Susan's Blog

I just had an adventure that I recommend for all of us who are struggling to keep balance in our lives while we fight through this crazy market.  I had been feeling that I was working non-stop just to keep my business afloat.  This last weekend I got together with 9 of my closest girlfriends from high school many years ago, and we had a girls' getaway.  Some of the girls I hadn't seen since school days, and some others I had just reunited with last year for the first time.

Our destination was Tahoe, where one of our friends has a summer home near the lake.  Girls flew in from various places, and another friend and I who live in this area picked them up at the Sacramento airport.   We caravanned up in two cars, picking up another friend on the way, and we talked and giggled all the way to Tahoe, feeling as if we had never been apart all these years.  We walked down to the lake, sat around and chatted, looked at old and new photos of each other and our high school days, and compared memories, good and bad, of school days and the intervening years.

After a good night's sleep and a lot more chatting and laughing, we reluctantly packed up and hit the road.  We drove back to Sacramento by a different route, stopping at Emerald Bay for spectacular vistas, and at a couple of farms in the Apple Hill area for great barbeque and wonderful apple pie.  Saying goodbye to the girls at the airport was difficult, but through many hugs we promised to make these reunions a frequent event.  Some of us are already working on figuring out where to meet up next time.

I cannot express what a great little vacation this was.  Even though it was just one weekend, it was refreshing and recharged my batteries so much that it was easy to forget the economy, the real estate market, the credit crunch, and even the election!  Upon return to work, although I was physically tired, emotionally I felt as if I'd found the fountain of youth.  I feel energized and eager to tackle any challenge this business can toss my way.

Try a weekend getaway.  Make it one that takes you completely away from your regular issues, discussions, and problems, and feel carefree for a couple of days.  I believe it will do wonders for your business and for your life!

During this especially contentious election season and in these tough economic times, some of our good manners and other values tend to slip a bit.  This is true for us, and for our prospects and clients.  What better time to take to heart my favorite quote from Mother Teresa:

People are unreasonable and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. 

It never was between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

Please help me welcome a great friend to Active Rain.  His first post is a doozie!  He is a colleague of mine who lives in a community neighboring Fair Oaks where I am.  He is a Roseville expert.  But his blog post is on a more universal subject: He and some friends climbed Mt. Whitney!  You should read his post for inspiration - especially in these challenging times!

See it at Made it to the top! and welcome Dennis to the blogging experience!

Medical Identity Theft

With identity theft on the rise these days, most of us are already taking steps to protect ourselves. But did you know that there's now a growing form of identity theft known as "medical identity theft" that can not only devastate victims' finances, but also compromise their health, too. According to Joy Pritts, JD, author of Your Medical Record Rights, here's what you need to know.

What is Medical Identity Theft?

Medical identity theft occurs when criminals access victims' medical records. Since medical records contain a person's social security number and credit card information (if bills have been paid via credit card), criminals can open accounts and make fraudulent charges. However, criminals also gain access to victims' health insurance policy information and medical histories, and they can create forged health insurance cards to sell to people who are uninsured and need expensive medical treatment. A person who buys a fake health insurance ID card would then seek treatment using the victim's name and policy number, and then disappear, leaving the victim with the bills to pay.

Why Should You Be Concerned?

Victims of medical identity theft not only have to repair their credit and convince credit agencies and service providers that bills are fraudulent, they also have to correct inaccurate medical information that becomes part of their health records. Victims could be denied life insurance or individual health insurance if their record shows treatments that they did not have. In addition, victims could receive treatments or medicines that could be harmful to them on the basis of inaccurate content in their medical records.

Steps to Take if You Suspect a Medical Identity Theft
1.        Read all bills and "Explanation of Benefits" statements from your insurance company to verify they are for treatment you received.
2.        If a bill or statement refers to treatment you did not receive, contact the employee in charge of investigating fraud at your insurance company and at the medical facility involved and explain the situation. Follow up with a letter sent via registered mail with return receipt once again explaining the situation, asking for any bills to be voided, and asking that your medical record be amended to state that you did not have this health problem or receive this treatment.
3.        Report the identity theft to the police department and state's attorney general's office.
4.        Contact the health care providers you use, explain the situation, ask if the erroneous information has been added to the providers' records, and if so, ask them to correct the records.
5.        Report the fraud to the major credit bureaus and set up fraud alerts. Also, request free copies of your credit reports to make sure no new fraudulent accounts have been opened.
6.        Review your medical records every few years to make sure there are no errors.

To learn more about your medical record rights, visit http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu/privacy/records.html.

And of course, everyone should check once a year on their own credit reports to make sure they are correct.  You can access the reports directly on line for free at www.annualcreditreport.com