OCTOBER 31, 2012 · 5:31 PM
Controlled Risk Insurance Co. Data takes scalpel to malpractice lawsuits
How medical malpractice lawsuits can be used to lower risk
The article can be found here: Boston Herald Article
According to the article, data from 200,000 medical malpractice claims are being used to find fixable patterns in medical treatment.
OCTOBER 25, 2012 · 8:19 PM
Student-Loan Borrowers Average $26,500 in Debt
Why so expensive?
The following article can be found at:
According to Tamar Lewin 0f the New York Times, the $26,500 average debt is primarily based on non-profit and public colleges. As the article suggests, there is little we can do about the student debt and employment problem without comprehensive information from for-profit institutions.
OCTOBER 24, 2012 · 7:20 PM
Brigadier General John F. Flanagan, Jr – Celebration of Life
” He was a great man and loved Air Force Football and mentoring/teaching at Mass.Maritme Academy. He supported the AOG, the USAFA Endowment , Holiday AC and the Falcon football coaches. Pray for him.” – Attorney Frederic Halström
************************************Obituary**************************************
Brigadier General John F. Flanagan, Jr
Celebration of Life
Brigadier General John F. Flanagan, Jr. (USAF- Ret) passed away on October 21 after a valiant battle against lung cancer. John packed more heroics, made more friends, positively impacted more people, had more laughs and contributed more to his country during his seventy three year lifespan than Walter Mitty ever dreamed possible.
John was born and raised in White Plains, NY where he graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania for one year before receiving an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in 1958. While at the Academy, John was a member of the Academy’s undefeated football team that was ranked 6th nationally and played in the Cotton Bowl. John majored in political science and graduated in 1962 as a second lieutenant. He immediately entered pilot training, and, upon graduation, was assigned as a combat crewmember at Otis AFB, where he began his life- long love affair with Cape Cod.
In 1965, in the very early stages of the Vietnam War, John was among the first to answer the call to combat, volunteering for duty as a Forward Air Controller supporting elite Army units in close combat. John flew over 300 combat missions and, in recognition of his heroism and gallantry, he was awarded the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, twelve Air Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
General Flanagan left the active Air Force in 1968 but continued his military career in the New York Air National Guard in a succession of key command positions in flying operations. In January 1986, he was appointed the Deputy Commander of the 6000 member New York Air National Guard and was promoted to Brigadier General in March 1989. John retired from the military in 1995 after 33 years of active, reserve and standby reserve service. He was a Command Pilot with over 4400 flying hours and, at the time of his retirement, was the most highly decorated officer in the New York ANG.
John was equally distinguished and accomplished in his parallel business career where he held a series of demanding jobs in the transportation industry. He played an essential role in the introduction of the 747 airliner into commercial service with American Airlines; served as CFO of a Hertz trucking company in Europe; as Vice President and Treasurer of Holland America Lines; and in liquidating, as a Trustee, a failed common carrier.
General Flanagan held an MBA from Boston College, is a graduate of the National Defense University and a Distinguished Graduate of the Air War College. He was an accomplished author and sought-after military commentator. His seminal work, “Vietnam above the Tree Tops”, chronicled his exploits as Forward Air Controller in combat and was a Military Book Club main selection. His radio and TV interviews on military affairs have been featured on broadcast networks. Upon moving permanently into his Cape Cod summer home in Falmouth, John served as a Professor of Transportation and Logistics at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He reveled in this job because it allowed him to share the importance of duty, integrity and commitment with the midshipmen he was instructing.
John always emphasized the importance of community service and involvement as well as the virtue of giving back to society. He twice ran for Congress in New York; he has been a major financial benefactor of the Air Force Academy; and has generously donated his time and effort to Otis-related community service activities; the Wounded Warrior Foundation, as well as serving as the Chairman of the Falmouth Transportation Commission.
John has skied the Alps; soared the Rockies; surfed the Pacific; golfed in Bermuda; and parachuted into the South China Sea- feats most people only read about. But he never lost sight of the importance of nurturing and protecting his family and friends. In this vein he will be remembered for his bright blue eyes, his wry Irish smile and his open extended hand to those he felt he could help. John made all who knew him better and his memory will long endure.
John is survived by his wife, Mari Jo Flanagan of Falmouth; his daughters Regina Flanagan of San Francisco and Monica Flanagan Dapolito of Patterson, New York; his stepson, Nathan Scopac of Alexandria, VA; and his three grandchildren James Dapolito, Noah and Olivia Scopac.
Burial will be at the Bourne National Cemetery on November 12. A memorial scholarship has been established in John’s memory and the family has requested that donations in lieu of flowers be made to the General John F. Flanagan, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund administered through the Cape Cod Foundation
OCTOBER 18, 2012 · 9:15 PM
Value of Medical Checkups Doubted
An excuse for insurance companies to not pay for annual physicals?
According to a recent study presented by the Wall Street Journal, section A2, on Wednesday October 17th, 2012, medical checkups may not ” affect the rates of death and disease”.
The following video discusses the findings of this study:
Wall Street Journal- Value of Medical Checkups Doubted
As Dr. Lasse Krogsbøll suggests in the article, biology is the essential difference between a health checkup and a car checkup (WSJ, A2). Preventing illness and disease requires methods which are not only specific to the needs of each patient, but are proven to make a difference.
You can find the full text of the article, with a subscription or free pass, here at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443624204578060682331138100.html?mod=googlenews_wsj