America's Healthcare Advocate

Recently Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) has been ranked #1 in Member Satisfaction by J.D. Power even while industry averages have declined since 2022. Find out why Blue KC’s score increased by 17 points and hear Gratia Carver, the VP and Chief Experience Officer at BlueKC explain how they meaningfully focus on prioritizing their members. Plus, we'll discuss the six JD Power examining factors and how BlueKC ranked #1 across all 6! Ryan Roth, the Sales Director at BlueKC joins us as we dive into how they achieved this honor. The J.D. Power U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study™, now in its 17th year, measures satisfaction among members of 147 health plans in 22 regions throughout the United States by examining six factors. You can read more about the BlueKC JD Power award here: https://bit.ly/3Dq3sNK This episode is relevant to the Kansas City Midwest Region of the country, but we feel it has information that's useful to listeners across the US. Contact me, Cary Hall: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us Contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City: https://www.bluekc.com/ or call 816 395 3858

Joining me for this episode is Dr. Stephanie Ikeme, the regional medical director for CenterWell Senior Primary Care. And here's why this is different. CenterWell is a unique practice and very unique in the way they deliver health care. And their results are significantly different. 15 minutes is the average the average time spent with the your primary care doctor and in reality, seven and a half minutes is what you get. Contrast that with the Dr. spending 45 minutes to an hour with the patient when they come in to sit down. Dr Ikeme: “Because we want to treat the whole person. Health is not only just the disease and the medication. There's lots of factors we need to know, how they're living, who's taking care of them, what resources do they have? Are there barriers to how they can take care of their health? That takes time. That takes getting to know the patient. And you can't do that in seven and a half minutes. Our job is to get to know the patient in every aspect of their lives, to make sure that we give them the most success, to have better outcomes for their health.” This is radically different than the fee for service model with the average physician or primary care model of a hospital or a large primary care practice with a patient load of 1000 patients or more typically. Join me for this fascinating episode (Ep 1922). Contact Cary Hall: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us Learn more about CenterWell Senior Primary Care 913 914 8202 https://www.centerwellprimarycare.com Stephanie A Ikeme, DO https://www.centerwellprimarycare.com/en/doctors/stephanie-ikeme-do-staff-physician.html CenterWell Market President Andrew Hare https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-hare-0a5310b/

Join me with our Medicare experts Carolee, Maria and Joyce for uncomplicated facts on how to navigate Medicare enrollment and get the best care, lowest cost options. The information you need to make choices and what you should know about the Medicare Alphabet Soup: Medicare Part A, B, C, D, E, F and G? Don’t be confused by all the flood of advertising – watch THIS episode first! We’ll also have the latest on dual special needs and Medicare, Medicaid and ACA options for those losing their coverage due to recent changes. Our Experts are certified each year and receive at least 40 hours of training to achieve AHIP Medicare Certification. Carolee Steele is a Director of Medicare and Consumer Services at RPS Benefits By Design; Maria Ahlers, PHR has over 19 years of experience in Business and Human Resources and benefits administration and Joyce Thompson is a Certified Medicare Specialist and experienced Health Insurance Broker with a demonstrated history of working with the Insurance industry helping individuals and Groups. You can contact them at RPS Benefits by Design for Individual or Medicare needs at 913-385-2224 Your host Cary Hall’s goal is to enable you to become the expert for your own healthcare management, saving you time, money, and effort and you can message him at https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

A new vaccine for RSV, a brand-new drug approval process for people with rare diseases, the “A Medical Revolution is Underway” article you’ll want to hear about and lastly how drug providers are pulling out of Europe because they're not able to make enough money to cover the cost of their prescriptions. These are the fascinating topics we're going to talk about in this episode. I’m Cary Hall, America’s Healthcare Advocate. •There's a new vaccine for RSV (for all of us seasoned citizens out there). •We're going to talk about drug approval and a brand new drug approval process for people with rare diseases. •Plus, America's chronic illness situation and how more than half of the country suffers from chronic illnesses. •And then the point that I think you're going to find most interesting, Michael Milligan wrote a fascinating piece in The Wall Street Journal called A Medical Revolution is Underway and I can't wait to share it with you. •And then finally, we're going to talk about what's going on in Europe with prescription drug medications and how drug providers are pulling out of Europe because they're not able to make enough money to cover the cost of their prescriptions. Learn more at: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com https://www.facebook.com/AHARadioShow Follow me on https://www.linkedin.com/in/cary-hall-60241a26 and https://www.instagram.com/aharadioshow/ Ideas for a show, questions you have or help you need? Contact me here: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

My guest Dr Phil Carson has been on the show before, but never with such a personal story. He brought Chandler Gurley, Director of Operations for "Eight Days of Hope", a national organization that responds to disasters across the country, helping to rebuild homes, communities, and lives and Dr. Carson met Chandler disaster struck their hometown in Spring 2023, when a powerful tornado left behind a path of destruction in Amory, Mississippi. When tragedy strikes, the Eight Days of Hope community comes together to spread restoration and new beginnings. After a disaster, EDOH helps people be clean and safe. They provide rapid response to feed and support victims and rebuild structures and homes, and they provide also the hope for each community and person recovering from unthinkable disaster. Chandler explains: "during my five and a half years at EDOH, I have held multiple roles including Executive Assistant, Rapid Response Director, and Director of Operations. God revealed His call on my life to serve Him full-time as a teenager, and it is an honor to work in an organization that allows me to live out my calling each day. The world of disaster relief is not an easy one. It is dirty, messy, and very difficult to walk through day after day, but isn't that where Jesus provides hope to the hopeless, healing to the brokenhearted, and light to the darkness. He is here, so that is exactly where I want to be." America's Healthcare Advocate: Cary Hall Season 19, Episode 19 Learn more: https://eightdaysofhope.com (662) 844-6934 [email protected] Contact Cary Hall: https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

Check out this fascinating episode, with Dan Stalp of Sandler Sales Training as we discuss your sales force and how to keep it healthy. Check this offer, visit: https://stalp.sandler.com/crash-class Dan has an amazing #sales #training program and brings to the show one of his clients, Brett Eckinger, to visit with Cary is this episode. Brett is the Director of Wine, Beer & Spirits for Sethmar Transportation and can speak from experience about Dan’s training and how the Sandler Institute has shaped his sales skills. Dan has 29 years of experience leading, training and #coaching high performance sales professionals and sales leaders and teaches us how to establish a #salesforce , along with who to count on, how to empower and strengthen them, and who will and likely won't succeed, To reach Dan: Daniel Stalp #Consulting, Inc. Kansas City & Overland Park, KS Danstalp.com 913-451-1760 [email protected] To reach Cary, visit https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us

Good News (not really) only 6% have coverage! (…and, no, it’s not covered by Medicare) Listen to our two experts discuss affordable, long-term care and how you can keep yourself out of a Medicaid Nursing Home. Mark Holder, CFP® Imlay & Holder Wealth Certified Financial Planner. certification, and has his series 6, 65, 63 and 7 security licenses as well as advanced designations CLU® and ChFC® from the American College of Financial Services. Mark has been providing quality expertise for more than 22 years, focusing on the areas of strategic planning and wealth accumulation. Jeff Imlay, CLU®, ChFC®, CLTC® , Imlay & Holder Wealth, Wealth Management Advisor and Long Term Care. Jeff has over 32 years of experience and is expert in the specialty of Individual Disability and Long-Term Care. Jeff’s professional designations include: CLU® - Chartered Life Underwriter, ChFC® - Chartered Financial Consultant and CLTC® - Certification for Long-Term Care. Jeff lso holds Series 6, 7, 63, and 66 securities licenses and is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). Contact Mark or Jeff: 913-676-8038 https://imlayholderwealth.com f you have questions about this episode, contact Mark or Jeff: 913-676-8038 https://imlayholderwealth.com Have an issue or question for Cary? Visit https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com/contact-us America's Healthcare Advocate: Cary Hall: americashealthcareadvocate.com

Our Spring Cornucopia (multi-topic) show features discussion on these topics: Topics today, -Vitamin D. So everybody was talking about vitamin D during COVID, and then it kind of got off the chart. Well, if you're a seasoned citizen, you know, one of us that's chronologically challenged, you probably need to be taking vitamin D in doses you probably may not understand. We're going to talk about that. --We're going to talk about how much alcohol you can have in a weekly basis. Yes. How many of those martinis are you allowed to have in a one week basis? We'll chat about that. -Then we’re going to talk about marriage. This is going to be fascinating. This is an in-depth study done by Harvard that equates marriage to health, you know, long term health and marriage. How are they connected? We're going to talk about that study from Harvard. -We're also going to talk about weed, marijuana and teen agers. What's happening to teenagers that are partaking in marijuana and weed. If you're a parent or grandparent, you want to listen to this because it's pretty serious. And last but not least, if we have time, we will talk about the ACA exchanges, what's going on with Obamacare. -A New Harvard Study: Marriage & Your Health Post COVID: How is your Vitamin D Level? How much Alcohol should you have weekly? Teenagers & Weed: Is your teen partaking in marijuana?

We're going to be talking to small business owners and the problems you face. Paychex Strategic Business Consultant Brian Wright and Paychex District Leader Ryan Dingley share time saving solutions. Join me and my guest as we discuss how small businesses can navigate the maze of government regulation, reporting and tax issues they face every day. Whether you need help with payroll, taxes, HR or benefits, Paychex can do it all. You can pick & choose any service that your small business needs. Listen and learn how to work ON your business, not IN your business! For Payroll, HR, and Benefits that help small business owners hire, pay, manage, and retain employees with confidence. We also discuss EPLI Insurance and other time and stress saving solutions! KC Metro-Brian Wright: 913 206 4645 https://www.paychex.com https://www.americashealthcareadvocate.com

DJ Schmitt is a US Military Veteran'. His journey from pain to healing led to this amazing "Neuro20 Pro Whole-Body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Suit". The Neuro20 is now FDA cleared for rehabilitation use, inpatient, outpatient, at home use. Hear DJ and co-founder Michael explain about how it uses BDNF (brain derived nootropic factor) and what all the uses are in rehab and prehab. In this episode we see pilot study results and how they show Neuro20 helps you intelligently optimize rehabilitation and performance. The results are in: a never-before-seen level of efficiency that will change the way Drs approach rehabilitation, injury reduction, recovery and athletic performance training. The suit works in combination with advanced software to activate muscle fibers using complex, predefined patterns. Visit our site: americashealthcareadvocate.com and neurologic.life for more information. #Cary Hall #aharadioshow #neuro20