Understanding value based healthcare

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Infectious disease expert Mark Kortepeter explains the differences between Covid and monkeypox and how its spread primarily through direct contact rather than respiratory droplets means it’s less likely to cause a pandemic as significant as Covid. More than two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, our surveillance networks are on heightened alert for what might be the next big thing. We didn’t predict Covid, and we have never correctly predicted the next infectious disease of concern. If someone had asked me what I thought might be next, I certainly would not have predicted monkeypox, even though I teach regularly about the threat of its close cousin, smallpox. In the past two weeks, we were alerted to an outbreak of monkeypox that began in Europe and thus far appears linked primarily to men who have sex with men. The numbers of confirmed cases worldwide are over 200 and climbing. There have been few cases confirmed … [Read more...] about Will Monkeypox Be The Next Deadly Pandemic? It’s Unlikely

Today’s tight labor market, economic challenges, and customers’ ever-increasing expectations have changed the business landscape. To adapt, survive and have a chance to thrive, businesses must be increasingly agile. advertisement Companies need the people, processes and technology to support fast decision making, continued innovation and inevitable pivots. Let’s consider how your business can use process redesign, automation and people-first strategies to speed up workflows while delivering exceptional experiences for customers and employees alike. Customer service and personalization Customer service has become a business differentiator: a tool for building connections and reinforcing brand values. While this is more important than ever, it is also more complicated. Jeff Weiner, vice president, general manager at Conduent , a provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions that ignite efficiency, savings and revenue growth, explains that the … [Read more...] about How to build business momentum during challenging times

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin 92 million tons of clothes-related waste are discarded each year. To put that in perspective, that’s the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothing being sent to a landfill every second. The good news is this excessive waste has driven innovation in ways that not only benefit our planet but that also provide a more transparent and personalized way for brands to communicate with consumers. And a few trailblazing companies are leading the charge. Using Digital IDs for Authenticated Resale Resale is huge and the industry is getting bigger fast. Insulated from supply chain bottlenecks and benefitting from an increased focus on sustainability, the resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail and expected to hit $77 billion in the next five years. So, what is the next evolution in resale? Vanessa Barboni Hallik, the CEO of Another Tomorrow, believes it is important to offer resale … [Read more...] about Brands Are Now Communicating To Consumers About Sustainability Through QR Codes – Here’s How

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin There seems to be a lot of confusion about whether annuities are good or bad. Some of it stems from viewing the product as complex and too time-consuming to study and understand. But I don’t see annuities being any more complicated than other financial products. For example, one type of annuity is simply like a pension, and there’s almost no one who thinks a pension is bad. Annuities are a type of insurance product. By purchasing one, you’re transferring risk to the insurance company just as you do with home, auto, or life insurance coverage. With annuity products, the insurer is assuming some, if not all, of the longevity or market risk and charging a fee doing so. Risk mitigation is common to all types of annuity products, yet they differ markedly in other ways. Variable Annuities When people talk about contract complexity and high fees, they’re usually referring to variable annuities. I find these products are … [Read more...] about Do Annuities Make Sense For Anyone?

By now, everyone has weighed in on the Goldman Sachs crisis. Pundits have pilloried the firm for enabling a toxic and destructive culture. Supporters such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg have defended the darling of Wall Street, saying it remains a great institution. And the Goldman Sachs PR machine has simultaneously done everything possible to undermine whistle-blower Greg Smith's credibility while insisting his remarks don't reflect the values of the firm's 30,000 employees. Regardless of where the truth lies, companies must learn from the image and reputation damage that's been wreaked on Goldman. I've worked for countless organizations in, well, every conceivable industry and can assure you of two things: There are many Goldman-like cultures in fields that have nothing whatsoever to do with the world of high-powered finance. There are just as many cultures that espouse the best-in-breed ethos of such rock-star companies as Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, and … [Read more...] about Don’t Be Like Goldman Sachs: 5 Ways

Education is easy to make part of any business. That does not have to mean bringing in outside experts or sending employees away to expensive courses. Drawing on in-house resources can be just as rich. At Metal Mafia, we used to have sales seminars on a regular basis, at which different staffers would present on everything from the pros and cons of new products, to techniques for communicating better with customers. As we got busier, the seminars were scheduled less frequently, and finally, not scheduled at all. Two weeks ago, I asked my staff to tell me why a customer would want to spend money on a specific new product we now offer. I thought the answers could have been better, so I decided we all needed a refresher course in how to explain the value of our products in a meaningful way to our customers. I held an in-house tutorial this week, and the investment paid off. Here's what I think you'll find most useful. Let your staff know it's OK to ask questions. … [Read more...] about Help Your Employees Be Strategic Thinkers

Hiring. It’s a huge problem for almost every small business owner. In today’s lean environment, you need high value contributors, not warm bodies. The good news is that you can get some very interesting, capable team members without actually having to hire them yourself. A variety of companies manage talent in finance, engineering, and public relations, providing top-notch talent on part-time arrangements. For the business owner, this provides much-needed flexibility. You don’t have to make commitments to potential employees when you don’t know what the next year or even the next quarter will look like. For the right workers, these arrangements allow unheard-of flexibility, challenge, and the ability to pursue other passions in life. The arrangement is strictly business-to-business, and the intensity of the engagements can be dialed up or down depending on the entrepreneur’s immediate needs. There are no 1099’s, no insurance issues, no hassle. If it isn’t working out, there … [Read more...] about How to Hire People You Can’t Afford

Merck & Co., Inc. ( MRK ) reported better-then-expected earnings on April 30, and the stock responded with an upside move. This rebound was helped by a "golden cross" on its daily chart, while the weekly chart is neutral. Merck is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and was a member of the " Dogs of the Dow " in 2018. The company did not qualify in 2019, as it has a P/E ratio of 17.45 with a dividend yield of 2.79%, according to Macrotrends. To qualify as a member of the dog pound, the dividend must be above 3.00%. Merck stock closed Wednesday, May 1, at $78.72, up 3.00% year to date and up by a bull market 39.9% from its low of $56.26 posted on May 9, 2018. The stock is 6.1% below its high of $83.85 set on April 1, 2019. The daily chart for Merck The daily chart for Merck shows that a "golden cross" has been in play since June 12, when the 50-day simple moving average rose above the 200-day simple moving average, indicating that higher prices lie … [Read more...] about Merck Stock Bounces Back Thanks to a ‘Golden Cross’

This article was updated on March 26, 2012. The U.S. spends more than almost any other country on health care, but we’re ranked nowhere near the top of the list in quality of care of quality of life. Clearly, something needs to change--and indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court is now weighing arguments around President Obama's health care reform law. But how do we, as entrepreneurs, even start the discussion? I am not a health care expert, but I can offer up my story as a small business owner. I can tell you what my company, Dero, is currently doing, why we’re doing it, and what needs to be done now. We renew our health insurance policy every May 1.  As renewal approaches, I hold my breath for the inevitable: How much will our premiums go up this year? For years, premiums climbed about 20% each spring. And each spring we had to consider how we would respond to these increases, and what effect it would have on our employees and the company. We want to provide the … [Read more...] about How the Health Care Mess Hurts Entrepreneurs

Jonathan Mok was assaulted in London, United Kingdom in February. Image: Facebook/@jaidanmok A Singaporean student based in London, United Kingdom has become one of the most recent victims of racist attacks over the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Jonathan Mok, 23, took to Facebook earlier today, March 3, to spread awareness on how racism “has found yet another excuse to rear its ugly head,” after he got assaulted by a group of youths on the street. Mok said that around 9:15 p.m. on Feb. 24, he was walking through Oxford Street when he was assaulted by three to four young men and a woman, whom he described to have “seemed no older than 20 years old, but were all more than a head taller than me.” “I walked past a group of young men, when I saw one of them look at me (just as he walked past me) and said something to me, which I could make out the word ‘coronavirus.’ I was stunned and turned around to have a look at the man [who] made the statement,” Mok recounted. … [Read more...] about Singaporean assaulted in UK amid COVID-19 outbreak