We have recently added 2 new members to our home office team! Courtney Stanton joins our Portable Operations Division as the Operations Coordinator and Lucious Brown joins our IT team as the IT Director. We are excited to have them both on board!!

We are seeking full and part time dentists for Chillicothe, OH! If you, or anyone you know, is interested, please apply via the “Careers” tab of the website.

In this economy and with the upcoming holidays, may people may be struggling with personal issues. Please remember that we have an Employee Assistance Program that can offer help and solutions for many of the issues that you or your loved one may be dealing with. This is available not only to our employees, but also to their spouse and children. The service is completely confidential and free of charge. The Employee Assistance Program offers counseling, financial and legal resources to you and your family. Again, the program is provided by MAH to all employees and their families and is FREE to use. You can contact the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-822-4847.

Just a reminder, we offer referral bonuses for dentist positions in Ohio…we are currently seeking full and part time dentists in the Chillicothe area. If you know anyone who may be interested, please have them apply online via the “Careers” tab at www.mahweb.com! Make sure that they include your name on the “Referred By” line of the application so that you can receive credit for the referral.

It’s that time of year again! Open enrollment for benefits will be coming soon, so be sure to watch for information regarding how to enroll or make changes to your medical, dental and vision coverages. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Michelle Jenkinson, Benefits Manager, via email at mjenkinson@mahweb.com.

ODA

Jennifer and I attended the ODA last Thursday and Friday. We had the opportunity to talk with a lot of dental assistants, hygienists, and dentists and are hoping some of them are future employees! I also had the opportunity to meet this adorable life-sized tooth! Although it’s not the most flattering picture of me, I think that she looks great!

If you, like me, have signed up for MAH’s new health care plan, you are probably going through some adjustment pains adapting to the new plan. 

The new plan does not have the co-pays that we have all become accustomed to, so now we need to begin using our bargain hunting skills in the medical marketplace.

I recently needed refills for a couple of prescriptions that last year had cost me about $35 per month. I was prepared for an increase, since the plan has a higher deductible than previous, but was frankly surprised at the full cost.

Here are a few suggestions to help deal with these costs:

1)      Check with national pharmacies to see if your medication is on their $4 formulary list.

Walmart and  Kroger have such lists. It may also pay to make sure your doctor knows that you are on a high deductible plan, so he or she can prescribe medications that are on the list. (Unfortunately, neither of my prescriptions are on the list – I plan to discuss this with my doctor the next time I see him).

2)      Check the website of the drug manufacturer.

In my case, I take Lipitor to manage cholesterol. At http://www.lipitor.com:80/offers/index.aspx there are offers for a 30 Day free trial and a Co-pay card that is worth $15 each month for a total of $180 a year.

Health and pharmacy costs are constantly increasing, but if we take some simple steps, we can manage our personal situation to minimize the increases.

Keith Walls, CFO