Dear Colleagues:

In this exclusive interview, we had the opportunity to speak with Bill Hennessey, MD, CEO and Founder of Pratter, a medical cost savings and transparency company.

Pratter is the only healthcare service on the market empowering consumers and their self-insured employers with truly transparent “know before you go” pricing for outpatient medical care. A distinction of Pratter from its competitors is that it is 100 percent loyal to employers. This is because it is independent of all health insurance companies.

We hope you enjoy this interview where Hennessey’s passion to fight for everyone to have affordable access to medical care shines through.

This issue also brings you a look into the epidemic of healthcare waste, how San Diego hospitals are embracing medical tourism and the CDC’s updated guidance for infants born to mothers with Zika Virus.

In the spirit of the season of giving, I would like to share the story of a colleague and close friend of mine, Ann Marie Zyla. Ann Marie’s husband, Tim, suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) a genetic, life-threatening disease that causes the kidneys to lose function over time, and he is now forced to secure a donor kidney in the next few months or deal with the deadly consequences.  It was Ann Marie who was planning to donate her kidney to her beloved husband, but just recently she suffered from a bilateral vertebral artery dissection in the neck along with a small pseudo aneurysm formation leaving her unable to donate the lifesaving organ.

We are hoping to spread the word of Tim’s story by using the hashtags: #TeamTim #TeamTimZyla

You can read more about Ann Marie and Tim Zyla’s crisis here.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Exclusive USDMT Offer from Laura Carabello: A FREE Online event you don’t want to miss

There is something really exciting happening in about 30 days and as Editor and Publisher of this newsletter, I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

It’s called the Benefit Success Summit. and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before in the industry.

It is a completely FREE and a completely ONLINE event that is this year’s MUST ATTEND event.

Why?

First: Never before have Over 20 of the best benefits advisors, industry executives, thought leaders and Celebrities been brought together to share with you how the best are having success and how you can continue to build and grow for the future. I call this the fastest path to success.

Second: It’s a completely free event to attend.

All you have to do is go to benefitsuccesssummit.com and enter in your email address and you’ll be signed up and ready to go.

These tickets usually go for $997, but since I’m a speaker at this year’s event I’ve been given the ability to give you a ticket GRATIS.

Third, this event is completely online.

NO Travel

NO Expenses

NO Hotels

NO Time away from family

You can watch the strategy sessions at your convenience when it works best for you.

And you can watch as many or as little of them as you want, it’s completely and totally up to you.

Please watch your email as I’ll be sending you more information about the summit soon, but right now sign up for the event before this offer is no longer on the table and the event has passed you by.

Click here to sign up for the Benefit Success Summit

P.S. Do you know another broker looking to have their best year ever? If so share this email with them now before it’s too late and they take it down, that’s what I’m going to do right now.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Tell us:

What distinguishes your service offering in terms of cost, patient experience and satisfaction, outcomes, or other quality indicators.

Send us your descriptor, including photos or charts, and we will evaluate for publication in this newsletter.

“Rising health insurance premiums, lack of transparency and increased awareness of how varied medical costs and quality vary dramatically between hospitals and across regions, have pushed consumers right into the arms of international and domestic medical travel. The growing industry provides the perfect solution for patients to receive the high-quality, cost-effective care that they need AND rightfully deserve!” – Laura Carabello, Executive Editor and Publisher, Medical Travel Today and U.S. Domestic Medical Travel.

Thank you for your interest in this exciting, growing market space. We welcome your comments and/or editorial contributions, which can be sent directly to: [email protected].

Wishing all our readers and followers a very happy holiday season and a prosperous 2018.

Laura Carabello
Editor and Publisher