Health Care

Checkable Medical: Revolutionizing Home Healthcare and Telemedicine

 
 
Patty Post, Founder and CEO of Checkable Medical joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Healthcare Channels. Checkable is at the forefront of home healthcare and on a mission to revolutionize the healthcare industry by bringing fast and accurate at-home test kits, tele-health services, and a line of wellness supplements to your home.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Patty Post discuss the following:
Tell us more about yourself and Checkable and why you decided to implement at-home testing into the heart of your business.
What made you choose Strep as the basis for your clinical trials? Why not Pneumonia or Laryngitis or Croup?
Why should consumers choose you? What sets your brand and products aside from others?
So your at-home Strep test is still in clinical trials. Any idea when the test will get approved? On your website, I saw several other at-home testing kits coming soon. Are you able to share when those will be available for consumers?
As someone with a background in the healthcare industry, do you feel that consumers will see more at-home testing kits for illnesses and ailments? Will visits to the doctor’s office become less frequent and maybe obsolete?
As a parent and a patient, Patty Post founded Checkable Medical to help families like hers save time and reduce the cost of care through innovative at-home testing kits. With three kids constantly cycling through strep throat, Patty was taking hours off of work to get her family tested to receive treatment. From time in the car to waiting rooms to delayed appointments, giving up 4+ hours for a negative test result was exhausting. That’s why Patty created Checkable Medical in 2019, to help people make clinical, evidence-based decisions from the comfort of home.
With accurate results, easy-to-administer tests, and a mobile app connecting you to telemedicine and prescription providers, individuals and families can now test, diagnose, and get prescribed in a matter of minutes, not hours. As a medical device executive and CEO, Patty has first-hand knowledge of the healthcare industry and is passionate about educating and empowering communities to take charge of their health.
Patty is currently based in North Dakota and enjoys spending time with her family.
Website: https://checkablehealth.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/CheckableHealthTwitter: https://twitter.com/CheckableMedLinkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/checkable-medical-incorporatedInstagram: https://instagram.com/checkablehealth
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Health Carousel: Keeping up with the digital trends while providing a personalized career experience

 
 
John Sebastian, the CEO of Health Carousel, one of the largest and fastest growing healthcare staffing and workforce management solutions in the US joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care and Health News Channels. John discusses the important balance of keeping up with the digital trends, continuing to provide a personalized career experience, and ensuring we are contributing to an ethical and sustainable workforce in healthcare.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest John Sebastian discuss the following:
Can you tell us a bit about Health Carousel and the types of challenges the company offers solutions for?
Your company’s higher purpose is “Improving Lives and Making Healthcare Work Better”. Can you explain a little more about that and why it’s meaningful to you?
What trends are you starting to see & how do Health Carousel’s offerings stand out?
Health Carousel was recently recertified by the Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices, can you talk a little bit about what that means for the company and the industry?
What’s next for Health Carousel?
John Sebastian is Chief Executive Officer at Health Carousel and has been with the Company for nearly 6 years. John previously served as President of Travel Nursing, Chief Digital officer, and Chief Marketing Officer .
Prior to Health Carousel, his career demonstrates broad business leadership across healthcare staffing, consumer products and industrial sales. He is an award-winning marketer and digital/e-commerce native, building successful businesses like Old Spice and Febreze.  He also has significant sales experience, leading sales organizations that work with top e-retailers, distributors, and healthcare customers.
John graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA in accounting and earned an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Stephan M. Ross School of Business.
His main drive at Health Carousel is to deliver on the Company's purpose: to improve lives and make health care work better.
Website: https://www.healthcarousel.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/HealthCarousel  TikTok: https://tiktok.com/discover/Health-carousel  Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/health-carousel  Instagram: https://instagram.com/healthcarousel 
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How clinicians can combat burnout by filtering through the “noise” of information overload

 
 
Dr. Robert L. Murry, the Chief Medical Officer at NextGen Healthcare, an award-winning provider of innovative cloud-based healthcare technology solutions for over 100,000 ambulatory providers joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care and Technology Channels. Dr. Murry is also a board-certified practicing family physician.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Robert L. Murry discuss the following:
Describe what doctors are facing today in terms of information overload and this concept of “overtech.”
How did this come about and what approaches have been attempted to correct it?
What is your advice to those trying to combat this overload and ‘turn down the noise’?
How can technology be harnessed in a useful way?
As patients, what can we all do to get the best healthcare outcomes?
Dr. Robert (Bob) Murry joined NextGen Healthcare in July 2012 and was appointed chief medical officer in December 2021. He brings to this position more than 20 years of extensive clinical experience and background in health IT.
Previously, Dr. Murry served as the company’s Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) since May 2017. During his time as CMIO, he was the "Voice-of-the-Physician" across specialties, product safety, and government/regulatory affairs. Before becoming CMIO, he was the company's vice president of Clinical Product Management, responsible for clinical oversight and workflow design.
Previously, Dr. Murry served as Medical Director for Ambulatory Informatics and CMIO for Hunterdon Medical Center, where he continues to practice family medicine at Hunterdon Family Medicine at Delaware Valley.
He is board certified in Clinical Informatics by the American Board of Preventive Medicine and board certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Murry holds an MD from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Boston College; and an MA in Physical Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 
 
Website: https://www.nextgen.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/NextGenHealthcare  Twitter: https://twitter.com/NextGen  Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/nextgenhealthcareinc  Instagram: https://instagram.com/nextgenhealthcare 
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Advanced Telemedicine – Solving Physician Fatigue and Making Specialty Coverage More Accessible

 
 
Jason Povio, the President and COO for Eagle Telemedicine, the leader in technology-enabled, inpatient care for sustainable healthcare resilience joins eHealth Radio and the Healthcare and Telemedicine Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Jason Povio discuss the following:
What exactly is telemedicine and what healthcare challenges does it solve?
What is the distinction between telemedicine and tele-health?
What types of hospitals are using telemedicine today?
How are patients benefitting from telemedicine?
Why is telemedicine an attractive option for doctors and how does a physician start a telemedicine practice?
Jason Povio serves as President and Chief Operating Officer for Eagle Telemedicine. In this role, Jason has oversight over all aspects of the business, including operations, program implementation, post-implementation support, credentialing as well as marketing and business development.
He has a diverse background in systems engineering along with broad experience in healthcare, working in large integrated healthcare systems in a number of operational excellence and executive positions.
Jason received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Masters of Science in Engineering Management from the University of South Florida along with several Graduate Certificates in Quality and Change Management. He also holds a Lean Healthcare Certification and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Michigan.
Website: https://www.eagletelemedicine.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/EagleTelemedicine  Twitter: @EagleTelemed Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/eagle-telemedicine 
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A Revolution Has Begun in America’s Health Care Coverage

 
 
Seasoned author and finance expert, Murray Sabrin, PhD, emeritus professor of finance at Ramapo College of New Jersey joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care and Health News Channels. His new is book, The Finance of Health Care: Wellness and Innovative Approaches to Employee Medical Insurance.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Murray Sabrin discuss the following:
How healthy are the American people?
How can wellness programs improve the health of employees?
Why do most workers get health insurance through their employers?
Why is traditional health insurance so expensive?
What are the alternatives?
Lastly if you would, explain the "silent revolution" that is going on in healthcare.
Seasoned author and finance expert, Murray Sabrin, PhD, is emeritus professor of finance, Ramapo College of New Jersey. Dr. Sabrin is considered a “public intellectual” for writing about the economy in scholarly and popular publications. His new book, The Finance of Health Care: Wellness and Innovative Approaches to Employee Medical Insurance (Business Expert Press, Oct. 24, 2022), provides business decision makers with the information they need to match the optimal health care plan with the culture of their workforce.
Learn more at murraysabrin.com, and follow his commentary twice a week at murraysabrin.substack.com.
 

A visually compelling data story called ”A Love Letter to LA

 
 
James Macion, a Senior Information Systems Analyst at Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and a data analyst for Artificial Intelligence LA (AI LA) joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest James Macion discuss the following:
Tell us about your Love Letter to LA Data story.
What inspired this project?
Can you tell us more about the data you collected about access to healthcare in Los Angeles? What trends and disparities did you notice?
How might AI present potential opportunities and solutions to the challenges depicted in your data story?
Tell us about the upcoming NFT auction.
Artificial Intelligence Los Angeles (AI LA) is a public benefit 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; supporting the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) communities of the Greater Los Angeles area.
Our mission is to catalyze innovation through education, conversation, and collaboration. Our dedicated community explores the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and other emerging technologies on humanity. We offer guidance and create professional and industry development opportunities by delivering programs and initiatives—on contemporary topics and multidisciplinary applications of AI— to serve our region.
Website: https://joinai.la/ffff/a-love-letter-to-la 
Social Media Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/aila_communityLinkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/ai-laTwitter: https://twitter.com/aila_Community Youtube: https://youtube.com/ailacommunity 

How Technology is helping Seniors Age at Home

 
 
Chia-Lin Simmons, the CEO of LogicMark, a NASDAQ company which provides medical alerts, remote monitoring hardware and SaaS services joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Technology Channels. LogicMark offers two-way communication devices for emergencies, helping to give caregivers peace of mind and their loved ones the independence they deserve.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Chia-Lin Simmons discuss the following:
We will be soon experiencing the largest group of aging seniors, are we prepared for these large numbers? How will this impact caregivers?
Chia-Lin, tell us a bit about your company’s product that helps people live more independently.
Are we overlooking our veterans? How can your technology help them? Tell us how you work with veterans.
Your company Logicmark is leveraging some new and emerging technologies in your business. Is there something you might be able to share with us today?
Where can listeners get more information on Logicmark and its offerings?
Chia-Lin Simmons joined LogicMark as CEO on June 14, 2021. Before LogicMark, Ms. Simmons was the CEO and Co-Founder of LookyLoo, a patent-pending AI social commerce company. She is active in the AI, automotive, mobility, digital media / music and e-commerce technology space as an executive, advisor and board member. Prior to LogicMark and LookyLoo, Ms. Simmons was an executive at a number of high visibility technology companies. She was the former Head of Global Partner Marketing for Google’s Google Play Music and the Google Play Store; former VP of Marketing & Content for Harman International / Samsung; former VP of Marketing and General Manager of Playphone North America; a senior business development executive at Time Warner/ AOL, as well as the former VP of Strategic Alliances at Audible / Amazon.
Ms. Simmons serves on the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee for Servco Pacific, a global automotive and consumer goods company with businesses in mobility and automotive distribution and sales as well as entertainment through Fender Guitar. Ms. Simmons is also a board member New Energy Nexus, an international organization that support clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators and networks. She is an active angel investor in technology and founded the #bindersproject, which helps connected women tech founders with global funders looking to accelerate them.
Ms. Simmons graduated Magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from U.C. San Diego. She received her MBA from Cornell University, where she received a full-ride scholarship and stipend as a Park Leadership Fellow and built the Big Red Incubator as a Managing Partner. Ms. Simmons earned her JD from George Mason University School of Law and is a licensed New York State attorney.
 
Website: https://www.logicmark.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LogicMarkLinkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/logicmark Twitter: https://twitter.com/logicmark 

Annual Enrollment – Choosing the Right Health Coverage Option

 
Christine Cooper, the CEO of aequum LLC and the Co-Managing Member of Koehler Fitzgerald LLC, a law firm with a national practice along with Jack Towarnicky an ERISA/Employee Benefits compliance and planning attorney, having over forty years of experience in human resources and plan sponsor leadership roles again joins eHealth Radio and the Healthcare and Legal Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guests Christine Cooper & Jack Towarnicky discuss the following:
Painful mistakes you and/or your employer should avoid at annual enrollment.
Eric: Number 10 – Christine, what’s number 10?
Christine: Number 10 is an employer mistake. It is the employer who fails to offer workers a choice of coverage. Regardless of the size of the employer, the employer should anticipate a diversity of medical coverage needs, today, AND tomorrow! At a minimum, the employer should offer at least two choices, typical would be a PPO and Health Savings Account capable options.
Eric: Who has number 9? Jack?
Jack: Number 9 is also an employer mistake. It is the decision to use a passive process. Passive means that the worker’s existing coverage will continue unless they take action to review the options and make choices. The annual enrollment process should prompt individuals to make affirmative elections – even if it is the same choices, year after year.
Eric: Interesting, so what is Number 8?
Jack: Number 8 is another employer mistake. It is the failure to adjust the coverage comparison so the differences, especially the differences in provider networks and costs are apparent, obvious. For example, where a HSA-capable coverage option is offered, the employer often fails to adjust the deductible for the other choice, typically the PPO, so that the deductible for the PPO applies in the same way. Bottom line, once you have a good idea about your expected utilization, if you must spend more than 5 minutes looking at a side-by-side comparison, that means that the differences aren’t obvious, or that the comparison has too much detail.
Eric: OK, three strikes and the employer are out. So, our audience now knows that the employer should offer a choice of coverage, and at least one of the options should allow the worker to save in a Health Savings Account. The employer should have an active enrollment process, not a passive process, where workers must make affirmative elections of coverage. And the side-by-side comparison should be clean and clear enough so that a worker who knows what they expect to spend on medical can make a decision in less than 5 minutes. OK. So now we have some ideas about what you might ask your employer.
Eric: What’s next? What’s Lucky Number 7?
Christine: More like unlucky #7. Number seven is bias. We let bias affect our decisions. We tend to make decisions by relying on heuristics, or rules of thumb. One example is where people might think Expensive is Better … that the coverage with the smallest deductible or the highest contribution must be the better choice – even though I don’t anticipate any significant medical expenses.
Eric: With six you get egg roll! You could look it up. What is number six?
Jack: Over insurance, you paid too much! Or, as one insurance company motto says, only pay for what you need. Over insurance can result by focusing too much on monthly or per payday costs (what is affordable) versus an estimate of all costs for an entire year. Bias also causes workers to overestimate the likelihood of easy to imagine outcomes, or recent events, what some call the availability heuristic – for example, a coworker who suffered an illness or injury. People sometimes fixate on “what if?” As in what if I need surgery?
Eric: What is five?
Christine: Uncertainty. Uncertainty tends to result in opportunity losses. There is a lot of uncertainty in predicting medical utilization. But, for almost everyone, medical spend increases with age. So, the time to save is now, because our out-of-pocket expenses are likely to increase in the future. And, when it comes to saving for future medical expense, the best option is the Health Savings Account. Why the HSA? Well, it saves on taxes. Often, there is an employer contribution. And consider this. Most of us are likely to make it to retirement age, when, if we are lucky enough to have avoided medical costs, we can spend HSA dollars the same way we spend money from a 401k or an Individual Retirement Account. Actually, saving in a HSA is often better than saving in a 401k.
Eric: Saving in a HSA is better than saving in a 401k? Where can you find more info?
Christine: Contact us at aequumhealth.com, or specifically, contact Jack with your questions about Health Savings Accounts. Or, if your employer doesn’t offer a Health Savings Account capable plan, have your employer reach out to Jack. Jack is one of America’s foremost experts when it comes to the Health Savings Account, its features and value. He’s been participating in a HSA over 17 years, since 2005. You can find his email address by visiting us at www.aequumhealth.com. 
Eric: OK, we’re down to the last four. Number 4?
Jack: It’s another employer mistake – choice blindness, or choice overload. Studies show that three choices are often one too many – especially for something as complex as medical coverage.
Eric: Number 3?
Christine: It is another employer mistake, this time in marketing or communications. Too many times, employers focus communications on the deductible. Some even name the options that way – for example, the $500 plan. That results in something economists call an “anchoring bias”. It draws an inordinate amount of attention to the size of the deductible. During annual enrollment, in your decision-making, you should compare the difference in deductibles between options, the difference in contributions between options and the difference in total costs based on your expected utilization.
Eric: We are down to the Number 2 mistake.
Jack: Myopia. One big mistake we all make is limiting our focus to today, next week, next month, next year. But we all expect to live beyond 2023. So, our coverage decisions should include today and tomorrow, specifically saving, improving our household’s financial resilience. Accumulating savings in 2023 ensures you are better prepared for future annual enrollment decision-making.
Eric: And the Number 1 mistake people make when it comes to annual enrollment?
Christine: Inertia. People are inert. Most don’t spend more than 30 minutes on benefits decision-making each year. Some skip annual enrollments altogether. I mean, nothing has changed in your life, or your household, or in the coverage marketplace, or in your employment over the past 3 years, right? Remember to ask other adults in your household for their input. If you are enrolled in the same health coverage today that you were before the pandemic, you should at least reconsider any available alternatives … just in case they changed. Also, if you are enrolled in a Health Savings Account, it is a good time to update your rate of contributions … but remember, unlike other accounts, you can prospectively change your HSA contribution rate, any month during the year. Keeping the same choice, year after year after year is a form of status quo bias. How would you know if it is still the right choice…unless you give it a new, fresh look. Don’t know where to start, ask for help.
We’ll put a summary of this discussion on our website www.aequumhealth.com – so you can refer to it for this year’s annual enrollment (and future years as well). Start today. Ask your employer for the dates of the annual enrolment, and what coverage option will be offered in 2023. Have them contact Jack and encourage them to offer a Health Savings Account capable option. Start putting together your estimate what you and your household members will spend on medical in 2023.
And, when annual enrollment comes, don’t forget to take time to review your choices and make an affirmative decision, election for 2023.
Christine M. Cooper, CEO and Member, aequum LLC
Christine M. Cooper is the CEO and Member, of aequum LLC. A patent lawyer recruited to Koehler Fitzgerald LLC in 2016 because of her large law firm experience and IT skills, Christine was quickly elevated to a member of Koehler Fitzgerald LLC and leads the health care practice. Christine is the CEO of aequum and is dedicated to assisting and defending plans and patients.
Jack Towarnicky Member, aequum LLC
As an ERISA/Employee Benefits compliance and planning attorney, Jack has over forty years of experience in human resources and plan sponsor leadership roles. This includes twenty-five years as the leader of a Fortune 100 corporation’s benefits function. While serving in those roles, Jack and his team won a multitude of individual, team and corporate recognitions. In 2020 Jack joined aequum and provides plan drafting and compliance services to employers and plan sponsors.
About aequum
Founded in 2020, aequum LLC serves third-party administrators, medical cost management companies, stop-loss carriers, employer-sponsored health plans and brokers nationwide to protect plan participants, improve employee satisfaction with their health care plans, and generate plan and participant cost savings. aequum helps patients defend medical balance bills and brings savings to employer-sponsored health plans by providing administrative and other services to its partners. In addition, its sister organization, Koehler Fitzgerald LLC, provides legal advocacy to plan participants.
Website: https://aequumhealth.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/aequumbykoehlerfitzgerald Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/aequumllc/about Twitter: https://twitter.com/aequumhealth 
 

Advanced EOB: How it works for healthcare consumers and employer-sponsored health plan members

 
 
Christine Cooper, the CEO of aequum LLC and the Co-Managing Member of Koehler Fitzgerald LLC, a law firm with a national practice. Christine leads the firm’s health care practice and is dedicated to assisting and defending plans and patients again joins ehealth Radio and the Healthcare and Health News Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Christine Cooper discuss the following:
What is the Explanation of Benefits or “EOB”? What role does it plan in your employer-sponsored health plan?
What is an “Advanced” Explanation of Benefits (EOB), and how does it work for healthcare consumers and employer-sponsored health plan members?
How can health plan members ask for an Advanced EOB?
How does a member evaluate an Advanced EOB when received? How can they request another quote for the same procedure from a different provider?
How can members work with its plan administrator for guidance and to identify a reasonable price for procedure?
Christine M. Cooper is the CEO and Member, of aequum LLC. A patent lawyer recruited to Koehler Fitzgerald LLC in 2016 because of her large law firm experience and IT skills, Christine was quickly elevated to a member of Koehler Fitzgerald LLC and leads the health care practice. Christine is the CEO of aequum and is dedicated to assisting and defending plans and patients.
About aequum
Founded in 2020, aequum LLC serves third-party administrators, medical cost management companies, stop-loss carriers, employer-sponsored health plans and brokers nationwide to protect plan participants, improve employee satisfaction with their health care plans, and generate plan and participant cost savings. aequum helps patients defend medical balance bills and brings savings to employer-sponsored health plans by providing administrative and other services to its partners. In addition, its sister organization, Koehler Fitzgerald LLC, provides legal advocacy to plan participants.
Website: https://aequumhealth.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/aequumbykoehlerfitzgerald Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/aequumllc/about Twitter: https://twitter.com/aequumhealth 

The Future of Community Health Resources

 
 
Jane Chai, master of public health, is the Community Health Content Expert with Conduent Healthy Communities Institute (HCI) and joins eHealth Radio and the Health News Channel.
Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Jane Chai discuss the following:
What is the Conduent Healthy Communities Institute (HCI)? What type of resources does it provide and for who?   
Can you tell us more about the HCI platform and the data it provides?
Why is this information and data important, and who uses it? Can you share an example of an action that has been taken to improve community health, using this data?
What are some of the lesser-known factors that contribute to poor health within a community?
Can you share an example of how this data can lead to identifying underserved, invisible populations? 
Jane Chai, MPH is the Community Health Content Expert with Conduent Healthy Communities Institute (HCI). She holds a Master of Public Health from the UCLA School of Public Health in the field of community health sciences. Ms. Chai has worked in the field of public health for more than 20 years on topics ranging from reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, Asian American community health, and substance use. In her current position, Jane provides thought leadership and expertise to HCI, which recently launched a Mental Health Index to help identify communities at greatest risk for poor mental health outcomes.
Website: https://www.conduent.com/CommunityHealth 
Social Media Links: Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/conduent Facebook: https://facebook.com/Conduent Twitter: https://twitter.com/conduent  Instagram: https://instagram.com/conduent