Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

I love ranked lists -- the top 100 movies of all time, top 20 Beatles songs ever, 1000 places to see before you die -- but this one has actual professional value. Moder Healthcare magazine has released its annual list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare. Now in its eighth year, the mag puts President Obama at the top of the 2009 list, followed by several of his close friends and foes on health…

I know that streamlining payroll efficiency likely is about as exciting as my last dental appointment. But what if I told you that reducing payroll errors potentially could save you hundreds of thousands? All of a sudden it sounds much more interesting, no? The Salvation Army's Chicago Metropolitan Division spent 70% of its time tied to manual data entry and was not only overspending because of calculation and transcription errors and omissions, but also was out…

My colleague and I wanted to experience for ourselves a true health care reform town hall, though we were admittedly a little frightened after watching highlights of past meetings on the news. Nevertheless, we gathered our courage and set out, visiting one such meeting Tuesday night near the EBN/EBA office. Despite volunteers handing out George Washington’s code of civility to everyone in the audience, the Reston, Va., town hall got a little heated, to say the…

Now, in my neck of the woods, TCBY is a frozen-yogurt chain that claims to make 'The Country's Best Yogurt.' Apparently, to EBN Contributing Editor Michael Puck, it means something completely different -- and likely much better for your waistline and bottom line. To Puck, TCBY is the formula for succeeding with wellness programs. And while it certainly isn't as delicious, I'm betting it will be much more satisfying to your company's execs. Read his column…

I recently had a great chat with John Erwin of CareNet, a company that helps insurers and doctors do the heavy lifting needed to build the medical home model. The medical home model is one of those things that makes so much sense that you slap your forehead and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Basically, the model involves making primary care doctors the cornerstone of the health care system, or as Erwin put it,…

As more employees — perhaps among them your colleagues, clients or boss — join the social networking site Facebook (as many older adults seem to be among the fastest-growing group of new enrollees), it was inevitable that etiquette issues may arise. I’m no Emily Post, but I did crib some tips from OfficeTeam’s Robert Hosking on how to avoid Facebook faux pas: …

I hate to kick someone when they’re down — between the still slow economy, ongoing wars and the recent health care reform “town brawls,” it certainly was a brief honeymoon for President Obama — but a release I received recently from the Alliance for Worker Freedom got me thinking. The headline asked simply: What happened to Obama’s promise of jobs? …

No, not literally — just on Facebook. Don’t take it personally, though; it’s not that they don’t like you. It’s just that according to a survey from OfficeTeam, it seems they’re mostly just concerned about crossing the line between personal and professional. When asked, 'How comfortable would you feel about being 'friended' by the following individuals on Facebook?” nearly half of executives polled said they are uncomfortable being friended by the employees they manage (48%) or…

Over the last year, defined contribution plan participants likely have felt like they just can’t get a break. I’m sorry to say a little bird at Mercer tells me the savings outlook may not improve next year, depending on the results of a government calculation. Here’s the breakdown: Limits for DC and DB plans — including 401(k) deferrals and catch-up contributions — are adjusted each year based on an IRS calculation that, among other factors, takes…

Thanks to the new Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (Congress couldn’t think of a shorter name?), employers may soon see a rise in the number of employees requesting workplace accommodations for a disability, the crystal ball watchers at Cigna predict. ADAAA, which took effect January 1, 2009, substantially broadened the definition of who may attempt to seek protection under the ADA, making it easier for an individual to establish that he or she is “disabled”…