ANY WILLING PROVIDER – DOES YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY RESTRICT YOUR ACCESS TO A DOCTOR IN IDAHO

buy Pregabalin india Some insurers and their plans still make it difficult for patients to see the doctor of their choice.  The “Any Willing Provider Law” in Idaho mandates that all insurance companies open their doors to any provider, granted the provider apply and follow the terms of the contractual agreement.  It still seems some insurances companies restrict access to doctors and hospitals and make it difficult to get through that open door. 

repentantly In the emergency rooms of America, EMTALA took care of that.  It’s definition now is the “layperson’s view of the emergency.”

One case in Idaho went to the Supreme Court already, where the Supremes overruled the lower court, and award costs and a new appeal to a group of cardiologists. 

Isn’t it time all companies and groups representing themselves as gatekeepers to care – that insure patients in Idaho – obey the law?   Patients need to be pro-active knowing their rights.

SUMMARY


AWP laws come in a variety of forms but the most common type prohibits managed care networks from excluding physicians, pharmacists, hospitals, and other health care providers who are willing to accept the network’s terms and conditions from participation. As the term implies, AWP laws require managed care network sponsors to include any provider who agrees to abide by the terms of their contract and accept their payment schedule.

AWP laws adopted around the country differ considerably. Some permit managed care plan subscribers freedom of choice to select any provider in general, and others have choice with respect to pharmacies or even narrow categories of specialists such as chiropractors, optometrists, or psychiatrists. Some AWP laws apply to institutional providers such as hospitals and still others require network sponsors to merely notify subscribers of plan practices.

As best as we can determine at least 17 states have passed some form of AWP law. But, the governors of Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont vetoed their respect AWP legislation. The laws in nine states apply only to pharmacies and pharmacists. Among these is the Massachusetts proposal which the governor vetoed. The Massachusetts legislature voted to override the veto.

California has an open-panel requirement with respect to health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Minnesota adopted a law that requires managed care plans to expand network providers
and Virginia has an open-panel requirement for preferred provider organizations (PPOs) networks that permit chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, and psychologists to join if they agree to terms and conditions.


Idaho (1994)

Idaho enacted an AWP law and grievance procedure. The law includes provisions that specify that (1) any provider who is qualified and willing to meet plan terms and conditions must be allowed to participate as a network provider; (2) termination or nonrenewal of a provider may occur only after written notice of intended breach of contract, and (3) all insurers must have a grievance procedure in place that includes arbitration or other reasonable due process features (HB 886). (Adapted from: olr@po. state. ct. us)

Is your doctor getting old? Ask the mature doctor if:

Does the doctor know that doctors and nurses wrote on the same non-electronic paper?

Does your doctor know that intravenous solutions came in glass, as well as “shots” – bottles like milk?

Does your doctor know that bedpans were steel and cold?

Does your doctor know that the coroner and funeral director and the ambulance driver were all the same guy?

Does your doctor know that appendix can come out without a catscan?

Does your doctor know that defibrillators were once very big devices and heavy?

Does your doctor reminisce when nurses got up to let the doctor sit down?

Does your doctor remember the times of routine housecalls?

Does your doctor know the Rat Pak is not a surgical dressing?

Does your doctor know the ER was not manned 24/7?

Does your doctor know that a wet xray reading was actually wet?

Does your doctor know listening to patients is a good thing?

adapted with additional content from EPM and castMD.com

DIARRHEA – THE NOT SO TALKED ABOUT SERIOUS ILLNESS

Diarrhea is certainly a “not so talked about” medical condition. But today, at least one kind of diarrhea is becoming quite a medical problem. It is the Clostridium Difficile colitis (colon infection and inflammation).

Physicians, nurses, clinics and hospitals as well as Public Health agencies are seeing a rise in the incidence of this C. Difficile associated diarrhea. This change in the demographics of this disease is toward a younger and healthier group of patients, and not the classic patients.

The typical patients for this “C. Diff.” diarrhea have been the elderly, those with recent antibiotic usage, and those on certain higher risk medications such as clindamycin, cephalosporins, and quinolones. Recent hospitalization and the use of gastric acid blockers, now advertised daily on television and print media are also higher risk factors.

The use of gastric acid blockers has been studied and continues to be. This arena of high use of these acid pH changing medicines in the gut may be contributing to the growth of the C. Diff. more quickly in the gut, than without the acid blocker.

The toxin in itself from the bacteria, can cause worsening symptoms such as toxic mega colon, severe sepsis, perforation of the gut, a need for colectomy (removal of the colon), and even death.

The diarrhea is many times unrelenting. It continues to be watery, sometimes mucous-like, and eventually bloody. But many patients wait to see if the diarrhea will clear. Dehydration and weight loss can be associated with such diarrhea also.

There are both blood tests for the disease and stool tests specific to the disease.

If you are on antibiotics, and develop diarrhea over 24 hours you must call your health care provider or doctor. The best treatment is to stop the antibiotic immediately with your doctor’s order if possible.

Many times two different OTHER antibiotics are used to treat the C. Diff. infection of the colon. One antibiotic for the C. Diff. is only about 80% effective now, while the backup drug is only about 90% effective. But now, resistance is starting to mount to these treatments, leaving patients in severe distress with life-threatening diarrhea and infection.

New studies are being done now using probiotics. Specifically Sacharomyces boulardii and other lactobacilli have been studied. Many are recommending the use of probiotics with the initiation of antibiotics and other antimicrobials.

There are many reasons patients get diarrhea.  But you can eliminate some high risk yourself.  So, do not use antibiotics without a reason. Do not borrow or loan antibiotics. Always talk with your doctor if you develop diarrhea while on antibiotics. When in doubt, call.

CastMD says, “You do NOT want to develop this toxic type of diarrhea.”

DRUGS IN WORKPLACE – BIGGER CONCERN THAN YOU MIGHT THINK – ARE YOUR COMPANY POLICIES IN PLACE?

DRUGS IN WORKPLACE –  ARE YOU TRYING TO SKIRT THE ISSUE?

A month or so ago the Feds released their workplace data regarding use of drugs while on duty in various jobs and employments. These are the newest data compared to previous studies in mid-nineties.

Industries that continue to have high rates of on the job drug use and use of drugs are those industries in general that continue to have high job turnover rates.

Illicit drug usage among the 18-64 year olds working full-time was the highest in food service and accommodation industry, construction work, entertainment and arts, information services, and management support companies.

The highest rate was 16.9 percent of the food and accommodation employees used illicit drugs in the last month, in the survey.

Construction workers and miners had the highest heavy use alcohol rates at 17.8 percent. Even CEO’s rate was at 8 percent for heavy alcohol usage.

Marijuana continues to lead the pack on illicit drug use for these surveys.

Over 12 percent of the illicit drug users had three or more employers in the past year! Current drug users had twice the rate of missing one or more days in the last month.

Increased rates of illicit drug use were seen in men and lesser paid jobs.

About half of the full-time workers report that their company does pre-placement drug testing. Protective services had the highest rate (76%) of this type of testing, while legal occupations had the lowest (14%) reported in the study.

Only one-third of the workers reported random drug testing policies by their employers.

ONLY one-third of the workers reported they would be less likely to work for companies with random testing programs in place.