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IV Hydration Therapy! All You Need to Know!

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The benefits of IV hydration therapy are vast. To most people, it is a luxury to get intravenous fluids when feeling under the weather or after surgery. But at Vivify Hydration Lounge and Medispa in Batavia, vitamins provided intravenously can also be used to help prevent inflammation and dehydration in athletes, busy moms with toddlers running around their feet, patients with chronic illness in need of supplementation, or someone who just wants to look better and feel better!

Our recent Tune in Tuesday interview was with Michelle Maniace, owner of Vivify Hydration Lounge and Medispa. In the video below, she will tell you all about IV hydration therapy so you can decide for yourself if this is something that would benefit you or someone you know. In the video, she makes an interesting point regarding the benefit receiving vitamins intravenously versus orally. She says that an issue with taking vitamins orally, is that when processed through the digestive system, your body is not always absorbing them, and therefore not receiving the intended benefits. However, with IV vitamins, they go directly into your bloodstream, allowing for 100% absorption.

When asked who the ideal candidate would be for IV Hydration therapy, Michelle said it could essentially be anyone, although she emphasized the significant benefits for patients with chronic conditions, as well as bariatric patients. She said patients with Cancer undergoing chemotherapy, benefit from intravenous vitamin C, among others. Additionally, she spoke about other infusions that can benefit patients with autoimmune disorders for example, such as one IV pack that assists in the detoxification of the liver.

IV therapy isn’t just for those who are sick though. It also benefits athletes, as well as those who are looking to improve the appearance of their skin through some biotin, and other intravenous vitamins. And, lest we forget…did you drink a little too much last night? No worries, Michelle has you covered with her hangover package.

Interested to learn more? Listen to the video below. Also, check out Vivify’s website at vivifyhl-medispa.com

Need help opening your medical or wellness practice? Click here to learn more!

Consultant to Patient – 2 Weeks Until Surgery

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This past Friday, October 22nd, marked the two-week countdown until my hip surgery. With that, comes a multitude of emotions, some of which were documented in a video over the weekend.

In that video, I explained that there are of course concerns surrounding the clinical nature of my surgery, but that I intend to discuss those concerns in a later video. For now, I focused on the concerns surrounding getting everything done with limited time to do so, as well as the various things I have been thinking about post operatively. Remember, this will be the third time having this surgery, so I am well versed on what to expect.

As the weather begins to change and gradually transition toward winter, I have multiple household tasks that need to be accomplished. Although there is a need, finding time to accomplish those tasks can be next to impossible. We have spent our weekends at the ballpark, watching my son and his travel baseball team compete. This is not limited to games just in Buffalo, but recently to Sandusky, Ohio and upcoming to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Beyond the necessary household tasks that need to be accomplished, I also need time for just the regular household tasks, such as house cleaning or lawn cutting. However, I also want time to work out, ensuring I am in the best shape I can be prior to surgery, and of course, spend quality time with my son. I mean, who else is going to work with him on his hitting and pitching, or humble him by kicking his butt in one-on-one basketball?

As much as I would like to have everything done with the house before surgery, I likely will not, and just need to accept it. I would love to have all the garden beds fully weeded out, but if it must wait until Spring, the world won’t come to an end.

Other concerns that have crossed my mind, are various thoughts surrounding life post-operatively. As mentioned above, I am a veteran when it comes to hip surgery, going in for the third time. Much of my concerns are regarding the limited mobility I will possess because of being on crutches for a while. It makes me pause and think about how to plan accordingly. For example, the week of surgery, I will purchase extra food, preventing the need to go grocery shopping. Then, I can always explore Instacart the next time. Also, as I get closer, I need to remind my son how to use the washer and dryer. I will make sure all the laundry is done the day before surgery, but that will only last so long. As I get more mobile on the crutches, I can hop down into the basement with him, to guide him with what to do. Similarly, I will need his help with getting the garbage out, vacuuming, etc. So, in the interim, I am letting him slack a bit, knowing he will have to step it up for a while.

Although the above thoughts can be a bit anxiety ridden, there’s some very good news in all of it as well. For one, as a healthcare consultant, I have always maintained the opinion that the times I am a patient help me be a better healthcare professional. It provides me with better insight and empathy from the perspective of the patient, and how I can use that insight to further my intentions for improving healthcare. Other good news is that in the big picture, it’s just hip surgery. It isn’t brain, heart, or cancer surgery. Therefore, I feel very blessed. And, as mentioned in my video, I will continue to trust my unknown future to a known God.

Consultant to Patient! 3rd Hip Surgery!

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I fell in love with aviation at around the age of 10. From that point forward, I became very focused on my goal to develop that passion into a career as a United States Air Force pilot. In doing so, I joined Civil Air Patrol (US Air Force Auxiliary), started flying planes at the age of 12, and taking lessons by age 14. As a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol, I rose through the ranks, achieving Cadet Lieutenant Colonel, of which could only be achieved by attending Cadet Officer School, located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. It was also during these years that I learned to network. I had developed a friendship with a retired Air Force Major General, who had flown SR-71’s and U-2 spy planes during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Literally, all the stars were aligning for me to achieve the goal of attending the US Air Force Academy and becoming an Air Force pilot. That is, until a basketball injury resulting in two knee surgeries and two years of rehabilitation that changed everything.  

Have you ever heard the saying, “I made plans and then God laughed”? That saying was very appropriate for my circumstances. I had been planning on becoming an Air Force pilot from the age of 10, until the age of 17, when I realized that would no longer be possible. What seemed devastating, actually opened the door for where God intended me to be. Through my years of surgery and rehabilitation, including losing the years of high school athletics I had also strived so much for, I discovered a passion for medicine. I had always had an interest in wellness and biology. Realizing I could sincerely empathize with patients coupled with my sincere interest for medicine, I decided to apply that same drive I once used in becoming a pilot and redirect that energy toward a career in healthcare.

Initially, I wanted to enter healthcare on the clinical side, either in orthopedics or emergency medicine. To prepare for this new change in direction, I volunteered at a local ambulance base, and requested to shadow as many physicians, including in surgery as possible. During that time, I observed multiple joint replacement surgeries, ACL repairs, shoulder repair, and even a lower back surgery. But, halfway through my undergraduate degree, my plans were forced to change again. As much as I enjoyed the clinical opportunities I was given, they also made me realize I did not have the stomach for the clinical side of medicine. However, I realized I really loved medicine, and considered ways to stay in the industry, realizing there needs to be someone to runs these facilities. Therefore, I switched my degree to Healthcare Administration.

Once again, I used that strong passion to redirect my energy for the new path I was on. I volunteered at a local Children’s Hospital, identifying it as a great way to understand patients, developing a better sense of empathy as well as insight for how I could help them when I graduated from college. Additionally, I contacted a local hospital, asking if I could interview their CEO, interested to understand his journey to the top, and how I could learn from him. The hospital not only agreed to schedule me time with the CEO, but they allowed me to have time with each member of their Executive Leadership team that day. I was convinced I was going to be the CEO of one of the local large health systems. In the quest for that aspiring role, a good friend of mine, who was a Nurse, was kind enough to be candid with me, saying hospital leadership was not where I was supposed to be. Although I couldn’t see it at the time, she was right. I am not built to operate within the confinements of bureaucracy and staying in the lines. Rather, I live outside the box, identifying problems and even more importantly, identifying solutions. My friend was right. I never took a position with a hospital. Instead, I forged my own path as a healthcare entrepreneur. My journey professionally is often taking all kinds of twists and turns, always looking for ways to improve the healthcare industry. My journey personally has brought me back to orthopedics, once again, as a patient. About 6 1/2 years ago, I injured my hip, resulting in surgery. In 2020, I was committed to not putting on the quarantine pounds and started an aggressive new workout series. As a result, I re-injured my hip, resulting in a second surgery. I have behaved since that surgery, but it needs some additional repair. Over the next six weeks, I am going to take you on a journey with me as a healthcare consultant who has become the patient. In this journey, I will blog my experiences throughout all my pre-op appointments, through to surgery and post-operatively. This will allow me to bring a perspective of what it’s like to be a patient though the lens of someone who is in healthcare, and how I can use that perspective to further my quest to create changes in the industry that help both patients and physicians.

Fighting to Lower Health Plan Costs!

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From the humble Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga to the owner of a large health plan, consisting of 400,000 members and clients such as the University of Notre Dame, Dunkin Donuts and Fisher-Price Toys, Ron Zoeller knows all there is to know about health insurance.

Similarly, his business partner, Kevin Gannon, one of eight children raised in Lackawanna, New York, rose from his beginnings as a broker of life insurance, to owning and selling his own brokerage, to joining Ron in the development of Azeros Health Plans in 2019.

As the only Managing General Administrator in the Self-Funded health insurance industry, Azeros is about more than selling employer health plans. Using their combined years’ worth of experience, they are seeking to partner with employers to seek solutions that improve their bottom line and positively benefit their employees. Companies possessing 100+ employees will benefit in becoming self-funded by removing the “fat” that goes toward health insurance admin and brokerage fees. Instead, they will pay dollar-for-dollar toward their expenses, ultimately saving significantly on their health plan costs.

Transitioning companies to self-funded health insurance isn’t the only way Ron and Kevin are saving money for their clients. Additionally, they employ the practice of Reference Based Pricing (RBP), as well as a prescription benefits management program that is saving employers as much as 30% on prescription costs! Never heard of RBP? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Typically, in-patient charges can result in charges that are 250-400% of Medicare. Through Reference Based Pricing, Azeros works to obtain charges that are 150-200% of Medicare, half of what they typically would be!

Interested to learn more about what Ron and Kevin and the Azeros team can do for your company? Listen to this video to learn more, as well as head to their website at www.azeros1.com There, you can use a tool they have named the “Under-Righter”, to see what savings you may be able to achieve. Under 100 employees? That’s okay, they can still assist your organization as a fully insured employer, including still being able to assist with the significant prescription medicine savings! And yes, even if your company has already renewed their annual plan, they can assist you at any time!

Listen in as Ron and Kevin discuss their backgrounds, what they’re working on now, and how Azeros and Cornerstone are collaborating to help both employers and physicians! Also, stick around for the end, when Ron tells us the story of when the Bills almost left Buffalo, and how he influenced them staying.

Physician-Centric Consulting Services!

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Independent physicians need an ally.  Provider practices are consolidating everywhere.  Hospital systems are assuming control and purport to represent the physician perspective.  In a two-year period, the 2,800 U.S. hospital systems have bought 8,000 medical practices.

National health insurers are also in the fray, now buying regional medical groups.  United Healthcare has purchased the largest independent medical practice in Massachusetts.  United, Aetna, and Cigna aren’t yet a significant presence in Buffalo or Rochester, but when that occurs, relationships will change.

In this new environment, Cornerstone represents group practices, sole practitioners, and hospital – employed doctors.  Working as an employee for a healthcare system does not eliminate the need for an independent brand identity.

We are the physician’s “agent” – whatever is needed, we provide analysis and insight.   As important, we implement our recommendations.  Our functions can include marketing, branding, revenue cycle management, the opening of a new practice, or a merger with another.  All services are confidential, of course.

Being aware of industry trends is essential to our business.  The rising cost of medical care to Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial (employer) budgets has put pressure on payer/provider relationships.

Western New York is not immune to the dynamic.  Why did UPMC/Pittsburgh, itself both a hospital system and health insurer, buy WCA Hospital in Jamestown?  Why did HealthNow Blue Cross allow itself to be taken over by Highmark/Pittsburgh and what will it mean to Buffalo providers?

The ultimate healthcare goal is to serve the patient; their needs get lost in the typical shuffle.  Health plan deductibles have increased dramatically, and some medical groups perform front-end credit checks on new patients.  Access to primary care is a major problem.

As Cornerstone moves forward, it has partnered with Azeros Health Plans in developing an Exclusive Provider Organization which offers visit capacity while eliminating co-pays.   The EPO model offers much needed physician independence, access to primary care, and cost control.

We want to be the trusted advisor of the medical practice.  No job is too big or too small.  Schedule a consultation via our website at www.cornerstonehealthcareconsulting.com.

Interview With a Digital Marketer

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You have likely heard of digital marketing, but what about medical marketing? In this Tune in Tuesday video, we learn from Job Valluthammanunkal, owner of digital marketing company, JMax Media Solutions about how he got his start in marketing, and how his agency works with Cornerstone Healthcare Consulting to advance the marketing goals of medical practices.

In this interview with Job, we ask him key questions about the challenges his team witnesses in taking on new medical practice website designs, as well as the importance of social media and google ads. In respect to social media and google ads, we put Job on the spot to answer whether they are even necessary. If anyone is an expert on google ads, it is Job. He and his team have done amazing work to assist their clients in optimizing their google ads, while lowering pay per click pricing and thus adding to their bottom line.

In addition to the healthcare industry, Job’s company is actively assisting organizations from all industries, taking on projects as simple as a website design, to as extensive as companies fully outsourcing their marketing needs to his agency. This includes a company in Buffalo, New York with a monthly google ad spend of $20,000-30,000!

JMax Media Solutions and Cornerstone Healthcare Consulting have teamed up to assist multiple medical practices and independent physicians with their marketing needs. We have collaborated to build websites not just for medical practices, but to also develop the personal brand identify of independent physicians. Additionally, we have worked together on social media strategy, and the business development and marketing of a medical spa in Rochester, New York.

Are you in need of marketing, branding or social media development/management? Contact us today for a free consultation!

Interested to learn more about how we can help you achieve your medical marketing goals? Click here to learn more!