The choices that our elected officials make for us have serious long term impact on our lives. When I think of all  the various election ads, propaganda and promises going around, it reminds me of the drama and devastation MAS and others experienced with one decision made by elected officials–the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

When they decided to close St. Vincent’s Hospital, had damaging ripple effects.  To me, seeing the hospital close was painful but maybe there were lessons for us to learn from.

For many years MAS was proud to be one of the hard-working vendors of this caring institution. Our MAS team was honored to be a part of such a pioneering and historic hospital as St Vincent’s, treated not only passengers on the Titanic, but also AIDS victims in the 1980′s when few other facilities would. When they decided to close St. Vincent’s it was like losing a part of the MAS family. Maybe because it was because St Vincent’s was one of MAS’ original clients and we wanted to keep it that way.
While working with the institution through Chapter 11, St Vincent’s management asked its many employees and vendors to tighten their belts to help the hospital through the bankruptcy process. All involved did what they could to help because we thought taking temporary pay cuts would do the trick to put a struggling hospital back on its feet. For a while, it looked as if things were taking a turn for the better. But the one thing we did not count on was that the core was already rotten; like our government has become, it was rife with bureaucracy and corruption.

Behind the scenes a snowball of bad choices had already begun.  Mark Levin, in a recent New York Magazine article entitled “St Vincent’s Is the Lehman Brothers of Hospitals” lays out details that lead to the hospital’s behind the scenes corruption and demise.

Davis writes “St. Vincent’s plight has been portrayed by public officials and the media as a story of local misfortune—a community losing a vital piece of its infrastructure and a centerpiece of its identity to a combination of mismanagement, the recession, and bad luck. The truth, though, is considerably more alarming.  St. Vincent’s collapse is only the most visible symptom of an ongoing financial emergency facing the city’s five dozen remaining hospitals and threatening those they serve.  In a sense, St. Vincent’s is the Lehman Brothers of the local hospital industry: an institution whose dramatic disappearance, once unthinkable, raises dire questions about the viability of the entire system.”
I wonder if our leaders are taking our citizens down a similar path.  As I listen to various campaign speeches, I hear eerie echoes of the bankrupted hospital as our ”wannabe” leaders try to convince us how just one more tax will do the trick!  Or, that this bailout will be the one to build a stronger future!
For MAS the lesson is clear-Let’s fix the core issues first!  Like St Vincent Hospital, our country is more than worth saving from bankruptcy!  When we use tried and true steps, there is no doubt our people will see the logic in it and rally around it.

I think this is just what we are waiting for-leaders who are going to take the most basic steps to strengthen our country’s core and put the USA back on firm footing.

There are a few good choices this Election Day; my advice is to check with yourself, think about what you would do to rise out of a possible bankruptcy and vote accordingly.  One smart choice will lead us to fixing our core. Go out and vote and good luck.

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Nothing is perfect, but if you were to talk to a friend or family member overseas about their universal healthcare system, you realize that we have what people in other countries wish they had!

Of the various clients I have been blessed to have throughout the years, I particularly enjoy doing work for large, inner-city hospitals.   Often times, these clients have a large mental health, obstetrical and renal failure population, among others.  When I see this type of billing, I think of the lives behind it–the mentally ill patients who are able to lead a better life due to the help they receive, the babies who are born healthy because of pre-natal care and the dialysis patients who are buying more time with their families until a kidney becomes available.

Their lives literally depend upon the fiscal stability of their community hospital!  I feel a sense of accomplishment when I get their claims paid because I know that I am helping to keep these hospitals fiscally sound so they can be there for those patients who need them the most!

Recently, we witnessed the closing of a fine institution who served New York City for so many years, that they treated survivors of the Titanic!!  St. Vincent’s Hospital was a beloved fixture in the lower Manhattan community that serviced families from the cradle to the grave.  Its closing left a hole in the healthcare system of New York City that cannot be fixed.  It makes me terribly sad to think there have patients who have suffered, and perhaps even lost their lives, due to the shutdown of this hospital.  Would things have been different if they had properly utilized all available resources?

Numbers don’t lie.  According to a 2006 Newsweek article, there are approximately $60 billion in unpaid medical bills per year! Our work, of supplementing an over-burdened hospital staff, helps to keep hospitals functioning in our communities so they can continue to serve the patients who walk through their doors everyday!

I have watched the struggles of New York’s inner-city hospitals now for many years and have grown increasingly frustrated as they resist outsourcing their medical billing to an agency, such as MAS.  Surely they can do it themselves, why do they need to pay an outside company to do what their internal staff can?  Perhaps because, according to the CDC, in 2006 there were 119.2 million emergency department visits alone.

Yes, we want to be leaders in the medical billing industry but my company and I focus on the bigger picture. We know that our efforts and collections help to secure and  maintain our cutting-edge American healthcare system.  With this in mind, I believe our contributions at MAS could just be a “higher calling”!

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We need jobs here first!  I could never understand why so many of our jobs have been sent over seas, especially service sector jobs.  I have no doubt that we can get the job done better here at home, with more impact to the client’s bottomline, and, with greater customer satisfaction.  Cheaper does not always mean better!

We just feel its good policy to shop locally.  At MAS, we use our local pharmacist and food market.  The owners and workers of these businesses know us, they know our likes and dislikes and they do the little things that keep us coming back again and again.  It’s a great investment in our community to buy in our own backyard when it makes sense.  American’s know what they want when it comes to service and it makes sense to me to turn to our own backyard when hiring a service oriented company.

We at MAS welcome the challenge to prove why Long Island ”Rural Sourcing” is the way to go with your medical billing needs!

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Now imagine if you were a physician and could come to your office everyday knowing that you could practice medicine instead of constantly worry about cashflow?

In reality, utilizing a professional medical billing agency will transform your practice.  Imagine how efficient an office can be when working together with a medical billing company who is handling the details of generated cash flow.  Instead of arguing with insurance companies, your staff can focus on complementing you as a healer, perhaps by generating a new patient flow or simply maintaining patient satisfaction and rapport.  A professional medical billing agency will possess and utilize their strengths in organization, billing and collections and allow your staff to focus on your patient’s needs.  You can now refocus your staff on supporting you as a healer.

The power is yours when you find the right company.  When you begin your search, we hope you will consider Medical Account Solutions!

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My concern is this: how much can we abdicate our responsibility as human beings to take care of ourselves?  Do you really need to be paid everyday to take a medication that prevents you from dropping dead within minutes due to a heart attack, stroke or any other malady one can think of?  I can recall when my son took Singulair to prevent the terrible asthma attacks he would get, often sending him to the hospital.  To me, there was nothing more important than making sure that child had that medicine that kept him healthy!  I created a routine to assure myself that I would never forget his daily dose.

That being said, there is a bigger issue, at least for me, in question here or the next layer, if you will: how has the government gotten so intimately involved in maintaining or treating our health and our bodies?  In the words of the great Ronald Reagan, “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” Yes, I know that paying people may prevent hospitalizations, spending a lot of money, etc…but involving the government in personal health compliance seems like a potentially slippery slope.

Another thought I have is, would these same people being paid to essentially take care of themselves be willing to get paid to take poison, that is, if the government offered it at a good payout?  I mean, if it could turn a good profit and one doesn’t care about their health anyway, why not right??

What do you think??

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