Millions of people, having to resolve health issues, choose to pay out of pocket at private facilities. The reasons for this choice are various: much shorter waiting times compared to public waiting times, smaller price differences compared to ticket prices, better accessibility, wider assistance, and finally, decreasing trust in the National Health Service. Therefore, it is not surprising that, in this context, more and more people are choosing to take out a health insurance policy to protect themselves and their loved ones in the event of illness or injury.

Health insurance is the ideal policy to protect ourselves and our family members, which is why many people take advantage of it today, choosing from the different possible variants. Health insurance allows you to obtain total or partial reimbursements on the costs of:

– medical visits

– diagnostic tests and tests

– hospital and extra-hospital healthcare services

– specialist visits to private facilities

– any treatment therapies.

Refunds

They vary depending on the policy stipulated and the conditions envisaged, but the possibility of obtaining reimbursements, even partial ones, through the annual payment of the premium, remains a great advantage for oneself and beyond; in fact, insurance often covers medical expenses for the entire family unit. This allows you to benefit from reimbursements for the costs of visits or medical services even if the family members of the health insurance holder benefit from them, without therefore having to take out multiple separate policies. In many cases, the best health insurance plans for family are very helpful. Thus, comparing many insurance plans is something that must be done before a family head makes a choice.

Check-ups

Some health insurances also include various tests for the prevention of diseases, and can therefore be offered the possibility of carrying out regular preventive checks at no or low cost, from a simple annual blood test to a more complete check-up with established periodicity. Having complete health data will really help simplify the procedure for taking out a health insurance plan.

Minor children

Among the various possibilities for families where children and young people are present, health insurance can offer particular advantages for dental care for children under 18, primarily for treatments with dental braces.

Health plans

The various health plans offered by health insurance companies therefore offer basic individual or family policies that start from the classic reimbursement for medical expenses, which can also cover any hospitalization.

Greater peace of mind

Subscribing to health insurance allows you to “feel more relaxed” in the unfortunate event of having to resort to surgery and hospital stays, for example following accidents; within the limits foreseen by the chosen policy, expenses such as anesthesia, surgical costs, and operating room costs are usually covered by basic insurance. Going into detail you can find health insurance dedicated to specific surgical interventions, or you can also opt for a daily allowance policy which offers a sum for each day of illness.

When insuring with a health insurance policy, the policyholder is asked for information on his state of health by completing a health questionnaire which ultimately forms an entire part of the policy contract. The questionnaire must be filled out with precision and accuracy to obtain the acceptance of the insurance company which, if there are omissions or few clarifications attributable to wanting to hide health problems, can refuse the insurance request even earlier.

In particular, a defined “shortage” period is usually present immediately after signing up for health insurance, which is required by insurance companies to protect themselves; a person could declare themselves not ill despite knowing it and commit to taking out a policy immediately before being hospitalized. A detail worth mentioning is that naturally, the older you are, the more likely you are to have health problems and for this reason the premiums for health insurance for an elderly person cost more; you can even find companies that do not offer insurance over the age of 70.

Still regarding the exclusions in the policy, in general, expenses for illnesses caused by alcoholism and drug addiction as well as specific interventions such as cosmetic surgery are not covered. Today, there are more and more companies that offer the insured a list of affiliated nursing homes to contact for treatment, without even having to advance the cost of the service, which will be covered directly by the insurance. However, if you opt to obtain services from non-affiliated nursing homes, you will have to pay the expense in advance and then present the relevant form.

Finally, health insurance essentially works like car insurance: just contact its assistance service, and it will take action to direct you to a private healthcare facility or professional to receive treatment. Some insurance companies offer a 24/7 medical consultancy service, with professionals always available.

Knowing what to do and how to act in an accident or medical emergency can be the key to survival, including our closest environment. According to a report by the International Red Cross, approximately half of accidental deaths can be avoided if we have knowledge of first aid, which is why we consider it vitally important to take a CPR course.

But what is CPR? Why is it important?

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is a technique used when a person suffers cardiac arrest. The main objective is for the heart to reactivate its function to restore the victim’s respiratory capacity. Cardiac arrests arrive without warning, affecting both young people and adults. To save lives, it is important that people have a minimum of knowledge about how to act in these cases. Even, it is necessary for the little ones to learn CPR maneuvers as soon as possible and call the emergency services as soon as possible. The earlier they gain consciousness, the better the victim’s chance of survival.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) maneuvers are an effective technique that can save lives in case the victim is facing cardiac arrest or drowning. Even if your knowledge is not the best about it, it is better to try something than to do nothing. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation combines cardiac compressions (keeping the blood oxygenated and circulating until palpitations can be restored) with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (to supply oxygen to the lungs).

We rely on our efficient emergency assistance systems, our ambulance network, and healthcare personnel. Our country has one of the most efficient emergency systems in the entire world. However, there are accidents for which the response time may be insufficient or certain conditions prevent timely attention. The remoteness, characteristics of the event, and the impossibility of notifying the accident can increase the risk of worsening the victim’s condition. Luckily, more and more Australians are now aware of at least one training session. For example, what is recommended is this first aid training Melbourne. This training is professionally designed to accommodate participants from various age levels.

​Anyway, for this reason, knowledge of basic first aid techniques is crucial in many accidents, medical emergencies, or catastrophic events. Mastering the main techniques for assisting injured or accident victims can make the difference between life and death in many cases. In other less serious cases, early attention to an injury can be decisive in containing and stabilizing its effects until the arrival of emergency services.

Who should know first aid techniques?

According to doctors specializing in critical medicine, the entire population should have basic knowledge of rescue and first aid. It is estimated that between 40 and 60% of accident deaths have occurred due to the lack of early or effective care at the time of the event. The first minutes after the occurrence of an accident can be crucial to save the life or stabilize the victim until specialized care.

In some countries like Germany, Switzerland, or Denmark, a basic first aid course is mandatory to obtain a driving license. In other countries such as Italy or Argentina, teachers at any level must take these courses as part of their academic training.

First aid knowledge should be mastered by:

– Any person who is in contact with at-risk populations or who, due to their profession, is exposed to risky situations.

– Any professional in the area of services, restaurants, and hotels.

– Teachers, caregivers, tutors, and parents of infants, children or adolescents.

– Public transport drivers and public service providers.

Like all branches of knowledge, first aid courses are taught gradually, progressively, and sequentially. From the most basic rescue and care techniques to the most complex ones with a greater degree of involvement or attention to more complex situations.

All first aid courses contemplate a fundamental principle that is based on:

– Knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques

– Location and measurement of vital values: heart rate, respiratory rate, and other vital signs.

– Measurement of the victim’s degrees of consciousness.

– Management of wounds and placement of bandages.

– Basic hemorrhage containment.

– Basic immobilization of fractures, sprains, or traumas.

– Clearing and un-obstructing airways.

– Alert, timely notification, and collaboration with emergency services.

– Evacuation techniques and transfer of injured people in catastrophic cases.

In a CPR course, along with this knowledge, the person acquires the ability to maintain serenity and objectivity in an emergency situation. Mastering these techniques can be essential in our work, personal, and family spheres. CPR stories, songs, videos, and video games are the most requested options by centers that want to add this practice to their students, obtaining incredible results. In the end, a first aid course is very important for anyone, remembering that disaster can happen at any time and anywhere.

The health business is always tempting and if you can put things right, success is something that is not difficult to achieve. If you are an entrepreneurial medical professional and are thinking about setting up your own health clinic, this article may interest you, since we offer you the keys to developing your project. Obviously, first, it is necessary to have a clear business project, with a study of the services to be provided, the location of the business, an analysis of the competition, possible clients, and fixed expenses.

Today, healthcare professionals are not only responsible for caring for patients and prescribing medications, because many have also become major entrepreneurs. However, investing in a business such as opening a clinic or office, for example, is not an easy task as many imagine. Along the way, there may be some challenges, but don’t worry, with the right actions you can do great and achieve the success you want.

Here are six valuable tips to begin the process of opening a medical practice.

Planning

This is the first stage of opening any business, after all, without good planning, everything you achieve in a short time can dissolve. It is very important to do research and budgets, make calculations, put together spreadsheets, in short, organize your ideas and then put them into practice. In the planning phase, you can also choose the location and structure where the clinic or office will open, so be sure to look for a location that is easily accessible to future patients and that is in line with your budget.  You can start now looking for quality medical equipment at affordable prices, for example, medicine cabinets, examination tables, and so on.

​Any project must be supported by network studies and have all the studies prepared that support the project to be carried out, including the functional plan. If this support does not exist when the design is carried out, the project is susceptible to changes during the contracting or construction process, which implies higher costs and delays in its execution.

Hiring professionals

When we talk about hiring, we refer to all sectors: health professionals, receptionists, secretaries, administrators, and general services. If you, as a health professional, will be the only one who acts in patient care, you can reduce the number of employees, since the number of tasks will be smaller. Even so, it is necessary to make a good selection of candidates and evaluate each profile thoroughly, as this makes it easier to raise the clinic’s reputation. The wrong choice at the start can cause problems later. That’s why careful selection is so important.

Decor

Both the colors used and other decoration points must be chosen in a way that conveys good feelings to patients and provides them with the necessary comfort. It is very important that the decoration is related to your specialty, and because it is in the health area, it does not necessarily have to be purely white. The color white can give the feeling of a larger place and refers to hygiene, however, this color can also cause discomfort when referring to hospitals.

Hiring medical software

With technology working in our favor, opening a practice using the old conventional agendas and records becomes obsolete and ineffective, because there are already systems that automate all processes, such as scheduling, attendance, financial releases, and even billing. In addition, good software can help with various tasks, such as confirming appointments by SMS and WhatsApp and the online agenda, where the patient can schedule their appointment through the clinic’s website.

Excellence in service

Valuing good service is essential for the success of your office, after all, just like in any commercial establishment, when a client is well served, in addition to coming back, they recommend you. In the health area, it is no different, so providing good care is essential to maintain and attract new patients. It is also essential to provide a humanized service where good communication between the health professional and the patient prevails and transmits sympathy. In addition to these points, many others are essential.

And finally robust and transparent bidding processes and contract administration

It is important that the tender documents and terms of reference for designs, works, and supervision are complete, and that they clearly define the scope of the projects without ambiguities, as well as that the signed contracts are administered and managed appropriately, with simple operational procedures. Weaknesses in these aspects give rise to blind spots, unforeseen works, or disputes between the parties during execution. Of course, this point is not limited to health clinic projects but also applies to other business projects.

Did you like the tips? We hope it has helped you make good decisions on your new journey.