The Wonderful Blog Which You ve Never Seen

A ruling, on the books since 1972, called the Safe Harbor Provisions states, in part, “the federal anti-kickback law’s main purpose is to protect patients and the federal health care programs from fraud and abuse by curtailing the corrupting influence of money on health care decisions”… it goes on to say, … “anyone who knowingly and willfully receives or pays anything of value to influence the referral of federal health care program business, including Medicare and Medicaid, can be held accountable for a felony. See http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/safeharborregulations/safefs.htm

Violations of the law are punishable by up to five years in prison, criminal fines up to $25,000, administrative civil money penalties up to $50,000, and exclusion from participation in federal health care programs.”

A referral service serves both the senior and the elder care service provider in this manner:

Service providers register with the referral service

A senior searching for a service is asked for their location

The referral company now emails, phones or faxes each service within the desired zip code to provide you with this referral. (You are provided the name, phone number and address of the senior)

You and your staff quickly respond - you know if you get there first, you have a higher chance of contracting with the senior

The senior now receives multiple sales calls from nice people who all say the same thing, “You should choose my company because we are the best”

You contract with the senior

The referral company now sends you a bill. The bill is normally based on the dollar amount you charge the senior.

(Example: An assisted living facility that charges $3,000 per month will typically owe the referral service a fee of $1,500. Their neighbor, the assisted living facility across the street charges $1,500 per month and will owe the same referral service a fee for $750.00 for the same client, same service)

Representatives of referral companies normally earn commissions. This can also pose a concern. If a family’s income depended on earning a high commission, the temptation may be there to direct a senior to a service that

a. Charges more

b. Where the staff has a history of ‘closing’ the sale.

If your business is searching for a legal method to connect with the senior market, see http://www.qualityeldercare.com Searching for a service? See http://www.seniorsapprove.com

Founder of Quality Care Options - the first and only company nationwide that offers a consumer-driven survey and certification process.

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It is a well accepted and scientifically proven fact that how we feel mentally and emotionally affects how we act, look and feel physically. Our thoughts and emotions affect how our bodies feel, our facial expressions, and how we act and move. We can all easily identify someone who is angry, or depressed, or happy, by their face, their body language and their overall demeanour.

However, not so well known is the fact that this works both ways. We can actually change how we feel by changing the way we move, our posture and our and facial expressions. Smiling or laughing is a perfect example. It actually takes a lot less effort and uses a lot less facial muscles to smile than it does to frown. Smiling and laughing also make changes to our blood flow and oxygen levels and stimulates our brain. We all know that smiling and laughing make us feel good and change our mood.

What does this means for self improvement? It means that we can choose to change our moods and feelings by changing our physiology.

This may sound too good to be true, but we can very easily experiment. We can choose an emotion or a state, (for example, being shy, timid, and lacking in confidence) and act, move and look the way we would if that was how we really felt. If we let it, this will change our mood and state of mind so we actually feel that way. Then act as if totally full of confidence and on top of the world. Thinking about a time when we really felt this way, or visualising another person who exemplifies these qualities can help. How does that feel?

This may seem like ‘acting’ at first, but it will change our thoughts if we have an open mind and allow it to. This simple method can be used to help put us in a better frame of mind any time we choose. We can actually ‘act’ our way to more positive thoughts and feelings by changing our physiology. More details are available from Neuro Linguistic Programming Specialists and other Self Improvement Experts, who use these and many other similar techniques that can help our lives.

Self Improvement Tips Quote of the Day

” We must all realise that emotion is created by motion. The way we move changes the way we think, feel and behave” - Anthony Robbins

Garry Zancanaro is the founder of Self Improvement Directory, a website dedicated to Self Improvement and Personal Development, and to helping people live more successful and fulfilling lives by providing a directory of the highest quality Self Growth resources available. Includes many FREE eBooks and much more. Visit http://www.SelfImprovementDirectory.com/

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I frequently like to think about where I am in my life and the things I’ve done - and the things I would still like to accomplish in whatever time I have left here on this old planet. A few mornings ago (I like to do this kind of thing in the morning with a big, hot cup of coffee) the question popped into my head, “What should I focus on next?” Now I’ve been at this personal growth stuff long enough to know that it’s not particularly easy to conduct an honest self-evaluation. The information has a tendency to get skewed because of our already built-in mental programming or filters. Then I remembered a technique that can usually help point us in the right direction. It’s one simple question. “What’s your trigger?” What do other people do or say that is bothersome to you - or even hacks you off completely? What hits your hot button?

In less than three seconds, I had my answer. My trigger is people making statements about a situation, event or concept which they present as 100 percent fact even though it is “obvious” they don’t know what they are talking about. Hmmm, it looks like there is a whole bunch of information - for me especially - in that sentence, doesn’t it?

Part one: Some time ago, a good friend - and boss - made the following observation. “Sometimes when people don’t know what they’re talking about - it shows!” Even though at the time he was referring to a co-worker, I also think it was a nice way for him to pass on a tidbit of important information to me too. And he was absolutely right. It can be a huge mistake to pass on erroneous information to any person or group of people who just may know more about the subject than we do. Occasionally we do this simply because we really think we have all the pertinent information about a topic. Once in a while though, we wind up “shooting from the hip” for one reason or another - and yes, often it is because our logic processes have provided us with what we feel is an accurate assumption. At times, we can even become so damned cock-sure that our opinions are correct that nothing - absolutely nothing - any other person says or does will change our mind. We’re right and that’s all there is to it!

Occasionally, we do it just so we can feel included - a contributing member of a group who is capable of conversing intelligently on the current subject. “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.” Yeah, there are also times when we tend to manipulate the information a bit so we can promote our own personal agenda and prompt our own desired outcome to a situation.

Sometimes we succeed in our efforts. Sometimes we don’t. The main variable in this of course, is that we never know who might be around that really will know more than we do about something. Sort of puts this in the category of verbal Russian roulette, doesn’t it?

Part two: Here’s where it gets downright personal. I learned some time ago - or thought I did anyway - that the more information I’ve absorbed over the years, the dumber I’ve gotten. It’s not that a whole bunch of the stuff that I thought I knew was completely incorrect. It’s just that I’ve come to realize there’s always more to know, more to think about related to any given subject. Details that I may not be aware of. Other possibilities to consider. What I write in my blogs and articles is only what I think I know right now. It could be different tomorrow.

It’s good to be aware of this, right? So why the hell then, when I’m talking with a family member about a particular subject, do I act as though I’m the world’s leading authority on this topic? I become the resident friggin’ expert - as I shoot from the hip and sort of think there’s a reasonable level of accuracy in what I’m saying but have no way to prove any of it. Nah, I don’t use this approach all the time. Just often enough to be annoying to the both of us involved in the conversation.

Maybe I’m trying too hard to assume a leadership role. Maybe I think that by being the perceived “authority” I can gain more respect (which of course, is so well deserved considering my vast accumulation of knowledge and abundance of wisdom). Or maybe I’m just being a butt-head. That’s probably more likely the case, huh?

Anyway, it’s something I need to work on. I need to remember that when I express an opinion, it would be best if I specifically say “This is just my opinion” - or “I’m not 100 percent certain about this, but it looks as though.” Or maybe even “Beats the crap outta me - but here’s a possibility” I think this approach would make life a little easier for all of us.

So it looks like I have my next self improvement project all laid out. What about you? Just check your triggers

Gene Simmons, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles, quotations, thoughts and links along with affordable personal growth and self improvement books & materials - all designed to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life’s “secrets for survival” in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It’s a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/

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