What Is the Difference between Worker’s Comp and Disability Retirement?

0

Workers compensation is a type of insurance in the form of payment for wage losses due to an illness or injury caused by work. For state and federal employees it is administered by the Office of Personnel Management.

As work-related illnesses or sickness can dramatically affect your life, workers compensation program Dallas experts know how important it is to receive the medical treatment and wage loss payment you deserve. They even help workers file their claim. The Federal Employees Compensation ensures that by law workers compensation grants a payment for workers that have a permanent, total of partial disability sustained while performing job duties. There are non-scheduled and scheduled awards for those that were disabled on the job. Non-scheduled awards are for employees that will be able to return to work, and schedule awards are for employees that have a permanent impairment, such as losing an eye.

The disability retirement program is distinct in that the payment is received whether or not the disease or injury was sustained while on the job. This program is administered by the Office of Personnel Management and it pays an annuity in order to partially compensate for any salary lost due to the disability.

You cannot receive workers compensation and disability annuity payments at the same time. If you receive federal or state workers compensation your disability payments will be suspended until your workers compensation payment plan has ended.


Continue Reading

How Can Patients Avoid Unnecessary Medical Fees?

1

To keep from dealing with aggressive or mean-spirited collectors, uninsured patients often avoid setting foot in medical facilities at all costs. A patient that can’t afford a doctor’s visit, for example, might let a cold go untreated until they suddenly find themselves with full-blown pneumonia. By then, the emergency room is their only option, and the cost of a hospital stay will far exceed their budget. Luckily, most hospitals – and an increasing number of private practices – count on medical accounts receivable solutions to help patients repay their medical bills without breaking the bank. But how can patients be sure that what they are paying for is right?

To avoid paying for unnecessary services or facility fees, patients should:

Ask whether the service is necessary. If your doctor suggests surgery or an expensive test, ask if there are any other cost effective alternatives. Doctors sometimes order the same procedures out of habit but may be familiar with other, less expensive treatments that are just as effective. Find out what the risks and benefits are of each treatment plan in order to make a more informed decision.

Ask for the procedure’s CPT code ahead of time. If you know which CPT codes your provider will be billing your insurance company for, you can do some investigating and find out whether certain facilities charge less for the same services. Though your insurance company will be the best source of information, websites such as fairhealthconsumer.org can help patients estimate local medical expenses.

Ask for an itemized list of charges. If you have ever been hospitalized, you are more than likely familiar with the final bill you receive after being discharged. You usually get a bill with a big number and little explanation. But what exactly do your $10,000 hospital fees include? Patients often report being charged more than once for the same test, or even being billed for unnecessary procedures. Some women, in fact, have mentioned being billed for pregnancy tests, even after telling doctors that they are pregnant. If you have a full description of all charges, you can make sure that you aren’t getting billed even a penny more than you should.

Keep in mind that medical facilities which employ medical accounts receivable solutions generally work with patients to provide cash discounts and debt repayment plans. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more about revenue cycle management education and medical collections resources.


Continue Reading

What Was the Strangest War in American History?

0

Historical Background of the War of 1812:

US Presidents Books

On June 1, 1812, President James Madison asked Congress to declare war against the United Kingdom. He gave as his reasons the impressment of United States seamen and the interference with United States trade. He charged also that the British had stirred up Indian warfare in the Northwest. Congress declared war on June 18, 1812. Two days earlier, the British foreign minister had announced that the Orders in Council would be repealed, but word of this announcement did not reach America until after the war had begun.

7 reasons why the War of 1812 was an odd war:

1. The War of 1812 was in many ways the strangest war in United States history. It could well be named the War of Faulty Communication. Two days before war was declared, the British government stated that it would repeal the laws, which were the chief reason for fighting. If there had been telegraphic communication with Europe, the war might well have been avoided. Speedy communication would also have prevented the greatest battle of the war, which was fought at New Orleans 15 days after a treaty of peace had been signed.

2. The chief United States complaint against the British was interference with shipping. But New England, the great shipping section of the United States, bitterly opposed the idea of going to war. The demand for war came chiefly from the West and South.

3. It is strange also that the war, fought for freedom of the seas, began with the invasion of Canada. In addition, the treaty of peace that ended the war settled none of the issues over which it had supposedly been fought.

4. Another oddity was that the young United States was willing to risk war against the powerful United Kingdom. Finally, add that both sides claimed victory in the War of 1812, and it becomes clear that the whole struggle was a confused mass of contradictions.

5. The War of 1812 was the only time since independence that foreign troops occupied Washington, D.C.  In 1814, The British Army, under General Robert Ross, was escorted by a fleet to Chesapeake Bay, scattered the United States troops at the Battle of Bladensburg, occupied Washington, D.C., and set fire to the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings. President Madison and wife Dolly barely escaped the British surprise attack of the American capital. Dolly Madison refused to leave the White House without saving a portrait of George Washington and a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Both the British Army and the British fleet were driven back at Baltimore. This engagement inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

6. It was also the only war since Independence in which the United States invaded Canada. In April 1813, York (now Toronto), the capital of Upper Canada, was captured by United States troops and held for a short time. Some of the public buildings were burned.

7. The final major battle of the war took place after a peace treaty was signed. The Battle of New Orleans was the last engagement of the war. It was fought on Jan. 8, 1815. Like the declaration of war, this battle might have been prevented if there had been speedy communication. A treaty of peace had been signed at Ghent, Belgium, 15 days before the battle took place, but the treaty was not ratified by the United States until a month later.

Find out information on the War of 1812 and its strange occurrence in the extensive encyclopedia collection from World Book Encyclopedia.

 


Continue Reading

Why are we still looking for Amelia Earhart 75 years later?

5

I am sure you have heard of Amelia Earhart, the famous 20th Century American aviatrix. But, you may not have known that Amelia Earhart’s discovery effort was recently renewed. Why 75 years later? World Book Encyclopedia shares some insights into Earhart’s personality to help clarify why her mysterious death still fascinates us today.

                           

1.  She was an innovator: 

World Book EncyclopediaAmelia Earhart was a famous pilot who broke new ground for women in aviation. In her lifetime, she had many accomplishments. For instance, she was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.  This award is given to pilots who achieve great feats in aerial flight.

 

 

 

2.  She was altruistic:

 encyclopedias online articleAmelia Earhart inherited money from her maternal grandmother, and could have lived a very quiet, comfortable life, but she was no ordinary woman. She was a caring, compassionate person who took care of other people whenever she could. As a young woman, she became a volunteer nurse during World War I.

 

 

 

 

3.  She was a leader: 

Online encyclopedia

Amelia Earhart was one of very few female pilots when she began flying. As her career progressed, she encouraged other women to become pilots as well. She helped found the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of woman pilots.

 

 

 

 

4.  She was ambitious: 

Earhart's plane

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone. She flew from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in Canada to Londonderry in Northern Ireland. This was considered an important step in the effort to develop commercial aviation.

 

 

 

 

5.  She had a catastrophic death:

Online Encyclopedia Articles By World Book

Tragedy struck in 1937 when Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick J. Noonan disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world.  Amelia Earhart’s plane probably ran out of fuel over the Pacific Ocean. The remains of her body, Frederick Noonan’s body, and the plane were never found.  While most people believe that she crashed into the Pacific Ocean, the exact circumstances of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance are still unknown.

 

Find out more about Amelia Earhart’s mysterious death and other American Heroines with encyclopedias online.

 

Works Cited:

Bednarek, Janet R. “Earhart, Amelia.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2012. Web.  10 May 2012.


Continue Reading

What you need to know about endometriosis and infertility

3

Endometriosis and infertilityEndometriosis is hard to pronounce, let alone understand. What’s even more uncertain is how endometriosis and infertility are connected. Here is a quick break down on the subject.

What is endometriosis?

Every month, your ovaries release the hormones estrogen and progesterone that make the endometrium grow thicker for the anticipation of an egg. If you get pregnant, the fertilized egg attaches to the endometrium and starts to grow. If you do not get pregnant, the hormone levels drop and the endometrium breaks down, and your body sheds the tissue during your menstrual period.

With endometriosis, the endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus in other parts of the body, like the lower abdomen or pelvis (the ovaries, fallopian tubes, the ligaments that support the uterus, the outer surface of the uterus, on the outside of the intestines, and on the lining of the pelvic cavity).

Adenomyosis is the name of endometrial tissue growing within the uterine muscular walls . The growths of endometrial tissue outside the normal location are usually not malignant or cancerous.

The problem with these growths is that the tissues begin to behave like normal endometrial tissue. They build up each month, break down, and cause bleeding. But unlike the lining of the uterus, the blood from these growths does not leave the body. This internal bleeding inflames the surrounding areas and forms scar tissue that makes it more difficult to get pregnant.

How does endometriosis affect fertility?

Even women with a mild to moderate form of the disease are able to conceive. Infertility is more common in women with severe forms of the disease, but the reasons are not completely understood. They may include scar tissue within the pelvis that may distort normal structures, such as the fallopian tubes that transport the eggs from the ovaries. Perhaps too much estrogen may have a negative effect on ovulation, fertilization of the egg, including implantation of the embryo. More study is needed.

How is endometriosis treated?

Endometriosis treatment may provide pain relief, stop the progression of the disease, and preserve or restore fertility. If your only concern is to reduce pain and bleeding, you can take hormone medication that will stop ovulation and shrink the lesions. The problem is that this therapy also prevents pregnancy.

If you want to get pregnant laparoscopy can cut out and remove adhesions and scar tissue that causes pain or infertility. Doctors can also use a laser beam or electric current to destroy them, as well as remove cysts found in the ovary. The symptoms of endometriosis usually improve if you become pregnant.

Have a question about endometriosis and infertility? Don’t hesitate to ask or discuss in the comments section your own experiences living with the disease.


Continue Reading

What Is the Biggest Obstacle to Losing Weight?

2

People can struggle for years and year trying to lose an extra few points. It can even seem like one of the most challenging things to accomplish in life. But is it really that hard? What is keeping us from achieving our weight loss goals and looking the way that we want to?

For one thing, no two people are alike and many traditional weight loss plans are designed to be “one-size fits all” and when such a strategy does not work it can leave people feeling very discouraged. Medical diet Dallas experts for example work with patient’s individual characteristics in order to design a customized plan that is suited to the person.

An additional challenging obstacle to losing weight is our modern day lifestyle. Time to sit down to eat, properly cook a fresh meal and even grocery shop is limited as we try to fit everything in throughout the day. Going for what is easiest, i.e. ordering take-out, getting fast food, snacking whenever you have a few extra minutes can be detrimental to our weight loss goals, but present themselves as the only viable option to surviving the day.

To learn more about customized weight loss programs visit this medical weight loss program Dallas specialist website.


Continue Reading

Are North Carolina Non Profit Hospitals Getting Power Hungry?

2

In North Carolina, there are several not-for-profit hospital systems that have been spotlighted in recent articles that claim they are taking advantage of significant profits by failing to provide charity care and chasing patients with unpaid bills.

While having medical collections up to date or having a revenue cycle management company help track your billings and collections is an important part of running a hospital business, it is assumed that non-profit hospitals who provide charity care would not pay so close attention to these financial aspects.

The articles published in the Charlotte Observer newspaper have been reporting over the past week on various aspects of a hospital revenue cycle and their collection practices, including a recount of how two hospitals have filed over 24,000 lawsuits in the last five years as a means of recovering unpaid bills.

But are some hospitals really getting power hungry as this week-long series is suggesting? The newspaper, the Observer, is claiming that the Carolinas Healthcare System, for example, is making high profit margins at the expense of the financial health; however Carolinas Healthy System has objected the newspapers claim reporting that their operating margin is a better measure of their profits.

To learn more about medical collection operations visit this healthcare collections training company website.


Continue Reading

Get the facts about National Infertility Awareness Week April 22 – 28

0

National Infertility Awareness Week April 22 - 28 -- Get the facts!National Infertility Awareness Week® (NIAW) began in 1989 with a goal to raise awareness about infertility and to encourage the public to understand their reproductive health.  During the week tell the world (or Facebook and Twitter) that people with infertility matter and ask them to help you spread the word. To guide you through a few ins and outs, here are some easy facts to get you started.

What is infertility?


Infertility is a disease or condition of the reproductive system often diagnosed after a couple has had one year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse, or if the woman has suffered from multiple miscarriages and is under 35 years of age. If she is over 35 years old, it is diagnosed after 6 months of unprotected, well-timed intercourse. After a diagnosis many couples begin infertility treatments.

Who gets it?


Infertility is a medical problem. Approximately 30% of infertility is due to a female factor and 30% is due to a male factor. In the balance of the cases, infertility results from problems in both partners or the cause of the infertility cannot be explained.

What are the risk factors?

Weight, age, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Tubal Disease, Endometriosis, DES exposure, smoking and alcohol

What are the signs and symptoms?


Often there are no signs or symptoms associated with an infertility problem. Listen to your body and get regular checkups. Early detection and treatment are often critical to achieve successful pregnancies.

How is infertility treated?


Medical technology now offers more answers and treatment options to men and women trying to conceive a child. From hormonal treatments, ovulation induction and Intrauterine insemination to more advanced technologies like in vitro fertilization, ICSI to surrogacy, egg/sperm donation and even embryo donation.

What medications are used?


There are a variety of medications used to treat infertility. It is important to understand the medications and what their purpose is and to speak with your physician about the medications that will be used in your specific treatment plan.

What is artificial insemination?


It is a procedure used for couples with unexplained infertility, minimal male infertility, and women with cervical mucus problems. The procedure uses the husband’s or donor’s sperm, washing and treating the sperm, and then injecting it into the woman during the time of ovulation.

What is In Vitro or IVF?


In vitro fertilization (IVF) gets its name from the fact that fertilization occurs outside of the woman’s body, in a lab dish instead of a woman’s fallopian tubes. Typically, a woman will use ovulation stimulating drugs to produce an excess number of eggs. These eggs are surgically removed from the woman and fertilized in dish with sperm. If fertilization takes place, the physician transfers the embryo(s) into the women’s uterus.

All this week help spread the word about infertility through social media platforms like facebook and Twitter. There are many infertility treatments available for hopeful parents struggling with this condition and it’s important for them to know that they’re not alone.

 

 


Continue Reading

What you need to know about DHEA

3

DHEAWhat is DHEA?
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a natural steroid hormone produced primarily by the adrenal gland located on top of the kidneys, as well as in the reproductive organs and brain. When DHEA is released into your bloodstream, your body uses it to make testosterone and estrogen.

DHEA has been studied for its effect on the reproductive system, mental function, mood, longevity, autoimmune disease, muscle growth, cancer, cardiovascular health and more. However, most recently it has drawn attention due to its beneficial effects on fertility.

DHEA and fertility
DHEA is believed to play a unique role in preserving the number of healthy eggs a woman has in her ovaries. Around 35, stress, genetics and other lifestyle factors can also play a role in declining DHEA production, resulting in a diminished quantity of high-quality eggs available and making natural conception very difficult.

Research shows that DHEA may help maintain healthy levels of insulin-like growth factor, which prevent ovarian aging; maintain normal levels of androgen hormones that control ovarian function and; improve the chromosome quality of eggs, which increases the likelihood of pregnancy.

DHEA treatment 
A growing number of fertility clinics have begun to use synthetic DHEA supplements as a part of their treatment program for women with aging ovaries, such as diminished ovarian reserve, repeat miscarriages and ovarian failure. According to a 2010 study published by Tel Aviv University, women who were given DHEA supplements were three times more likely to become pregnant.

Is DHEA safe?
Despite the growing interest in DHEA treatment, there is little known about the long-term use of DHEA on infertile women. The quality of DHEA products that are available at the local vitamin stores cannot be guaranteed for effectiveness or safety.

There have been no serious side effects reported with DHEA use. A recent survey estimated that approximately 25% of fertility clinics worldwide are now using DHEA.

Consult your doctor to learn more about DHEA supplements.

Posted in: Infertility

Continue Reading

What is Intelligent Design?

2

Intelligent Design, a theory based on the idea of a higher being as the designer of all life, is a present attempt to bring back religion into evolutionary theory, which is currently dominated by the modern synthesis of Darwinian evolution and genetics. The debate over whether or not to incorporate this new theory into evolutionary teaching in American schools brought up some interesting questions for the US school system.

After over a century of scientific discoveries supporting Darwin’s theory, reintroducing religious views into scientific thought appears counterproductive, but at the same time, the recurrent conversation shows us all that this debate is still in need of reconciliation and the resulting tension between two parties is something that an eminent domain lawyer may be familiar with.

The modern synthesis and intelligent design represent different evolutionary standpoints in which the former is based on biological processes and organism’s adaptations to their environment, and the latter on the intent of a designer. Although design ideologists believe that mutation and natural selection exist and have contributed to variation in organisms, their main claim is that the complexity of life is far too great for the material world alone to create. The argument is that such a high degree of complexity can only be attributed to the work of a higher being.

It must also be noted that intelligent design offers a very radical solution to macroevolution that also raises much skepticism and even criticism. Debate about evolution in fact, has caused so much argument and tension that it could be comparable to disputes that a condemnation attorney would deal with. Kenneth Change of the New York Times reports that “many scientists regard intelligent design as little more than creationism dressed up in pseudoscientific language”. However, over the last few years, the discussion around intelligent design has seen to fade into the background.

 

Zeitlin & Zeitlin, P.C. eminent domain lawyer and condemnation attorney team has been representing property owners in Phoenix, Arizona since 1993.


Continue Reading