Health Care Innovation Challenge Grant Program

The Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services, more usually referred to as CMS, is a federal government agency operating in the United States Department of Health and Human Services that is basically responsible for administering medicare programs and collaborating with state governments to administer medicaid services.The grants and initiatives of the CMS are all aimed towards the achievement of its primary agency mission which is to guarantee health care security to all its beneficiaries.In keeping with this mission, the Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services has recently established the Health Care Innovation Challenge in an effort to solicit proposals to establish interesting new models of service delivery that can potentially deliver the three-part aim of better health, better health care, and finally, lower costs through the improved quality of Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program.The projects that’ll be financed under this program should be able to pave the way towards the achievement of the following objectives:a) Inspiring a broad set of creativity partners that would help in the process of determining and evaluating new care delivery and payments models that are all primarily based on areas that concentrate on producing better care, better health, and the reduction of costs through substantial improvements for the benefit of the identified target populations.b) Identifying new models of work-force development, deployment, and related training and education programs and initiatives which will support new models either directly or through the utilization of new infrastructure activities.c) Supporting able innovators who can swiftly deploy care improvement models within six months into the award period, through the creation of new ventures or the expansion of current initiatives to new populations of patients and health care centers.Additionally, the CMS has also specified that the proposals to be submitted under this grant significantly concentrate on high cost/high-risk groups such as those communities with multiple chronic diseases and/or mental health or substance abuse issues, poor health status resulting from numerous socio-economic and environmental factors, multiple medical conditions, high cost individuals, or old age.The Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services is set to administer a total amount of $900,000,000 to financially support the activities comprised in the program.The types of establishments and organizations who are considered able to submit an application under this program are those of provider groups, health systems, private sector organizations, faith-based organizations, city and township governments, local governments, public-private firms, and for-profit setups.

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Commercial Banks – Better For Business, Better for You

Making use of the services of a commercial bank is one of the best ways that you can finance your business, your mortgage, and your investments. You do not have to be a Fortune 500 company to apply for commercial financing. Commercial banks handle loan applications every day from small businesses and private investors across America. It might be helpful to understand the role of commercial banks and what they can offer you.They should be seen as distinctly different from retail banks and investment banks. Although many of the larger banks offer retail and investment services, there is still some separation between these specific functions. This has been prescribed by the Glass-Steagall Act, a law which ensures that banks are solely in the business of banking and nothing else. Retail banks deal directly with the consumer. They offer financial solutions and banking facilities for the individual and they process loans for consumers based on their individual income. They handle larger investment loans specifically for businesses.Although they provide banking services for businesses, this does not mean that entrepreneurs or small business owners cannot apply for a commercial loan. They are always ready to help small businesses. With the economy showing small signs of a recovery, many commercial banks are actively promoting loans and other commercial finance options to people who may not have been eligible in the past. If you are looking for finance or even to refinance a loan, they you should consider applying through a commercial financial institution.One of the best financing options offered by them is a secured loan. If you are purchasing property or looking for financing for property investment, a secured loan lets you pledge some sort of collateral as the security for the loan. An unsecured loan is a different type of loan that usually involves money being loaned to a borrower without collateral. This could be in the form of an overdraft or even a corporate bond. If you are looking for bridging finance or a hard money loan then you might consider applying to one of the commercial banks for an overdraft credit extension.If you are in the property market and looking for property financing, applying through a commercial bank should be your first step. The current glut in the real estate market has made a large amount of bank-owned foreclosed properties available for purchase. Commercial banks will be able to assist you in financing a loan to help you buy a property or help restructure your current loan so that it works better for you and your business.

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Background Screening – Why and How-To

If human capital is an organization’s greatest asset, then it can also be its greatest liability. Just ask the stockholders of Enron, investors in Tyco, or members of the Catholic Church.None of these institutional calamities occurred because of a natural disaster, political uprising or a radical change in technology. Instead, they are striking examples of how the individuals trusted to bring them to new heights, proved to be their downfall. Consider your own organization; what policies and procedures are in place to ensure your recruit-to-hire program is in fact building human capital assets? If background checks aren’t part of your process, consider:o The reported percentage of applicants that include false information on a resume varies by its source, but is well into the double digits
o There are hundreds of online sources that openly sell false diplomas, degrees and other educational certifications; or provide “Professional References” for a fee.
o On average, about 11% of the working population has a criminal record
o According to the Workplace Violence Research Institute, negligent hiring costs U.S. businesses in excess of $18 billion annually.A solid recruitment program that includes a well-balanced background check will help minimize turnover and liability exposure. If your background checking consists of a few calls to the names and numbers your applicant provided, you’re organization is under-informed and at risk. And as odd as it may seem, if you’re running a full range of searches on every final candidate, you may be creating liability rather than reducing it. Here are a few broad-stroke considerations.Do You Need a Background Check Policy? Tragic events, financial losses, and the litigious nature of our business climate have made background checks part of our employment culture. At this point, it’s only prudent to have a written background screening policy in place, with specifics that are adhered to in the hiring process.Who Do You Check? The best case scenario includes a check on all new hires, temps and contractors. This doesn’t mean your company has to absorb the cost of the entire campaign, however. It’s perfectly acceptable for employers to require temp agencies and other vendors they employ, to provide personnel that have been screened. Internally, if groups of employees or levels of employment are excluded, the value proposition of your policy is diminished and may lose some of its integrity. This will be highlighted for you in court, by counsel for the candidate or employee who feels they were damaged by your selective policy. It’s best to include all employees, and run background checks that are appropriate for the position.Most background check providers will create different search packages to address your requirements. However, if your policy includes different degrees of screening, it’s critical to keep your checks consistent within job categories or levels. Keep this in mind if promoting from within. If a candidate for an open position is a current employee, the background check that was conducted for his or her current role may not be sufficient. Be sure an updated background check is performed and meets the parameters of the new position. Many organizations are also adopting a policy to update the criminal background check as part of their employee review process. There is no need to re-confirm education or prior employment; but an update on the criminal record check is a prudent and pro-active step in maintaining an effective background screening program.What Searches Should Be Included? This rests with your judgment – although there are some guidelines that might assist. The background check should be relevant to the position and thorough, without being unreasonable. There isn’t much difficulty in deciding that a criminal history search should be done across the board – how else would you know if someone poses a danger to fellow employees and clients? Running a credit check on a machinist however, is probably unnecessary and may be viewed as being intrusive – creating liability where you are trying to minimize it. Confirming prior employment is applicable to all applicants, but an education verification probably isn’t necessary for someone hired to pick fruit. Find the balance for each position, and work with your background screening firm to develop the necessary search packages.The searches conducted as part of the background check will rely in part on information provided by the applicant or employee, but this should not be the sole source. Every check should include an Address History/Social Security Number Trace to confirm the applicant’s residence history, and the Criminal History search should then be based on those results. If the Address History report matches what the candidate provided, that’s great – if not, ask why. The Criminal History search should include, at a minimum, County Court searches (some states also refer to this as District Court) because it involves a researcher obtaining records directly from the source of the record – the court. Many screening firms offer “Statewide” or “Nationwide” criminal record searches, and while there is value in these searches, a few items should be pointed out. These are database searches, not court searches. The statewide databases frequently rely on Department of Corrections data (frequently no record if they weren’t incarcerated) or County convictions data, although not all counties participate. Even state-run CORI systems often are heavily filtered, sometimes to the point where a record for a convicted felon that served time won’t be identified. The value of these searches comes in their coverage of a large geographic area; and they are best used to augment County Court searches. The so-called “Nationwide” searches are truly misleading – they don’t include all states, so therefore can’t truthfully be called nationwide and they are subject to the same database shortcomings as the statewide criminal searches.Driver’s license records are important for positions such as sales, delivery, and any other position that will have an employee driving on company time. Professional licenses should be checked in any profession requiring licensure, and education verifications should be executed for positions requiring a diploma or degree. Regarding references, and please use yourself as the example; have you ever provided a future employer with the name of a reference that wouldn’t give a glowing summation? Dates of employment, title, salary, etc., can all be obtained from HR – to get a real feel for performance, you need to speak with a former supervisor or co-worker.As an HR professional, part of your role is to identify the skills and value that an individual brings to your organization. Of equal importance is your responsibility to create and maintain a safe, secure, and productive work environment. And while no single policy or procedure addresses these tasks completely, a comprehensive background screening program is one component that will help keep your human capital in the asset category.

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