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March 2018 Newsletter
What´s New at Savon
Quote Of The Month: An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth. (Old Irish Saying - Author Unknown)
Congratulations To:
J. Conley of Prescott, Arizona Winner of our February early payment drawing for 1 free additional year of membership.
Congratulations to our winner and thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.
To Your Health With Jourdin Hendershot:
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Doctor Appointment
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Doctor appointments can be frustrating with the long wait times, awkward silences and questions that are left unanswered but don’t fret! There are several things you can do to make your appointment more effective and get the most out of your one-on-one time with your doctor.
Before your appointment:
Doctors typically spend 15-20 minutes with each patient, so it can often be difficult to remember everything you wanted to discuss so… plan ahead. Jot down the problems that you’re concerned about. Make sure to include any symptoms you are having and describe the feelings when they occur.
Writing them down will help prioritize your questions and it will also keep your appointment on track. If you do this you won’t have to worry about missing something important!
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During your visit:
Bring medication — Bring all medications and vitamins in their original bottles. This allows your doctor to see the dose and the type of medications/vitamins you’re taking. (This is very important, especially if you see different doctors; cardiologist, podiatrist, etc.)
Explain the reason for the visit — Tell your doctor the main reason(s) you are being seen. (This is where your list from above comes in handy.)
Stay focused — Don’t get off topic about sports and family, you want all the time possible to focus on your concerns.
Answer questions accurately — When your doctor asks you questions, don’t be shy, be specific and honest. They are not there to judge, they are there to do their job!
Listen — Be sure you understand what your doctor is recommending and pay attention to any directions, especially medication.
Speak up — If you don’t understand something, ASK them to clarify.
Before you leave:
Before the doctor leaves the room, briefly go back over everything you just discussed. You should be able to know what additional tests are needed and why, what all of your medications/vitamins are for and when you need to schedule your next appointment.
Being able to communicate with your doctor in an open and honest manner is essential to a good working relationship!
*If you feel your questions can’t be covered in the typical time frame, make it known to the scheduler.
If you have questions you would like to discuss with Jourdin, feel free to drop her an email by clicking here.
The above health material is provided as an information service. It should not be used for diagnostic purposes nor is it intended to take the place of the important relationship between you and your doctor.
Grandma's Kitchen With Grandma C.:
Plaza 3 Steak Soup
From the Kitchen of “Chef” Kent Hughes
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| Ingredients |
| 1 stick margarine |
1 quart + 1 cup water |
| 1 cup flour |
½ cup Beef base |
| 1 tsp pepper |
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro |
| ½ tsp chopped carrots |
½ cup chopped celery |
| ½ cup mixed vegetables |
½ cup chopped onion |
| 1½ tsp Kitchen Bouquet |
1 cup chopped tomatoes |
| ½ lb ground chuck |
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Brown ground chuck in a skillet until cooked through. In a 3 quart saucepan, add cooked meat and all other ingredients except flour and 1 cup water.
Set the heat to Medium High. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer 30 minutes. In the skillet, add 1 cup water and heat till just hot, then whisk in the flour and stir to blend. Mixture will be thick. Add the mixture to the soup and stir to thicken. Serve!
Recipe makes approximately 1½ quarts.
Enjoy! And remember, if it looks and smells good, eat it!!
If you have a recipe that you would like to share with Grandma C., drop her an email by clicking here.
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Southwest Smile Center |
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Our spotlight for March goes to the city of Tucson, Arizona and shines on Southwest Smile Center
If you are looking for a dentist and staff that listens and responds to your needs, look no further than Dr. Michael C. Anderson and the staff of Southwest Smile Center in Tucson, AZ. From routine check-ups for your family to removing plaque and teeth whitening for yourself, Dr. Anderson and his team does it all. With Southwest Smile Center, you get the smile you have always wanted.
The practice is located at 2025 W. Grant Rd., Tucson, Arizona 85745. The phone number is (520)294-4444. We also invite you to visit them on the web.
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Say thank you to your dental office for the excellent manner in which you are treated by nominating your dentist!
Fun Facts:
Crazy, Zany Facts We Bet You Didn't Know
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- Ben and Jerry’s send the waste from making ice cream to local pig farmers to use as feed. Pigs love the stuff, except for one flavor: Mint Oreo.
- Bank robber John Dillinger played professional baseball.
- Back in the mid to late 1980's, an IBM-compatible computer wasn't considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator.
- Bird droppings are the chief export of Nauru, an island nation in the Western Pacific.
- Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33.
- Charles Lindbergh took only four sandwiches with him on his famous transatlantic flight.
- Giraffes have no vocal cords.
- If your eyes are six feet above the surface of the ocean, the horizon will be about three statute miles away.
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Come back for more in next months issue!
Dental Talk - A Member Blog Forum:
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Come blog with us! Dental Talk with Savon is a fun forum to post your interesting topics! Your comments are welcome, it’s free to use and no membership is required.
Some of the topics include;
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These are just a few of the topics. Our blog site contains many other interesting topics. Please join us!!
Here’s Your Answer
Questions From Our Members
B. Moore of St. Paul, MN. asks:
“I have noticed that you have a Spotlight on the Dentists in your newsletters and some of these Dentists have appeared more that once. Does this mean that you endorse one dental facility over another and if so, why would you do that?
Savon’s Answer
The simple truth is that Savon does not favor or endorse any one dental center over another. The facilities that appear in the Spotlight on the Dentist series have been selected according to the amount and quality of the reviews that are submitted by their patients. If you have a dentist that you think should be spotlighted, by all means, submit a review and you may just see them in a future newsletter.
Tooth Talk With Tommy The Wisdom Tooth
Shopping Around Brings Steep Prescription Drug Savings, Report Finds
A complete reprint of an article by Robert Preidt, HealthDay News
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Prescription drug prices at U.S. pharmacies can vary widely, and failing to shop around could result in people overpaying by as much as $100 or more a month on average, depending on the drug, a new study finds.
Researchers at Consumer Reports® called more than 200 pharmacies across the United States to get retail prices (out-of-pocket costs) for a one-month supply of five popular medicines that have recently gone generic.
The medicines were: the diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone); the antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram); the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin); the blood thinner Plavix (clopidogrel); and the asthma drug Singulair (montelukast).
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For a one-month supply of these drugs, there was a $749 difference between the highest- and lowest-priced stores - a more than four-fold difference, according to the study in the May issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
Overall, Costco outlets had the lowest retail prices and CVS had the highest, the report found. Among the specific findings:
- A month’s supply of generic Lipitor cost $17 at Costco®, compared with $150 at CVS®. Prices at Rite Aid® and Target® were also high.
- A month’s supply of generic Lexapro cost $7 at Costco® and $126 at CVS®. On average, Rite Aid®, Walgreens® and grocery store pharmacies also charged higher prices.
- A month’s supply of generic Plavix cost $12 at HealthWarehouse.com and $15 at Costco®, compared with $180 at CVS®.
Different business approaches are one reason for the wide price variations, according to Lisa Gill, prescription drugs editor at Consumer Reports®.
“It really comes down to a store’s business model. For example, big box stores tend to use their pharmacies as a way to get consumers through the door with the expectation that they’ll buy other things,” she explained in a Consumer Reportsnews release.
If you want to get the best deals, shop around and always request the lowest price, Gill advised.
“A consumer can’t assume that the price of their prescription medications is set in stone,” she said. “One of the big takeaways is that you have to ask for the best price and see if your pharmacist will work with you. Especially for the independent pharmacies, if they want to retain your business and loyalty, they will help you get the best price,” she said.
Other ways to save money include:
- Using generic drugs, which contain the same active ingredients as brand name drugs.
- Getting refills for 90 days, not 30 days. Most pharmacies offer price reductions on a three-month supply of a medicine.
- Look for other discounts. All chain and big-box pharmacies offer discount generic drug programs, with some selling hundreds of generic drugs for $4 a month or $10 for a three-month supply.
- Try shopping in rural areas. The study found that some grocery store pharmacies and independent drug stores had higher prices in cities than in rural locations. For example, a 30-day supply of generic Actos cost $203 at a pharmacy in Raleigh, N.C., compared with $37 at a pharmacy in a rural area of the state.
Until next time; brush, floss and keep smiling!
The above material is provided as an information service and is not intended as medical advice.
News You Need To Know
Schedule Of Benefits Adjustment
We are in the process of examining the Schedule of Benefits. This examination takes place every 18 months. The last one was done in August of 2016 with the adjusted Schedule of Benefits being released in November of 2016.
This examination is critical to the success of our providers and to Savon Dental Plan. We weigh the fees that we allow the dental facility to charge for procedures against the cost of providing the service (overhead, employees, supplies, materials, etc.). We also consider the inflation rate, a full cash fee survey of providers Nationwide and the NDAS Official Fee Survey. This is a complex and time-consuming process but we feel that it is vital because it assures us that our members are realizing the maximum financial benefit while at the same time ensuring that our providers are realizing a value with their participation in the our plan.
The adjusted Schedule of Benefits is scheduled to be in effect by June 1, 2018. It will not be adjusted again until fall of 2020.
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