A health care lawyer named Gregory Pimstone records the experiences of the emergency healthcare system of the USA just to realize how hollow it is and calls for a change. In this healthcare system, if a person with insurance takes emergency health care facilities from an out-of-network hospital, he will experience a tedious process to pay the bills. The reimbursing process takes a toll on the time and resources of the patient, hospital, and insurance company. This dilemma occurs because no laws are available to fix a medical fee rate for such a situation.

If a person is injured, the law permits them to seek medical assistance from the nearest ER irrespective of the contracted list. Once the patient is stable, the healthcare plan is to pay the charges, regardless of the contracted list. But the emergency provider deems the value offered by healthcare plans unreasonable. Here, the law becomes problematic because it does not define reasonable.

The case of Children’s Hospital Central California v Blue Cross of California. 4^th 1260 (2014) is a clear example. Both parties, upon disagreement on reasonable value, went to court. The court calls for determining the scope of rates regarding the series, including all previous rates, even by government payors. But each case is different.

The rates data for each hospital were different. The lack of an equation to determine reasonable value leads to such arbitrary decisions. There are thousands of cases like this. All cases result in court arbitration, and the court has to consider rates that change each year, making year-old claims inappropriate to determine reasonable value.

Hence, Hospitals and Health Insurances companies are constantly engaged in costly litigation for the same case with a different patient. Both exchange records, hire lawyers, present witnesses to collect opinions to determine one single value. These sessions cost millions of dollars. If one side loses, it goes for an appeal initiating the cycle again.

This irrational system calls for the need to reinstate procedures and define set values. Another loophole is if a person goes to a contracted hospital with a non-contracted doctor, then that one person receives 125 percent of Medicare would pay.

This huge flaw is what Gregory Pimstone wants to point out. The Biden Administration has presented the “No Surprise Act” 2022 regarding this matter, but it is also ineffective. The Act only proposes a list of factors to take into consideration for determining value. There is still no definite method to determine the costs and decide who gets what—still no way to direct the courts and aid the decision-making process.

The Californian legislature has not taken up the issue. Thousands of patients in need of health care arrive in non-contracted hospitals every day. There are only two ways to go about the subject. Either legislate a decisive way to determine the value and end the waste of resources. Or let the two parties continue their legal battles forever.

Becoming a therapist can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Opening your own therapy office, another one. It takes a lot of work to make it happen, but it’s not an impossible task.

Here is a checklist for starting a private practice in therapy.

Consult a business lawyer to follow the laws in your state.

Every state has different laws and regulations you’ll need to follow to become a therapist. You need to know if you need professional licensure, and you will need to understand the ideal practices for a business in the field. You’ll also need to know about any malpractice and professional liability insurance you may need to get.

Get all the certifications and education you need to become a therapist.

Moreover, you’ll have to get the proper education and certifications for the practice. This means you’ll have to go to school to get a bachelor’s degree as well as a degree in a certificate program such as a behavior certification online from UC. UC offers a Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) which you can take online.

It’s a 30-credit program that prepares you to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). This master’s degree will allow you to provide special education to people diagnosed with various disorders such as autism, anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, and cognitive impairment, among other things.

Create a business plan.

As you’re working on your education, you can begin working on your business plan. Your business plan will include your business’ vision, marketing strategies, goals, financial plans, and other executive information regarding your company. You can find many templates for this as well as resources to guide you in the process online.

Find an office space and consider adding security measures.

Another step you’ll have to take in this journey is to find a good office space to give roots to your business. This will include making a budget for a confidential office space where you can meet your clients. Additionally, you’ll need office supplies such as phones, internet access, computers, and a security system.

To stay safe and keep your patients safe, you should implement access control methods by Verkada to protect your office’s vulnerabilities. While most people may choose keypads for their door entry point or key fobs, Verkada offers a state-of-the-art access control system using smartphone credentials.

Their security technique involves using a mobile application and Bluetooth technology to interact with a smart reader on an entry point. This system is cloud-based, and therefore, you can choose any time when you want to get someone off your system from any mobile device or computer. This will help you lock and unlock your office from a remote location for an even more secure office.

Hire a team to help run your business.

Additionally, you’ll want to determine if you want to work with a team or other therapists or if you want to go solo. You can hire someone to handle your reception or accounting. Whatever your business needs, know that you can also outsource these jobs to save you time and money.

Establish comprehensible policies.

Having a good set of policies can help your clients understand what they can expect from your business. You’ll have to create policies for payment types, therapy session rates, discounts, fees, cancellations, and HIPAA compliance, among other information. Although clients don’t really read through these policies, it’s important you have them sign it; in case you run into any issues with a patient, you’ll be covered.

Start taking patients.

Lastly, you’re going to want to start taking patients and, to get patients, you’re going to need to market your services. Once you start helping people overcome their problems, they will refer other people to you by word-of-mouth.

This checklist will get you started on your journey towards a successful private therapy practice.

Freelancing is a highly attractive career for individuals seeking flexible work hours and want to choose the work they do while still making more money. As a career path, freelancing has rewards. Buying term papers can provide various benefits of freelancing that can seem attractive to most individuals. Here are a few guidelines on becoming a freelancer in the UK and earning a living from it.

• Choosing your business structure

There are fears surrounding the decision to become a freelancer, such as not getting work and the fact that you will be alone most of the time in front of a computer screen. However, on deciding to join the field, you need to identify the business structure to adopt. You can be a sole trader or create a limited company based on the benefits you seek to accrue and the requirements for each.

• Registering for tax

Freelancing in the UK means that you have no employer who will be managing your tax requirements. Having acquired a legal status of a sole proprietorship or limited company business, registration for taxation purposes follows. For a sole trader, your registration with the HM Revenue and Customs should indicate you are self-employed. For a limited company, ensure filing of a Company Tax Return with the HM Revenue and Customs. When expecting an annual turnover above 85,000 pounds, remember to register for VAT.

• Organizing your finances

To run a freelancing business efficiently and effectively, you will need to set up a vast bookkeeping system for recording all invoices and payments in a structured way that can be easily retrieved. The Xero accounting software is suitable if you wish to track receipts, incomes, and other financial records without hiring an accountant. Getting everything in place early enough saves you the time for when you will be working under pressure with tight deadlines.

• Making the right connections

Becoming a freelancer will need you to develop the right connections to ensure a steady supply of work, especially in the first years of operations. Get yourself and your business out there digitally and whenever possible, physically to amass a customer base. For every person you meet, be kind and support their business whenever you can to turn to a future benefit. For the ones that will reject your offer, be positive about the rejection.

• Being confident

If you do not believe in yourself, your clients will not believe in you and shun away from doing business with you. Be confident in the skills you possess, what you provide to your customers, and who you are. Avoid overlooking the connections and networks you have built and seek advice, referrals, and support from your trusted contacts as you get your business going.

Conclusion

Running a freelancing business can be exhaustive as you try to get the business running from the ground. Many fears surround a freelancing business, and facing them is key to establishing yourself as a freelancer in the UK. Follow the laws of doing business in the country you are in, organize all your financial records, and seek tools to enhance the smooth running of your business. It will pay off in the end.

It’s natural for people to resist change. Some of us don’t want to change things we already got used to. It’s the same with employees. They go to work and leave at around the same time each day. So, when you tell them that something needs to change, they won’t accept it right away. However, if you believe that these changes are suitable for everyone, here are some tips to prevent resistance.

Explain the changes

Don’t tell people to follow the changes as if you’re ordering them to do so. Instead, explain the benefits of these changes. Provide the background until everyone understands the need to pursue the changes. Then, entertain questions and answer them based on what you know so far.

Ask for suggestions

Companies should provide employees with a chance to have a voice on the table. Before you pursue changes, make sure you have everyone’s input. It’s not ideal to tell your employees they should follow or meet the consequences. Instead, allow them to give suggestions before finalising the plan. In doing so, it feels better for everyone. Even if they don’t like all the changes, they feel part of the process.

Offer a reward system

If these changes are about how they do their job, offer a reward system. The employees with the best outputs or are most productive get a bonus. You can even provide team rewards. For example, if everyone accomplished their goal, you could go for a fairground hire, where there are funfair rides for hire, including food and game booths. During that day, no one does anything related to work. As a result, you will have fun and bond as a team.

Understand the resistance

Some employees will accept the changes because they know there’s nothing they can do about it. If almost everyone agrees with the changes, the only thing left to do is to accept. It might take time for them to realise the value of these changes, so you have to be more patient. Allow them to adjust until they understand why you have to do the right thing.

Be optimistic

You took the time to think about the best steps to improve the company. Since you decided to pursue these changes, be optimistic about the results. There might be obstacles along the way, but they’re part of the process. Keep going and embrace the changes. Monitor the progress and don’t hesitate to consider further changes if need be. Companies grow because they accept new ideas and trends. You don’t want to get stuck because you resist in every turn. Think about big companies like Nokia. The brand used to be synonymous with mobile phones. Due to the resistance to change, it’s now an irrelevant brand. If you understand the need for change, pursue it.

Hopefully, your employees will come around and realise that you’re doing what’s best for the company. Even if they disagree at first, they have to work hard to see things through. Besides, if the company succeeds, the employees will also succeed. So, accept everything thrown at you for introducing something new. When you see positive results, everything would be worth it.

To read more on topics like this, check out the business category.

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