You can use the fee-for-service (FFS) or a managed care plan to access medical services, including the pharmacy. The former enables you to access services from any provider that accepts Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance. However, managed care plans have more stringent rules to access medical care services. Examples of these plans include health maintenance organizations (HMO), exclusive provider organization (EPO), preferred provider organization (PPO), and point of service plan (POS).
One type of managed care plan is the HMO, where those enrolled can only access in-network providers and only receive out-of-network services in case of emergencies. You are required to choose a primary care physician within the HMO network after enrolling. Depending on your condition, the physician refers you to specialists within the network. The EPO entails service exclusively within the network. Out-of-network services only cover emergencies and require prior authorization. However, the primary difference with HMO is that EPO enrollees do not choose the primary physician. Also, you do not need referrals to see a specialist. Thirdly, PPO allows you to seek out-of-network medical services. However, the plan only funds 70 to 80 percent of the permitted total service cost. You can choose the primary care physician, and you are not required to be referred to see a specialist. Some services require prior authorization or approval from the plan. Lastly, POS combines the features of the HMO and PPO. It allows you to seek out-of-network services, but you pay a significant amount unless referred by your primary care physician. Also, you choose a primary care physician, though a referral to a specialist is not required.
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Walking is a free, healthy activity that is easy to add to a daily routine. Walking is one of the most potent ways to keep fit and enjoy a healthy life. Taking regular long walks offers numerous benefits.
Walking opens the leg capillaries, enhancing blood flow. During long walks, oxygen and nutrients from the blood flow freely into the essential organs and tissues of the body. The walking motion causes the leg muscles to contract and relax, squeezing the veins and promoting blood flow. Long walks also improve lung health. On long walks, the breathing rate increases, which promotes oxygen flow into the bloodstream and increases the lung's ability to take in more oxygen. Walking is also effective in lowering blood pressure in people with hypertension. Walking reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by making the heart pump more blood. This increased heart activity keeps the arteries and blood vessels active and fit, promoting heart health. The American Cancer Society (ACS) is an organization driven by the goal to completely eradicate cancer. The organization has been at the forefront of improving the lives of people living with cancer for over a century. They do this through advocacy, research, and patient support initiatives.
The ACS has launched a new breast cancer awareness initiative that will focus on expanding breast cancer prevention and early detection awareness, education, and support for women who are Black. The ACS has partnered with various other notable organizations to launch this initiative. These include Fashion Fair Cosmetics, as well as and national Black civic and social organizations Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., National Council of Negro Women, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., The Links Incorporated, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The collaboration with these various organizations is part of the ACS’ commitment to closing the health equity gap and addressing the high risk of cancer-related deaths in the Black community. Ellen Scharaga has in-depth experience in executive roles in the pharmaceutical industry, most notably as director and senior vice president of operations at OncoMed Pharmaceutical Services. Currently an executive director of Alegria Health and Wellness, Ellen Scharaga is committed to supporting high-quality pharmacy services for New York City’s South Bronx community. She maintains membership with professional organizations that include the Pharmacists’ Society of the State of New York (PSSNY).
The PSSNY was established in 1879 to represent professional pharmacists. Pharmacists in New York, and in the country generally, are among the most trusted professionals, in part due to their clear dedication to standards and ethics. The various academies that make up the PSSNY have received accreditation from the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education and, as such, are able to offer thousands of hours of continuing education annually to the profession. The group of PSSNY professional academies includes the Academy of Clinical Pharmacists, supporting the work of members in clinical practice in hospitals or other healthcare institutions, as well as the Academy of Pharmacy Management and the Academy of Manufacturer Representatives. Other academies focus on the needs of pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians, and retired pharmacists. The Academy of IV, Nuclear & Compounding Pharmacists targets educational opportunities for these highly specialized groups. Certification programs facilitated through the PSSNY include units on patient-focused diabetes care, immunization, and management of medication therapeutics. Ellen Scharaga is an accomplished health care specialist with over three decades of experience. Over the course of her career she has worked for multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Alegria Specialty Pharmacy, where she has served as an operational consultant since 2014. Besides her work, Ellen Scharaga supports the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society seeks to eliminate cancer and promote healthier lifestyles through research and advocacy. As part of its mission, the American Cancer Society created the Road to Recovery program, which offers transportation services to cancer patients who don’t have a car, or are not able to drive themselves. The program includes transporting patients to and from medical facilities. To qualify for the program, a patient needs to be traveling to a cancer-related appointment. Individual needs are considered, including the type of local ride services in an area, in order to connect a beneficiary to an American Cancer Society volunteer driver. For patients who’re unable to walk on their own or are under 18 years of age, the services of a caregiver may be needed. Applicants should apply early, as it may take several days before a ride can successfully be arranged. Ellen Scharaga has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over two decades. She is an operational consultant at Alegria, a specialty pharmacy in Manhasset, New York. In her free time, Ellen Scharaga loves to walk to keep fit.
If you have decided to start walking to lose excess weight, you might think that your walks need to be fast for you to burn enough calories to see a difference in your weight after some time. However, several studies have found that if you’re obese, walking at a slower than normal pace can help you safely and sustainably lose more weight when you start walking. According to the studies, walking 2 miles at a slow pace for an hour can have greater weight loss benefits than walking 3 miles at your normal pace for an hour. The explanation for this is when you slow down you don’t have walking momentum, which means your body uses more energy to enable you to take each step. The extra effort it takes to walk is what makes you lose more calories. You don’t only burn more calories walking slower when you start walking to lose weight. Walking at a slower than normal pace also protects you from injury. If you start walking fast immediately you’ll be putting a lot of pressure on your knees and joints, which could lead to an injury, or worse, arthritis. A resident of Melville, New York, Ellen Scharaga is an operational consultant at Alegria Specialty Pharmaceuticals. At Alegria, Ellen Scharaga assists in the development of new innovative specialty medications that manage chronic conditions such as HIV, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis.
Arthritis is a medical condition that mostly affects the joints in the hands, feet, knees, and lower back, causing them to swell and become stiff. In most cases, moving the affected joint can be extremely painful, making it difficult to use your hands and feet normally. There are 100 plus types of arthritis, but the most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and gout. One of the causes of arthritis is old age. For example, osteoarthritis mostly affects people above the age of 50, and once you suffer from the disease, it can worsen as you age. If your family has a history of arthritis, you also have a higher chance of developing the disease. Other causes of arthritis are overuse of joints causing them to wear down, autoimmune disorders, obesity, and weak muscles. Arthritis has no cure, but it can be treated using pain relief drugs like hydrocodone, hydrotherapy, regular exercise, and surgery like knee or joint replacement. A pharmaceutical sciences graduate of St. John’s University in New York, Ellen Scharaga has spent more than five years with Alegria Specialty Pharmacy in the role of operational consultant. In this position, Ellen Scharaga supports the organization in developing and offering a wide range of medications for the treatment of numerous chronic health conditions, from hepatitis C to organ transplants.
Identifying the symptoms of hepatitis C (HCV), a viral infection impacting the liver, can be difficult, as signs of the infection are typically mild and resemble symptoms of common afflictions, such as the flu. In some cases, individuals may go decades without knowing they have the virus, which is only diagnosed after medical professionals begin investigating liver damage. Between 70 and 80 percent of individuals with acute HCV, which may go away on its own up to six months after exposure, never experience symptoms, earning the disease the nickname “the silent killer.” Symptoms that do arise can manifest anywhere from two weeks to six months after being exposed to the virus, with common ailments including chronic exhaustion, joint, muscle, and stomach pain, darkly colored urine, and jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes. Any person who notices these symptoms and feels they may have been exposed to HCV should immediately contact his or her doctor. HCV left untreated in the body for over six months can become chronic HCV, for which there is no cure, and often damages the liver for more than 15 years before being diagnosed. Ellen Scharaga contributes to Alegria Specialty Pharmacy’s mission of innovating drugs for conditions ranging from HIV/AIDS to arthritis. In her spare time, Ellen Scharaga enjoys reading a good book.
Science has discovered multiple physical and psychological benefits to reading. These include: - Stress relief. Stress plays a major role in poor health, and but reading can help. A British study found that reading reduced stress levels by up to 68 percent, which is better than walking or listening to music. Even reading for as little as 6 minutes slows the pulse and alleviates tense muscles. - Staving off cognitive decline. People who read (or write) tend to have less of the physical brain damage that leads to dementia. Furthermore, reading builds what researchers call cognitive reserve—the ability of the brain to recover from strokes and other damage. This is due in part to the large vocabulary of avid bookworms. And in all phases of life, reading has been shown to boost intelligence. - Sleeping better. The old habit of reading at bedtime has been proven to help people move from wakefulness to drowsiness. In contrast, the modern habit of using a smartphone before bed actually interferes with the quality and duration of sleep. - Enhanced social skills. Books, and especially fiction, lead to higher levels of empathy because they expose readers to the thoughts and feelings of others. This in turn improves one’s personal relationships. - Longevity. Although the precise mechanism is not yet known, reading appears to increase one’s lifespan. A 2019 Yale University study found that people who read more than 3.5 hours per week were 23 percent less likely than non-readers to die during a 12-year study period. A graduate of St. John’s University in New York with a bachelor of science in pharmacology, Ellen Scharaga has held leadership positions with OncoMed, Baxter International, and Abel Health Management Services. Since 2014, she has served as an operational consultant with Alegria Specialty Pharmacy, a New York pharmacy that belongs to the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA). Committed to helping prescribers and providers create custom medicines, the PCCA comprises 4000 members and operates five distribution centers. PCCA membership offers pharmaceutical professionals tips and resources that help increase profit margins and build a successful compounding practice. Membership includes 24/7 access to PCCA’s Clinical Support Team, which includes chemists, pharmacists, and PhDs who can answer complex questions about formulations and calculations. Members can also benefit from more than 115 live and online educational events on topics ranging from compounding basics to specialty practice areas. Finally, PCCA provides members with marketing tools such as PowerPoint presentations and social media content to help them grow their practice. |