CUBAN: Health Care Paradox

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Classic Definition: In our hemisphere, there is the mystery of the Cuban health care paradox.

Modern Circumstance: This small island country whose economy produces about $6,000 in goods and services per person annually, a mere fraction of U.S. economic activity, lacks access to many commonly used drugs. Specialty medical care is scarce, and obesity rates are high and growing.

Paradox Example: Yet Cuba paradoxically boasts a life expectancy that surpasses the U.S. by six months. So, could this finding be explained by their diet, too, one that is rich in fresh produce, but low in saturated fats?

Question: Or, might it be related to their accessibility to primary care services and high compliance rates of childhood vaccination?

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WORKER’S COMPENSATION: Physician Insurance

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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While some medical practitioners and facilities can operate without Professional Liability Insurance coverage, one business related insurance that cannot / should not be avoided is Worker’s Compensation.  Employers in all but seven states – so-called “monopolistic” states because they have their own state funds, are under statutory obligation to provide coverage for their employees.  Historically, Worker’s Compensation pre-dates Social Security entitlements and well before the emergence of employer sponsored group benefits.

The coverage under worker’s compensation provides for lost income due to on-the-job accidents or work-related disability or death and the amount of benefits vary by state.  In some instances, the coverage will reimburse the employee for medical expenses incurred with the accident. 

The four general benefits covered under Worker’s Compensation are:

Medical Care – for expenses incurred usually without limitations on amount or period of care.

Disability Income – payable for both total and partial disability and is usually based on 66 2/3 percent of their wage base.

Death Benefits – generally fall into two categories; one a flat amount for “burial” insurance; and two, survivor benefits.  Though varying by state, these benefits are similar to the disability payment (a percentage of weekly base wages) but may be capped as to total benefit, such as $50,000 or a period, such as 10 years

Rehabilitation Benefits – includes not only medical rehabilitation, but vocational rehabilitation, vocational counseling, retraining or educational benefits, and job placement

Traditionally, the secondary purpose of Worker’s Compensation was to reduce potential litigation because employees accepting the benefits from a Worker’s Compensation claim generally waived their right to sue their employer. 

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However, in our litigious society, this “protective shelter” has been severely tested and is crumbling.

Employers may provide their Worker’s Compensation three ways:

  • Private commercial insurance
  • State government funds
  • Self-insurance

Very few factors drive the premium structure – the occupation of the workers is the single most important determinant of premiums.  An office worker may have premiums as low as $.10 per hundred of wages and a coal miner may exceed $50.00 per hundred of wages.  Generally speaking, however, Worker’s Compensation premiums for the medical profession or healthcare worker are among the lowest available.

Therefore, for the medical practice, some physicians may consider self-insurance because the weekly benefits are typically below $500, thus making this decision attractive. 

Alternatively, because officers and owners can elect not to be covered by Worker’s Compensation, the decision to purchase coverage from a private insurance company may afford inexpensive assurance that the benefits will be conveniently provided, and administered, by a private insurance company for their employees.

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CMS: A New Primary Care Medicine Model

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

“MAKING CARE PRIMARY”

By Health Capital Consultants, LLC

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CMS Announces New Primary Care Model

On June 8, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the establishment of Making Care Primary (MCP) Model, a voluntary primary care model that will be tested in Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and Washington.

Launched on July 1, 2024, the 10 ½ year model will seek to improve the coordination and management of care, enable primary care clinicians to form relationships with healthcare specialists, and form community-based connections to address the health needs of patients, as well as health-related social needs such as nutrition and housing.
CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource

This Health Capital Topics article will discuss the new MCP Model and its implications for the healthcare industry. (Read more...)

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SURVEY: Primary Care Doctors Deliver Most Medical Care

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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By MCOL

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25% of Primary Care Doctors Delivered 86% of Medical Care

 •  25% of primary care doctors delivered 86% of medical care.
 •  25% of specialists on average provided 75% of medical care.
 •  16.3% of physicians listed in Medicaid managed care plan provider network directors in a year qualified as ghost physicians (seeing zero Medicaid beneficiaries over the course of the year in an outpatient setting).
 •  The share of ghost physicians ranged from 13.4% to 24.9% across states.

Source: Health Affairs via Fierce Healthcare, May 5, 2022

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PODCAST: US Primary Medical Care V. Other Industrialized Nations

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Eric Bricker MD

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AFFORDABILITY: Healthcare on Notice for Patients

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.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/0826102549

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

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ORDER: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Health-Insurance-Managed-Care/dp/0826149944/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275315485&sr=1-4

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TURQUOISE HEALTH? Compare Prices Before Receiving Medical Care

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

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Last year, all hospitals were required to list their prices for elective services on an annual basis. Whether you have insurance or plan to pay cash – find and compare prices.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

So, just like you wouldn’t buy a car, rent an apartment or even order food without knowing the cost, you shouldn’t pay blindly for healthcare.

Now you can compare prices before showing up for treatment.

READ MORE: https://turquoise.health/

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Evaluate our 2-Volume Institutional Print Guide

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Healthcare Organizations [Financial Management Strategies]

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Our 1,200 pages, 2-volume, quarterly institutional print guide Healthcare Organizations [Financial Management Strategies] is available on a 30-day, risk-free trial.

You may contact http://www.STPub.com at (604) 983-3434, fax (604) 983-3445, or e-mail at custinfo@stpub.com to place an order, or ask questions regarding pricing and/or availability.

All shipments arrive within 5 to 10 days. Prepayment is required for all international shipments and a small courier charge will be added to the subscription price.

After hours, we suggest you review the STP website FAQs section for answer to your inquiry: www.stpub.com/pubs/custinfo.htm

Assessment

Rest assured, Healthcare Organizations: [Financial Management Strategies] will become an important peer-reviewed vehicle for the advancement of working knowledge and the dissemination of research information and best practices in our field. In the years ahead, we trust these principles will enhance utility and add value to your subscription. Most importantly, we hope to increase your return on investment [ROI] by some small increment.

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Note: The guide is sponsored by www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com with contributions from www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com and is edited by ME-P’s Dr. David E. Marcinko and Professor Hope R. Hetico; RN, MHA. Definitions and terms supplied by www.HealthDictionarySeries.com

Conclusion

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Charity Care Law Violations

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Collections Agency Sued for Alleged Violations

[By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™]

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According to Ann Zieger of Fierce HealthFinance on January 7, 2009, a Washington state healthcare collection agency is being sued by a law firm for allegedly violating state charity care laws. This is a case that could become a class action if the firm gets its way.

The Case Argument

The case hinges on a Washington measure that, among other things, defines individuals and families with annual incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty level as officially eligible for hospital charity care with no charges.

The Law Firm

Seattle-based Phillips Law Group has filed a lawsuit claiming that healthcare collection firm Audit & Adjustment Company has been misleading patients by telling them they owe the full charges on hospital billing statements.

The Argument

The suit argues that the collections firm is required to tell patients that they might potentially be entitled to charity care that would cut or eliminate their hospital debts. It also alleges that this behavior violates not only Washington’s charity care law, but also the Consumer Protection Act [CPA] and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act [FDCPA].

The Remedy

The attorneys seeks to stop the agency from attempting to collect from charity care-eligible patients, as well as to establish procedures to allow patients to qualify for charity care, and let patients from which it has collected in the past four years become eligible for reductions in their debt.

Related Cases

In an unrelated matter, a Missouri hospital based in St. Joseph, owned by Heartland Health, Inc has been sued over allegations that it too allowed its captive collections agency to collect without letting patient-debtors know the agency was owned by the same company as the hospital. Kansas City Attorney Derek Potts filed suit against the hospital, Heartland Regional Medical Center, on behalf of three clients, and is asking the court for class action status. The collection agency, Northwest Financial Services, is owned by Midwestern Health Management, which is also owned by Heartland. 

And, here in Atlanta, charitable entity Grady Memorial Hospital, the region’s only a Level I trauma center, just received a $200 million grant from a private foundation with ties to Coca-Cola. It was the largest gift on record to a single public hospital, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Grady has been struggling financially for some time, now.

Assessment

Considering the financial mismanagement and extreme revenue seeking tactics of some not-for-profit hospitals today – much like Mrs. Jellyby the misguided do-gooder in Charles Dickens’s “Bleak House” – some hospitals practice a form of “telescopic philanthropy” [first termed by Richard Oastler; in 1727]. As you may recall, Jellby neglected her chaotic family to devote time to improving conditions in distant Borrioboola-Gha, Africa. Conclusion

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