Question 1

why is employee health care cost rising?

Accepted Answer

400 words or less?: Enemy is us. Inexorable pursuit of health perfection over "good." physician lack of confidence and fear in making diagnoses on history / physical. Burgeoning administration "supervising" medical care. Substandard docs and medical societies who fail to police them.  Legal system awards compensation beyond reason. Pharmaceutical, lab, imaging industries and media who market sickness to the public.

Question 2

should employers have access to employee health records?

Accepted Answer

Depends: Generally employee health records are not readily available except in cases of information on fmla forms and sometimes for particular job requirements.   People should know that more information is available to employers in regards to diagnoses, etc when they get that information from employer sponsored health plans.

Question 3

employee health physical: test for drugs?

Accepted Answer

Some do, some don't.: Some require drug testing, and other companies don't.  Ask to see the labs required for you employee health physical.  It should mention it there.

Question 4

what do you feel about tx being the 1st state to allow employers to have access to employee health records?

Accepted Answer

My understanding...: Was that employers can get a list of employees and family  - not identified by name, but by a code - whose health spending was greater than 15, 000.  It also lists the diagnosis, amount paid, dates of service, prognoses and treatment plans.  Personally, i'm not too comfortable with it... But the argument is if the employer is paying the medical bills, then they should have access to the info.

Question 5

where can i buy antidepressants confidentially if i have public employee health program insurance?

Accepted Answer

Cash.: If you are using your insurance card in any way to purchase a medication or see a doctor, then the insurance company knows.  The only way to do it confidentially is if you pay cash to a doctor who writes the prescription, and then you pay cash for the medicine.

Question 6

i was tested positive for covid symptoms! i went to er and was told my symptoms are improving. i need clearance to go back to work! i was told to see my primary dr kevin brown and heart specialist dr sedeh. i need to get cleared by employee health to?

Accepted Answer

Yes, both required: Employee health may have specific requirements for you to return to work from a public health perspective ( such as repeating test, specific quarantine duration, etc), while your docs will assess your overall physical fitness to return to work as well as other medical needs related or unrelated to COVID infection.

Question 7

health insurance portability and accountability act: may i discuss client details with other employees within my agency?

Accepted Answer

Probably: If you agency is not health related, then details of your clients are assumed to be public unless there is some other confidentiality arrangement.  You probably should not discuss health issues that you are privy to, but this is not a hippa issue if you are not a health professional.

Question 8

is there any good data showing that workplace health programs (like paying employees to get yearly pe) does anything measurable for health outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Health programs: Such programs have helped to control hypertension, obesity and dieting as well as cholesterol control other programs have cut down on work place accidents and auto accidents.

Question 9

what are the basic best practices for disease prevention in the workplace? i'm starting a small catering company which will have about 35 employees. as a part of health management, i would like to know if there are guidelines i can put in place to minimiz

Accepted Answer

As : As you are starting a business, you will have to abide by all sanitary and safety regulations imposed by the government/regulatory bodies.

Here are some basic safety rules surrounding sanitation/quality:
1. Practice good hand hygiene. Employees should wash their hands before eating/drinking, after eating/drinking, upon entrace into the kitchen and prior to touching clean utensils, before touching food, upon exit of the kitchen. Establish 'moments' for handwashing consistently. For instance:"always wash hands before entering the kitchen." hand washing is the single most effective way of preventing infection.

2. Do not eat or drink in the kitchen/cooking area. This is a place of work. Raw foods are present and can contaminate the hands. Touching food and ingesting bacteria from raw food can cause food borne illness.  Do not allow eating and drinking in the cooking area.

3. Label all containers with content and expiration dates. It is always best to label a container with the "throw away" date.

4. Empy trash cans everyday, unless they are empty.

5. Based on the space, establish a maximum amount of people that can work in the space at a time. Overcrowding can promote contamination or poor hand hygiene.

6. Create duty lists and logs which help you monitor refrigerator tempurature, environmental cleaning/disinfectant accountability, daily check of operating equipment and stocking of supplies.
7. Ensure a fire extinguisher is handy and that employees know how to use it. Also, ensure the employees have an exit route in case of a fire.

Hope this is helpful. These are some of the quality guidelines used in the hospital setting.

Question 10

covid sky-high in my hometown. we are in health dept.'s red zone. family dr. advises curbside pickup only. how safe would it be to buy a christmas tree if done outdoors & if i and employee both wore masks? would rather not take any chances at all?

Accepted Answer

Basics: As expressed numerous times: properly wear N-95 mask, do NOT touch your face, distance at least 6 feet, wash hands thoroughly but still some risk even so

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Doctor answers about:

Employee health

A member asked:

Why is employee health care cost rising?

A member asked:

Should employers have access to employee health records?

A member asked:

Employee health physical: test for drugs?

A member asked:

What do you feel about tx being the 1st state to allow employers to have access to employee health records?

A member asked:

Where can i buy antidepressants confidentially if i have public employee health program insurance?

A member asked:

I was tested positive for covid symptoms! i went to er and was told my symptoms are improving. i need clearance to go back to work! i was told to see my primary dr kevin brown and heart specialist dr sedeh. i need to get cleared by employee health to?

A member asked:

Health insurance portability and accountability act: may i discuss client details with other employees within my agency?

A member asked:

Is there any good data showing that workplace health programs (like paying employees to get yearly pe) does anything measurable for health outcomes?

A member asked:

What are the basic best practices for disease prevention in the workplace? i'm starting a small catering company which will have about 35 employees. as a part of health management, i would like to know if there are guidelines i can put in place to minimiz

A member asked:

Covid sky-high in my hometown. we are in health dept.'s red zone. family dr. advises curbside pickup only. how safe would it be to buy a christmas tree if done outdoors & if i and employee both wore masks? would rather not take any chances at all?

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