Don’t Use Retirement Funds to Start a Business

BusinessWeek’s SmartAnswers columnist, Karen E. Klein was recently asked: “I’d like to start an independent…business and have $50,000 in IRAs. Should I cash in my IRAs or get an ERSOP?”

To which, Klein responded:

“Cashing out your retirement savings, or investing it in a startup venture…is inherently risky and ill-advised. If things don’t work out…not only will you have no income, but you’ll also have no life savings.”

Here are some ways Klein suggested this entrepreneur raise startup capital:

  1. Ask friends and family
  2. Research commercial lenders who specialize in your company’s industry
  3. Reach out to nonprofit microlenders
  4. Consider angel investors

Another financing option entrepreneurs should consider is invoice funding. With this type of financing, a business owner sells his/her invoices to a factoring firm, who then advances up to 90 percent of the invoice immediately. Business owners can use the cash immediately to cover payroll, taxes and equipment costs instead of waiting weeks or months for their customers to pay them.

Click here to see the rest of Klein’s advice on using retirement funds to start a business.

AHDI-West Schedules Productivity Webinar

Betsy Ertel, AHDI-F, is hosting the AHDI-West “Power of 10” Technology Webinar #2 on Thursday, October 29 1-2:30 pm PDT. The title of the web presentation is: Looking at Expansions Through Windows.

Topics to be discussed include the following:

  1. Concept, Benefits and Value of Abbreviation Technology
  2. Working in Windows with Expander Programs
  3. Conflicts with Do’s and Don’t’s in Creations
  4. Interactive Abbreviations with Feedback vs. Long-Form Keyword Name Creations

Registration is $10, and is open through October 27. Visit the AHDI-West web site to register for this webinar.

All proceeds will be sent to AHDI and contributed to the Power of 10 campaign. For more information, contact Kat King, AHDI-F, at events@ahdi-west.org.

Staffing World 2009 Kicks Off Today

The American Staffing Association’s annual Staffing World Conference begins today and runs through October 23. Held at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort, Staffing World 2009 has a slew of opportunities for all kinds of staffing agencies.

The event kicks off with a Keynote address on Wednesday by Joe Calloway (sales, marketing and branding consultant), in which he’ll share the results of his research and analysis of the staffing and recruiting industry.

In addition, there will be a multitude of industry-specific workshops, including a healthcare staffing learning track.

Click here for more information on the 2009 ASA Conference.

American Cash Flow Goes Bankrupt

On October 9, Telligenix (parent company of Dynetech Corp) filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to shield itself from creditors. According to an article on The Orlando Sentinal: “The company blamed the economic slump and recent suit by Texas, which accuses the company of deceptive trade practices in its training-seminar business.”

For those of you who went to the American Cash Flow Institute, this article is a must read: Dynetech parent company files for Chapter 11.

Moreover, the B2G Institute is under fire as well.  A Huntsville, Alabama TV-News station recently did some digging into this business and found out that the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida has had a lot of complaints. Check out the startling report here: B2G Institute Investigation.

Medical Scribes Help Form EHRs

While the majority of other businesses started converting to electronic files years ago, hospitals are lagging behind. In fact, only 1.5% of hospitals today have a “comprehensive electronic health record, and 8% have a basic version. The main reason why hospitals have been slow to adapt the technology is the massive price tag ($20 million-$200 million).

The University of Virginia Medical Center is taking strides to adopt EHRs. The medical center recently started employing medical scribes to help follow doctors in the ER and take down detailed notes on laptops which will form part of each patient’s electronic health record.

Click here for the entire article: High-tech scribes help transfer medical records into electronic form.

New Math for Health Care Reform

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal detailed some promising signs that a bill for the health care overhaul will be passed soon.

Congressional budget crunchers announced that the latest Senate health bill will cost $829 billion over the next decade, covering 94% of the non-elderly. In addition, the new bill will reduce the federal budget deficit by $81 billion.

Democrats are still divided over main elements of the new legislation, namely, whether to include a public health insurance plan and how to pay for the overhaul. So far, the bill’s funding comes from $404 billion in cuts to Medicare and two other government programs. Another $201 billion will come from a 40% excise tax on generous health insurance plans levied on insurers. Finally, the remaining funds will come from annual fees on insurers, medical device makers and pharmaceutical companies.

Click here to read the entire article: New Math Boosts Health Care Plan.

AHDI – Power of 10 Challenge

The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) recently launched a year-long campaign to raise $10 from 10,000 MTs by 2010.

The medical transcription association plans to use the money to help support it’s advocacy efforts in Washington D.C.

Per AHDI’s Web site: “Our lobbying firm, along with our government relations staff, are making sure our sector is well represented in important meetings and discussions being held by our nation’s legislators and policymakers on healthcare reform, criteria and standards for EHR systems, and workforce development in allied health.

Currently, there are two ways to contribute to the Power of 10 Campaign:
Mail – Send donations to: AHDI 4230 Kiernan Avenue, Suite 130, Modesto CA 95356
Facebook – Make a donation through the Facebook cause: Support to AHDI Power of 10 Campaign. For every 10th donation of $10, AHDI will give away a great credit-worthy product, starting with an educational CD.

Click here for more information about the Power of 10 Campaign.

Temp Nurses Needed to Administer Swine Flu Vaccine

Here’s a brand new niche that temporary nurse staffing agency owners should jump on right away…As the H1N1 vaccination becomes available, healthcare facilities across the U.S. will need additional personnel to handle the projected influx of people who want to receive the vaccine.

An article on WMTC-TV’s web site quoted Yvonne Madlock, Director of the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department: “Our goal in the next several weeks is to identify a pool of nurses that can work with us to assure we have an adequate number of vaccinators available.”

Click here to read the rest of the story: Nurses Needed to Help Deliver H1N1 Vaccine in Memphis.