VIPERCareChain

@DrxugGuy @mass_marion This is a disaster for prenatal patients as you risk congenital syphilis if the patient isn't adequately treated.

🛑 Attention Healthcare Professionals and Administrators 🛑 When purchasing medical supplies, equipment, or products, always ensure they come from approved and authorized vendors. Why? Because sourcing from unauthorized suppliers can break the chain of custody, putting your organization at risk in several ways: ❌ Voided Manufacturer Warranties: Manufacturers often state that warranties and support apply only when products are bought through approved channels. ❌ Shifted Liability: Using products from unauthorized sources can remove liability from manufacturers in the event of malfunctions or failures. ❌ Patient Safety Concerns: A broken chain of custody means there’s no guarantee of proper handling, storage, or quality assurance. ⚠️ Always prioritize patient safety and financial integrity by purchasing medical products through verified vendors. Breaking the chain of custody may save on initial costs, but the potential liabilities are far greater. #HealthcareSafety #RiskManagement #SupplyChain #PatientCare #MedicalDevices

Physicians may accept cash. “More physicians need to understand they can take cash, they can list prices, and in fact the federal government demands that we offer transparent pricing - it’s called a Good Faith Estimate. It doesn’t need to be hard to connect with direct-pay patients when physician-founded solutions like HealthMe are out there to help you do it.” Michael Havig, MD Practicing orthopedic surgeon Find out more at healthmedocs.com

Now what if you are a 340B contract pharmacy? Ryan White clinics and federally qualified healthcare centers, and hospitals that qualify as disproportionate share hospitals are able to get medication for pennies on the thousands of dollars They send the patient to their contracted pharmacy. Those pharmacies tend to be the big box pharmacies. Are they collecting the full amount of drug that cost $8000 that someone got for far less? Are they collecting that amount for fully insured patients when the program was meant to help the disadvantaged? Is this causing some of the independent pharmacy closures? Can we just see the doggone money trail, please? @DrDiGiorgio @MorganGriffith

@realdocspeaks and @mass_marion are both correct and must follows for anyone that knows, or wants to know, the real story of the business of Healthcare. Please follow them if you haven't already. Thank you, both, for your efforts to empower through educating.

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) just agreed to pay a whopping $2.8 billion to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed by hospital systems, physicians, and other healthcare providers. The claim? They weren’t getting adequately reimbursed. This settlement, filed in an Alabama federal court, is one of the largest healthcare antitrust settlements on record. Blue Cross isn’t admitting any wrongdoing (surprise, surprise), but they’re ready to move on and make a few changes to avoid even more time in court. The providers’ lead attorneys, Joe Whatley and Edith Kallas, said the settlement could “revolutionize” the BlueCard program—something doctors use to file claims. The settlement still needs the green light from U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor. This dates back to 2012 when physicians accused BCBS of carving the U.S. into exclusive territories. By avoiding competition, they claimed Blue Cross was driving up insurance prices while reducing reimbursements. As part of the deal, Blue Cross will roll out a new platform to boost transparency and claims tracking. The attorneys say this will open up more contracting opportunities with Blue Cross. BCBS serves over 115 million Americans and is expected to pour hundreds of millions into operational changes beyond the cash payout. The settlement covers providers who treated BCBS patients from July 2008 to October 2024. And yes, the attorneys are asking for up to $700 million in legal fees. This isn’t BCBS’s first payout, either. In 2020, they agreed to a $2.7 billion settlement with commercial and individual policyholders over related antitrust claims—a deal that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in June. It seems like some expensive lessons for Blue Cross. #healthcare

Transform your practice with Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)! For patients: proactive health management & real-time vitals. For practices: better outcomes, efficiency, & revenue growth. VyTrac is the solution for connected care. 📧 mrockwell@vipercarechain.com #RPM #Healthcare

This is an excellent and timely article, as the Medicare Part D enrollment is upon us, and the MA enrollment is coming in the new year. The IRA states that there will be a limit of $2,000 on out-of-pocket drug costs. However, this is for covered drugs. The plans can decide not to cover your expensive medication. That $2,000 limit can be adjusted and will likely increase after the election. I fully support HR 9096, as this is a great PBM reform bill. The anti-kickback exemption for PBMs and GPOs needs to be eliminated. The exemption has led to the following: • Unaffordable meds due to increased list price as the PBMs demand more rebates. • Lack of accessibility of medications, as you must pay to play • IV shortages and generic drug shortages It is time for Congress to step up and pass legislation that will help "We the People" and not them.

@ApuAkkad1 Wow!

Good to see as hiv positive organ donation moving towards standard of care opens up access for many people. Look forward to seeing further data.

Stop the compliance merry-go-round! 🛑 MyInspection’s cloud-based solution makes lab compliance easy, efficient, and scalable. Empower your team with ongoing education, streamlined processes, and audit-ready docs—all while focusing on quality patient care. myinspection.us

@barstoolsports Epic and funny. God bless and have fun.

USC Allows Fans To Pay $1500 To Run Out With The Team, So A Penn State Fan Ran Out In All Nittany Lions Gear buff.ly/4dTYmsx

@realdocspeaks Agreed. I was really speaking in generic terms, but it's generally very true. Appreciate all you do to share knowledge. Please keep up the great work!

@VIPERcarechain Hopefully, the lawsuit will lead to more competition and lower costs for consumers. The article doesn't mention the source of founds for the damages.

reuters.com/legal/blue-cro… BCBS settles an anti-trust case for $2.8 Billion! BCBS was sued by hospitals, physicians and health care providers. The claim is that BCBS divided the Country into exclusive sections and that eliminated competition. This led to higher costs and lower reimbursements. The lawsuit originated in 2012. Going forward, BCBS will provide an all-system platform that will provide transparency and accountability. We need to eliminate monopolies in healthcare as they lead to higher prices, lower reimbursements for physicians and less provision of care.

@TexasOncologist @realdocspeaks It's always about following the money. That's where the truth is found.

@realdocspeaks EMRs geared toward billing rather than retaining useful information to enable patient care are leaching away productivity and time with patients Anyone that says otherwise hasn't worked in a system designed for efficiency and is just comparing Epic's interface to other EMRs

Epic is very expensive and inefficient. Time motion studies have revealed that two hours of computer time are needed for every hour of seeing patients. Our healthcare system is two times more expensive than that of other countries, and we can't afford our current system. No study has shown that EHRs have lowered cost, increased quality, increased patient safety, or are cost-efficient. I used dictation with paper records for 25 years, and it was cheap, legible, and fast. Paper records have never been hacked from Russia, North Korea or other international areas. If we are going to use an EHR, why not use a system designed for and by physicians? Why not study it and see if it is beneficial and not just mandate it?

@realdocspeaks That, and Lido with and w/o.... it's been over a decade of this nonsense. What it does also do is break contracts and allow for wild price flux... That couldn't be part of it...

beckershospitalreview.com/supply-chain/u… This article describes the measures taken to lessen the IV shortage. It is insane that we are in a position in which a storm causes a critical shortage of something as simple and yet so vital as IV fluid! The Baxter plant that makes Saline and Dextrose IV fluids was in the path of Hurricane Helene. This has disrupted supplies; hopefully, the supply will return to normal by the end of 2024. Hospitals are postponing elective surgeries to maintain the supply of IV fluids. Baxter has a 60% market share of IV fluids in the US. The crux of the problem is the anti-kickback exemption that GPOs have. This has distorted the market and created a few entrenched players who have no incentive to develop supply chain redundancies. Monopolies in health care and special deals in healthcare lead to increased costs and patient harm. Politicians need to put the well-being of patients above their addiction to political contributions.

@anothercohen I'm in.

Excited to share what I've been up to very soon. Our team is now 10, working on some of the most exciting software I've touched my entire career. If you want a sneak peak, DM me your phone number and answer the call when it comes through 👀

Healthcare Sales Tip: Sell Solutions, Not Products It’s a VIPER thing. The best healthcare sales happen when you solve problems, not just push products. Ask the right questions, start with end in mind, and how your solution improves outcomes: clinical/operational/operational.

@mass_marion Transparency. It's the only way. From a purchasing perspective: When is cost plus 7 lower than cost plus 5? When the cost is lower. Huh? Tiers. And it's really no longer volume based. It's contract/mfr compliance based. For the most part. Confusing? It's meant to be.

When you’re hiding something, it’s almost always because you have something to hide

@txsportsdoc @DutchRojas Indeed.

@DutchRojas U mean private non gov controlled companies can be more innovative, provide better products and services.🤔Tell me more. Think this could apply to healthcare😃

This is absolutely beautiful.