| OCTOBER HEALTH CALENDAR | |
• Mental Health Awareness Month |
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| 1 | International Day for Older Persons |
| National Inherited Disorders Day | |
| 9 | Partnership against AIDS Anniversary |
| 9-13 | National Nutrition Week |
| 10 | World Mental Health Day |
| 12 | World Arthritis Day |
| National Bandana Day | |
12-20 |
World Bone and Joint Week |
| 13 | International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction |
| 14 | World Sight Day |
| 15 | National Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day |
| 15-19 | National Obesity Week |
| 16 | World Food Day |
| 17 | World Spine Day |
| World Trauma Day | |
| International Day for the Eradication of Poverty | |
| 20 | National Down Syndrome Day |
| World Osteoporosis Day | |
| 23 | National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Day |
| 24 | World Polio Day |
| WHAT TO WRITE? WHAT TO WRITE? You tell us... |
Got some great topic ideas?
Well, don't be afraid to drop us a mail and tell us what you'd like us to cover in terms of articles and features - housecall@ thecheesehasmoved.com ♦ |
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... Katy Caldis |
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| THE ROAD TO GETTING
FEDHEALTHY! |
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October is an exciting time in the Fedhealth calendar. Not only are we announcing our rates and benefits for 2011, but I'm also now finally able to share some of the exciting news happening around the future of Real Medical Aid. We're expanding our philosophy of health to no longer only support you in times of illness, but to now also assist you in achieving and maintaining a true and complete state of wellness.
A panel of local and international experts will mastermind getting Fedhealthy. A lifestyle programme to encourage, guide and inspire members will also be launched in January 2011. This fun and easy approach is presented by renowned South African nutritionist, Mary-Ann Shearer, of "The Natural Way". The programme coaches you to make better choices during a 100-day period. The programme will be launched with the International Natural Health Conference hosted by Dr. T Colin Campbell and Dr. Pam Popper in January 2011, in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. |
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| Control at your fingertips Make use of our online facilities |
Keep track of your membership and get an in-depth view of your claims history at www.fedhealth.co.za Register today with your name and membership number and have more control and peace of mind. You will also be able to find out more about our benefits and options. ♦ |
| Points of contact |
If any of your contact details change, please notify us immediately by contacting the Fedhealth Customer Call Centre on 0860 002 153. Alternatively, your new details can be faxed to |
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KEEP AN EYE ON THE BOX 2011 Option Confirmation Process |
In previous years, the Scheme has used Issue no. 9 of HouseCall! to communicate to our members, their rates and benefits for the following year. This year however, we have decided to adopt a more personal approach and all members will receive individualised communication via post confirming their rates and benefits for 2011. This communication will be posted during the last week of October and members will have until the end of November to confirm their option for 2011. Remember if you do not want to change your option for 2011, you do not have to do anything - your current option will automatically be renewed for 2011. |
| MAKE USE OF PREFERRED PHARMACIES TO BENEFIT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Up until now, Fedhealth has refunded the dispensing fee on your prescribed medication at a rate of 36% of the Single Exit Price (SEP). The SEP is the legislated price for all medication. We have negotiated with certain providers to only charge you a dispensing fee of between 20% and 26% with a maximum of R20 or R26. Therefore, by making use of one of these preferred providers, it will ensure that your day-to-day benefits last longer and in certain circumstances, no co-payments are levied. The following pharmacy groups have agreed to charge a dispensing of up to 26% up to a maximum of R26: Dis-Chem, Medi-Rite, Clicks and Chronic Medicine Dispensary. Oncology medication The new negotiated dispensing fee will benefit members on oncology as well. The dispensing fee on oncology medication at Clicks and Chronic Medicine Dispensary is 20% up to a maximum of R20. |
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Extending the network The scheme is talking to other other pharmacy groups who are also willing to provide preferential rates to our members. As soon as all arrangements have been finalised, this information will be communicated to you. By using the preferred provider network, co-payments will be reduced and your benefits will be extended due to the preferential rates offered. Do not confuse the preferred pharmacy network with our Designated Service Provider (DSP) arrangements It is important to note that the preferred provider network is different from the DSP arrangements currently in place for your chronic medication and applicable to your specific option. DSP arrangements are not changing, and the DSP still remains MEDI-Rite pharmacy. DSP rules must still be adhered to in order to avoid DSP-related co-payments. ♦ The DSP rules are set out in the table below: |
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| NEW INNOVATIONS IN THE CHRONIC DISEASE BENEFIT APPLICATION PROCESS |
Chronic Medicine Management is pleased to announce that the chronic benefit application process has been significantly improved. The new process allows members and providers to conveniently apply through the Medscheme website or via telephone. This is part of our drive to enhance our systems and processes to improve service to our members. This improved process means that members and doctors no longer have to fax completed application forms. Furthermore, they will have the added benefit of being able to access the website 24 hours a day. Applications will be authorised immediately, unless there are further interventions required. Overall, this innovation in the Chronic Medicine Management application process will result in quicker turnaround times, fewer queries and greater member satisfaction. As a result of this development, it is important to note that from 1 October 2010 Chronic Medicine Management will no longer be accepting paper applications for chronic medication. Members, their treating doctor or dispensing pharmacist will only be able to register chronic medication for their patients through one of the two processes outlined below: Applying for Chronic Medicine telephonically The member, their treating doctor or dispensing pharmacist can call the Chronic Medicine Management department on 0860 100 608. The call will be routed to a consultant who will request the following information required on the Chronic Medicine Management application form including the membership number, beneficiary date of birth, clinical examination information, ICD-10 code, medicine details, test results and motivations where applicable. Applying for Chronic Medicine online By logging onto the Medscheme website www.medscheme.co.za a member, doctor or dispensing pharmacist can access an easy to use guide on completing the online application on the Medscheme login homepage. A login username and password will be required. If they have not completed an online application before, they will be prompted to register as a first time user. The registration process is then completed and the applicant will receive an immediate response for both of the above processes. Where more clinical information is required, members of the clinical team will review the information supplied and correspond with the member and their treating doctor on the status of the medication requested. 0199 payment changes Tariff 0199 will continue to be reimbursed for doctors who complete the application either online or telephonically. However, these payments will no longer be made automatically. 0199 Payments will only be made on receipt of a claim from the doctor for first time chronic registration and is not reimbursed for updating an existing chronic authorisation. This change is as a result of legal requirements. ♦ |
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AVOID MORNING MANIA
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October is Mental Health Awareness Month, so this month's HouseCall! starts with a closer look at things you can do throughout the day ensuring you get through the various stresses with your sanity in check. Wake to soothing music. Set a radio alarm on an easy listening radio station. A screeching alarm gives you a nasty shock and who wants to start the day pumping with adrenalin? Have breakfast. This sets the tone for your eating for the rest of the day. Without having had breakfast, you probably won't be able to resist the doughnut trolley at 11am and then you won't be hungry at lunchtime. Get the picture? Eat something fresh. Have a banana or an apple or at least some fruit juice. Starting the day in a healthy way is good for body and soul. Eating fresh fruit is often better for you than just simply drinking a multivitamin. Put out your clothes the night before. Scurrying around at 7am frantically looking for the shirt that goes with the skirt you want to wear, is no fun. Especially if you find it in the unironed pile, or in the bottom of the washing basket. Drink water. Many people are slightly dehydrated in the mornings; after all, you have spent seven or eight hours without drinking any water. Brush your teeth. Start the day with fresh breath and clean teeth. Encourage the rest of the family to do the same. Go slow on the coffee. Many people say they need a cup of coffee to wake them up in the morning. So be it. But stick to one cup and remember to also drink water, as coffee actually dehydrates you. Mornings shouldn't be battlegrounds. Try not to fight with anyone early in the morning. It can upset you for the rest of the day and often, because you are at work, you can't sort it out until the evening. Get water on that body. It is always pleasant to start the day feeling fresh. Having a bath or shower is also good for the circulation. Get moving. If possible, a short morning walk is an excellent way to start the day. This is not always possible, but try and make the effort. Get up ten minutes early. This will avoid the crazy morning rush - who wants to arrive at work breathless and out of sorts, wearing non-matching socks? ♦ |
| PINK RIBBON MONTH |  |
Reducing Your Breast Cancer Risk Why doctors say this is important |
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Do a breast self-examination every month Time: 10 minutes When: About a week after your period. If you're no longer menstruating, or you're pregnant, pick the same day every month. How: In the shower or bath - use your fingertips to explore your breast and underarm areas. Raise one arm and place the hand behind your head. With your other hand, move the pads of your fingertips over the breast in a circular motion. Don't forget to include the nipple and armpit areas. Repeat on both breasts and use the opposite hand. In front of the mirror - lift your arms above your head and check for changes in the size, shape and contour of your breasts. Look out for any nipple discharge. Lying down - tuck your arm behind your head; use the fingertips of the other hand to feel the opposite breast; move over the breast in a circular pattern and include the armpit and nipple areas. Repeat on the other breast. Remember That You Don't Get Breast Cancer From... Wearing a bra About ten years ago, two researchers published a book detailing how too-tight bras prevented the breasts from getting rid of toxins in the tissue. This, they concluded, increased a woman's risk of developing cancer (because of all the "trapped" toxins). And of course many women read the book and got pretty freaked out... The good news is, there's no real evidence that bras do what the researchers claimed (trap lymph vessels) - or that bra wearing has any link to breast cancer. Wearing deodorant There's a nasty rumour doing the rounds on the Internet: that using deodorant causes cancer (because toxins get "trapped" under the arms when the body isn't allowed to sweat normally). Cancer experts are eager to point out that this is simply not true - the incidence of breast cancer has not changed much since the introduction of antiperspirants decades ago; and if deodorant really did cause cancer, it would have also caused an increase in breast cancer in men who use a lot more antiperspirant than women do, which is not the case. ♦ |
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The future of our country lies in the hands of health. Healthier people think more clearly, work harder, and are more motivated. Healthy people are also less of a strain on the economy and more likely to contribute to the future of South Africa. The time has come for each of us to take responsibility for our health and make better choices on a daily basis. Mark and Mary-Ann Shearer bring you the first International Natural Health Conference, proudly sponsored by Fedhealth. The conference is to be held in Johannesburg on 29 January 2011, at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Sandton, and in Cape Town on 5 February 2011, at Spier Estate. Dr Colin Campbell, probably the most respected academic in the field of nutrition, will be speaking at the conference. Dr Campbell, who is Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, has had a long career in research, teaching and development of national and international trends on diet, nutrition and health. His studies have ranged from work in the Philippines developing a nationwide programme for feeding malnourished children, to the organisation and directorship of a nationwide study on diet, health and disease in the People's Republic of China, commonly known as "The China Study." Dr Campbell is also the author of the groundbreaking book, "The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health." Dr Campbell will be discussing the latest and most extensive research ever conducted to show how diet affects health, and what we can do to improve health without spending unnecessary amounts of money. |
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Joining Dr Campbell is Dr Pam Popper, naturopath and nutritionist with years of practical experience in implementing changes to adopting a healthier lifestyle. Dr Pam Popper is Executive Director of The Wellness Forum. The company offers educational programmes designed to assist individuals in changing their health through improved diet and lifestyle habits, assist employers in reducing the cost of health insurance and medical care for employees, and to educate health care professionals on how to use diet and lifestyle for preventing, reversing, and stopping the progression of degenerative disease. Dr Popper also serves on the Physician's Steering Committee for the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington D.C. Additionally, she is part of Dr Campbell's teaching team at Cornell, teaching part of a certification course on nutrition. She is currently featured in two widely distributed documentaries, "Processed People" and "Making A Killing", and will be soon be appearing in a feature film on diet and health next year. Dr Popper is a straight-talking professional, a lobbyist and public policy expert, continually working towards changing laws that interfere with patients' right to choose their health provider and method of care. She has testified in front of legislative committees on numerous occasions. Mark and Mary-Ann Shearer have been involved in educating people on healthy living in South Africa for close on 25 years. In the last several years they have travelled and spoken extensively in the UK and the USA and have noticed the shocking rates of degenerative disease in this country. Having both lost parents (before their 60th birthdays) to cancer and diabetes, they are dedicated to educating and motivating South Africans to live healthier lives. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for anyone invested in their health, as experts of this magnitude are unlikely to appear together again any time soon. Fedhealth is sponsoring the conference, so Fedhealth members wishing to attend can look forward to an incredible discount of almost 40% slashed off their ticket price! Go to www.fedhealth.co.za and click on the International Natural Health Conference banner on the home page. You will be asked for your login details as you would normally use to obtain membership information. If you have not registered yet, you will need to go through the easy registration procedure. Once you have logged in, click on the Conference button and follow the easy steps to purchase your tickets at the special discounted price for Fedhealth members and dependants of R600 and not the advertised price of R950. ♦ |
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I grew up in a relatively normal South African home, except that my mother never offered us medication when ill. Instead we were offered water, a sleep or some time alone in the bathroom (making sure our bowels had worked!) This led me to always be looking to correct the problem, rather than treat the symptoms. So years later when I was married, with three children and we had allergies, hay fever, allergic dermatitis, tonsillitis, ear infections, allergic rhinitis and heartburn to contend with, I tried desperately to find the causes, but kept getting offered some kind of cure. Through sheer trial and error I found that there were many lifestyle factors that were affecting us, from environmental issues, to diet, lack of exercise and stress. Over the years I have developed a lifestyle programme that incorporates everything we have learned and for the last 25 years we have not had a doctor's bill due to ill health. The most exciting thing for me, was nearly 20 years ago when I discovered that on the other side of the ocean Dr Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, had just completed the most comprehensive nutritional and lifestyle research ever done to date, together with Oxford University and the Chinese academy of health. The research indicated that what we were doing as a family was spot on and scientifically sound. For more information on the conference, go to www.inhc.co.za. To book go to www.fedhealth.co.za and click on the conference button. Then watch this space for more exciting news! ♦ |
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FIT BODY, FIT MIND |
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We've all heard the saying: "healthy body, healthy mind", right? Have you ever wondered why? With October being Mental Health Awareness Month perhaps now is the time to lose some of your scepticism around the mind-body connection. "The time has come to reinforce what we stand for - mind and body are inseparable: health is a complete state of wellbeing, and there is no physical health without mental health," says a spokesperson for the Mental Health Information Centre. What is the connection? One area in which the mind-body connection is clearly apparent, is that of physical exercise, and how it boosts mental health. |
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People who get into a routine of regular exercise often say that exercise makes them feel good and helps them manage stress more effectively. |
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