Mid-level Providers-Threat or Good Idea?
It’s a problem I have heard before – fear over using a mid-level provider.
What is a mid-level provider?
You probably know the answer, even if you have not heard the term. It is a health care professional who provides care under the supervision of a physician. Examples of medical mid-level providers include: Continue Reading »
Dental and Vision Plans See Questions in Health Reform
Are dental and vision plans off the hook for health reform?
The answer – it depends.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) confused more than one group health plan sponsor. Early assumptions were standalone dental and vision plans were exempt from the Affordable Care Act.
A recent publication by Segal, an employee benefits consulting firm, indicates it’s not that black and white. Continue Reading »
No Dental Insurance – When Dental Problems Bite Back
This was not supposed to happen.
I am a former dental hygienist and spent over 30 years in the employee benefits/insurance industry. But, even a doctor gets sick.
My problem? I broke my lateral incisor off at the root – for all the world to see. My new best friends are hockey players. And me without dental insurance – for the first time in my working life. Ah, the life of the self-employed. Continue Reading »
Heart Disease And Gum Disease Bites
For some time now, studies linked gum disease with heart disease, although it has been a chicken or the egg problem.
Is periodontal (gum) disease a risk factor for heart disease or does gum disease cause heart disease? Continue Reading »
Feeling Down in the Mouth?
Your Mouth Might Have the Answer
In a former life, I was a dental hygienist. One day I had a 10-year old child as a patient. When the child opened her mouth, I realized there was a very good chance she had scarlet fever. I won’t gross you out with a description of what gave me the clue, but her mother confirmed my guess days later. It is not unusual for the first signs of a medical condition to show up in your mouth. Neglecting your oral health can also result in medical problems.
