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Cover Story: Vital Financial Can Help With Retirement Planning

Continued from page 1 He then pointed to himself and his wife, saying, "I am 52
Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums and monthly years of age, and my wife and I want to retire at 65. My num-
Medicare Part B (out-patient or doctor visit coverage) premiums, ber, without doing any planning, is actually $941,000." But
and is related to their earnings. González' group has done the research on how to address the
He explained that Level 1 of IRMAA is based on up to $85,000 problem, and he went on, "If we do the proper planning and go South Florida's
retirement income a year for individuals, or $170,000 per family. through the program, putting the money in places that would Monthly
But if that income in any given month goes above that figure by remain earmarked for the Social Security tax benefit calcula-
even $1, the IRMAA bracket will jump to Level 2, which is tion, I can reduce my liability by about $500,000." Healthcare Newspaper
$85,001 to $107,000 for individuals, or $170,001 to $214,000 for González said the firm has always specialized in working
families. within the health care industry, "because we are in the industry PO Box 812708
Therefore, that $1 could cause you to pay as much as 60 per- and we know the information." However, the company is Boca Raton, FL 33481-2708
cent more than when you were only earning the minimum expanding its service to include many additional industries, Phone: (561) 368-6950
amount. And if your income would increase to Levels 3 or 4 or 5 because otherwise, everybody who is currently earning an
(the range for Level 5 is greater than $214,000 for individuals, or income and looking forward to getting Social Security income, Website:
greater than $428,000 for families), your costs could increase as could be facing a very expensive retirement without the proper www.southfloridahospitalnews.com
much as 360 percent. González, and Vital Financial, can help you planning.
avoid having that happen. "Our target is to talk to high-income earners, business owners,
González said the firm specializes in Medicare Means Testing, when they're in their 40s or 50s. We can help them to plan by CHARLES FELIX
or the idea that requires higher-income beneficiaries to pay more doing an asset allocation, so that they would be able to enjoy the CAROL FELIX
of Medicare's costs. "We are not selling Medicare," he empha- same level of income without having to incur the ravaging effects Publishers
sized, "we just bring an awareness to the public about the manda- of paying too much for Medicare." NANCY LAMMIE
tory expense that every American needs to pay when they retire According to González, approximately 10,000 people retire in Editor
– when they reach age 65 – which is not only the cost of this country every day. No matter how good their financial advi-
Medicare, but the rising cost of health care as well." sor or CPA is, they would not be able to handle the situation JUDY GRAMM
He went on to say that while people may have a CPA or an because the solutions are very, very few, and there are very few Editorial Manager & Webmaster
attorney or a financial advisor with whom they can discuss the financial institutions, insurance companies, and investment com-
subject, "nobody really knows how to address the issue. panies that know how to address the problem. That's why Vital JMC GRAPHICS
Without proper planning, it will eat up roughly 60 percent to Financial is trying to spread the word about its services. Art/Production
70 percent of your retirement savings." "The more people we can educate that they have a problem, adsjmcgraphics@aol.com
González used as an example a healthy couple that is 60 we'll be in a situation to help them. What people don't know 412-835-5796
years of age, and who wants to retire in five or six years when about retirement can really hurt them, and unfortunately, people
they will be eligible for Medicare. Together they can expect to rarely talk about it or try to address it until it's too late." CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
pay close to half a million dollars, but only if they remain at the Lisa Bianco
basic income level. Without any planning, they could pay up For more information, contact Jorge González at Daniel Casciato
to 360 percent. riaccountsguru@yahoo.com or call (954) 736-9098. Barbara Fallon
Vanessa Orr
Lois Thomson
Cover Story: Opioid Overdose: An Expanded Role for Hospitals

Continued from page 1 Rather than simply being referred for follow-up treatment, a LOOK FOR OUR
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston put the cost of treating substance abuse treatment clinician engages with the patient NEXT ISSUE
opioid overdoses at 58% higher than it was a decade ago. This while still in the ER and can help facilitate direct transfer into
increase is due in large part to the fact that treatment of over- inpatient substance abuse treatment. Early experiences have IN MARCH
doses is resulting in higher survival rates driven by the avail- demonstrated some success in improving patient engagement
ability and utilization of naloxone products. with follow-up treatment while reducing the immediate risk of TO REACH US
Receiving treatment in an ER, however, can provide an repeated opioid overdose.
opportunity to positively impact mortality for overdose sur- The feasibility of initiating medication to treat opioid use FOR
vivors while also reducing both direct and indirect healthcare disorder while the patient is in the ER is also being investigat- ADVERTISING
costs. Commonly, victims of opioid overdose are treated with ed. Dr. Gail D’Onofrio, an ER physician at Yale University, OR EDITORIAL
naloxone in the ER and following hospital admission, if recently published a study where patients in the ER were given
required, are discharged home with a referral for substance buprenorphine, an effective partial-opioid agonist approved for Call (561) 368-6950
abuse treatment. Some ERs do also provide SBIRT (Screening the treatment of opioid use disorder. After one month, patients or e-mail
and Brief Intervention) to patients following overdose. who received buprenorphine were twice as likely to still be carol@southfloridahospitalnews.com
In many cases, however, referrals to treatment alone do not engaged in treatment, and the treatment was found to be more
result in treatment engagement, and SBIRT has shown mixed cost-effective when compared to opioid overdose survivors
results in this patient population. The lack of follow-up treat- who were simply given a referral to follow-up care.
ment allows a chronic, progressive disease such as opioid use Hospitals and ERs have an increasingly important role in SUBSCRIPTIONS
disorder to worsen. Brigham and Women’s Hospital estimates addressing the current opioid epidemic. In addition to the suc-
that nearly 94% of overdose victims treated with naloxone in cessful treatment of opioid overdose, expanded relationships One Year $40
the ER survive the initial overdose. However, they remain at with substance abuse treatment providers and implementation Two Years $60
risk for further overdose if they do not receive appropriate fol- of maintenance medications may help to improve the progno-
low-up treatment for their opioid use disorder. As many as 10% sis for this patient population. These relationships should Three Years $75
of those who survive an opioid overdose will die of subsequent evolve as opioid use continues to grow across the country.
overdose within one year, with the highest risk being within To subscribe,
the first two weeks following overdose. Dr. Michael Forst, MD, FASAM, is the Corporae Medical Advisor
Several strategies are being examined in an effort to improve for Sunspire Health. call (561) 368-6950
treatment engagement following opioid overdose. In or subscribe online at
Montgomery County Pennsylvania, emergency rooms have For more information, contact Sandra Laffler at (561) 237-1615 southfloridahospitalnews.com.
partnered with local substance abuse treatment facilities to or email SLaffler@sunspirehealth.com ____________
provide a “warm hand-off” for survivors of opioid overdose.

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permission prohibited. Copyright © 2017.
Delray Medical Center Cardiac Rehab
Program Receives Certification
Don’t forget to include
Delray Medical Center achieves certification of its Cardiac Rehabilitation program by the American Association of Cardiovascular South Florida Hospital News
and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). Delray Medical Center was recognized for its commitment to improving the quality of & Healthcare Report
life by enhancing standards of care. Cardiovascular rehabilitation programs are designed to help people who suffer from cardiovas-
cular disease recover faster and improve their quality of life. The program includes exercise, education, counseling and support for in your Marketing Plans
patients and their families. Call Charles at 561-368-6950 for a Media Kit

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com February 2018 33