The “Doc-Fix” Taxpayer Calculator

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Determining you Financial Share on “TAX DAY”

[By Staff Reporters]

One of the most-onerous votes in recent years on Capitol Hill is the so-called “doc fix.” That’s the patch Congress re-ups periodically to make sure that seniors on Medicare continue to receive medical care.

If Congress doesn’t cough up a chunk of change for the doc fix, doctors who treat Medicare recipients could experience an abrupt 21 percent reduction in their federal reimbursement – and would likely stop taking those patients.

In late March, the House approved a permanent replacement for the doc fix.

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Click here to see your share of the Medicare doc fix

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A solution has eluded lawmakers for years 

In fact lawmakers tinkered with this particular Medicare payment method some 17 times since 1997. That’s when the amount of money the federal government had available to pay doctors started to dip into the red. So in order to make sure physicians were paid and seniors didn’t lose benefits, Congress engineered a short-term –but expensive– Band-Aid to cover the difference.

Assessment

Hence the name, the “doc fix.”

Conclusion

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Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

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3 Technologies That Are Revolutionizing the Driving Experience

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Update for Doctors and Medical Professionals

[By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA]

[By Nalley Lexus Roswell, GA]

Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA

Auto manufacturers have always been at the forefront when it comes to new technology. In a very competitive market, being able to develop new gadgets and capabilities is critical when it comes to selling new cars.

While new car models feature the latest developments, engineers are already working on the ‘next big thing.’ So what will be the next big developments in technology to revolutionize the driving experience?

The Ideas

Here are three ideas for doctors and medical colleagues. All from a guy who used to change his own oil.

  1. Cars that can communicate with each other

One of the biggest challenges in road safety comes from the independence that one vehicle has over another. Car drivers are almost entirely insulated from each other and the outside world until disaster strikes. One technology that is trying to address this problem is called Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication – or V2V. V2V technology is now being used by manufacturers as potential technology for future cars.

V2V sends wireless signals about a car’s location, speed, and direction. These signals are, in turn, received by other cars, which interpret this information and make appropriate conclusions. That may be simply to warn the driver, or it could mean applying the brakes. A logical progression from V2V is V2I – Vehicle-to-Infrastructure. This would allow cars to talk to traffic signals and other technology to help further control traffic and speeds.

  1. Airbags that prevent collisions

The airbag is almost certainly one of the greatest car safety gadgets and has saved countless lives since the technology was first developed. Airbags are a great example of a passive safety feature, which means that they reduce the risk of death or injury in the event of an accident. The technology could be used, however, as an active safety feature, which could actually help prevent accidents.

Manufacturers are now experimenting with air bags, which would deploy beneath a vehicle in the event that a potential collision was about to occur. A special coating would help slow the car down, helping the driver to stop much more quickly. By lifting the car up, these bags would also reduce the risk of injury from passengers slipping under seat belts and would lessen any potential damage or injury from bumper-to-bumper impact.

  1. Cars that can drive themselves

The ultimate new technology must surely be one that removes the need for a car to have a driver. Any kind of independent driving technology would, of course, ensure that rules were always adhered to and would remove the margin for human error that almost certainly costs many lives every year. The technology giant Google has invested heavily in the self-driving car to date, although the big manufacturers are also likely to adopt this technology. Who knows whether it will be possible to purchase a self-driving production car within ten years?

DEM's 2000 Jag XJ-V8-LJaguar front seat

Jag interior

JaguarBoot

[My 2000 Jaguar XJ-V8 Luxury Touring Sedan] 

Assessment

I covered the ER for more than a decade. If any one of these innovations can save a life; then I am all for it.

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OilChange

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More:

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

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