AARP by Larry Dobrow, Tuesday, February 13, 2007
MY PARENTS RECENTLY TOOK a trip to Florida to scout out potential retirement destinations. Happily, they returned unimpressed, which speaks volumes about their distaste for cuisine Chez Applebee's and their desire to see me more than once a year. Their thumbs-down, agita-up verdict confirmed what I'd long suspected: that while Mom and Dad may be advancing in calendar years, their brains still have quite a bit of tread left on 'em.
Perhaps this explains why I've never seen AARP The Magazine on their coffee table. I understand that AARP has an enormous audience to satisfy -- the publication bills itself as "the world's largest circulation magazine" -- but in shooting broadly, it comes across more as Aging For Dummies than as the all-things-for-everybody resource it clearly aspires to be.
As painfully well-intentioned as most of the March/April issue's items are, few show much in the way of creative thinking or editorial foresight. The mag leads with the 746th "Helen Mirren is totally a grand dame, y'all" feature that has run in a print publication in the last six months; as the last to the table, it offers nothing new. It checks in with Joan Didion a full 14 months after The Year of Magical Thinking was originally published and conveys little that wasn't included in earlier stories (not to mention in the book itself). The "Movies for Grownups Awards" annual feature might have personality to spare, but if there's one thing this readership needs, it ain't more movie reviews.
AARP does worse on the advice front. Again, I realize that a gazillion-circ mag can't assume high intellectual capacity in its every reader, but many of the tips cross the line between practical and insulting to individuals with a double-digit IQ. Comfortable shoes and socks are identified as must-have accessories for any walking regimen, caffeine before bed is touted as a no-no for those with sleep issues, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is recommended for anybody interested in nutrition.
Get all that, Dad? By the time the March/April issue gets around to passing along remotely useful information (in the form of tech-y pieces about online medical information and digital music) most readers will long since have put down the mag and taken a nap. I kid, I kid -- they'll have written a lengthy letter to their Congressperson to complain that the sitting room has gotten drafty.
(If somebody can tell me how such cheap oldie-old-old gibes are any more demeaning than a duh-really pronouncement that "Junk is an impolite way to characterize heavily processed foods such as soft drinks, candy and snacks," I'd love to hear it.)
Odd decisions abound. For every well-rounded profile, like the one on an 86-year-old lifelong beach bum, AARP throws out three simple-minded items. The nadir is the piece in which some dude tells readers that we can better understand radical extremists if we just, like, sit down and rap with them, man ("We can see into the souls of others only if we take the trouble, and risk, to visit one another"). No, the piece wasn't authored by David Crosby.
On the design side, the mag throws out a bunch of illustrations, weirdly conveyed statistics (the mag orients the number 20 sideways as part of its attempt to note that 20 million Americans are afraid of needles) and, occasionally, an image so bizarre and inappropriate as to almost tantalize. I direct your attention to page 60 of the March/April issue, in which a woman who looks like Lt. Uhura from "Star Trek" sits wide-awake in bed as men dressed in full-body bunny rabbit costumes surround her, holding an alarm clock and a platter of milk and cookies. I'm not making this up. Maybe the bunny rabbits are supposed to be sheep? Whoever greenlit this pic needs counseling.
Perhaps these comments are a little unfair, as AARP The Magazine has an awful lot of members to take into consideration. Still, we're not evaluating AARP as an organization (nice work on the pharma lobbying, kids!); we're evaluating the way its flagship publication serves its readership. And in this regard, AARP The Magazine flails aimlessly. If you're sharp and reasonably informed, stay away.
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Published by: AARP
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Larry Dobrow (larry@mediapost.com) is a Contributing Writer.
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¶ 10:04 AM 0 commentsIndependent Pharmacies Face Tough Times: Many Turning to FLAVORx to Increase Margins and Provide Value-Added Patient ServicesMany independent pharmacies are feeling the crunch of health insurance regulations that could force them to shut down or be acquired. Programs such as FLAVORx allow small pharmacies to add unique services and value-added programs for their patients to increase store traffic and drive business.
Bethesda, MD (PRWeb) February 13, 2007 -- A recent article in Fortune Small Business indicated that due to new insurance regulations, many independent pharmacies could be forced to shut down or be acquired. Programs such as Medicare Part D that reduce reimbursement amounts for medications are dealing a substantial blow to independent pharmacy sales that heavily rely on prescriptions. As a result, many independent pharmacies are looking toward unique programs such as FLAVORx that can significantly improve patient care and drive traffic to their stores, as well as increase pharmacy revenue. FLAVORx reports show that system sales to independent pharmacies are up 24% over the prior period last year.
Because prescriptions account for 97% of the average independent pharmacy's sales, reductions in reimbursement amounts, while valuable to the patient, immediately shrink cash flow and margins. A survey of independent pharmacies in Wisconsin showed that 60% expected that new regulations would force them to close. In contrast, chain pharmacies can often rely on front-end sales to compensate for the drop in reimbursement amounts paid to their pharmacies, leaving independent pharmacies particularly vulnerable to being gobbled up by larger competitors.
By offering the FLAVORx flavoring system, pharmacies are able to provide their patients with a unique service that increases medicinal compliance, and also reduces the struggles associated with bad-tasting and foul-smelling medications. Independent research studies in pediatric patients have shown that FLAVORx increases medication adherence rates and quality of life scores dramatically.
The FLAVORx system is easy-to-use, and the flavoring process itself can be completed in less than 2 minutes. New technology is being completed to streamline even this fast procedure. Soon it will be so easy that it will take less then half this time and effort. The efficiency of the system allows flavoring to keep up with the demanding schedule that many pharmacists and technicians face on a day to day basis. Flavoring assistance is also available 24 hours a day. FLAVORx has developed a range of systems to meet the individual and diverse demands of independent pharmacies, such that pharmacies may participate in the FLAVORx program that is most beneficial to their needs and the needs of their patients.
Many independent pharmacies find that flavoring has become key to developing relationships and increasing customer loyalty. According to a pharmacist from Sand Point Clinic Pharmacy in Seattle, WA, "We have a good rapport with the families that come in. It's a rewarding moment when a family can come in and say, 'we trust you, pick what ever flavor you think will work [for the medication, and you always pick the right ones'." Mitchell Melone, RPh, from Lakeville Pharmacy in New Hyde Park, NY notes that people have come to them from outside of the area to have their medications flavored. "It's rewarding when people come to us specifically for [FLAVORx flavoring instead of other pharmacies because they know it really works," adds Melone.
FLAVORx also stands firmly behind the independent pharmacies. "Because I grew up working in my father's small independent pharmacy, I'm an avid supporter of keeping these businesses alive and successful. I've always been a strong proponent of a system and service that can help out the little guys," says Kenny Kramm, FLAVORx President and CEO.
For more information, please visit www.flavorx.com or contact Teresa Chen at 800.884.5771.
About FLAVORx
FLAVORx is a pharmaceutical flavoring system used by pharmacists and veterinarians nationwide to improve the palatability of liquid over-the-counter and prescription medications. To date, FLAVORx has flavored over 40 million prescriptions without any incidence of allergy, adverse reaction or changes in efficacy. FLAVORx flavors are non-allergenic, dye-free, sugar-free, phosphate-free and alcohol-free, making them safe for all patients.
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Press Contact: TERESA CHEN
Company Name: FLAVORx, Inc.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 240.223.0953
Website: www.flavorx.com
¶ 10:03 AM 0 commentsE-prescriptions are a Click Away from Correcting Errors and Protecting Patients, says DoctorSolveThe benefits of electronic prescriptions may soon have many physicians throwing out their pen and reaching for the mouse.
Vancouver, B.C. (PRWeb) February 13, 2007 -- With all the years of training physicians go through, one skill that has eluded many of them is good penmanship.
More than 3.2 billion prescriptions are handwritten every year. A 2006 report from the Institute of Medicine found that more than 7,000 people died and at least 1.5 million were harmed by preventable medication errors in the U.S. One major cause cited for this was illegible prescriptions. "If the physician's handwriting is difficult to read, filling a prescription becomes a guessing game. Patients may be given the wrong drug or dosage if the pharmacist misread the prescription," says Dr. Paul Zickler of DoctorSolve (www.doctorsolve.com) online pharmacy services.
Fortunately, the medical world is warming up to a new program that may change the age-old habit of handwritten prescriptions. The National e-prescribing Patient Safety Initiative is a multi-million dollar project supported by high-profile technology companies and hospitals. Doctors can access a web-based tool to write prescriptions electronically and transmit them for filling.
Electronic prescribing first started in hospitals where doctors would submit a patient's prescription on special computers at nursing stations. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that at one hospital computerized prescriptions cut the rate of serious medication errors by more than half.
"E-prescribing offers a new level of security for patients and physicians," says Zickler. "It can reduce errors related to handwriting, and prevent harmful drug interactions. Plus patients can get treated sooner. One click and a patient's prescription can be e-mailed to the drug store."
E-prescribing can also make things easier and safer for patients who purchase their prescriptions from international pharmacies. "Currently, the patient or doctor has to fax the written prescription in to start the order process, and then mail us the original," says Zickler. "E-prescriptions would streamline the process and get critical medication to our patients faster."
"Until this technology is in place, our medical staff reviews every prescription and follows up to confirm the details. This practice prevents some of the problems inherent with handwritten scripts, and ensures the safety of our patients."
DoctorSolve, a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37) offers lower cost, long-term prescriptions. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked one of the best online pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com. DoctorSolve has filled more than 200,000 U.S. prescriptions.
For more information, call 1-866-732-0305, listen to our podcast at www.doctorsolve.com/podcast or visit http://www.doctorsolve.com.
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Press Contact: Dianne Bidewell
Company Name: Doctorsolve Health Services
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-866-732-0305
Website: www.doctorsolve.com
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¶ 9:49 AM 0 commentsHSAEd.com Offers Shopping Tips for Your HSAHSA Ed.com, "America's #1 Educational Resource for Health Savings Accounts," is offering some tips on finding the right Health Savings Account (HSA) for you. There are a number of HSA providers and many have different costs and fees that go with their different programs.
Lake Geneva, WI (PRWeb) February 6, 2007 -- HSA Ed.com, "America's #1 Educational Resource for Health Savings Accounts," is offering some tips on finding the right Health Savings Account (HSA) for you. There are a number of HSA providers and many have different costs and fees that go with their different programs.
Set Up Fee
Although you can find a number of HSA providers offering free account set-up, a one time HSA set up fee ranging from $15 to $35 is normal in the industry.
Monthly Fees
Monthly Fees can range from $1 to as high as $10 per month. Some providers charge every month, no matter what your HSA balance is, while others charge depending on your HSA balance and stop charging when your balance reaches $1,000, while some require balances up to $3,000 or higher.
Employers setting up a group for your employees should be on the look out for this. If you are going to funding employee's HSA accounts through a payroll deduction plan, your employees will be paying the monthly fees for a long time until they reach the cut off point, which could add up quickly over time.
Ask what you're getting for these fees. Some people may find value in the different services for which some HSA providers charge fees. No two HSAs are going to be used the same, so these are questions only you can answer. There are plenty of providers that do not charge monthly fees, so shop around.
Annual Fees
Some providers have switched to an annual fee, because you only see the fee once a year. Once again, ask what you're getting for these fees. If you find value, these fees could be well worth it.
Closing Fee
This is something to stay away from at all costs. If you are unhappy with the fees or for some other reasons you no longer want to have your money with that HSA provider, they should not charge you to move your money. If they had done a good job, you would not be moving your HSA, so why do you have to pay them one last time?
Using Your HSA
If you have a favorite credit card, perhaps one that earns your points or airline miles, pay your qualified health care expenses with that card to receive the miles or points. You can always reimburse yourself from your HSA at a later date, which doesn't even have to be within the same year.
Funding your HSA
With these new enhanced HSA contribution limits for 2007 and beyond, HSAEd.com highly recommends you fully fund your HSA. If you are currently funding an IRA or 401(k), you should consider funding your HSA first, as you can always get access to these funds for you and your dependents for qualified health care expenses while still receiving the tax benefits.
About HSAed.com
HSAed.com has been developed to provide consumers, agents and the press the most up- to-date information regarding health savings accounts, consumer directed health care and wellness. HSAed.com is committed to providing the educational materials and tools needed in order for individuals to direct their own health care.
>From banks to insurance agents specializing in qualified high deductible health insurance plans and HSAs, HSAed.com can help by connecting health agents and brokers with consumers who want to take responsibility for their health and health care dollars.
For more information call 262-348-1300, or visit www.HSAed.com
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Press Contact: TIMOTHY MORALES
Company Name: HSA Clearing Corp
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 262-348-1300
Website: http://www.hsaed.com
