Springfield, IL (myPressManager.com) May 24, 2012
The Illinois State Dental Society Foundation and CURE Network will co-host the second Mission of Mercy, or “MOM,” at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake on June 8-9. Nearly 1,500 volunteer dentists, hygienists, physicians, nurses, optometrists and others from throughout Illinois will provide an estimated $1 million in free basic dental, medical and vision care to patients who would not otherwise have access to necessary treatment. “We are prepared to see 1,000 patients per day, and hope to accommodate more if we can,” said Dr. Mark Humenik, State MOM Chair. “In order to treat as many patients in the best way possible, we are offering three areas of services: dental, medical and vision. The patient’s priority condition will be served first.”“Basic medical screenings include high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and women’s health, including breast exams and PAP smears. Vision professionals will conduct eye exams and screen for glaucoma and macular degeneration. Prescription eyeglasses will be made on site by Midwest Labs of Chicago,” adds Dr. Ken Nelson, Co-Founder and Chair of CURE Network.Here are some important things that prospective patients should know:• Not all dental services will be available. Emphasis will be on basic dental care, such as fillings, extractions and cleanings.• No appointments will be taken.
• No pre-registration is available.
• Care is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Doors will open at 6:00 am.
• There are no income eligibility requirements; anyone can receive treatment.
• No false teeth (dentures) will be made.
• Patients with serious health problems may not be able to receive dental treatment. Issues may include extremely high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, and severe disabilities.
• If a medical issue is discovered during the initial screening process, the patient will be further evaluated.
• Patients may not receive all dental, medical, and vision care that is needed; the most critical issues receive priority treatment.
• Recommended items for patients to bring to MOM:o List of current medications and a one-day supply
o Baby supplies for a full day (diapers, formula, etc.)
o Eyeglasses (if you plan to visit the vision clinic)
o Something to help you pass the time, such as reading material, knitting, crossword puzzles, etc.
o Water and snacks If a patient is in severe pain NOW, don’t wait until the Mission of Mercy. Seek treatment immediately!Lake County Fairgrounds
Grayslake, Illinois
Friday-Saturday, June 8-9
Doors open at 6:00 am
The Mission of Mercy will serve to highlight the serious problem that Illinois citizens have in accessing dental and medical care. The event will relieve some suffering, but it won’t solve the problem. Only the Illinois Legislature can provide the solution through adequately funding the Medicaid program in Illinois, which was drastically cut in the 2013 state budget. More information on the event is available by clicking on the home page “Mission of Mercy” graphic at http://www.ISDS.org.
The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association today released a report, “Equal and Uniform…sort of” analyzing the findings of the performance audits of Texas’ 253 central appraisal districts. The study was compiled from the results of individual reviews of local appraisal districts conducted by State Comptroller Susan Combs’ Property Tax Assistance Division under a requirement in House Bill 8, passed into law in 2009 by State Representative John Otto and Senator Tommy Williams.The Comptroller’s evaluation was an effort to determine if appraisal districts have the very basic tools needed to do their job— appraise property at its fair market value. Initially, the review found that roughly one in three districts lacked up-to-date maps and documentable procedures. In over a third of the districts the Comptroller was unable to reproduce the values assigned to the property. “The most troubling finding is that districts were found to be most lacking in appraisal standards and procedures—their core mission,” said TTARA’s senior researcher, John Kennedy. “The Texas Constitution guarantees that taxation will be equal and uniform. That right is threatened if taxpayer property is not uniformly appraised at market value. It is little comfort to know that your house is fairly valued only to find out that your neighbor’s is not. Your heftier tax bill subsidizes their benefit,” Kennedy said.The good news is that most appraisal districts have already corrected almost all of their identified deficiencies. Some, however, remain sorely behind. Eight districts not only failed to correct their deficiencies before the results became final, but also could not address them in the ensuing year. These districts have been reported to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for further enforcement action. The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA) is a non-profit, non-partisan membership-supported organization of businesses and individuals interested in state and local fiscal policies in Texas and the way those policies impact our economy. TTARA members operate in every part of Texas; they employ and provide incomes to thousands of Texans; they produce or provide every type of good or service Texans consume; and, they provide a huge portion of the revenue that supports public services at every level of government. TTARA has been recognized as the state’s leading organization specializing in tax and fiscal policy for more than 50 years.
The Illinois State Dental Society recognizes that Governor Quinn and the Illinois legislature are facing intense budget pressures as they attempt to find $2.7 billion in savings from the Medicaid program. However, eliminating the adult dental program from the Medicaid budget will not produce any significant savings. Adults that experience pain and infection from dental conditions will be forced to seek treatment in hospital emergency rooms, where staff is unable to provide definitive treatment and costs to the Medicaid program skyrocket. In a dental office, an emergency exam and surgical extraction of a tooth would cost the dental Medicaid program $73.60, and could address the condition before it escalates into multiple emergency room visits and possible hospitalization. Dental problems will not resolve themselves, and in some cases, patients will develop severe systemic infections that require hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospitalizations. Retaining the adult program is the only cost effective and efficient option for treating dental problems.Gov. Quinn has also proposed a reduction in Medicaid reimbursement rates for healthcare providers in an attempt to achieve even more savings. Additional rate cuts to the dentists who provide care to children covered by the Medicaid program would be devastating. For decades , Illinois has reimbursed dentists for restorative services, like fillings and crowns, at levels drastically below the costs of providing care. Illinois ranks 48th in the country for its Medicaid funding rates. Further cuts will drive even more dentists away from treating the children's Medicaid population.The State of Illinois learned an expensive lesson about cutting adult Medicaid dental services when former Gov. Edgar took that action in FY 1996. By the next fiscal year, the adult program was restored. Let’s not repeat a past history of failure. The Illinois State Dental Society encourages a thorough review of those currently eligible to obtain services under the Medicaid program to ensure that scarce state funds are truly being used for the most vulnerable populations. The dentists of the Illinois State Dental Society will continue to work with Governor Quinn and the Illinois legislature to develop an appropriate solution that will not harm patients or falsely claim short-term savings.About the Illinois State Dental Society
Policy Reference Press announces the launch of their medical Billing Coding Library subscription eBook service. Policy Reference Press has been making a name for itself in the Amazon Kindle Store by creating eBooks with powerful navigation from statutes and other public policy documents. The Billing Coding Library is no different, Policy Reference Press delivers again with their first workflow enabled medical coding series SuperICD9. These books can capture the essence of ICD-9-CM coding while giving users the comfort of the full text they are accustomed to. Medical coders speak to medicare and insurance companies through a complex mix of codes such as ICD-9-CM, HCPCS, DRG and CPT. Each of these requires a current code reference, many of them updated regularly each year. Soon ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS will replace ICD-9-CM, causing double expenditures throughout the transition period. This adds up quickly, coding firms often pay more than $1000 to equip each employee each year. With another ICD-10-CM delay, companies are on the hook for another year of buying expensive ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS references just for training purposes.Finally medical billing and coding firms can outfit their entire organization with the current and upcoming annual code reference updates without spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars per employee each year. In addition, with a Billing Coding Library subscription, employees can feel free to install Policy Reference Press publications on all of their computing and mobile devices.The supported devices list includes iPad/iPhone, Android phones and tablets, Kindle and Nook eReaders and of course PC and Apple desktop and laptop computers.Student subscriptions are priced economically at $29.99 and individual subscriptions are available for only $49.99. Medical practices and medical billing and coding firms gain the most benefits. A practice can license all of their doctors and employees to install whichever books from the Billing Coding Library they wish on whichever devices they prefer for less than the cost of a single set of hard copy coding references.Free evaluations of the Billing Coding Library and free evaluation downloads of the SuperICD9 series are available at the website.Website: 
Judy’s Book, the premier Social Search® site that helps consumers get the trusted scoop on local businesses, announced today that users are now able to pin images of their favorite places on Judy’s Book with the click of a button to their Pinterest account. Images uploaded can be categorized by type of places (favorite restaurants, kid friendly places, attractions, etc..) to pin boards, text to encourage engagement is automatically added in the description of the image, and include a unique back link to the businesses page on Judy’s Book.Pinterest provides virtual pinboards which users can 'pin' collections of images to connect people through shared tastes and interests. Pinterest makes it really easy to create pinboards for any category and upload images to it. These can be pictures they have taken themselves or images collected from around the web. Followers get to see images a person has posted and
National Cost Containment announced today that they will be expanding their offerings to include auditing services for accounts payable and sales tax audit and recovery. This new service can aid clients in recovering overpaid taxes from various taxing agencies.NCC already offers their clients the ability to contain costs in more than sixty common cost areas, including equipment maintenance, computer supplies and food service. Lee Ferry of NCC explains that “containment is very different from cost cutting. A business cannot function in cost-cutting mode on a long-term basis. Since cost containment involves controlling increases in costs before they occur, it is a means of controlling future risk.” He goes on to elaborate that the “strategies for cost containment can be applied to small companies just as easily as large ones, because they involve the same two groups of people: employees and vendors”.NCC also has a strict policy regarding customer satisfaction and now also offers a new No Fee guarantee program. NCC works with each individual client and bases their commission off the percentage of the dollars saved, not a flat fee rate.About National Cost Containment: The West Palm Beach, Florida-based company helps its clients realize “best-in-market” pricing from their suppliers. Hospitals, schools, service companies, wholesalers, retailers and distributors make up a large portion of National Cost’s clients, forming partnerships with the containment company to slash costs and discover efficient new ways to run their businesses. NCC continues to enable their clientele to contain costs in more than sixty common cost areas, including equipment maintenance, computer supplies, insurance, and food service.Please visit us on the web at 
Today, iKeepSafe and AT&T*are proud to announce in the launch of Mobile Safe – a program that offers resources for parents and educational games for students, with the goal of teaching kids smart and safe mobile habits. The program launched at an event at the Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. The Mobile Safe resources are available today at