I would never be so unprofessional as to use a public forum like this blog to denounce the behaviour of a previous acquaintance or employer.
However, recent events within my own 'world of work' have made me ponder previous issues and previous job roles. You see, I've been 'self-employed'; an entrepreneur; small business owner (however you want to categorize it) for about three years now following being made redundant from a previous salaried role in 2010.
Being truthful, at the time being ditched hurt, badly.
This was at the height of the recession and with a young family, big mortgage and enormous chip on my shoulder it wasn't a great time for me. However, as is always the way you just get on with things - after three years of long hours, small paychecks and graft things have turned round remarkably - this is effectively what got me thinking. I've had an excellent few months, picked up some really great interesting new clients and introducer contacts to work with so now I'm asking myself how do I feel about my old company and colleagues.
Well the answer is I'm conflicted. I would now not choose to go back into employment - I have no 'boss' other than the self drive to succeed in what I'm doing. I would view myself as a thought leader in the social media side of the healthcare sector and could never have achieved that or the potentially unlimited earnings potential that I have now where I was before. In fact I think it is true to say I am totally different person now than the one who walked out of the ambush redundancy meeting I was lured to in 2010 - the thought occurs that if any of my 'managers' had thought about it they could have incentivised me to become that person when working for them and their business would probably be a hell of lot more successful than it is now - but who knows ?
Plus I've met a lot of good people and have a much larger and more lively, rewarding business network that ever before. But I still think employers at all levels should consider how they treat people and conversely therefore I will not be forgiving or forgetting those people who made me redundant and here is why - they are not responsible for my success (i.e. the thought process that being made redundant gave me the shove to set up on my own etc) - I have not created and grown my own businesses (from literally a zero base) because I was made redundant, on the contrary. That was the creation of a situation and a very negative one at that - I turned that negative into a positive and the only person culpable for me paying my mortgage and earning enough to feed and home my family is me.
So I suppose the message of this blog post is threefold :
1) Take responsibility for your own future
2) Build up good clients and contacts
3) Carry a grudge, in the long cold nights (everyone who works for themselves will understand about waking up at 4.00am in the morning panicking) a good solid chip on your shoulder can both keep you warm and provide some essential focus !
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Monday, 29 April 2013
Health News - Latest on Measles outbreaks
I've been watching the story of the current measles outbreak in the UK (centring on Wales but in fact there are outbreaks nationwide at present).
The issue goes back to the loss of herd immunity following the Andrew Wakefield/Autism scandal in 1998 and onwards.
There is a good basic timeline on the MMR scare on the Guardian website : www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/timeline-how-the-andrew-wakefield-mmr-vaccine-scare-story-spread-8570591.html
To secure herd immunity you need around 80% to 90% immunisation in the population and in the UK some rates have fallen well below this - for example in Brent in London take up for children on MMR is at 32% (stat from 2011).
The great news is that following the recent scare, the government is now looking at emergency 'catch up' sessions in schools - more at BBC website : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-22329178
The issue goes back to the loss of herd immunity following the Andrew Wakefield/Autism scandal in 1998 and onwards.
There is a good basic timeline on the MMR scare on the Guardian website : www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/timeline-how-the-andrew-wakefield-mmr-vaccine-scare-story-spread-8570591.html
To secure herd immunity you need around 80% to 90% immunisation in the population and in the UK some rates have fallen well below this - for example in Brent in London take up for children on MMR is at 32% (stat from 2011).
The great news is that following the recent scare, the government is now looking at emergency 'catch up' sessions in schools - more at BBC website : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-22329178
Friday, 26 April 2013
New post up over at Talk Health
I posted a slightly more controversial healthcare discussion piece over at Talk Health yesterday evening.
You can visit my posts at Talk Health by following the link :
www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/author/phil-knight/
The new article is a discussion of skepticism in healthcare and in particular adopting this approach to treatment modalities that have no scientific or evidential basis for their action (primarily a discussion of why with the exception of the placebo effect, alternative therapies do not work). It's the first part of a two part article and in the second half I will discuss some of the ways in which we can educate ourselves so as not to be fooled by non-scientific hype.
You can visit my posts at Talk Health by following the link :
www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/author/phil-knight/
The new article is a discussion of skepticism in healthcare and in particular adopting this approach to treatment modalities that have no scientific or evidential basis for their action (primarily a discussion of why with the exception of the placebo effect, alternative therapies do not work). It's the first part of a two part article and in the second half I will discuss some of the ways in which we can educate ourselves so as not to be fooled by non-scientific hype.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
New episode of Where's Wilson now up
I've just uploaded a new episode of Where's Wilson - this is ep 4 and in it we cover some summer blockbuster trailer including my gushing over the Man of Steel trailer plus we have three Dr Who episodes to review and of course Ryans video games spot - please check it out.
On itunes (search under 'whereswilson') at www.whereswilson.podbean.com and coming imminently to your chosen smartphone podcatcher - please enjoy.
On itunes (search under 'whereswilson') at www.whereswilson.podbean.com and coming imminently to your chosen smartphone podcatcher - please enjoy.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Thanks you for visiting this blog
Just wanted to say a quick word of thanks to the visitors to this blog
Since I re-launched this blog on the 20th of February we have had over 2800 visitors.
This works out to an average of over 1300 per month - in fact due to recent increases in the daily hit rate, in the next 30 days I'm projecting something in the region of 3,000 or so visits during May.
This is a phenomenal success and I'm immensely grateful that people are visiting, clearly finding some utility in the content and then coming back again - given the increase I'm assuming that there is also some word of mouth happening so again - many thanks to all of my readers.
As you will be aware I also launched a couple of new podcasts in March and in large part due to support from my blog readers we have had a great response to these too :
PMICast is the only UK podcast devoted to private medical insurance. There are now 7 episodes up on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com. Over 2,000 people have visited the podbean site to listen to the episodes and as of yesterday morning there are now also nearly 1,500 subscribers to the podcast (available download on iTunes and other pod cast sources) - as PMICast is now a major element of my business this is fantastic and I will endeavour to keep the content coming in response to the demand.
My 'personal' podcast is a slightly more light hearted affair (called : Where's Wilson - see episode 4 to find out the secret origin of the podcasts name) - again on iTunes and at www.whereswilson.podbean.com this 'cast covers science fiction and fantasy topics and I co-host it with my daughter Megan and special guest appearances from my son Ryan (who is our video games critic). Only four episodes are up at the moment (with just 612 subscribers - tell your friends !) - we're about to record number five which is a bumper one and will feature lots of Dr Who and comment on forthcoming summer blockbuster movies.
Thanks for your on-going support and I look forward to continuing to communicate with you - my precious readers !
__________
Since I re-launched this blog on the 20th of February we have had over 2800 visitors.
This works out to an average of over 1300 per month - in fact due to recent increases in the daily hit rate, in the next 30 days I'm projecting something in the region of 3,000 or so visits during May.
This is a phenomenal success and I'm immensely grateful that people are visiting, clearly finding some utility in the content and then coming back again - given the increase I'm assuming that there is also some word of mouth happening so again - many thanks to all of my readers.
As you will be aware I also launched a couple of new podcasts in March and in large part due to support from my blog readers we have had a great response to these too :
PMICast is the only UK podcast devoted to private medical insurance. There are now 7 episodes up on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com. Over 2,000 people have visited the podbean site to listen to the episodes and as of yesterday morning there are now also nearly 1,500 subscribers to the podcast (available download on iTunes and other pod cast sources) - as PMICast is now a major element of my business this is fantastic and I will endeavour to keep the content coming in response to the demand.
My 'personal' podcast is a slightly more light hearted affair (called : Where's Wilson - see episode 4 to find out the secret origin of the podcasts name) - again on iTunes and at www.whereswilson.podbean.com this 'cast covers science fiction and fantasy topics and I co-host it with my daughter Megan and special guest appearances from my son Ryan (who is our video games critic). Only four episodes are up at the moment (with just 612 subscribers - tell your friends !) - we're about to record number five which is a bumper one and will feature lots of Dr Who and comment on forthcoming summer blockbuster movies.
Thanks for your on-going support and I look forward to continuing to communicate with you - my precious readers !
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Should an IFA refer individual PMI clients direct to medical insurers in return for an introducer fee ?
I've just put up a discussion point on my Linkedin group for professional introducers (www.linkedin.com/groups/IntroMed-4945586?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr) it's aimed to highlight the issue of IFA's who currently pass (or plan to) their clients - usually individuals I would guess - direct to one insurer for that companies direct sales team or franchisees to advise their client in return for some kind of introducer fee or year one commission split.
There is a good technical overview of how this works and some of the 'deals' available via insurers in issue 184 of Health Insurance Magazine (for March 2013).
As you might expect - given the fact that I am an independent, whole of market, healthcare specialist adviser who works closely with a panel of professional introducers - I think that doing this is a dreadful idea both for the IFA and their client. Here's why :
1) The IFA loses track of their client and is unlikely to be involved with future renewals
2) Often trail commission will be unavailable in future years
3) There is no opportunity to re-appraise the case in future years as this would be done by the insurer.
4) The client only receives advice on one companies products - the chances are that it is not 100% the best plan for them
5) Service is not usually given by the 'sales person' so on-going support for the client will often be non-existant with no central focus or contact point
6) The client disappears into the insurers bureaucracy and will never again be considered an individual in terms of their PMI plan - this is not how most independent advisers want to work with their clients (in my opinion)
I could go on, but my view is that if an IFA does not have the time or expertise to provide a full advisory service in the medical insurance arena then it makes far more sense to work with a professional like me who offers a full whole of market advice, on-going service and support both pre- and post-sale plus I specialise in working with introducers and offer a fair commission split for both new and renewal commission - in fact the deals offered by the insurers would tend to be no better and in many cases very much worse than those I offer to my professional introducers.
If you are interested in looking at this issue the best idea is to hop on Linkedin (use the above link to visit my introducer group) or e-mail me using the details below - I'm always happy to chat with and give advice to IFA's who are thinking about this issue through even if they don't ultimately end up working directly with my practice (although most I speak with do end up passing business to me in all modesty).
As an introducer (or prospective one) I think it would also be worth listening to ep 7 of the PMICast (my podcast focusing on private medical insurance) which covers off some other important information for my introducers. Details for finding PMICast are in the footer below.
__________
There is a good technical overview of how this works and some of the 'deals' available via insurers in issue 184 of Health Insurance Magazine (for March 2013).
As you might expect - given the fact that I am an independent, whole of market, healthcare specialist adviser who works closely with a panel of professional introducers - I think that doing this is a dreadful idea both for the IFA and their client. Here's why :
1) The IFA loses track of their client and is unlikely to be involved with future renewals
2) Often trail commission will be unavailable in future years
3) There is no opportunity to re-appraise the case in future years as this would be done by the insurer.
4) The client only receives advice on one companies products - the chances are that it is not 100% the best plan for them
5) Service is not usually given by the 'sales person' so on-going support for the client will often be non-existant with no central focus or contact point
6) The client disappears into the insurers bureaucracy and will never again be considered an individual in terms of their PMI plan - this is not how most independent advisers want to work with their clients (in my opinion)
I could go on, but my view is that if an IFA does not have the time or expertise to provide a full advisory service in the medical insurance arena then it makes far more sense to work with a professional like me who offers a full whole of market advice, on-going service and support both pre- and post-sale plus I specialise in working with introducers and offer a fair commission split for both new and renewal commission - in fact the deals offered by the insurers would tend to be no better and in many cases very much worse than those I offer to my professional introducers.
If you are interested in looking at this issue the best idea is to hop on Linkedin (use the above link to visit my introducer group) or e-mail me using the details below - I'm always happy to chat with and give advice to IFA's who are thinking about this issue through even if they don't ultimately end up working directly with my practice (although most I speak with do end up passing business to me in all modesty).
As an introducer (or prospective one) I think it would also be worth listening to ep 7 of the PMICast (my podcast focusing on private medical insurance) which covers off some other important information for my introducers. Details for finding PMICast are in the footer below.
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
New podcast now available
Just wanted to let readers of the blog know that the latest episode of PMICast went up this morning.
It is available immediately at www.pmicast.podbean.com and will propagate onto iTunes and your favourite podcatcher in the next couple of hours.
This episode is the longest to date - around 20 minutes I think and is aimed squarely at non-specialist brokers and professional introducers and any client who has a broker who isn't offering them a good level of support on their medical insurance - the aim is to talk about some key features that define excellence of support for introducers and highlight how I can help current and prospective professional introducers and add value both for them and their clients. It's I think quite a good episode and I feel I am kind of hitting my stride with the podcast now.
If you have time to listen I would be very grateful.
Very happy to receive any comments.
__________
It is available immediately at www.pmicast.podbean.com and will propagate onto iTunes and your favourite podcatcher in the next couple of hours.
This episode is the longest to date - around 20 minutes I think and is aimed squarely at non-specialist brokers and professional introducers and any client who has a broker who isn't offering them a good level of support on their medical insurance - the aim is to talk about some key features that define excellence of support for introducers and highlight how I can help current and prospective professional introducers and add value both for them and their clients. It's I think quite a good episode and I feel I am kind of hitting my stride with the podcast now.
If you have time to listen I would be very grateful.
Very happy to receive any comments.
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Monday, 22 April 2013
Quick update on my main medical insurance business
It occurred to me recently that simply from reading this blog and recent posts you might not know exactly what my day job is so I thought I would take a quick opportunity to remind people that with 20 years (ish) experience in the medical insurance sector, I am an independent healthcare consultant advising individual and corporate clients in all aspects of new and existing medical insurance. I'm authorised with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) via Premier Choice Healthcare and also write regular new items for them at their website : www.pch.uk.com and click on 'Latest News'.
As part of my practice I look after the clients of professional advisers like IFA's, accountants, general commercial brokers and so on - having worked with this kind of adviser for PMI insurers previously I know exactly what support and so forth an introducer and their clients need and my medical insurance practice is built around excellent client service and on-going practical support for introducers - I also provide excellent introducer fees as well as you might expect!
To support everything I do I have the only UK based podcast that specialises in medical insurance - it's called PMICast and you can find it on iTunes or at www.pmicast.podbean.com
I've also done a range of consulting and speaking work in the healthcare, PMI and sales/marketing sectors and am happy to become involved in bespoke projects and directorships as and when opportunity arises.
I also own a business that provides marketing support for senior clinicians and you can find out more about that at www.medicolegalmarketing.co.uk
As well as this blog you can also see my comments on one of the UK's largest health reference websites : www.talkhealthpartnership.com
As part of my practice I look after the clients of professional advisers like IFA's, accountants, general commercial brokers and so on - having worked with this kind of adviser for PMI insurers previously I know exactly what support and so forth an introducer and their clients need and my medical insurance practice is built around excellent client service and on-going practical support for introducers - I also provide excellent introducer fees as well as you might expect!
To support everything I do I have the only UK based podcast that specialises in medical insurance - it's called PMICast and you can find it on iTunes or at www.pmicast.podbean.com
I've also done a range of consulting and speaking work in the healthcare, PMI and sales/marketing sectors and am happy to become involved in bespoke projects and directorships as and when opportunity arises.
I also own a business that provides marketing support for senior clinicians and you can find out more about that at www.medicolegalmarketing.co.uk
As well as this blog you can also see my comments on one of the UK's largest health reference websites : www.talkhealthpartnership.com
Friday, 19 April 2013
The madness of the bureaucratic mindset
Now don't get me wrong I love a bit of admin and as a card carrying 'pedant' I am never happier than when I am able to correct and critique others with a superior air.
I would however describe myself as a part time pedant and bureaucrat - i've actually got a relatively short attention span for proper work so I can get bored easily. Clearly this isn't the case over at Manchester City Council - Parking Services Business.
Long story short I received a parking ticket whilst at a WPA new product seminar in Manchester. Being a classic tech early adopter I opted to pay for my on-street parking using the city councils on-line payment system. So I logged on with the nearest IOS device, gave the website my debit card details and promptly received my ticket - parking paid at exactly 11.00am - job done.
On my return to the car two hours later (incidentally check out my live tweeting from this event in a recent blog post : http://localventure.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/wpa-seminar-today.html) there was of course a yellow bag waiting for me with a parking ticket. The ticket was timed 11.05am.
I complained to the company who runs the parking system on-line (who confirmed within an hour that the fault was the parking enforcement officers who hadn't updated their ticket scanner before writing the ticket) and then appealed the ticket direct with the council and yesterday I received a letter (copy below) confirming the ticked has been rescinded.
Let me draw your attention to the following line in the letter - the very bottom line of the letter :
It's not a super clear picture so here it is :
"However, if you get another ticket for the same reason I may not cancel it."
So to recap - I paid on-line, have a ticket proving I paid - the council have copies of both my pdf receipt from their parking provider and a copy of their parking ticket which proves the times overlap in my favour, their company have confirmed in writing the council officer is at fault and the council say in writing that they might not let me off under the same circumstances next time - either the Parking Enforcement team has had an irony bypass or the never-ending pointless administrative bureaucracy within the public sector has finally driven them absolutely barking mad - I almost feel like going back to Manchester and seeing if I can get another non-legitimate ticket from them and make them go through the whole song and dance again just to cause them maximum inconvenience.
To quote Dizzie Rascal : BONKERS
I would however describe myself as a part time pedant and bureaucrat - i've actually got a relatively short attention span for proper work so I can get bored easily. Clearly this isn't the case over at Manchester City Council - Parking Services Business.
Long story short I received a parking ticket whilst at a WPA new product seminar in Manchester. Being a classic tech early adopter I opted to pay for my on-street parking using the city councils on-line payment system. So I logged on with the nearest IOS device, gave the website my debit card details and promptly received my ticket - parking paid at exactly 11.00am - job done.
On my return to the car two hours later (incidentally check out my live tweeting from this event in a recent blog post : http://localventure.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/wpa-seminar-today.html) there was of course a yellow bag waiting for me with a parking ticket. The ticket was timed 11.05am.
I complained to the company who runs the parking system on-line (who confirmed within an hour that the fault was the parking enforcement officers who hadn't updated their ticket scanner before writing the ticket) and then appealed the ticket direct with the council and yesterday I received a letter (copy below) confirming the ticked has been rescinded.
Let me draw your attention to the following line in the letter - the very bottom line of the letter :
It's not a super clear picture so here it is :
"However, if you get another ticket for the same reason I may not cancel it."
So to recap - I paid on-line, have a ticket proving I paid - the council have copies of both my pdf receipt from their parking provider and a copy of their parking ticket which proves the times overlap in my favour, their company have confirmed in writing the council officer is at fault and the council say in writing that they might not let me off under the same circumstances next time - either the Parking Enforcement team has had an irony bypass or the never-ending pointless administrative bureaucracy within the public sector has finally driven them absolutely barking mad - I almost feel like going back to Manchester and seeing if I can get another non-legitimate ticket from them and make them go through the whole song and dance again just to cause them maximum inconvenience.
To quote Dizzie Rascal : BONKERS
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
New Talk Health blog post
I have just added a new blog post over at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/sir-robert-edwards-27-september-1927-to-13-april-2013/ it covers the recent death of IVF pioneer Sir Bob Edwards. Please read it if you get the chance
Thanks !
Thanks !
Critical Illness insurance - critical improvements?
As well as this blog and my regular pieces at Talk Health (www.talkhealthpartnership.com) I also write regular op-ed pieces for Premier Choice Healthcare covering health and protection insurance issues. I've been doing this for several months now and have a decent 'back catalogue' of pieces so I thought it might be useful on occasion to reproduce the articles here.
Heree's the first one, called "Critical Illness insurance - critical improvements?" Covering the state of play of the Critical Illness market. Enjoy !
Heree's the first one, called "Critical Illness insurance - critical improvements?" Covering the state of play of the Critical Illness market. Enjoy !
Protecting the financial future for your family is vital and following the diagnosis of a major health problem, critical illness (CI) insurance is one of the most logical options that can enable you to cope with the trials and tribulations that will clearly follow such a diagnosis. But this type of insurance is probably the least purchased and most misunderstood class of protection cover.
Essentially this type of plan is designed to pay out a lump sum following the diagnosis of one of a list of serious illnesses or medical conditions. Payment will depend on the policy holder surviving a set time period following diagnosis (typically 28 days).
The premise clearly sounds reasonable, straightforward and in principle a good purchase for the consumer.
However, since CI plans launched into the UK in the 1980's their value has been brought into question. Over time the headline range of conditions covered by CI has grown (to around 30 conditions with some insurers), however as medical science has advanced, conditions once viewed as serious or even terminal are now sometimes cured easily or managed as chronic conditions. Faced with increasing claims costs for conditions no longer deemed critical or even life threatening, insurers have needed to constantly revise and reduce their claims payments by adding restrictions to the type and severity of conditions covered. In turn this has lead to a view generally that insurers have 'changed the goal posts' when paying claims. So the perception is created that CI plans are unlikely to pay out and are therefore expensive for what they provide.
Simply put, what might have been a straightforward claim 10 or 15 years ago may not now result in a successful pay out al all for a policy holder.
In the last several years there has been a drive from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) for those insurance businesses that write CI policies to offer wider and clearer definitions in an attempt to drive more perceived value for purchasers of CI. It is after all a valuable benefit that can be a godsend in certain situations.
All plans should now cover a set of seven core conditions including: cancer, coronary artery bypass, heart attack, kidney failure, major organ transplant, multiple sclerosis and stroke. In addition they should also pay out if the policy holder is permanently disabled following an injury or illness.
The ABI has offered additional guidance on a range of conditions where successful claims may not be likely such as non invasive skin cancers, less advanced prostate cancers and also where certain policy restrictions may sit e.g. on a range of cardiac conditions. All so that prospective purchasers of this cover understand from the outset what is and isn't covered.
More recently (in 2011) there have been clarifications to the rules around payouts for policy holders with total permanent disability claims.
In short, the industry and regulators seem to be making a more determined effort to raise standards and present critical illness plans as offering good value for consumers - i.e. they will pay out when the policy holder needs it the most!
This is still a complex area of consumer advice and Premier Choice Healthcare as a specialist health and protection intermediary can help you navigate the plans available and come up with the right cover for you and your family.
Read the rest of my PCH articles at Premier Choice 'Latest News'
Busy day ...
Been a bit of a hectic few days.
Just picked up a new piece of business and processed it through the system today with another 2 new clients reports to get done and out before 5.00pm.
Had an excellent meeting with a prospective new introducer yesterday and another meeting with a second new introducer to prepare for tomorrow morning.
In the meantime caught up on the new trailers for Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness.
I've already tweeted about them both especially MoS which looks totally awesome - here's the link to the trailer On You Tube I highly recommend you check it out.
Whilst you're going on line can I ask you to check out the following :
1) PMICast my audio podcast - there are now 6 episodes of medical insurance goodness to check out. PMICast is the ONLY UK podcast devoted to PMI and related things so please check it out if you're remotely interested in the business of PMI and insurance generally. Search under the name on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com
2) I have an accompanying video cast for PMICast on my You Tube Channel : pkn439 please click on the link and check this out. The aim is to add value and additional related content for the audio podcast not necessarily to replicate the audio version.
3) I also have my new SF and fantasy podcast - if you like this kind of thing please search under 'Wheres Wilson' on iTunes or www.whereswilson.podbean.com (learn the secret origin of the podcast name on episode 3). Epsisode 4 is coming soon and we'll be previewing the big three summer movie releases : Star Trek, Man of Steel and Iron Man 3 plus talking about Dr Who eps 2 and 3 from season 7b.
Just picked up a new piece of business and processed it through the system today with another 2 new clients reports to get done and out before 5.00pm.
Had an excellent meeting with a prospective new introducer yesterday and another meeting with a second new introducer to prepare for tomorrow morning.
In the meantime caught up on the new trailers for Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness.
I've already tweeted about them both especially MoS which looks totally awesome - here's the link to the trailer On You Tube I highly recommend you check it out.
Whilst you're going on line can I ask you to check out the following :
1) PMICast my audio podcast - there are now 6 episodes of medical insurance goodness to check out. PMICast is the ONLY UK podcast devoted to PMI and related things so please check it out if you're remotely interested in the business of PMI and insurance generally. Search under the name on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com
2) I have an accompanying video cast for PMICast on my You Tube Channel : pkn439 please click on the link and check this out. The aim is to add value and additional related content for the audio podcast not necessarily to replicate the audio version.
3) I also have my new SF and fantasy podcast - if you like this kind of thing please search under 'Wheres Wilson' on iTunes or www.whereswilson.podbean.com (learn the secret origin of the podcast name on episode 3). Epsisode 4 is coming soon and we'll be previewing the big three summer movie releases : Star Trek, Man of Steel and Iron Man 3 plus talking about Dr Who eps 2 and 3 from season 7b.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Actual business content this blog post !
Morning, following yesterdays moaning 'post about the length of the Easter break (yes it went on forever didn't it) and now we're all back at work can I let you have a business related item.
Managed to record a new episode of the PMICast yesterday - this one is now live on iTunes (search under 'pmicast') and at www.pmicast.podbean.com - the main piece discusses the questions an individual purchaser of private medical insurance needs to consider when both buying new cover but also when reviewing an existing plan and deciding whether to move insurers.
Hopefully the content should jibe with anyone currently think about this kind of plan and as usual I'm very happy to further discuss individual circumstances - feel free to message me via Linkedin, e-mail (as per the details below) or on Twitter.
I do pick up new clients who contact me following the podcast features so please do feel free to get in touch.
At the moment arounc 1,200 or so people have downloaded the 'cast so we're getting a good audience going - please tell your friends and business colleagues if you think the content might be of interest.
Phil
__________
Managed to record a new episode of the PMICast yesterday - this one is now live on iTunes (search under 'pmicast') and at www.pmicast.podbean.com - the main piece discusses the questions an individual purchaser of private medical insurance needs to consider when both buying new cover but also when reviewing an existing plan and deciding whether to move insurers.
Hopefully the content should jibe with anyone currently think about this kind of plan and as usual I'm very happy to further discuss individual circumstances - feel free to message me via Linkedin, e-mail (as per the details below) or on Twitter.
I do pick up new clients who contact me following the podcast features so please do feel free to get in touch.
At the moment arounc 1,200 or so people have downloaded the 'cast so we're getting a good audience going - please tell your friends and business colleagues if you think the content might be of interest.
Phil
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Monday, 15 April 2013
Was this the longest easter break ever ?
Working for myself I'm very aware of the business 'ebb and flow' that is created by the annual holidays - the quiet in the lead up to Christmas followed by the manic first four weeks back when everyone realises they didn't quite quite everything done before the shut up shop to drink and eat themselves stupid.
Normally I don't see too much of an issue with Easter - however, this year the Easter 'slowdown' seems to have gone on for ever !
I first noticed things going quiet around the Monday or Tuesday before Good Friday - calls weren't coming back in and a couple of people mentioned they wanted to get away before the kids broke up. Of course then there was then the long weekend from Friday 29th of March through to the following Monday. Thursday 28th was when the kids broke up from school so instantly everyone with children (seemed) to stop working - I even took three or four days off myself in the ensuing couple of weeks.
I'm now sat here writing this blog post on Monday the 15th of April and having driven Mrs Localventure to work this morning through almost non-existant traffic and since the schools are now back I'm assuming this was people taking a day or two off now the kids are out of the way - will the Easter break ever end - I'm assuming (hoping) that things will bet back to normal around Wednesday or Thursday this week - that means since the Monday before Good Friday it will have been a total of 23 or so days of relative business inactivity - now I'm looking forward to Spring Bank - I'm guessing that will probably begin imminently !
Let's all get back to work and help some clients, make some money etc
Phil
Normally I don't see too much of an issue with Easter - however, this year the Easter 'slowdown' seems to have gone on for ever !
I first noticed things going quiet around the Monday or Tuesday before Good Friday - calls weren't coming back in and a couple of people mentioned they wanted to get away before the kids broke up. Of course then there was then the long weekend from Friday 29th of March through to the following Monday. Thursday 28th was when the kids broke up from school so instantly everyone with children (seemed) to stop working - I even took three or four days off myself in the ensuing couple of weeks.
I'm now sat here writing this blog post on Monday the 15th of April and having driven Mrs Localventure to work this morning through almost non-existant traffic and since the schools are now back I'm assuming this was people taking a day or two off now the kids are out of the way - will the Easter break ever end - I'm assuming (hoping) that things will bet back to normal around Wednesday or Thursday this week - that means since the Monday before Good Friday it will have been a total of 23 or so days of relative business inactivity - now I'm looking forward to Spring Bank - I'm guessing that will probably begin imminently !
Let's all get back to work and help some clients, make some money etc
Phil
Thursday, 11 April 2013
IVF Pioneer : Sir Robert Edwards dies
This will be the last post on Localventure until next week (Monday). I'm taking the advantage of the quiet of the second week of Easter (where the heck is everyone, no one is replying to e-mails or the phone this week!!!) and the final week of the kids break to take off Friday with the family.
Which brings me to the point of this post, the news that Robert Edwards died yesterday was particularly poignant for me as both of my children : Megan and Ryan were conceived following several (many) cycles of IVF treatment between 1998 and 2004.
Without the pioneering work of Edwards and his colleagues in the 1950's and '60's I wouldn't be able to take a day out to spend time with my kids.
Edwards, a gregarious, argumentative and open Yorkshireman lived a full life replete with humanity, passion, politics and of course enormous scientific rigour. I think it is true to say that without Bob Edwards (and his scientific partner - Patrick Steptoe who unfortunately died in 2010 just before the team received their richly deserved Nobel prize) thousands of people would not be alive and in the world contributing today. As with all pioneers, Edwards had his share of detractors, particularly from religious fundamentalists and even now the Catholic church (staggeringly) remains opposed to IVF.
Edwards said that : "the most important thing in life is having a child", truly a heartfelt thought from a genius who will be sorely missed. I have included a link below to an obituary in the Guardian that I would ask you to read and will discuss the personal impact of Edwards work to me in a future blog on Talk Health in the next few days.
Sir Robert Edwards - Obituary
Back next week, have a good weekend everyone and please check out the podcasts : PMICast for all things Private Medical Insurance on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com and also Where's Wilson - our fun SF and Fantasy 'cast also on iTunes and at www.whereswilson.podbean.com
Plus check out my blog at Talk Health (www.talkhealthpartnership.com) click on 'Blog' and find me under 'Our Bloggers'.
Which brings me to the point of this post, the news that Robert Edwards died yesterday was particularly poignant for me as both of my children : Megan and Ryan were conceived following several (many) cycles of IVF treatment between 1998 and 2004.
Without the pioneering work of Edwards and his colleagues in the 1950's and '60's I wouldn't be able to take a day out to spend time with my kids.
Edwards, a gregarious, argumentative and open Yorkshireman lived a full life replete with humanity, passion, politics and of course enormous scientific rigour. I think it is true to say that without Bob Edwards (and his scientific partner - Patrick Steptoe who unfortunately died in 2010 just before the team received their richly deserved Nobel prize) thousands of people would not be alive and in the world contributing today. As with all pioneers, Edwards had his share of detractors, particularly from religious fundamentalists and even now the Catholic church (staggeringly) remains opposed to IVF.
Edwards said that : "the most important thing in life is having a child", truly a heartfelt thought from a genius who will be sorely missed. I have included a link below to an obituary in the Guardian that I would ask you to read and will discuss the personal impact of Edwards work to me in a future blog on Talk Health in the next few days.
Sir Robert Edwards - Obituary
Back next week, have a good weekend everyone and please check out the podcasts : PMICast for all things Private Medical Insurance on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com and also Where's Wilson - our fun SF and Fantasy 'cast also on iTunes and at www.whereswilson.podbean.com
Plus check out my blog at Talk Health (www.talkhealthpartnership.com) click on 'Blog' and find me under 'Our Bloggers'.
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Update to Leeds Cardiac surgery sitaution
According to the local and national press over the last 48 hours the Leeds Hospital trust is restarting paediatric cardiac surgery in a phased way in the next week with the unit planned to be fully up and running within around four weeks or so.
Maggie Boye (Chief Exec of the NHS Trust) said "Our partners and ourselves are now in a position to reassure those families coming to Leeds for treatment that our hospital is as safe as any children's heart surgery centre in England."
I really don't think that the saga is over yet: - there's no word on the statistics that were used as justification for shutting down surgery in the first place - were they right or incorrectly analysed; are senior figures in the NHS 'out to get' the Childrens Surgical Heart Unit; what's happening with regards to the two 'junior' consultants - are they still in charge ? Lastly and possibly most importantly is Leeds the correct venue for the unit or is the move over to Newcastle to be re-instigated especially in light of the apparent mismanagement at the moment.
Time will no doubt tell and I would guess this is a subject we will need to return to.
For a fuller discussion of this subject visit my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/cardiac-surgery-fiasco-at-the-leeds-health-trust/
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Maggie Boye (Chief Exec of the NHS Trust) said "Our partners and ourselves are now in a position to reassure those families coming to Leeds for treatment that our hospital is as safe as any children's heart surgery centre in England."
I really don't think that the saga is over yet: - there's no word on the statistics that were used as justification for shutting down surgery in the first place - were they right or incorrectly analysed; are senior figures in the NHS 'out to get' the Childrens Surgical Heart Unit; what's happening with regards to the two 'junior' consultants - are they still in charge ? Lastly and possibly most importantly is Leeds the correct venue for the unit or is the move over to Newcastle to be re-instigated especially in light of the apparent mismanagement at the moment.
Time will no doubt tell and I would guess this is a subject we will need to return to.
For a fuller discussion of this subject visit my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/cardiac-surgery-fiasco-at-the-leeds-health-trust/
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Copy of my first blogpost on Talk Health
Here's a copy of my first blog post from March this year on www.talkhealthpartnership.com.
You can also find more recent posts I've put up there by clicking on the 'Blog' tab and searching for mew under 'Our Bloggers'.
Cardiac Surgery Fiasco at the Leeds Health Trust
You can also find more recent posts I've put up there by clicking on the 'Blog' tab and searching for mew under 'Our Bloggers'.
Cardiac Surgery Fiasco at the Leeds Health Trust
As a resident of Leeds, a professional in the healthcare sector and a member of the Leeds Hospitals Trust it would be a understatement to say that I am interested in the recent saga of childrens cardiac surgery at the Leeds Hospitals NHS Trust.
As you may recall if you followed the news items the story first came to light over the Summer of 2012 when the proposal was made to stop childrens cardiac surgery in Leeds and transfer the specialty to a new centre of excellence in Newcastle, the change was based on reducing cost and enhancing clinical care. This suggestion though has been fought strongly, firstly via a petition (with over 600,000 signatures) then in court by a pressure group including current and former patients families who felt the treatment for their kids should remain in West Yorkshire. In the end the fight culminated in court with a Judicial Review supporting the patients families in so much as the decision to move to Newcastle was deemed unlawful due to a failure of the NHS to disclose full scoring on the unit for protestors to counter during the initial review. This at the very least made any decision to close the Leeds unit dubious and would delay and potentially stop any move. This legal decision was made in late March 2013
This was classed as a ‘victory’ by protestors and in their terms I suppose it was, but of course within a couple of days former ‘Heart Tsar’ and now Director of the National Institute for Clinical Outcomes Research (an organisation which oversees mortality statistics within the NHS ) : Sir Roger Boyle spoke out saying that clinical outcomes (i.e. mortality) in Leeds were twice as bad as other surgical centres. The information was sent to Sir Bruce Keogh – NHS Medical Director and of course this put the ‘cat amongst the pigeons’ as it now looked as if both the High Court decision was wrong, there were senior NHS figures who appeared openly opposed to the continuation of Leeds as a paediatric cardiac surgery centre (otherwise why release the information two days after the High Court review) and a media storm that dragged in political figures and as always left the public unsure of who was telling the truth and vitally begged the question : is heart surgery for kids in Leeds safe ?
I cannot answer that question, of course the Trust immediately suspended all surgery in this area pending a review but then the plot thickened. The figures disclosed to Keogh were then revealed on the 30th of March 2013 as being possibly dubious – cardiologist Elspeth Brown claimed the figures sent by Boyle to Keogh were in fact preliminary and did not cover all the operations carried out within the unit so had been improperly analysed – she claims that the Leeds unit safety record was well within required parameters and that mortality figures were exactly what one would expect from this type of medical unit.
Further media revelations included the potentially damning insight that ‘junior’ consultant surgeons were left in charge without adequate senior supervision – however it then transpired the two were still full consultants who although ‘junior’ were in fact experienced surgeons in their own right.
A bit of a mess I’m sure you would agree ?
The problem I feel with the whole situation is not if the unit should remain in Leeds, or whether one surgeon or unit has a worse record than any other but rather that the clinical data on which decisions – like the the Judicial Review and the cancellation of surgery in Leeds and the statements made by interested parties (surgeons, clinical directors, local NHS managers, the media and so on) are based on data not widely available in the public arena. In other words, as an interested member of the public I am unable to formulate a cogent opinion on the rights and wrongs of this situation and this is made all the more ludicrous because the decision involves public funds and the standard of care offered by the NHS which is after all a publicly funded body. In essence I’m questioning the information put out by the NHS and the politicising of this limited information by the media and others.
As an aside on the closure of the unit itself, here is where I stand (if you are interested) : If the clinical outcomes for sick children would be better in one location then that is where the surgery should be performed. Full stop. To me it is a simple equation (as a father of two myself) who provides the best treatment and care for my children ? This is why accurate publically available information and statistics are so important to enable users of clinical services to make informed decisions.
If you are interested in looking at my business blog or my websites please feel free to visit :
My blog at www.localventure.blogspot.com and business websites :
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
New Talk Health blog post
I have written and uploaded a new comment piece over at www.talkhealthpartnership.com (click on 'blogs' then find me under the 'our bloggers' tab as 'Phil'). The topic I'm covering is one I've touched on here before : the cardiac surgery scandal at the Leeds NHS Hospitals Trust.
I hope that you will take the time to read the article and that it is of interest.
I hope that you will take the time to read the article and that it is of interest.
Monday, 8 April 2013
New podcasts - audio and video
I've just uploaded the fifth episode of the audio version of PMICast - this one covers some news around my Talk Health blog and new Linkedin Group - IntroMed - for professional introducers plus the main item is a discussion of medical insurance underwriting.
The audio podcast is available on iTunes - search under 'pmicast' or download direct at www.pmicast.podbean.com.
In addition and very excitingly I have slightly changed the format of the video version of the podcast. Rather than simply replicate the audio version in video format as I did on the first video episode I am making the vidcast more of a companion piece - so episode 2 (now live on you Tube) is a bit of a catch up on what's been covered on the audio podcast and news discussion - hopefully this adds to the audio version and makes things more interesting.
Please visit my You Tube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/pkn439 and see for yourself.
__________
The audio podcast is available on iTunes - search under 'pmicast' or download direct at www.pmicast.podbean.com.
In addition and very excitingly I have slightly changed the format of the video version of the podcast. Rather than simply replicate the audio version in video format as I did on the first video episode I am making the vidcast more of a companion piece - so episode 2 (now live on you Tube) is a bit of a catch up on what's been covered on the audio podcast and news discussion - hopefully this adds to the audio version and makes things more interesting.
Please visit my You Tube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/pkn439 and see for yourself.
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Updated contacts
I have just updated my contacts information in the blog footer below - this includes my Linkedin, Facebook and G+ profiles plus an additional twitter account and also the link to my new Talk Health Blog.
You should find pretty much every way to contact me and see what I'm doing below !
Hoping to do more things with Google Plus in coming weeks and months - for my practice I think it offers a lot of option and flexibility and seems to be more hard wired into other things I'm doing - problem is I have relatively few contacts there so if you're on G+ I'm happy to connect to your circles.
__________
You should find pretty much every way to contact me and see what I'm doing below !
Hoping to do more things with Google Plus in coming weeks and months - for my practice I think it offers a lot of option and flexibility and seems to be more hard wired into other things I'm doing - problem is I have relatively few contacts there so if you're on G+ I'm happy to connect to your circles.
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Follow my Talk Health blog at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Twitter - localventure1 and philknightpch
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com & www.whereswilson.podbean.com - both available on iTunes
Linkedin Profile : uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b/
Google Plus : https://plus.google.com/116316601747539224729/posts
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/philip.knight.775
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
New Linkedin Group for medical insurance introducers - IntroMed
If you are active on Linkedin and a reader of this blog on a regular or semi regular basis then the above new Linkedin group might be of some interest.
As readers of Localventure and listeners to PMICast ( - the only UK podcast devoted to medical insurance) might be aware I work closely with a number of professional introducers across the UK.
Essentially what I am able to do is provide an advisory service on medical insurance for IFA's Accountants, Commercial and Mortgage Brokers, Doctors and Solicitors so that their clients receive focused, professional and on-going advice on their medical insurance plans and the introducers in return receives an introducers fee for the introduction.
The key here is that the state of the PMI market is such that a non-specialist professional rarely has the time or inclination to keep up to date on the increasingly complex array of PMI and related plans and even those who have done so over the years find it increasingly difficult to keep on doing as the PMI insurers seem to have lost interest in the smaller players.
However, as a supporter of technology and new social media I find it is useful to provide additional support that makes my practice unique. So for example I have invested in technology to support my introducers and also come up with unique ideas to make their lives easier. So for example I offer bespoke marketing support including a public Drop Box folder full of marketing support material (drop me a note at philknight@pch.uk.com and I will send you an invite). I have now set up the new Linkedin Group : IntroMed the aim is to create a community of introducers that I currently support (as well as new prospective contacts) where we can discuss relevant issues, answer questions and also in future create social and marketing events we can use to invite clients to and grow our respective businesses.
It is easy to join - click on the link above and ask to join or respond to the e-mail invite that went out to you (if you received one) and I will then approve your membership. Once a member I hope that you will join in and start discussion on any related PMI, client or technical issue you're interested in.
For more information leave me a comment here, call me on 07792 075748 or e-mail philknight@pch.uk.com
__________
As readers of Localventure and listeners to PMICast ( - the only UK podcast devoted to medical insurance) might be aware I work closely with a number of professional introducers across the UK.
Essentially what I am able to do is provide an advisory service on medical insurance for IFA's Accountants, Commercial and Mortgage Brokers, Doctors and Solicitors so that their clients receive focused, professional and on-going advice on their medical insurance plans and the introducers in return receives an introducers fee for the introduction.
The key here is that the state of the PMI market is such that a non-specialist professional rarely has the time or inclination to keep up to date on the increasingly complex array of PMI and related plans and even those who have done so over the years find it increasingly difficult to keep on doing as the PMI insurers seem to have lost interest in the smaller players.
However, as a supporter of technology and new social media I find it is useful to provide additional support that makes my practice unique. So for example I have invested in technology to support my introducers and also come up with unique ideas to make their lives easier. So for example I offer bespoke marketing support including a public Drop Box folder full of marketing support material (drop me a note at philknight@pch.uk.com and I will send you an invite). I have now set up the new Linkedin Group : IntroMed the aim is to create a community of introducers that I currently support (as well as new prospective contacts) where we can discuss relevant issues, answer questions and also in future create social and marketing events we can use to invite clients to and grow our respective businesses.
It is easy to join - click on the link above and ask to join or respond to the e-mail invite that went out to you (if you received one) and I will then approve your membership. Once a member I hope that you will join in and start discussion on any related PMI, client or technical issue you're interested in.
For more information leave me a comment here, call me on 07792 075748 or e-mail philknight@pch.uk.com
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Twitter - @localventure1
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Saturday, 6 April 2013
New Ep of Where's Wilson (No. 3) now available
Just posted the new Ep of Where's Wilson - this one covers the finale of Walking Dead Season 3 and a review of the new Star Trek Into Darkness trailer.
Meg's isn't available for this one so it's the Ryan and Phil show - please download on iTunes or www.whereswilson.podbean.com
There seems to be a problem with sound levels five minutes from the end - sorry about this not sure what the problem is but we'll try to resolve before next time - you don't miss too much.
Also please check out my business podcast : PMICast, the only UK podcast devoted to medical insurance - also on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com there are four eps to date, the most recent covering professional introducers - the next episode will be up next week and discussed medical insurance underwriting with more news on my Talk Health blog, first post at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Thanks
Phil
Meg's isn't available for this one so it's the Ryan and Phil show - please download on iTunes or www.whereswilson.podbean.com
There seems to be a problem with sound levels five minutes from the end - sorry about this not sure what the problem is but we'll try to resolve before next time - you don't miss too much.
Also please check out my business podcast : PMICast, the only UK podcast devoted to medical insurance - also on iTunes and at www.pmicast.podbean.com there are four eps to date, the most recent covering professional introducers - the next episode will be up next week and discussed medical insurance underwriting with more news on my Talk Health blog, first post at : www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/
Thanks
Phil
Friday, 5 April 2013
Friday Update
Two main issues to cover today.
Firstly, visited the Trinity Centre in Leeds today - very swanky and lots of good shops but .... choice of restaurants isn't great and the biggest business problem is that many of the shops that were in town have closed and moved into the new Centre - so whilst the new Mall is as good as anywhere in the North it does mean that the shopping around the place has taken a bit of a dip. Hopefully is the economic boost from this new shopping destination will drive new businesses to open in the vacant shops fingers crossed.
Secondly, you can now find my first new post over at Talk Health - www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/ please check it out and see what you think.
Lastly, quick reminder - I run the only UK podcast devoted to medical insurance - there are four episodes to look at - you can either search on iTunes or visit www.pmicast.podbean.com
__________
Firstly, visited the Trinity Centre in Leeds today - very swanky and lots of good shops but .... choice of restaurants isn't great and the biggest business problem is that many of the shops that were in town have closed and moved into the new Centre - so whilst the new Mall is as good as anywhere in the North it does mean that the shopping around the place has taken a bit of a dip. Hopefully is the economic boost from this new shopping destination will drive new businesses to open in the vacant shops fingers crossed.
Secondly, you can now find my first new post over at Talk Health - www.talkhealthpartnership.com/blog/2013/04/nhs-versus-private-healthcare-a-personal-journey/ please check it out and see what you think.
Lastly, quick reminder - I run the only UK podcast devoted to medical insurance - there are four episodes to look at - you can either search on iTunes or visit www.pmicast.podbean.com
__________
If you're interested in a free review of your medical insurance cover (family or company paid) please get in touch :
Tel - 07792 075748 or 0113 3474395
Twitter - @localventure1
Video Podcast - You Tube Channel : pkn439
Audio Podcast - www.pmicast.podbean.com
Phil Knight
Independent Healthcare Consultant
I'm a totally independent healthcare intermediary with 20 years market experience, not tied to any insurer, fully FCA regulated and part of the Premier Choice Healthcare Group. FCA Number 312878
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Insurers - funny old beasts
In my work insurers are both a valued partner and also (sometimes) a barrier to things running smoothly. For the most part things run pretty well. I cam across a situation yesterday that shows that sometimes the insurer really does want things to work in their favour regardless of the situation.
Usually when there is a renewal on a case pending the insurer will auto renew the case (in other words renew it, take the first direct debit payment automatically and assume the individual or group is going to stay with them). However, yesterday I had a panicked call from a client letting me know that a member was claiming the following day (due for a procedure in a private hospital) and the claim had been declined.
It transpired the case was a 1st of April case that they hadn't received any renewal notification on (obviously hadn't opened my e-mail). Now, I'm guessing here, but the claim was set up on their system pre-renewal and I'm guessing the group didn't auto-renew because of this - interesting that when a payment is pending their auto system stops working.
Usually when there is a renewal on a case pending the insurer will auto renew the case (in other words renew it, take the first direct debit payment automatically and assume the individual or group is going to stay with them). However, yesterday I had a panicked call from a client letting me know that a member was claiming the following day (due for a procedure in a private hospital) and the claim had been declined.
It transpired the case was a 1st of April case that they hadn't received any renewal notification on (obviously hadn't opened my e-mail). Now, I'm guessing here, but the claim was set up on their system pre-renewal and I'm guessing the group didn't auto-renew because of this - interesting that when a payment is pending their auto system stops working.
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Health News Update
Three important health news stories to mention today :
Leeds Heart Surgery scandal/debacle - following the court ruling against the move to a centre of excellence in Newcastle, the Leeds childrens cardiac team has now been sidelined - it seems there is now a debate as to whether the figures used to asses the shut down of the unit are accurate. As I've mentioned before the problem here isn't really who says what it's more the fact that we as tax payers do not have access to transparent information on what really is going on.
BBC New item
The changes in the NHS come into force on the 1st of April whereby general practioners take control of NHS budgets (no it isn't an April Fools joke) - not much to say on this as with all NHS changes time will tell if the reforms work or not - will update on this if things progress although I suspect it will be many years before we know. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21964568
Lastly, an NHS 'whistleblower' helpline went live in Scotland today. In line with issues in the NHS in England (Stafford etc) I have two comments to make - firstly, this is great news, secondly why not in the UK ?
Details at ...
Leeds Heart Surgery scandal/debacle - following the court ruling against the move to a centre of excellence in Newcastle, the Leeds childrens cardiac team has now been sidelined - it seems there is now a debate as to whether the figures used to asses the shut down of the unit are accurate. As I've mentioned before the problem here isn't really who says what it's more the fact that we as tax payers do not have access to transparent information on what really is going on.
BBC New item
The changes in the NHS come into force on the 1st of April whereby general practioners take control of NHS budgets (no it isn't an April Fools joke) - not much to say on this as with all NHS changes time will tell if the reforms work or not - will update on this if things progress although I suspect it will be many years before we know. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21964568
Lastly, an NHS 'whistleblower' helpline went live in Scotland today. In line with issues in the NHS in England (Stafford etc) I have two comments to make - firstly, this is great news, secondly why not in the UK ?
Details at ...
Monday, 1 April 2013
Review of The Bells of Saint John
Just put up the 2nd episode of the Where's Wilson podcast (available at www.whereswilson.podbean.com and shortly to be on iTunes) it's only nine minutes long and in it Meg and I review the first episode of the second part of season 7 of Doctor Who- the Bells of Saint John.
Enjoyed it immensely - please download and see what all the fuss is about !
Enjoyed it immensely - please download and see what all the fuss is about !
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