Medical and Health Services Managers are responsible for making sure that the day-to-day operations of the medical office run smoothly. Though Health Services managers do not provide health care directly, they are responsible for the planning and coordination of health care delivery, making their role just as essential to the medical field as nurses or doctors.A Health Services Manager may be either generalized or specialized, depending on the size and needs of the office. Bigger offices usually require a number of Health Administrators with varying specialties to implement procedures and poli... view article details

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health care is expected to generate more new jobs than any other industry over the next several years. As Baby Boomers age there will be a need for more home health care services, residential care facilities and nurses to staff them. Medical group practices and integrated health systems are predicted to become larger and more complex, resulting in an increased need for office and administrative support workers. High job turnover, additional anticipated retirements in the industry and the slowing number of foreign healthcare workers being allowed to e... view article details

Health benefits concern the physical well being of employees and their families. Broadly speaking, this could include such things as medical coverage, dental and vision insurance, prescription drug plans, certain types of disability coverage, and counseling services, often called employee personal assistance programs (EAP). You might also have a flexible spending account, which allows you to pay for certain medical and dependent care expenses out of pretax dollars.Dental plansDental plans come in almost as many forms as regular healthcare coverage. Basic dental coverage usually has categories ... view article details

Amazon recently announced an ambitious plan to offer on-site health care to its employees. The tech giant will open a pilot clinic in its Seattle headquarters later this year and begin expanding the services to more employees in 2019. Like other companies, Amazon wants to address the rising costs of emergency room visits, which are the most frequently used type of outpatient service. In January, Amazon announced a joint venture with Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan Chase to work towards cheaper, higher quality health care. The CEO of the venture – Dr. Atul Gawande – is specifically focused ... view article details

Welcome to the World of Sleep Disorders Not everybody is cut out for the 9-to-5 workaday world.Mounting evidence demonstrates half a million Americans have biological reasons for needing to work alternative shifts. In this fourth story (read Part I, Part II, and Part III here) about delayed sleep phase syndrome (also DSPS, or delayed sleep), you’ll meet Julie Peggar, an ethnographer who suffers from this type of circadian rhythm disorder. Peggar, the president and chief storyteller at Gaze Ethnographic Consulting, Inc., shares insights from her world as a highly functional night owl w... view article details

COBRA  The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA) is a federal law that protects your right to continued health insurance. COBRA gives former employees, retirees, spouses and dependent children, who were covered by a group health plan on the day before a qualifying event, the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates. One overwhelming drawback to COBRA is the cost. If you and/or your family members qualify for COBRA, you will pay 102% of the insurance premiums until coverage is terminated. Most companies pay a portion of health insurance premiums... view article details

Q. I'm an HR generalist. I've been with the same firm for five years, hired as an executive assistant to the president making $32k, one year later became administrative manager, then at the end of last year was promoted to HR manager, making $50k. I was promoted with the expectation that our company would grow rapidly. That reality has not taken place and although I have plenty to do in my role, I'm getting back the office management responsibilities I previously owned. I've handled five office lease expansions, telephones, benefits, new hires, orientations, terminations, etc. I have excelle... view article details

  In 1993, President Clinton signed the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for childbirth, adoption, foster care, to care for a child, parent, or spouse with a serious medical condition, or if the employee themselves has serious medical condition. Who is covered by FMLA?The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division enforces FMLA. FMLA applies to all public agencies, including state and local governments, and local education agencies such as schools. In the private sector, FMLA a... view article details

Q. I have been working for a company as a cooperative learning experience for eight months, even though I'm not a student but a recent graduate. (I needed the experience.) Now I am being offered a one-year contract, and have learned I am grossly underpaid. Can you give me some resources to justify not only my market value salary, but also what percentage health, 401(k), and vacation time adds to my base cash value? Since I will be a contractor, which adds risk, I feel this should be calculated into my total value as well as the out-of-pocket expenses I will pay without benefits. I feel I can n... view article details

Last week, we brought you '9 Reasons You Should Nap at Work,' which discussed the benefits of daytime snoozing and highlighted some companies that encourage their employees to nap on the clock.This week we tackle the more practical aspects of catching some ZZZs at work.1. Understand your company's culture and rules Before you put your head down on your desk and start snoring, do your homework.Many employers discourage napping. Others consider it grounds for firing. Gradually, however, more companies are allowing or even promoting naptime in the office. Some progressive companies have... view article details