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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

17 Secrets Surgeons Pray You Never Find Out

1.Although "best doctors lists" are a good starting point, don't forget to ask hospital employees about a doc you may be sizing up. Their opinions are pretty accurate.  2. Ask you doc about his or her complication rate. If they don't have one, they're hiding something or haven't operated enough to have one. Keep in mind no one is immune to complications. 3. Make sure your surgeon is board certified at www.absurgery.org If your facing a stiff jail sentence and a jury trial, you would want to make sure that your criminal lawyer  was a certified trial attorney. So don't even think about using a surgeon who is not board certified in his field.
4. Always get a second or third opinion since some surgeons won't mention procedures they don't know how to do. Also your primary doctor's referral to a surgeon  may not always be the best .  5. Always ask your surgeon who is going to take care of you after surgery. You want to make sure that your surgeon or his assistants will see you on a regular basis until you have fully recovered. 6. Always have elective surgery early in the week since lots of doctors  go away for the weekend and won't be around to make sure your ok. 7. Make sure you find out who your anesthesiologist will be since he is just as important as your surgeon. Check him out thoroughly. 8. Make sure your surgeon doesn't rely just on one pathologist. Ask him to send all your slides to a nationally recognized reference lab to get a second pathology opinion. 9. Always ask your surgeon what risk about the procedure worries him the most. 10. All surgeon residents have to learn how to operate one time or another, but just make sure it's not at the risk of your health.  Verify that your surgeon will be actively involved in your surgery and not just checking in every hour. 11. Ask your surgeon how many of these operations has he done. The average number of surgeries a  surgeon does during a residency  is about  900.Also ask  your doctor if the surgery is truly necessary , whether you can wait a while, and ask about non-surgical options.  That's because they get paid 10 times more money to operate on you that to manage your illness conservatively. 12. If you have unanswered questions about your surgery after the operation,  ask to read the operative note report dictated by the surgeon . 13 If you have pain in your calf after surgery, or if swells up and looks red, you may have a blood clot which is a risk of every surgery. 14.You should know that 25% of all operations are unnecessary. That's because private hospital administrators push doctors to do more procedures to generate more income. After all, hospitals don't run those expensive TV commercials with celebrity spokes people for their health.    15. The average income of a U.S. surgeon is $265,000.  Some surgeons hire practice management consulltants to generate more revenue. They many want the doctor to build a surgery center to capture facility fees or get an in-office MRI machine. Also, some orthopedic surgeons make millions in soft consulting agreements with device manufacturers. So if you need a medical implant device, ask your doctor if he has a financial relationship with the vendor. If so, you may end up with a device that is more expensive or not the most appropriate. 16. If your doctor wants to give you a stent always ask him if it's better than medicine. If you're not having a heart attack or unstable angina, studies show that you will do equally well with a stent or medicine. Also keep in mind that having something permanently implanted in your body is not a risk free proposition. In addition, there is evidence that thousands of people have had stents implanted that they did not need. 17. If you have any kind of serious medical condition, always go to a university teaching hospital. You'll get doctors involved in the latest medicine and you'll have the advantage of having a resident or physician beside 24-7 and a surgeon will always be on call.   

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

How To Get Out Of An Arbitration Clause In A Contract

When you're handed a contract containing an arbitration clause, write "I disavow this section of the contract" next to the clause and then initial the modification. Then make a copy. There's no guarantee that the company will accept this-or that the disavow will hold up in court. But there is little harm in trying since in some cases the tactic could increase the odds that the company will be willing to agree to an out-of-court settlement rather than risk the possibility that you could force a court case.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

How The Right Real Estate Agent Can Get You Top Dollar For Your Home

Here are five steps you need to take to find the right real estate agent to sell your home at top dollar:

1. Ask for the "relocation coordinator" when you first contact real estate agencies Sellers who call agencies typically are routed to which ever agent happens to be on phone rotation that day.  In contrast, relocation coordinators can be objective because they don't sell homes themselves. Their job is to help executives who are moving in the area. The "relo guy or gal" often is willing to provide an insiders opinion about which agent is most appropriate for a particular listing given the home's location and approximate value.

If you're not certain which agencies to call, lean towards those that seem to have lots of homes for sale in your neighborhood based on yard signs or listings on www.Zillow.Com  or www.Trulia.com. These agencies are likely to be active and respected since they have a strong knowledge of your area. That's because real estate is extremely local, and an agency that sells lots of homes in your neck of the woods most likely understands the nuances of home values in your area.

2. Research agents before you meet with them  Experienced agents should have web pages detailing their background and recent sales usually on their agencies' website. Be wary of those who don't. Also, use the website to confirm the agent has extensive experience selling homes in your price range and area. Also confirm that the agent is full time.  You should not trust your home to a part-timer. Also, do a Google search on the agent's name and agency. Choose a different agent if numerous complaints from prior clients show up.

3. Interview at least 3 to 5  agents from different agencies Interviewing three or more agents will weed out those whose opinion and the listing price diverge significantly from the consensus. Weed out these agents since your home is likely to appear mispriced or  flawed to these agents if they represent buyers too.Here's a prime example: If two out of 3 agents you talk to say your house should be listed at $475,000  and that the hardwood floors should be cleaned and polished. Another agent says that it should be listed at $550,000 as is. There's a good chance that this agent is misreading the market or is telling you what he or she thinks you want to hear.

4. During interviews, ask agents about their marketing strategies and pricing recommendations Agents should be able to layout fairly detailed marketing plans that may include open houses, brochures, online marketing and other strategies. The agent should be able to explain their reasoning for the plan. The explanation as to why the strategy was selected is most telling. For instance, perhaps the agent has learned from earlier sales that placing an ad in a publication that caters to seniors is a great way to find potential buyers for your home.

Stay away from agents who recommend a listing price immediately upon viewing your home.  A responsible agent will take time back at the office to review recent comparable sales before citing a specific listing price.
Also, avoid an agent who solicits a price based on your desires rather then on reality.

5. Ask your agent for references And finally, ask the agent for his or hers five most recent sales. Then call at least 3 sellers to confirm that they had a positive experience with the agent.