BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM STUDY GUIDES Lower Extremity Trauma
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Posted on March 14, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The HONcode commitment to reliable health and medical information on the internet
The HONcode certification is an ethical standard aimed at offering quality health information. It demonstrates the intent of a website to publish transparent information. The transparency of the website will improve the usefulness and objectivity of the information and the publishment of correct data.
HONcode is the oldest and the most used ethical and trustworthy code for medical and health related information available on the Internet.The HONcode is designed for three target audiences: the general public, the health professionals and the web publisher, actively involving the site owner in the process of certification.
The HON Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization, internationally known for its pioneering work in the field of health information ethics, notably for the establishment of its code of ethical conduct, the HONcode.
Did you know that desperate doctors of all ages are turning to knowledgeable financial advisors and medical management consultants for help? Symbiotically too, generalist advisors are finding that the mutual need for knowledge and extreme niche synergy is obvious.
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But, there was no established curriculum or educational program; no corpus of knowledge or codifying terms-of-art; no academic gravitas or fiduciary accountability; and certainly no identifying professional designation that demonstrated integrated subject matter expertise for the increasingly unique healthcare focused financial advisory niche … Until Now!
So, if you are looking to supplement your knowledge, income and designations; and find other qualified professionals you may want to consider the CMP® program.
Enter the Certified Medical Planner™ charter professional designation. And, CMPs™ are FIDUCIARIES, 24/7.
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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
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
Did you know that desperate doctors of all ages are turning to knowledgeable financial advisors and medical management consultants for help? Symbiotically too, generalist advisors are finding that the mutual need for knowledge and extreme niche synergy is obvious.
***
***
But, there was no established curriculum or educational program; no corpus of knowledge or codifying terms-of-art; no academic gravitas or fiduciary accountability; and certainly no identifying professional designation that demonstrated integrated subject matter expertise for the increasingly unique healthcare focused financial advisory niche … Until Now!
So, if you are looking to supplement your knowledge, income and designations; and find other qualified professionals you may want to consider the CMP® program.
Enter the Certified Medical Planner™ charter professional designation. And, CMPs™ are FIDUCIARIES, 24/7.
Channel Surfing the ME-P
Have you visited our other topic channels? Established to facilitate idea exchange and link our community together, the value of these topics is dependent upon your input. Please take a minute to visit. And, to prevent that annoying spam, we ask that you register. It is fast, free and secure.
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.
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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
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
Did you know that desperate doctors of all ages are turning to knowledgeable financial advisors and medical management consultants for help? Symbiotically too, generalist advisors are finding that the mutual need for knowledge and extreme niche synergy is obvious.
***
***
But, there was no established curriculum or educational program; no corpus of knowledge or codifying terms-of-art; no academic gravitas or fiduciary accountability; and certainly no identifying professional designation that demonstrated integrated subject matter expertise for the increasingly unique healthcare focused financial advisory niche … Until Now!
So, if you are looking to supplement your knowledge, income and designations; and find other qualified professionals you may want to consider the CMP® program.
Enter the Certified Medical Planner™ charter professional designation. And, CMPs™ are FIDUCIARIES, 24/7.
Channel Surfing the ME-P
Have you visited our other topic channels? Established to facilitate idea exchange and link our community together, the value of these topics is dependent upon your input. Please take a minute to visit. And, to prevent that annoying spam, we ask that you register. It is fast, free and secure.
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:
Did you know that desperate doctors of all ages are turning to knowledgeable financial advisors and medical management consultants for help? Symbiotically too, generalist advisors are finding that the mutual need for knowledge and extreme niche synergy is obvious.
***
***
But, there was no established curriculum or educational program; no corpus of knowledge or codifying terms-of-art; no academic gravitas or fiduciary accountability; and certainly no identifying professional designation that demonstrated integrated subject matter expertise for the increasingly unique healthcare focused financial advisory niche … Until Now!
So, if you are looking to supplement your knowledge, income and designations; and find other qualified professionals you may want to consider the CMP® program.
Enter the Certified Medical Planner™ charter professional designation. And, CMPs™ are FIDUCIARIES, 24/7.
Channel Surfing the ME-P
Have you visited our other topic channels? Established to facilitate idea exchange and link our community together, the value of these topics is dependent upon your input. Please take a minute to visit. And, to prevent that annoying spam, we ask that you register. It is fast, free and secure.
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:
Did you know that desperate doctors of all ages are turning to knowledgeable financial advisors and medical management consultants for help? Symbiotically too, generalist advisors are finding that the mutual need for knowledge and extreme niche synergy is obvious.
***
***
But, there was no established curriculum or educational program; no corpus of knowledge or codifying terms-of-art; no academic gravitas or fiduciary accountability; and certainly no identifying professional designation that demonstrated integrated subject matter expertise for the increasingly unique healthcare focused financial advisory niche … Until Now!
So, if you are looking to supplement your knowledge, income and designations; and find other qualified professionals you may want to consider the CMP® program.
Enter the Certified Medical Planner™ charter professional designation. And, CMPs™ are FIDUCIARIES, 24/7.
Channel Surfing the ME-P
Have you visited our other topic channels? Established to facilitate idea exchange and link our community together, the value of these topics is dependent upon your input. Please take a minute to visit. And, to prevent that annoying spam, we ask that you register. It is fast, free and secure.
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:
Posted on February 14, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The $98 million Vanguard Alternative Strategies Fund (ticker VASFX) will be liquidated in the second quarter of 2023, according to a press release. The fund, which launched in 2015, “has not gained broad acceptance among investors,” Vanguard said.
The liquidation marks the first time that Malvern, Pennsylvania-based Vanguard has shuttered a mutual fund since winding up the NJ Municipal Money Market Fund and PA Municipal Money Market Fund in 2020, a spokesperson confirmed over email. The move follows a brutal year for asset managers as the Federal Reserve’s historically aggressive tightening campaign pummeled both stocks and bonds, driving investors to yank billions of dollars from mutual funds.
Editor’s Note: I visited the Vanguard campus in Malvern PA, while still a medical student in Philadelphia, back in the day. Beautiful and impressive! I learned a great deal on the professional tours and first learned of Gary P. Brinson, L. Randolph Hood. Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA CMP
Posted on February 10, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
EXPLAINED
By Eric Bricker MD
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It is a healthcare investor conference where investors meet with digital health companies, not-for-profit hospital systems, insurance carriers, biotech and med device companies.
The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference is invite-only. There is no large exhibition hall. The agenda is not published.
Most of the ‘action’ happens outside the conference with private meetings across the city.
Most people who attend are not invited and they just go for the private meeting opportunities.
Hear a summary of the 2023 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference from This Week Health‘s Bill Russell and his guest Rob, DeMichiei–the former CFO of UPMC.
Hospital systems actually have a plan to cut costs for the first time in AGES.
Insurance carriers are going to become healthcare providers themselves.
Will insurance carriers eat hospitals’ lunch? etc.
On December 19, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published Advisory Opinion (AO) No. 22-20, analyzing the utilization of nurse practitioners (NPs) in lieu of attending physicians within medical units. The OIG concluded that the arrangement utilizing NPs in certain medical units, subject to several safeguards, presented a low risk for fraud or abuse.
As noted by legal experts, this AO deviates from OIG’s typical approach to limiting arrangements involving potential remuneration from a hospital to its referring physicians. (Read more…)
OUR OEUVRE’ OF TEXT BOOKS IS GROWING WITH OUR INDUSTRY STATURE
We believe that by writing and sharing our experiences in standard textbook, white-paper and new media electronic format, our experts are able to address most areas of physician-focused financial planning, business or medical practice management needs in an understandable and unbiased manner.
But, we recognize that some consultants and financial advisors may appreciate reading current medical business management theory, healthcare economics, technology or financial planning information privately, prior to becoming a Certified Medical Planner® professional.
However, there is a virtual information overload out there, little of which addresses the pragmatic concerns of the modern medical provider or healthcare industry. None imparts the wisdom to become a better financial advisor or medical management consultant. All motivate the purchase of products.
Therefore, as part of the iMBA Research Library for the Certified Medical Planner® program, we highly recommend the following in-house produced books. You may even recognize some of our nationally known contributing authors and CMPs®.
More and more companies set the purpose to disrupt healthcare with the help of artificial intelligence. Given how fast these companies come and go, it can prove to be hard to stay up-to-date with the most promising ones.
FINANCIAL ADVISER WANTED: New York’s Belfer family, which gained riches from oil, is racking up quite an investing losing streak. They lost billions in Enron’s collapse and were clients of Bernie Madoff, and now it’s come to light that they were shareholders in FTX.
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CPAs WANTED: Just as tax season kicks off, US firms are facing a national shortage of accountants, forcing them to look overseas for workers to look over your W-2. More than 300k accountants and auditors have quit in the last two years, per the WSJ.
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CMPs NEEDED: The Certified Medical Planner® program was created in response to the frustration felt by doctors in small and mid-sized practices that dealt with top financial, brokerage and accounting firms. These non-fiduciary behemoths often prescribed costly wholesale solutions that were applicable to all, but customized to few, despite ever changing needs.
Learn why brokerage sales-pitches and/or internet resources will never replace the knowledge and deep advice of a collegial Certified Medical Planner® professional.
Posted on January 28, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Whether we’ve got a recession coming remains the biggest will they or won’t they story, but it looks like more Americans are starting to sock away cash just in case.
Data just released by the Department of Commerce puts the savings rate for December at 3.4%—the highest level in seven months and the biggest uptick from the previous month since July 2021 (November’s rate was 2.9%).
CMS pays Medicare Advantage Plans per member based on a risk score. The more chronic conditions the person has, the larger the payments CMS makes to the Medicare Advantage Plan.
Medicare Advantage Plans may be overexaggerating how sick their members are in order to increase their payments from CMS.
The Department of Justice is currently suing Cigna and Elevance (Anthem) for such over exaggerations.
However there is a deeper problem… CMS itself had performed its own audits, but has not done so in 10 years. CMS identified $650M in overpayments and did nothing about them.
When the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) requested information on the audits, CMS refused. KFF had to sue CMS to obtain the audit information and it took 3 years for KFF to win the case.
Perhaps it is incompetence on the part of CMS or perhaps CMS does not want to reveal the audits or do anything about them due to political pressure.
Posted on January 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The number of people seeking unemployment benefits in the U.S. reached a four-month low last week, a sign that employers are holding on to their workers despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to slow the economy and tamp down inflation. U.S. jobless aid applications for the week ending January14th fell by 15,000 to 190,000, from 205,000 the week before, according to the Labor Department. The four-week moving average of claims, which can even out the week-to-week volatility, declined by 6,500 to 206,000. Jobless claims generally serve as a proxy for layoffs, which have been relatively low since the pandemic wiped out millions of jobs in the spring of 2020. And, the labor market is closely watched by the Federal Reserve, which raised interest rates seven times last year in a bid to slow job growth and bring down stubbornly high inflation.
According to Bloomberg, Netflix Inc. co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping aside as Chief Executive Officer of the company he’s led for more than two decades, leaving the position to his two longtime associates, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters.
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U.S. stocks were lower, adding to yesterday’s sharp draw downs as investors remain concerned regarding the Fed’s monetary policy decisions and its ultimate impact on the economy. Economic data was mixed, as housing starts came in above estimates, building permits missed forecasts, and jobless claims unexpectedly dropped, while Philadelphia’s manufacturing output improved more than expected but remained contractionary. Q4 earnings season continued to heat up, as Dow member Procter & Gamble matched estimates, while Discover Financial Services topped forecasts but offered cautious guidance about charge offs, and Allstate Corporation issued a Q4 profit warning.
Treasury yields gained modest ground, and the U.S. dollar declined, while crude oil and gold prices rose.
Asian stocks finished mixed and markets in Europe saw widespread losses, trimming some of its strong start to 2023.
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Finally, bankrupt Crypto exchange FTX is looking into the possibility of reviving its business, Chief Executive Officer John Ray just told the Wall Street Journal. Ray, who took over the reins in November, has set up a task force to explore restarting FTX.com, the company’s main international exchange. The CEO also told the Journal that he would look into whether reviving FTX’s international exchange would recover more value for the company’s customers than his team could get from simply liquidating assets or selling the platform. FTX’s native token FTT surged nearly 30% after the report.
Posted on January 14, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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People living in the US are finding it increasingly difficult to afford needed health services—even with employer-sponsored health insurance, a new analysis suggests.
Researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health (GPH) examined data from the National Health Interview Survey—an annual CDC survey—that was collected from 2000 to 2020 for 230,000+ adults who received health insurance through an employer or union. Both men and women found most healthcare services to be less affordable now compared to the early 2000s, according to the finding of the NYU analysis reported in a December 2022 JAMA abstract. Women, in particular, found all types of health services to be less affordable than men.
From a nationally representative survey which is conducted annually, researchers included data from 5,545 women and 5,353 men sampled in 2020, and found that about 6% of women reported they couldn’t afford needed medical care. This compares to just 3% of slightly larger sample groups from 2000, per the analysis. By contrast, about 3% of men gave that response in 2020, compared to 2% in 2000.
Avni Gupta, a doctoral student in the public health policy and management department at NYU GPH and the lead author of the analysis, offered that “lower incomes and higher healthcare needs among women could be driving these differences in reported affordability.”
And, José Pagán, the department chair and co-author of the JAMA analysis, said people with employer-sponsored coverage—the largest source of health insurance for people living in the US—“generally think they are protected.”
“[B]ut our findings show that health-related benefits have been eroding over time,” he said; according to Healthcare Brew
Posted on January 7, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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New medicines launched by US drug makers reached a median price of $222,003 last year, according to Reuters. These astronomical prices were fueled by three very-expensive gene therapies approved by the FDA. In fact, one of them, from Hemgenix, costs $3.5 million, making it the most expensive drug ever.
Congress did cap annual drug price increases via the Inflation Reduction Act, but that doesn’t cover the cost of new medications. Drug-makers, meanwhile, say the cost of their drugs doesn’t reflect what patients pay out-of-pocket for them.
Posted on January 6, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Here are eight things to keep in mind as you prepare to file your 2022 taxes
1. Income tax brackets shifted somewhat
There are still seven tax rates, but the income ranges (tax brackets) for each rate shifted slightly to account for inflation. For 2022, the following rates and income ranges apply:
Taxable income brackets
Tax rate
Single filers
Married couples filing jointly (and qualifying widows or widowers)
10%
$0 to $10,275
$0 to $20,550
12%
$10,276 to $41,775
$20,551 to $83,550
22%
$41,776 to $89,075
$83,551 to $178,150
24%
$89,076 to $170,050
$178,151 to $340,100
32%
$170,051 to $215,950
$340,101 to $431,900
35%
$215,951 to $539,900
$431,901 to $647,850
37%
$539,901 or more
$647,851 or more
2. The standard deduction increased somewhat
After an inflation adjustment, the 2022 standard deduction increases to $12,950 for single filers and married couples filing separately and to $19,400 for single heads of household, who are generally unmarried with one or more dependents. For married couples filing jointly, the standard deduction rises to $25,900.
3. Itemized deductions remain essentially the same
For most filers, taking the higher standard deduction is more practical and saves the hassle of keeping track of receipts. But if you have enough tax-deductible expenses, you might benefit from itemizing.
State and local taxes: The deduction for state and local income taxes, property taxes, and real estate taxes is capped at $10,000.
Mortgage interest deduction: The mortgage interest deduction is limited to $750,000 of indebtedness. But people who had $1,000,000 of home mortgage debt before December 16, 2017 will still be able to deduct the interest on that loan.
Medical expenses: Only medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income (AGI) can be deducted in 2022.
Charitable donations: The deductions for charitable donations are not as generous as they were in 2021. In 2022, the annual income tax deduction limits for gifts to public charities1 are 30% of AGI for contributions of non-cash assets—if held for more than one year—and 60% of AGI for contributions of cash.
Miscellaneous deductions: No miscellaneous itemized deductions are allowed.
4. IRA contribution limits remain the same and 401(k) limits are slightly higher
The traditional IRA and Roth contribution limits in 2022 remain the same as the prior year. Individuals can contribute up to $6,000 to an IRA, and those age 50 and older also qualify to make an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution. If you’re able to max out your IRA, consider doing so—you may qualify to deduct some or all of your contribution.
However, the 2022 contribution limits for 401(k) accounts have increased to $20,500. If you’re age 50 or older, you qualify to make an additional $6,500 catch-up contribution for this tax year as well.
5. You can save a bit more in your health savings account (HSA)
For 2022, the maximum you can contribute to an HSA is $3,650 for an individual (up $50 from 2021) and $7,300 for a family (up $100). People age 55 and older can contribute an extra $1,000 catch-up contribution.
To be eligible for an HSA, you must be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (which usually has lower premiums as well). Learn more about the benefits of an HSA.
6. The Child Tax Credit is lower after a one-year bump
Tax credits, which reduce the tax you owe dollar for dollar, are normally better than deductions, which reduce how much of your income is subject to tax.
In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) temporarily enlarged the Child Tax Credit. But in 2022, the credit returns to $2,000 per child age sixteen or younger. The credit is also subject to a phase-out starting at $400,000 for joint filers and $200,000 for single filers. For other qualified dependents, you can claim a $500 credit.
7. The alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption is higher
Until the AMT exemption enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires in 2025, the AMT will continue to affect mostly households with incomes over $500,000. For 2022, the AMT exemptions are $75,900 for single filers and $118,100 for married taxpayers filing jointly. The phase-out thresholds are $1,079,800 for married taxpayers filing a joint return and $539,900 for all other taxpayers. (Once your income for the AMT hits the phase-out threshold, your AMT exemption begins to phase out at 25 cents for every dollar over the threshold.)
8. The estate tax exemption is even higher
The estate and gift tax exemption, which is indexed to inflation, rises to $12.06 million for 2022. But the now-higher exemption is set to expire at the end of 2025, meaning it could be essentially cut in half at that time if Congress doesn’t act.
The annual gift exclusion, which allows you to give money to your loved ones each year without incurring any tax liability or using up any of your lifetime estate and gift tax exemption, increases to $16,000 per recipient (up $1,000 from 2021).
Don’t get caught
Finally, if you’re age 72 or older, make sure you’ve taken your required minimum distribution (RMD) from your retirement accounts before the end of the year or else you face a 50% penalty on any undistributed funds (unless it’s your first RMD, in which case you can wait until April 1, 2023).
Posted on January 5, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
Limitless possibilities – Compassionate care
By Staff Reporters
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DEFINITION: GE HealthCare is a subsidiary of American multinational conglomerate General Electric incorporated in New York and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2017, it is a manufacturer and distributor of diagnostic imaging agents and radio-pharmaceuticals for imaging modalities used in medical imaging procedures
Posted on January 4, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
SHORT SALE
By Staff Reporters
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DEFINITION: Short selling involves borrowing a security whose price you think is going to fall from your brokerage and selling it on the open market. Your plan is to then buy the same stock back later, hopefully for a lower price than you initially sold it for, and pocket the difference after repaying the initial loan.
Tesla’s stock plummeted more than 12% yesterday for its worst trading session in more than two years. The proximate cause: Though the EV manufacturer sent out a record 405,278 vehicles in the last quarter of 2022, it missed analyst expectations and its own growth goal for the year.
Tesla’s brutal selloff was the continuation of a dramatic downward trend: The most valuable automaker in the world lost 65% of its value in 2022.
And while it may be easy to pin the blame on CEO Elon Musk’s fascination with his shiny new toy, Twitter, the problems go beyond a distracted boss:
Production has slowed down due to Covid shutdowns in China.
Demand has cooled for its vehicles due to lower gas prices, interest rate hikes, and increased competition.
It has suffered from logistical issues that were at least partially to blame for its inability to deliver all of the vehicles that it produced.
Posted on December 30, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 225,000 for the week ending December 24th, the Labor Department reported, in line with the median estimate among economists polled by Reuters. Meanwhile, the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid rose 41,000 to 1.710 million in the week ending December, 17th, 2022.
Meanwhile, Amazon stock closed the December 22 trading session at $83.79, which represents a 49.7% drop compared to December 31, 2021. This is the lowest closing level for the Amazon stock since March 12, 2019. Basically, the group, founded by Jeff Bezos, has completely erased all the gains during the two years when strict restrictions were put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. It closed today at $84.18.
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Finally, U.S. stocks rose sharply, ending a two-session losing streak, though trading volumes remain subdued in the final days of the year. The heavyweight Information Technology sector led the rally, rebounding from a recent drop that has weighed on the markets this week. The equity front continued to offer little in terms of headlines, though shares of Cal-Maine Foods fell after the company missed earnings estimates.
The economic calendar introduced labor data, as jobless claims ticked slightly higher compared to the prior week.
Treasury yields were mixed, the U.S. dollar dropped, crude oil prices were lower, and gold traded higher.
Asian stocks finished mostly lower after yesterday’s downturn in the U.S., while markets in Europe were higher despite uncertainty regarding the ultimate global impact of aggressive monetary policy tightening across the world.
Posted on December 25, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The House passed, and President Biden later signed, a $1.7 trillion spending bill that will fund the federal government through FY 2023 and do a lot more—like send $45 billion to Ukraine and NATO allies and offer $40 billion in US disaster relief.
Posted on December 24, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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IRS pauses rule requiring people to report PayPal, Venmo transactions over $600. To avert taxpayer confusion in the upcoming tax season, the IRS is delaying a rule that would have required e-commerce sites and payment platforms like eBay Etsy and PayPal to send out tax paperwork to a much wider swath of people in 2023.
And, U.S. equities ended the day higher and the week mixed. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ posted a third-straight week of losses, while the Dow was able to buck the trend by posting a weekly gain. The moves came amid a day full of economic reports that offered varying results. Personal income rose slightly, and the Fed-favored inflation gauge showed continued moderation, new home sales surprisingly rose, and consumer sentiment was revised higher.
However, durable goods orders fell noticeably, and personal spending came in softer than expected. Treasury yields were higher, and the U.S. dollar was lower, while crude oil and gold prices traded to the upside. News on the equity front was in short supply, but Meta Platforms garnered attention after it agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for $725 million.
Finally, Asian stocks finished lower amid some disappointing data out of Japan, while markets in Europe diverged heading into the long holiday weekend.
Posted on December 20, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Sovereign wealth funds could be selling roughly $29 billion in equities by the end of December. Meanwhile, U.S. defined benefit pension plans would need to shift up to $70 billion from equities to bonds to hit their targets, reports Bloomberg quoting the JPMorgan estimates. “The recent equity market correction and bond rally are consistent with the rebalancing hypothesis,” Bloomberg quoted Vincent Deluard, a macro strategist at StoneX.
DEFINITION: A sovereign wealth fund, sovereign investment fund, or social wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally.
And, in a recent interview with CNN, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said he’s concerned the housing market will continue to challenge buyers in the coming years. Moynihan pointed to sky-high mortgage rates as a big reason buyers might continue to struggle — especially first-time buyers with more limited financial resources. Moynihan also said there could be two more years of pain in the housing market before things cool off and homes become more available and affordable. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.
Finally, U.S. stocks were lower, adding to last week’s declines, as the global markets continued to grapple with the ultimate impact of aggressive monetary policy tightening around the world. Last week, the Fed, European Central Bank, Bank of England, and Swiss National Bank all increased their benchmark interest rates by 50 basis points, fostering recession concerns.
Treasury yields traded higher, and the U.S. dollar was unchanged, while crude oil gained ground, and gold was lower.
Other equity news was light, as L3Harris Technologies announced an agreement to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne with an enterprise value of $4.7 billion, while shares of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals surged after positive trial results for its NASH and liver fibrosis treatment.
A busy week of housing data commenced, as the NAHB’s December Housing Market Index unexpectedly deteriorated.
Asia finished mostly lower as China’s COVID concerns weighed on sentiment, though European stocks were mostly higher, rebounding from last week’s decline as the global markets digest the recent rate hikes on both sides of the pond.
Posted on December 20, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Health Gorilla is in the business of health data interoperability and the double-backflip this startup is doing to both make clinical data an easily accessible commodity – while also making sure that access to that data adheres to the privacy rules established by the US government – takes a minute to understand, but is critically important for the future of many health tech businesses.
And, it’s not often that 10,000-plus like-minded individuals come together for a common cause. Luckily in the healthcare space, we have HLTH – bringing together the entire health ecosystem to focus on innovation and transformation.
Posted on December 15, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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U.S. equities did an about-face and finished lower following the monetary policy decision from the Fed. The Central Bank increased the target for its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (bps), which was widely expected and a moderation from the 75-bp hikes over the past four meetings. However, in his presser Chairman Powell reiterated that the Committee still had a ways to go to reach its goals.
Treasury yields finished little changed in choppy trading after the Fed’s announcement, and the U.S. dollar was lower, while crude oil prices gained ground and gold traded to the downside.
Equity news was on the lighter side, as Delta Air Lines increased its Q4 earnings outlook and offered upbeat long-term guidance, while Lennox International issued a 2023 forecast that missed estimates.
On the economic front, mortgage applications snapped a two-week losing streak, and import prices moderated more than expected.
Asia finished mostly higher following yesterday’s favorable U.S. inflation report, while markets in Europe diverged as investors awaited today’s Fed decision, which will be followed by tomorrow’s announcements from the European Central Bank and Bank of England.
Posted on December 12, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Microsoft plans to buy a 4% stake in the London Stock Exchange Group as part of a 10-year partnership to migrate the exchange’s data platform and tech infrastructure to the cloud and develop its data and analytics business.
The exchange will spend at least $2.8 billion on cloud-related products with Microsoft throughout the decade-long arrangement.
Did you know that most experts recommend against naming a practice with your own name because it limits future growth and you may lose the benefits that a more descriptive name would bring?
Your business name will likely be incorporated using your practice’s name, although larger (multi-specialty group) practices may use a more general name for the entire enterprise; and then having multiple “dba’s” (”Doing Business As”) for the individual practices under the umbrella. It is important to discuss these options with an attorney if you believe this arrangement has advantage; others find it confusing.
Usually, your medical specialty can be used as a base-name, and then some descriptor to differentiate it from local competing practices. Selecting a name like “The Allegiance Partners” does not indicate that medicine is your service. On the other hand, naming your practice “Podiatry Associates of Your Town” won’t be helpful to patients looking for you in the yellow pages, health insurance provider network list, or internet search engines, and finding your practice listed just before “Your Town Podiatry Partners”. It is therefore good to be cognizant of your competitors’ names when choosing your own. And, you should select a name that will hopefully grow with you into a larger enterprise.
For example, are you a solo doctor, but are pretty sure you’ll take on one or more partners in the future? Then besides not naming your practice after yourself, you may choose to add “Group” or “Partners” to your name initially even if you’re the only doctor. Is there any possibility you’ll open a second office in another town? Naming your medical practice something like the ”Apple Street Internal Medicine Group” may not make sense when your second office is opened on Main Street in a nearby city, in a few years.
Order Forms and Practice Stationary
Orders forms, invoices, purchase and estimate forms, business cards, envelopes, stationary and specialty labels can all be personalized for your medical practice name, script, colors and logo. Often, local or regional printers are the most cost effective and you support another entrepreneur, as well.
Posted on November 29, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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More than 300 people are still dying each day on average from covid-19, most of them 65 or older, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While that’s much lower than the 2,000 daily toll at the peak of the delta wave, it is still roughly two to three times the rate at which people die of the flu — renewing debate about what is an “acceptable loss.”
And, U.S. equities started off the new week with solid losses, as protests in China over its zero-tolerance COVID policy kept investors on edge. Adding to the mix, BlockFi filed for bankruptcy amid the continued fallout within the cryptocurrency markets. Equity news was in short supply on this Cyber Monday, with reports suggesting Black Friday weekend activity was solid despite the highly inflationary environment, while gaming stocks were in focus following a tentative agreement to renew casino licenses in Macau.
The economic calendar was light today, with the lone report of note showing manufacturing activity in the Dallas region unexpectedly improved but remained solidly in contraction territory.
Treasury yields were mixed, while the U.S. dollar rallied, crude oil prices were higher, and gold traded to the downside.
Markets in Asia and Europe finished lower amid the global uneasiness toward China.
Posted on November 16, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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According to journalist Neal Freyman:
The days of an internet company trying to e-scooter their way to solving world hunger through solar-powered NFT horse racing just to compete with Disney+ are over. Futuristic projects that were once a staple of Big Tech line items are getting squeezed in this “we definitelycan’t afford that anymore” economy.
That was made very clear yesterday.
1. As part of its anticipated mass layoffs this week, Amazon began to cut employees who were working on its AI assistant, Alexa. That division has an operating loss of more than $5 billion per year.
2. The hedge fund TCI Fund Management, which has a $6 billion stake in Alphabet, urged Google’s parent company to join its Big Tech peers in laying off workers yesterday, saying it’s overstaffed and paying its employees too much. It took specific aim at Google’s famous Other Bets division that incubated “moonshot” projects like Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company. That Other Bets unit brought in $3 billion in revenue over the last five years, but incurred $20 billion in operating losses, TCI’s letter to CEO Sundar Pichai said.
Big picture: While Snap and Microsoft are also nixing riskier long-term bets, the big Big Tech exception is Meta. Zuckerberg has cut back on some experimentation, but is staying committed to spending billions on the metaverse, despite investor concerns.
Posted on November 5, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
AFFINITY MARKETING!
Physicians and All Investors Beware!
By Staff Reporters
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Celebrity Matt Damon’s infamous “fortune favors the brave” Crypto.com commercial premiered one year ago today, and its timing couldn’t have been worse. Had you been inspired to buy $1,000 worth of bitcoin on that day (the token was then worth $60,608, near its peak price) you would have just ~$340 now.
Fortune isn’t exactly what’s favored Crypto.com in the year since the ad debuted. The price of bitcoin has plunged ~70%, the company reportedly slashed about 40% of its workforce this summer, and the YouTube version of the Damon commercial has been set to private.
Today, the coin has been pretty stable since mid-June, 2022 and hovering at around $20,000.
Posted on November 5, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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DEFINITION
Upcoding is a type of fraud where healthcare providers submit inaccurate billing codes to insurance companies in order to receive inflated reimbursements. These false “current procedural technology” (CPT) submissions indicate that doctors provided patients with treatments that were more complex, costly, and time-consuming than what they actually received. This unlawful scheme is a violation of the False Claims Act (FCA) because it defrauds federal programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare.
There are nearly 7,800 CPT codes used by healthcare providers. Collectively, these codes represent all of the procedures, conditions, and drugs that are currently reimbursable by the health insurance industry. Each one of them has an associated cost for individuals and insurance companies, based upon the urgency of the issue and the complexity of the decision-making required of the healthcare provider. Medicaid and Medicare reimburse providers based on this system. For example, a five-minute consultation with a nurse for a minor medical question would receive a different, less expensive CPT than the one for a full examination by a doctor lasting 45-minutes. However, if the physician charges the federal programs for the more expensive 45-minute examination when the five-minute consultation is what actually occurred, this would constitute upcoding.
Unbundling
Unbundling is another common form of upcoding. This fraudulent scheme involves billing for individual procedures that are usually performed and billed together under a single CPT code. In some cases, the billing codes for complicated medical operations have associated components built into their CPTs. For example, a hip replacement surgery may factor in the costs of the surgeon’s as well as the use of the operating room. Unbundling occurs when a healthcare provider submits each component within a CPT to Medicare or Medicaid separately. This creates a cost redundancy where wrongdoers can unlawfully seek reimbursement for the same procedure several times over.
Downcoding is the opposite of upcoding. If you perform a service but record the CPT for a lower-level service, that is downcoding. Downcoding also leaves you vulnerable to an audit, which is never good. But, it can also cost a practice thousands of dollars a year in lost revenue because you’re not getting the higher rate of pay that you would if you had recorded the service properly.
According to the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI): “Physicians must avoid downcoding. If an HCPCS/CPT code exists that describes the services performed, the physician must report this code rather than report a less comprehensive code with other codes describing the services not included in the less comprehensive code.”
Posted on October 29, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The future of healthcare will be defined by nurses. Giving them a platform where they can be seen, heard, and valued for what they contribute each and every day is healthcare innovation.
connectRN is an empowered community of nurses, helping them access the flexible work opportunities they want. Nurses use connectRN to find work, access resources, and get much-needed peer support. And healthcare facilities can get the staff they need to provide high-quality patient care.
From in-app shift scheduling to same-day pay to 24/7 support, connectRN offers nurses a modern, seamless, and stress-free experience. After all, thriving clinicians provide the best care.
Posted on October 26, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The personal savings of Americans have plunged this year, hitting $629 billion in the second quarter of 2022, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That’s down from $1.98 trillion in the second quarter of 2021, and $4.85 trillion in the second quarter of 2020, boosted by COVID-related government cash. But it’s also down from $1.41 trillion in the second quarter of 2019, before the pandemic.
In fact, the personal saving rate — meaning personal saving as a percentage of disposable income, or the share of income left after paying taxes and spending money — fell to 3.5% in August, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It’s quite a U-turn: The personal saving rate recently peaked at 26.3% in March 2021 and 33.8% in April 2020. But the drop in the personal saving rate isn’t all pandemic-related: In January 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic, it was 9.1%.
But, what about doctors and other medical professionals?
Posted on October 26, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Stocks Extend Rally as U.S. Dollar and Bond Yields Cool Off
U.S. stocks traded higher as Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar pulled back, while investors digested a host of corporate results.
Earnings reports painted a mixed picture, as Dow member Coca-Cola beat earnings estimates and raised its guidance, while Dow member 3M also announced a positive earnings surprise, but lowered its full-year outlook. Additionally, General Electric missed earnings expectations and lowered guidance, and General Motors topped profit projections. In economic news, home prices declined more than expected in August, consumer confidence decreased, and regional manufacturing fell more than fore-casted.
Crude oil and gold prices gained ground.
Markets in Asia finished mixed as economic uncertainty continued to weigh on conviction, while European stocks finished mostly higher following economic reports and the political situation in the U.K.
Posted on October 26, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Bertalan Meskó, MD PhD
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Ben Wood, chief analyst at European CCS Insights predicts that Apple will enter the US health insurance market in partnership with a major insurer in 2024 – Forbes reported.
The company already collects heaps of health data, such as blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, ECG readings and body temperature from the Watch, and through phone apps that help people regulate their medication or manage chronic conditions like diabetes.
I hope you find the report useful!
Best regards, Bertalan Meskó, MD The Medical Futurist
Posted on October 23, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
Forecasts Cognitive [Mental] Dissonance?
By Staff Reporters
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A Bloomberg economic model forecast a 100% chance of a US recession within 12 months
Jeff Bezos warned companies to “batten down the hatches” in response to Goldman Sachs’s CEO saying there’s a good chance we’ll have a recession.
Elon Musk guesstimated that we’re going to be in a recession “probably until spring of ’24.”
Gwyneth Paltrow said, “The economy sucks.”
BUT, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan (the one with the epic vocabulary) said that while analysts are warning of recession and slower spending, “We just don’t see [that] here at Bank of America.” Transaction volumes for its customers jumped 10% in September and the first half of October over a year earlier.
And, American Express’s CEO said, “We’re not seeing any changes in consumer spending” and predicted a strong holiday quarter for retail and travel.
United Airlines’s CEO is “so optimistic about 2023.”
Many business leaders are forecasting an economic downturn. But the execs who run travel and credit card companies say that shoppers aren’t pulling back spending at all.
It’s like Americans are watching the forecast call for thunderstorms but, seeing that it’s still sunny outside, are heading out to the waves to surf anyway.
Big picture: Recession fears are rising as the Fed raises interest rates to tame inflation that’s soaring at 40-year highs. While the definition of a recession is pretty broad, a slowdown in consumer spending would certainly be an indicator of one: It accounts for about 70% of the US economy.
Posted on October 10, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Mohamed El-Erian, Allianz’s chief economic advisor just opined that the U.S. is heading toward a recession that was “totally avoidable” amid ongoing concerns about inflation and economic stability.
“I fear that we risk a very high probability of a damaging recession that was totally avoidable,” El-Erian told CBS’ “Face the Nation,” arguing that the Federal Reserve has made mistakes that will “go down in the history books.”
“One is mis-characterizing inflation as transitory. By that, they meant it is temporary, it’s reversible, don’t worry about it. That was mistake number one. And then mistake number two, when they finally recognized that inflation was persistent and high. They didn’t act. They didn’t act in a meaningful way,” El-Erian said.
I was having lunch with a close friend of mine. He mentioned that he had accumulated a significant sum of money and did not know what to do with it. It was sitting in bonds, and inflation was eating its purchasing power at a very rapid rate.
He is a dentist and had originally thought about expanding his business, but a shortage of labor and surging wages turned expanding into a risky and low-return investment. He complained that the stock market was extremely expensive. I agreed.*
Posted on September 29, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Wall Street HIT with $2 billion in fines!
The three-martini lunch may dwindle to two after a dozen of the largest finance firms agreed to pay more than two billion dollars to settle probes from the SEC and CFTC.
Those regulators claimed that the banks failed to adequately manage employee communication.
And, for the second time in a decade, Regions Bank was found to have charged illegal overdraft fees, the government in a settlement that will require the bank to repay $141 million to customers and pay an additional $50 million in fees.
Posted on September 24, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Cityblock Health has raised $400 million in its latest funding round. This brings the value of the startup to a whopping $5.7 billion. The company focuses on delivering care to patients in marginalized groups, aiming to provide care for 10 million patients by the end of the decade. Two key parts of the company’s strategy is integrating community support into care plans and connecting members with resources and specialized providers.
According to a spokesperson for Cityblock Health, “We can confirm that Cityblock has raised a new round of capital as we continue to accelerate our plans to empower more people across the country more quickly. Millions of marginalized and lower-income people across the U.S., including those who receive their healthcare through Medicaid plans, continue to lack sufficient access to integrated, community-based health services. We are leveraging this investment to reach more people and have an even greater impact.”
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