I have found myself walking through hospital hallways for many years now. Healthcare finance has led me to interact with department managers across all service lines. From cardiopulmonary rehab to the neonatal intensive care unit, I have probably crunched the numbers and dollars at some point. But those are just numbers. Until now, the growing Max Out of Pocket crew has not actually needed to use the healthcare system all that much. That’s a good...
Have you ever considered having sound waves bounced off your baby to create an image that we can use to measure a small pocket of liquid near the neck that might signal chromosome abnormalities? Yeah, the thought never crossed my mind either. I probably don’t even know how to change a diaper. Fortunately, we get to benefit from all those before us who studied this kind of thing. In many ways, their work has made...
I suppose the time has come to let the cat out of the bag. The Max Out of Pocket crew is expecting! We are really excited! But more on that later. First things first, how much does an obstetric ultrasound cost in the first trimester? Let’s be real. I am probably the last person the healthcare finance industry wants going through this process. As healthcare pricing and surprise medical bills have become a hot topic...
I was lucky enough to attend another healthcare conference back in early December of 2019. Imagine that, a time when conferences were still being attended in person. Fresh off my recent trip to Ecuador to mingle with other personal finance nerds, I thought I would ease into my first week back at work with a two-day mini-conference. It was the second day and we were scheduled to go until about noon. I was toward the...
When it looks like a purchase is going to run me more than a few hundred dollars, the analysis process starts. It is automatic, and I can’t stop it. Some might consider this a telltale sign of a cheapskate. But I know there is a difference between being cheap and being smart with your money. As a purchase moves into the several thousand-dollar range, a deeper analysis is required. It might even require an excel...