Gary Insurance Group

Not going anywhere check us out on your phone

We are accessible 24/7 anywhere your phone works lets us know how we can help.

AHIP: Supreme Court Must Clarify 2014 Market Reforms with Individual Mandate | LifeHealthPro

AHIP: Supreme Court Must Clarify 2014 Market Reforms with Individual Mandate | LifeHealthPro.

2011 Employer Survey | BenefitsPro

2011 Employer Survey | BenefitsPro.

Small Business, Big Impact: Taking a Pro-active Approach to Unplanned Absences

By Tom Starner,

 

Human Resource Executive For large companies, an unexpected leave of absence is typically a blip on the radar screen. But for small businesses, losing one or two workers, especially if they are top performers, can cause a serious productivity drain. According to some HR experts, being unprepared for such an event is akin to not having a survival plan in place should a natural disaster strike. Small employers, in fact, can use benefits and other strategy—such as cross-training or telecommuting—to lessen the productivity losses such a scenario could produce. Jason Johnson, managing partner at Kaye/Bassman International, a Dallas-based executive search and recruitment firm, says the first thing an employer should do, especially with smaller companies, is to acknowledge the loss. “Just assure the remaining employees and company clients that the loss will be absorbed and life will go on,” he says. The next step is to decide what will be done to fill this void, followed by making everyone aware of the execution of the plan. Johnson says that while this may seem obvious, it is rarely successfully put into practice when the times comes because most small firms tend to be more emotionally attached to the employee. “That’s fine for a short time, but long-term, it will very seriously affect morale, which affects productivity, which affects future business,” he says. In terms of a proactive plan for unexpected leaves, every employer, no matter how small, must have one, Johnson says. “We can’t do anything to prevent tornados, but we can develop and execute tornado drills,” he says. “A small business owner needs to have a plan should a top performer (or any well-liked individual) take an unexplained leave of absence for any given period of time.” “That way, when the day comes … and it will … stability will remain in place,” he adds. What type of plan can work? For starters, Matt Thomas, president of Indianapolis-based WorkSmart Systems Inc., a professional employer organization, says small employers should maintain enough operational staffing capacity to handle current client-service needs, plus 10 percent growth—even during tough economic times. It could hurt short-term profitability, but not nearly as much as losing clients or having stressed, unhappy employees because of understaffing. Another key strategy is to cross-train workers throughout the organization, so there always is a back-up that ensures critical functions are never offline. Finally, small employers should try to provide flexibility, especially for critical, high-performer positions. Thomas says that thefollowing accommodations can be very effective: • Flexible hours. • Opportunity to work part-time until ready to come back full-time. • Remote access or home-office capability, with the understanding that it is a temporary arrangement. “Providing flexibility in these situations can build loyalty with all employees, help the affected employee by having work to focus on, decrease disability costs, and eliminate the huge cost and headache of replacing a valued employee,” Thomas says. Tom Starner is a freelance writer with Human Resource Executive®. Copyright 2011© Human Resource Executive® The opinions expressed in the New York Times and Human Resource Executive articles are the opinions of those publications and do not reflect the opinions of MetLife or its affiliates.

CSC: Telemedicine could answer healthcare challenges

CSC: Telemedicine could answer healthcare challenges.

Keeping you in the Know

Our latest offering please enjoy

 

 

 

Download Risk Review Volume 16, Issue 2

How Is Telemedicine Changing The Face Of Health Care?

Recent
advancements in technology impact markets across the spectrum. For example,
businesses conduct meetings across continents in real-time; consumers conduct
bank transactions online, moving money between accounts and banks.

The health care
industry’s response to technological advances makes it possible to provide
medical care in ways that were once deemed impossible. Telemedicine,
specifically, provides unique and innovative ways for physicians to offer
quality care in a changing health care system.

Objective

Telemedecine,
in simple terms, is the delivery of medical services through remote means in
real-time telecommunication modes; telemedicine combines communications with IT.
Certain motivating factors move telemedicine to the forefront of realistic and
effective ways to address changes within the health care industry:

• Baby
  boomer generation reaches retirement age.
• Lack
  of physicians to meet patient demand.
• Changes
  due to health care reform mean that more than 30 million Americans join the
  system.

As a result of
this technology, positives changes are on the horizon for health care. As it
grows to meet the demands placed on and rising costs of the system, the outcomes
appear to lead to the betterment of individual health and prosperity of the
health care system in general.

Changes Lead
to Benefits

Increased
Access

Remote,
isolated and rural areas embrace and herald the idea of remote medicine. Much of
a physician’s contact with a patient is accomplished via remote devices, such as
monitoring blood pressure and weight. This means that usually infrequent face
to face visits are no longer the only means of access to the patient. During
emergencies and for monitoring of chronic diseases, technological devices that
store and record and remotely monitor have opened the door for quality health
care.

Increased
Communication

Telemedicine
augments communication between and among primary care physicians and
specialists. No longer restricted to reading another doctor’s charts or notes,
videoconferencing expands communication incrementally, adding body language and
verbal responses to the process. There is no limit to the relationships that
benefit, like communication between: nurses and doctors; one office to another;
one country to another country.

Increased
Learning

Technology
combined with education opens up ample opportunities for medical teaching and
expands the student population to include those both physically and not
physically present. The potential for increased student exposure to gifted
teachers and surgical procedures advances the skills and knowledge of more
doctors.

Increased
Savings and Efficiency

By using this
technology, doctors serve more patients, without having to expend additional
time and resources. Instead, after initial history and exam, information from
remote devices contributes to diagnosis and treatment.

Another primary
advantage that attracts the health care industry? Telemedicine presents the
potential to avoid the further development of chronic disease development in
patients who present pre-cursors of the condition. Instead of reacting to
health, patients and doctors use this technology to proactively address minor
issues prior to escalation.

Finally,
telemedicine keeps chronic diseases from ballooning into major issues, which
often includes a costly trip to the ER. By maintaining virtual tabs on the
patient, nurses and doctors monitor the condition as it develops, enabling them
to make adjustments during scheduled office visits.

Overall,
telemedicine provides a means for physicians to efficiently treat multiple
patients, while decreasing costs of managing chronic conditions. Undoubtedly,
some believe that the idea negatively impacts the integral, personal connection
between doctor and patient, and in some ways that may be true.

The reality,
however, shows the current health care system bursting at the seams due to
patient demand, decreased overall health of Americans and health care reform
coverage. The current system cannot manage without making significant
adjustments. To avoid complete bankruptcy health care must change, and
telemedicine presents a good response to the problem.

This
article was written by Anita Alvarez, an expert
in the Patient Empowerment category
at www.yoexpert.com

 

post

 

Download LHIA 11-02 PDF Gary Ins.pdf

How Seniors Will Pay for ObamaCare | Media | National Center for Policy Analysis | NCPA

How Seniors Will Pay for ObamaCare | Media | National Center for Policy Analysis | NCPA.

Seven Empty Promises about ObamaCare

Seven Empty Promises about ObamaCare.

Are your clients prepared for this month’s PPACA changes? - Articles - Employee Benefit Adviser

Are your clients prepared for this month’s PPACA changes? - Articles - Employee Benefit Adviser.