an Information Technology Service

Training is a key aspect in the process of incorporating new tehnologies into everyday activities, as determined by the advance of the Information Society. E-learning is a kind of education characterized by a physical separation between teacher and student, using the internet as a distribution channel for knowledge, and as a means of communication. The content of e-learning is focused on the technical areas.

This also introduces the problem of the low capacity of schools to absorb new technologies. In this regard, another concept of new technologies is the NTAE (New Technologies Applied to Education). The use of these technologies is understood as a resource for education and a means for learning, as a medium for communication and expression, and as a reflection of potential capabilities.

Access to education and culture are among the most obvious benefits that media contribute to society, while technological advances and other benefits of the communication age we live in enhance the odds for an exceptionally positive forecast. However, some experts have stressed that there must be a relationship between the information being supplied and the ability of people to assimilate it. Therefore, education can be made sufficiently convenient by use of these powerful tools.

Applying this to education means revisiting and evaluating its objectives, goals, and teaching methods. The same technological forces that make increased learning so necessary, are also making it easier and more practical. Currently, schools and other institutions are reinventing themselves around the opportunities being opened up by Information Technology. Virtual educational networks may represent the new basic units of the renewed education system, which also includes the design and construction of new educational settings, the help of electronic educational tools, and the training of teachers specialized at teaching in new social spaces.

Gaming as an Information Technology Service

The entertainment industry has been changed. The traditional stage once headed by music and film has changed, and the video game now dominates, especially the console, used mainly for offline games. There is a tendency to use the personal computer less as a games platform. The increase in sales of games and consoles has continued despite the economic crisis. The games selling the most worldwide in 2009 were World of Warcraft and Second Life. The future of gaming continues the trend of convergence with other applications. For in example, in the United States, there has been a tendency to package films together with video games as part of the merchandising.

Mobile as an Information Technology Service

The mobile phone is one of the busiest sections providing Information Technology services. In addition to making voice calls, SMS text messages are cheaper, faster and more efficient as a system of communication than previously. Multimedia messaging is gaining popularity slowly.

The mobile has become a device strongly associated with the individual and therefore supports a strong tendency toward customization; downloading of logos, images, and tunes are highly demanded services.

What is the Personal Information That HIPAA Protects

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) helps protect then personal information of patients that is confidential from unauthorized people. Privacy of medical records is ensured by HIPAA and it gives the patients complete control over who accesses the information and who doesn’t.

Anyone who wishes to access the information of the patient would require a written permission from the patient or their representative to access the medical records. The written permission would not be necessary only under certain specific circumstances. Health care providers would not require the permission of the patient if the information that is accessed is used for treatment purposes.

A notice of privacy is required to be provided by all nurses, doctors, dentists and other health care providers when the patient visit them for the first time. The patients are requested to sign the notice of privacy stating that they had received a copy of HIPAA rules and regulations. The signature would be requested only for the first visit and subsequent visits do not necessitate a signature.

The information that is sought to be protected by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act can be in written form or through any other medium. Even oral information that is given to health care providers would need to be protected by HIPAA.

What Are The Various Types Of Patient Information That Is Protected By HIPAA

• Name of the patient and their address is the most basic information that is provided and this needs to be safeguarded.

• Age, phone, fax number and email address is also provided by patients and they would also need to be protected as per the provisions of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

• Medical records of past and present along with test results, X rays, scan reports and other relevant reports would also need to be protected. Apart from this prescriptions written by doctors for past illnesses should be safeguarded.

• Billing records and insurance claims made are to be protected by HIPAA.

All this information is confidential and can be accessed only by those who are specifically authorized for this purpose. No other person should be allowed to access it. The personal information of patients can be accessed by health care providers and other agencies on the orders of the court or if they are to be used for identifying missing individuals or suspects. Apart from this the information can be accessed for reporting crime or abuse.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has some very stringent provisions as to who can access the patient records and any sort of violation is punishable with fine or imprisonment or both.

Medical records of patients that are pertaining to mental illness are subject to stricter safeguards and if there are any privacy violations they would be severely penalized. HIPAA ensures that all important information pertaining to patients is safeguarded in the best manner possible. This will help prevent the information from been used for fraudulent purposes. Patients can also be assured that their personal medical information is safe under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Tips For Taking Responsibility For Your Own Health and Understanding the Health Care Account

Dr. Curot: Yeah. That’s always one of the first things that comes up. Here’s my belief on this. The reality is that more people these days have a greater financial stake in their health or sickness than ever before. There’s a growing trend that I predict will continue to grow, obviously depending on what happens as our new president comes in and what policies may take place, but the reality will be no matter what happens, consumers will be at greater risk financially the more they are at greater risk with their health. Thuat’s just going to be the trend.

So what really needs to happen for people is they have to realize that their health is their responsibility. Our health is our responsibility. Up until recently I believe that the consciousness that people have had, consumers have had, is that, “If it has to do with my health it should be covered by my insurance.” It’s the only place in our economy that we believe should be free and taken care of. I think it’s our responsibility as providers to start waking people up to the facts.

The facts are that your health insurance is really more like your car insurance. Most people don’t expect their car insurance to cover gas and tires and wipers and even little minor fender-benders. Most everybody knows that if you go to your insurance if you have even a minor fender-bender, what’s going to happen to your insurance rates? They’re going to go up. So most people have been trained to Understand that. In healthcare we haven’t gotten that point across. We need to.

The trend that I predict and we write about in the book, our last chapter is “Staying Healthy Can Make You Rich” is really all about the new trend of high- deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts. There may be some controversy about it. It’s not perfect for everyone in every circumstance but there is a large population of people that they’re great for that really could be putting pre-tax dollars into their own health savings accounts that would allow them to do one of two things. I think this is the opportunity and I think this is really where it gets, not everybody but most people most of the time are going to benefit and be able to use dollars to be able to invest in their health by using what I think of as inexpensive healthcare modalities. One of two things will happen. Either you’ll be able to use your health savings account money when recommended by a doctor for qualified medical expenses... A chiropractor is the perfect type of doctor because they tend to be holistic by nature and this ties back into creating a wellness network. So under the laws, and if those people who are using health savings accounts, when a service is recommended by a doctor, by a chiropractor perhaps, it could be a naturopath or others, that service then can be qualified, may be qualified, obviously check your laws and all of those things to not misinterpret what I’m saying, but those are qualified expenses to be paid for with pre-tax dollars. Now that gives you an instant 30 to 40 percent, depending on your tax bracket, savings on these types of services, which is tremendous.

The best opportunity really is for people to understand that when they are investing in their health and these types of services that they are in fact able to also save and kind of create an additional retirement fund. So if you’re not able to use your health savings account money, let that accumulate, you can in fact accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime, if you start early enough, for your retirement. You’ll probably use this money sooner or later at some point in time, but to be able to accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars of pre-tax dollars as an additional retirement account, gives you a very good incentive to want to do what you can to get well and stay well. I believe, as I said, for most people, most of the time, getting and staying well is a majority of the things you can do for yourself. Then you have additional support and help from those providers who can help you with the things that you can’t necessarily do for yourself.

Kevin: Right. Some people may not know exactly what a health savings account is. Can you just briefly explain that? I didn’t realize that they can accrue interest. Is that correct?

Dr. Tikoes: Yes, they do accrue interest. It’s very much like an IRA or an additional retirement account of sorts. You accumulate your money. You get to keep it. It’s yours. That’s the incentive. That’s the point. And that is really the essence of how staying healthy can make you financially rich. We mean rich in all sense of the word. We know that richness in life is your ability to have freedom and freedom comes from your ability to be healthy and well and make the choices you want to make because you’re not hindered by some sort of health condition that prevents you from doing that. But financially, yes, you can retire with hundreds of thousands of dollars if you follow this program that we talk about in the book, by following these recommendations.

A health savings account is something that has recently become popular, because of new laws passed only two years ago, that is a bank account that you have to have a high-deductible health plan, a qualifying high-deductible insurance program plan that would allow you to then get a health savings account and put, every year it changes, it’s approximately 2,900 dollars per year or approximately over 5,000 dollars for a family, to put that money, pre-tax like you would a retirement account, pre-tax, into your own account that is your money. If you don’t spend it you keep it. I think that is a tremendous incentive for people to invest in their well being so they don’t have to spend it. It’s there if you need it and many of us are going to require a greater and greater security blanket. After several years you can have tens of thousands of dollars in your own account, which again is pre-tax dollars to spend on any type of healthcare or medical care that may be necessary to supplement these high deductibles 2, 3, 4, 5 thousand dollars at a time. If you’re doing this properly you’ll have that money in an account so you in fact don’t really have the risk that you may have even if you go through a traditional insurance program.

People think that if you have a low deductible, maybe 500 or 1,000 dollars, which used to be traditional, that you were in a much safer position. What people need to learn more about are these new types of plans. If you do find yourself having high expenses in many cases the low-deductible plans also may have what they call an 80/20 policy where you’re still responsible for 20 percent of your co-payments. Your out of pocket expense can add up very quickly if you were to need and use your insurance. The high-deductible plans, although you’re responsible for your first deductible, maybe 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 dollars, many of these plans cover you 100 percent once you’ve covered your deductible. So depending on your perspective and your attitude as to how you choose to use your insurance will depend on really how you use it. I think that there is a tremendous education for most people to realize that it’s far better to put that money into your own pocket, far better for you to become more responsible for your own health, accumulate those dollars, have access to any type of provider you would like to see and pay them directly for it. Because the reverse psychology is that many people, and I know people and I’m sure you do too Kevin, that go, “I pay a fortune for my health insurance. I’ve got a sniffle, I’ve got a sneeze, I’ve got an ache and a pain, I’m going to the doctor because I’m paying for it. I’m going to get my money’s worth.” There’s a lot of critics that may argue that people don’t get the care that they need. I will argue that there are too many people that are almost hypochondriacs about it because they think that they’ve got to go get care because they’re paying for it.

I just don’t think consumers are yet educated enough consumers. And that’s our job, that’s our role. I think that’s the potential that’s going to really help a new paradigm come into place. Doctor means teacher and as healthcare providers I don’t think our job is to do things to people, it’s really to teach them a better way. We will see how things evolve with our new president but there must be a better way. I promise you one thing, we can’t afford the existing system much longer.

Routine Treadmill Maintenance Protects Your Investment And Keeps Your Exercisers Happy

Your treadmills are among the most popular pieces of cardio equipment and require maintenance on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. Establishing an ongoing maintenance schedule assures proper and safe operation, prevents downtime and extends product life. The essential tools for treadmill maintenance are a small shop vacuum, an all purpose non-corrosive alcohol-free cleaner, a lubing agent, such as WD40, and clean cotton towels. Before performing any maintenance always remove the equipment from its power source.

Daily Maintenance: includes wiping down the console, handrails, shrouds and heart rate grips with an alcohol-free cleaner. Inspect power cords for nicks, cuts or fraying and replace if needed. Progressive facilities are increasingly aware of member health concerns and promote the use of equipment cleaners or wipes. Exercisers help with daily maintenance by cleaning the console, handrails and heart rate grips as a courtesy to others. Choose equipment cleaners or wipes that contain an antimicrobial agent that will help disinfect the equipment from common bacteria. Do not use alcohol based or corrosive cleaners as they may cause the console to turn opaque or white.

Weekly Maintenance: wipe down the treadmill frame, striding belt and stop button. Inspect the striding belt for proper alignment, tension and fraying at the seam and edges. If fraying exists, replace the striding belt immediately. The striding belt also needs replacement when the under side of the belt feels hard and has a glazed appearance. Normal striding belt backing should be somewhat soft and smooth feeling. [see photo] Also, raise the treadmill to maximum elevation and vacuum any loose debris or dust. Treadmills on carpeted areas should be placed on rubber mats to reduce static electricity build-up and help prevent dust and debris from accumulating on the striding belt, rollers and electronics.

Monthly Maintenance: includes inspecting the treadmill console for cracks, punctures, and overlays or keypads peeling up from the console base. Check that console functions are working properly. Inspect the handrails, foot rails, rear roller guard and tighten any loose bolts or screws. Replace any cracked, punctured, peeling, or damaged parts. Routine part replacements promote optimal performance and prevent costly breakdowns. Also inspect, clean and lubricate the elevation screws. This will help the treadmill operate at incline and decline more smoothly. Always remove any foreign debris from areas that move or rotate. Check owner's manual for elevation screw locations.

Quarterly Maintenance: includes lubing the striding belt and deck. Any increase in amps or breakers tripping could mean these items are not properly lubed. With the increasing number of manufacturers there is no longer standard striding belt and deck lube types. Some models have auto wax, while others may need to be lubed once a month or every three months. Striding belt and deck maintenance has the biggest impact on treadmill performance and will determine the longevity of the rollers, motors and electronics. Always refer to your owner’s manual for the correct lube type and instructions. Remove the front shroud or cover and check for any loose cables or connections, vacuum loose debris, and check the drive belt for any cracks or wear. Check the drive belt for proper tension and the front roller for any wax build up and debris around the shaft or axle. Watch for debris such as hair, threads, or loose roller bearings, which are common treadmill malfunction culprits. Owner’s manuals provide a guide through this process.

6 Ways the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Protects Workers

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of the United States of 1996 was brought about to protect the health insurance of the employees, workers, employers and their families. The act helped organize the health insurance sector in the United States, taking care of the health insurance of workers and employees and their families, giving the owner of the insurance greater control over his or her personal information and health details and preventing the misuse of information. The act has been framed to benefit individuals and their families in many different ways. Read on to see how the act will benefit you and your family.

• HIPAA helps with coverage for preexisting medical conditions: Before HIPAA came into existence, most employers would provide health benefits to the new employees but would not extend the health benefits in case of certain preexisting medical conditions, or medical conditions which were detected or were being treated before the joining at the new workplace. HIPAA limits this power of the employers by defining a 6 month period prior to joining the new organization for a preexisting condition. The act allows the individual to look back 6 months and include certain medical conditions during that period as well. However, this is entirely up to the employer.

• HIPAA helps employees and their families enroll for health insurance in case of life events like marriage or children: Most employers and establishments provide insurance coverage to their employees and their families. The families of those who are covered are also entitled to the group health plan. HIPAA eases the inclusion of new members like spouses and children and other dependents into the group health plan.

• HIPAA protects the health insurances of the employees even during loss of jobs or change of jobs: One of the features of HIPAA is the protection of the health cover the employee gets. Their health insurance can be protected even during events like loss of job or change of job. The act makes it easy for the employees to switch jobs, without having to worry about losing health insurance.

• HIPAA helps maintain uniformity amongst all the employees in terms of insurance and premiums: Under group health plans for establishment, there is a uniformity maintained amongst all the employees and their employers. HIPAA advocates that the insurance packages and the premiums must be uniform and fair to all the members of the participating organization. Discrimination on the basis of health, status or other related factors is not permitted.

• HIPAA ensures insurance to both small and large establishments: HIPAA guarantees availability and renewability of health insurance to all organizations and establishments, big or small.

• HIPAA lets you be the owner of your own information: HIPAA allows each individual to access and control their own records. They have the power to control their own medical and personal information. Data theft is a very serious offense under the act.