Valeo Online

By Deborah Grider, CPC, CPC-I, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPMA, CEMC, COBCG, CPCD, CCS-P: Blue & Co., LLC, Senior Manager

Many physician groups, including the American Medical Association, have declared that ICD-10 will be an “onerous burden” to the industry and will cost thousands of dollars to implement during a time when physicians are facing reimbursement cuts and other changes. To the contrary, ICD-10 has many advantages for the healthcare industry and the first step in realizing these advantages is to begin the transition.

The ICD-10 mandate was finalized January 1, 2009 which gives organizations until October 1, 2013 to transition.

By Guy M. Lerner, MD: ARL Advisers

When it comes to investing and the markets, there is a lot of noise out there, and for the casual observer, it can be rather confusing.  Even professionals, with all their resources, have a difficult time beating their benchmarks.  So what makes you think you can do a better job?  As it turns out, most individual investors do not perform well in the markets.

By Mary Ann Roser: AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Does your doctor tweet?

Dr. Kurt Frederick of Premier Family Physicians in South Austin posts comments and news for patients on Twitter, but he’s one of few doctors who uses social media professionally.

Although most doctors follow the latest whiz-bang devices and other advances in medical technology, they have been slow to embrace new technologies for interacting with patients, according to experts and studies.

Frederick said they are missing a vital opportunity, not only to attract new patients who will find them online but to build deeper, lasting ties with patients.

by Robert Hadley - Valeo Magazine

A combination of on-the-go convenience and faster access to patient data is driving the implementation of smartphone applications at several Louisville-area hospitals.

The latest generation of the technology allows doctors to consult X-rays, review patient lab results and even write electronic prescriptions for most medications. The apps are available on a variety of platforms, including BlackBerry, Android and iPhone.

Some of the apps allow access to online vendors’ web-based services, while others have been developed in-house to provide access to electronic medical records.

By: Stephen E. Fischer, Financial Advisor - Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Downtown Louisville Branch

Wealth can be a mixed blessing — one that creates great opportunity as well as weighty responsibility — especially for children. As a parent, grandparent, or concerned relative, you hope to pass on what you have learned about managing and preserving wealth to the younger generation. However, you want the family legacy to be about more than astute money management; you want it to reflect your personal values, which may include a social conscience and philanthropic ideals.

By: Nathan McNulty, MBA, CFP^®: Meritrust Wealth Management

It’s no secret that the stock market has been an overall disappointment for investors the last 12 years.  Sure, we’ve had a couple good years thrown in with the bad ones.  But for many, the prolonged bear market has shattered a belief that long-term investors will reap rewards of a buy-and-hold investment strategy.  Unfortunately, many investors lost this faith (and pulled their money) at precisely the worst time, in the trough of one of the worst bear markets in our history.  But before throwing in the towel, it helps to embark on a brief history lesson of a couple long-term “secular” markets over the last 50 years.  What you’ll find is that we’ve been here before, and strategies now exist to utilize in this type of market.

By Guy M. Lerner, MD: ARL Advisers

When speaking with potential clients about their current relationship with an investment adviser, they often describe a scenario that goes something like this:  They only hear from their adviser at the end of the year review.  Most of the time, it is steady as she goes.  But then there might be the week that the markets are down 8%.  They then get a call from their adviser asking, “what do you want to do?” We all know that the market is very uncertain, but what are you paying those fees for if you are the one having to make the tough decisions?  Or even worse, why are you paying those fees, if no decisions are being made with regards to your portfolio?

By Jennifer Wintergerst and Chris Melton: Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, LLP.

CMS has recently announced yet another tool in the arsenal to save federal dollars and combat fraud and abuse.  As of July 1, 2011, Medicare began utilizing predictive modeling technology to examine claims in real time before they are paid.  This technology, which has been used by the banking and credit card industry for years, will allow CMS to use real time data to flag suspect claims and suspend payment until further investigation can be done.

By Guy M. Lerner, MD: ARL Advisers

After two devastating bear markets that cut 401k’s and IRA’s in half, investors are of the mindset that it is better to get a return of their principal rather than a return on their principal.  But then again, after 10 years of zero returns and a lot of heartache, can you blame them?

We know that good investing starts with a good defense.  Don’t put yourself in a hole that you cannot get out of.   This should be a basic rule and good things will usually follow.  However, if you really want to make money, then you need to have a good offense too.  You need both aspects of the game to win championships, and in investing it is no different when going for the gold.

By Nathan McNulty: MBA, CFP, Meritrust Wealth Management

Today, many families are concerned about the potentially adverse effect of wealth on the financial values of their younger generations. The goals that many affluent parents and grandparents have set for their children or grandchildren reflect core values, an honest work ethic, and a desire to “give something back” to the greater community.

The skills and knowledge needed to help children adhere to these values should be developed early in life and continue well into adulthood. The following strategies can assist older family members in becoming positive financial role models.