Expert Compliance Insights & Tips for Businesses

February 17, 2009

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If You Like EMRs and EHRs, You'll Love PHRs

I'm still not clear on the difference between EMRs (electronic medical records) and EHRs (electronic health records), but now we have PHRs (personal health records). At least PHRs I think I understand. Back to the first two: I've read where there's no difference between EMRs and EHRs except that EHR is designed to be more marketing friendly for some reason. I've also read where EMRs are patien...

February 16, 2009

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Mandatory Sick Leave an Employer Burden?

maternity leave paid sick leave paid time off

Businesses in Milwaukee are fighting a referendum that mandates up to nine days of paid sick leave for all employees working within the city. Voters overwhelmingly approved the referendum this past November, but last week a coalition of business owners got a court to slap a restraining order on its implementation. The measure will be debated in the court in detail beginning in May. Meanwhile, ...

February 16, 2009

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Watch What You Say, Young Man!

old coots PC political correctness seniors

The International Longevity Center and Aging Services of California have issued a media guide for writing about older people, which lists acceptable (PC) words and unacceptable (non-PC) terms. However, it really depends on the audience reading what's written to define acceptable. Readers in their 20s or 30s said in a survey they would take no offense at reading "senior citizen," for example. I...

February 13, 2009

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Mark Cuban Offers to Fund Your Start-Up

business start-ups Mark Cuban

A bunch of restrictions are included, including a 90-day make-it-profitable provision, but Mark Cuban is offering to fund your start-up. You can read all about it on his blog. I read through a bunch of business proposals pitched to him in the comments section, and I must say, there are a lot of daydreamers with lousy ideas out there. Anyway, hats off to Mr. Cuban (multiple-multiple-millionair...

February 13, 2009

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Stimulus Plan: $798B, But Just 18.5 Percent* for Jobs

ARRA Barack Obama Harry Reid Nancy Pelosi Rahm Emanuel stimulus plan

I just went through the list of items covered in the final version of the stimulus plan (so called) and added up all the sums that were targeted at projects that could actually lead to jobs. I came up with $146.2 billion, which figures out to be 18.5 percent of the whole pie. The rest goes to what could be called the welfare state. The implication here is pretty obvious: The Democrats decided ...

February 11, 2009

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Doctors Warn Offspring: Don't Go into Medicine, Kids

doctors medical care medicine

My headline is a little misleading. What I'm referring to is a survey showing that 39 percent of physicians would not encourage their children to pursue the same profession. When you factor in other health care professionals, however, the figure drops to 20 percent, according to a survey by HealthLeader Media. Reasons for not recommending health care ranged from "uncertain future" to "broken s...

February 10, 2009

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Tom Daschle Lives On in the Stimulus Package

ARRA stimulus plan Tom Daschle

Those who were fretting that the extinction of Tom Daschle as potential secretary of Health and Human Services might delay health care reform needn't worry. The inclusion of several stealth provisions in the stimulus package now sailing through Congress will implement, mostly unnoticed, provisions from Daschle's government-heavy idea of reform in his book, Critical: What We Can Do About the He...

February 10, 2009

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A 'Dead Pool' for Companies About to Go Under

Chrysler dead pool Donald Trump Krispy Kreme Rite Aid

You've no doubt heard of, or even participated in, the so-called online "dead pools," where odds are placed on which celebrity will be the next to meet the Grim Reaper. That's a bit too morbid for me, but when it comes to business, I don't mind participating in some death watches since it's instructive to see how others can screw up a good thing. I've been of the opinion for some time now tha...

February 9, 2009

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The Skyscraper Index: Believe It If You Choose

recession skyscraper index

A theory from 1999 is resurfacing as the world plunges deeper into its current economic woes: The theory that the building of skyscrapers predates economic doom. This tidy bit of logic was conceived by Andrew Lawrence, at one time a researcher for Deutsche Bank. Here are the "facts": The Chrysler Building in 1929 and the Empire State Building in 1930 gave way to the Great Depression. The Sear...

February 7, 2009

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Do Rats Have Free Speech Rights? This Court Says Yes!

free speech

The New Jersey Supreme Court, which earlier this year ruled that striking nurses qualify for unemployment benefits, yesterday came out in favor of free speech rights--for rats! Actually, for one rat--an inflatable, 10-foot-high rat bandied about by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Lawrence Township in 2005. The rat was being used outside a Dunkin' Donuts to protest low wa...

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