Lifelong Learning

Would You Like Some Statins With That Double Cheeseburger?

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I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, pondering what to write. It’s simple really.

This is just so wrong…

So would you rate an 8 year old on statins?

AAP ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES ON CHOLESTEROL SCREENING

Below is a policy on a clinical report appearing in the July issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

For Release: July 7, 2008, 12:01 am (ET)

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new cholesterol screening and treatment recommendations for children. The policy statement, “Lipid Screening and Cardiovascular Health in Childhood,” recommends cholesterol screening of children and adolescents with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. It also recommends screening patients whose family history is unknown or those who have other factors for heart disease including obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes. Screening should take place after age two, but no later than age 10. The best method for testing is a fasting lipid profile. If a child has values within the normal range, testing should be repeated in three to five years. For children who are more than eight years old and who have high LDL concentrations, cholesterol-reducing medications should be considered. Younger patients with elevated cholesterol readings should focus on weight reduction and increased activity while receiving nutritional counseling. The statement also recommends the use of reduced-fat dairy products, such as two percent milk, for children as young as one year of age for whom overweight or obesity is a concern.

# # #

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

© COPYRIGHT AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I Lost 200 Pounds…You Can Too

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I’ve added a new links category on Obesity. Recently I joined the National Weight Loss Registry and became participant L8784. It took some time to fill out the questionnaires but since it was for a good cause, I answered each and every question. The only thing I didn’t do was the narrative. I was given the option to write about my weight loss experience. So after much thought and digging deep I wrote the following which debuts here first.

How To Lose 200 Pounds in Two Easy Steps

  1. Eat less.
  2. Move more.

Hopefully the accumulated data from people who have lost significant amounts of weight will lead to insights about losing weight and keeping it off. Over 65% of the US population age 20 and higher are overweight or obese.

And we wonder why 8% of the population has diabetes…

PSST…Wanna Learn How to Write a Cancer Abstract?

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I’ve always felt that good writing comes from good thinking and that learning how to write well is difficult.   With the advent of the Internet you can find wonderful teaching websites for the craft of writing.   My inner underwriter has always believed that if underwriters were taught how to write about disease we could ultimately better understand some of the cryptic medical language found in the APS’s we read every day.  Well you’ll never guess what I found while doing some purposeful surfing (not mindless).

I’ve added a link to the training modules from the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program at Emory University, Atlanta SEER Cancer Registry, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.

This training website provides web-based training modules for cancer registration and surveillance. When the site is complete, it will comprise about 30 training modules, each covering a particular cancer registration training subject. The site started in September, 2000 and is under continual development.

And to think all I wanted was to find out a little more about recurrent high grade focal dysplasia just to make sure the pathologist was on spot about the colonic mass despite everyone else calling the thing cancer.  I’m gonna have some fun playing around in this website.

Five Minutes of Fame (literally)

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A year ago I was in Phoenix to participate in one of the sessions at the spring SOA meeting. I was given five minutes to make a point. While five minutes is not a lot of time, it was more than enough time to make a point, especially if no one else is debating you. To celebrate my five minutes of fame I have reprinted my brief, yet scintillating talk. The point I was trying to make was underwriting needed to become an insurance company’s strategic intellectual asset. Of course, re-reading what I wrote/spoke a year ago, I never mentioned my point in exactly that fashion. Not that it mattered. After all, I was talking to a bunch of actuaries.

Society of Actuaries Life 2007 Spring Meeting

May 10th Session 43

Speed Underwriting: At Least 10 New Ideas in 90 Minutes

Strategic Outsourcing

Strategic outsourcing represents a significant shift in the way businesses operate to stay competitive in the global economy. Outsourcing strategies have evolved from short-term tactical cost savings to higher-level strategic initiatives that drive revenues and profits. Cost reduction is tactical, not strategic. As insurance companies focus on core competencies and migrate away from fixed cost to flexible variable cost models, outsourcing becomes more and more attractive. Outsourcing must be pursued on a partnership basis. The buyer should get excellent service at a reasonable cost and the provider should make a profit or service quality will suffer.[1]

Strategic outsourcing begins with careful planning. Explore your strategic options for the current reality: a supply and demand imbalance in underwriting talent that will persist for many years to come. Downsizing and demographics have combined to create the current reality. What are your company’s strategic plans to attract, acquire, and retain talent? What does your company’s long-term underwriting training program look like? Does your company have a strategy to capture its underwriting knowledge before that knowledge walks out the door?

This reality is not a short-term threat. Unfortunately, our minds do not perceive longer-term threats because the human mind is not equipped to comprehend the modern world we have created.[2] Decades of downsizing and the aging of the Boomers are simply two drivers of strategic outsourcing.

Skills and knowledge can be taught. Talent must be acquired.[3] And talent needs to be matched with the work to be done. The scarcity of talent demands different approaches.

Combined intelligently, your company’s core competencies plus extensive outsourcing strategies can improve returns on capital, mitigate risk, provide greater flexibility, and make you more responsive to the needs of your customers.

Disclaimer: Strategic Outsourcing Program LLC Edmond, Oklahoma is not me. I was doing a Google search with the term “strategic outsourcing” and I found this company based in the same town I live in.

[1] The American Management Association (AMACOM) published a guide in 1999 titled Strategic Outsourcing: A Structured approach to Outsourcing Decisions and Initiatives by Maurice Greaver.

[2] New World New Mind, Robert Ornstein and Paul Ehrlich. This is a great book published by Simon & Schuster in 1989 and will provide a fundamental understanding of our cognitive shortcomings.

[3] First, Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Another fine book from Simon & Schuster that explains why conventional thinking in business is not always correct.

Medical Information – Enough is Enough or Is It?

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My thoughts have crystalized on the amount of medical information you need to know to compently underwrite life mortality risk. Consider what follows to be totally unscientific and strong personal opinion based on experience. I developed this opinion from reading way too many APS’s in my lifetime and some recent observations from #1, the pre-Med student. After shadowing some doctors and observing a few colonoscopies, an EGD and knee arthroscopy up close and personal, #1 made this comment:

“Wow, specialists need to know a lot more than a family medicine doctor.”

Classic Duh, what do you think? But his comment got me thinking about what we do for fun and money. I have always thought I would make a good GP/Family Medicine type of doctor. Aside from the real world reasons why I didn’t pick that path, I understood intuitively why I have felt that way. I am the ultimate generalist. I like to do something intensely for a few years and then do something else. This drives my wife crazy. It’s not a real good strategy either for building up a nice pension. I also don’t recommend this strategy for career development. But hey, it’s what I am.

I’m drifting here. My thoughts have crystallized. We are underwriters. We don’t need nor will ever use the knowledge a specialist in medicine requires. All we need to be are halfway decent family medicine practitioners with an emphasis on preventative care. We need to understand what diseases and what behaviors will kill you. So how do you become a quasi-family practice person without the medical school training? I have to think about this some more. As always, comments and input are appreciated.

Lifelong Learning

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I was thinking the other day about reading a book a week and the value of lifelong learning.  Never make the mistake that learning stops when school stops.  Be a lifelong learner.  Understand that stuff changes all the time and there is always more to learn on your path to success.    Try the following strategy:

Teach yourself what they don’t teach you in school.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Well, it’s not really that simple.  Lifelong learning is not simple because school may not teach you a lot of useful information for your chosen line of work.  If you’re a recent entry to the world of work, you probably figured that out already.  The problem is not just what doesn’t get taught.  It’s deciding what to teach yourself to become the best you can be on your chosen path.

There are a lot of people who go through their lives trying to figure out why they’re here and what they’re here to do.  I personally know some boomers who are still trying to figure what they want to be when they grow up.  Imagine yourself at 60 trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up!  Don’t let this happen to you.  Take one simple action.  Make a decision.

The decision you make may not be the “right” decision but at least you have made a decision.  Indecisiveness will doom even the most well intentioned.  Make up your mind.  What you settle upon may not be the grand purpose for your existence but at least it’s a start.  And if whatever you choose turns out to be not what you expected or wanted, then try something else.  As people age we limit ourselves to what is possible.  Try something you’ve never done before.  Maybe, just maybe, you’ll surprise yourself and begin the journey that is yours alone.

It helps to have an uncommon curiosity about everything to be a good underwriter. Arguably this is true across many different professions.  You have to want to learn before you truly learn.  I spent some time this past week adding more links to my sidebar.  I wanted a kind of underwriting friendly mini-portal.  Click through and continue your lifelong learning.  If you have any suggestions for a good website, email me or comment and I’ll add a link.

We Interrupt This Blog for a Tornado

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F1 Damage

In the early morning hours of March 30, some severe weather blew through the city I live and work in.  The tornado missed our house by about three miles. We managed to sleep through the sirens and didn’t realize there were tornadoes on the ground until our son called at 3:00 AM to find out if we were OK.

Risk is everywhere. Time to buy a weather alert radio.

This is what an F1 can do to your house.

Discipline

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“Nothing of importance is ever achieved without discipline. I feel myself sometimes not wholly in sympathy with some modern educational theorists, because I think that they underestimate the part that discipline plays. But the discipline you have in your life should be one determined by your own desires and your own needs, not put upon you by society or authority.”

Bertrand Russell

I have often said that nothing is achievable without discipline.  I got this message from my father repeatedly.  I really got the message one day  at a clan gathering.  It was the summer before I got married and the family got together in Marlboro, MA.  We got a couple of rooms at a local hotel and had a great time exploring Boston.

One of the dinner stops was a fine local restaurant in Marlboro.  As the family settled in the waiting area, we got drinks and waited for our table.  I shared a small table for two with my Dad.  He was drinking a vodka martini and I had a glass of red wine.  As the conversation progressed, I asked a simple question:

“What is the key to success?”

Dad sort of stared off into space like he did often and suddenly, with a fury that surprised me banged his fist onto the tiny table.  I had to grab my wine glass to stop it from falling over.  Customers fifteen feet away stopped their conversation to see what was wrong.  I was stunned and couldn’t say a word.

“Discipline.”

That’s all he said in response to my question.  And he went back to his vodka as if nothing had happened.

As I reflect upon what success is and how success is achieved, it becomes abundantly clear that discipline is paramount.

Your life is to be what you want it to be if you have the discipline to do whatever is necessary to achieve your desired outcome.  Be less concerned about what it is you feel you should be doing and more concerned about becoming more of who you are.  I am oftentimes asked what my wife and I have done in raising our children, both of whom are doing well in their chosen pursuits.  My answer has always been simple.  I did whatever I could to help them become more of who they already are.  We continue to help them be more of who they already are.  Surprisingly simple, eh?  Check out the following quote:

“All people are called to be someone and to do things – it is part and parcel of human existence. Discovering and becoming who we are supposed to be, and what we are meant to do in the world is a life-long process of growth and change. This process involves certain commitments and these become revealed to us along the way. Informal educators can play a special part in encouraging these processes. Their role is to work so that people may shape and follow their calling.”

Reproduced from the encyclopedia of informal education [www.infed.org]

So where were we?  Ah yes, how to read a book a week…

Your Calling

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There’s a piece of scrap paper I’ve been carrying around with the following thoughts on it:Try many things. Find what you love and do that. Then figure out how to make a living doing it. Work is transformed when we change our attitudes towards work.

I didn’t write these words ( and my deepest apologies to the original author whom I would credit if I could remember who it was ) but I want to preserve these thoughts and the ideas because they are powerful ideas. As time goes by, this simple approach towards work has been changing my attitudes about success. Lately, I’ve been listening a lot to the music of JJ Cale, an OKC native who seems to embody this simple yet powerful idea in his life and work. One of his songs which was rerecorded on his recent collaboration with Eric Clapton consists of one chord. One chord! And to top it all, the guys were winners of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album “The Road to Escondido”.

One chord. Simple is good. Do what you do. Be good at what you do.

The author Thomas Moore has written:

“Power that comes from unexpected places. It comes from living close to the heart, not at odds with it. The soul appears in the gaps and holes of experience. We have all experienced moments when we’ve lost a job or endured an illness only to find unexpected inner strength. Be good at what you’re good at. Many of us spend time and energy trying to be something we are not. In considering who we are not we may find the surprising revelation of who we are.”

Several years ago I began to recognize what seemed to be a growing imbalance between underwriting supply and demand. I decided then to refocus on my underwriting skill set. I figured there would always be work and so far, I’ve been right.

Michael Novak is an esteemed theologian, author and former US ambassador who has written over 25 books. In one of his books titled Business as a Calling. Novak writes about the four characteristics of a calling. First, each calling is unique to each individual. Second, a calling has certain preconditions that involve more than just desires. A calling requires that the individual have talent. For the calling to be right for a particular person it must match and use his abilities. Third, a true calling reveals itself through enjoyment and a sense of renewed energies that engaging in the calling brings. Fourth, callings are not easy to discover. Many false paths are taken before the truth path is recognized.

It has taken a long time to be me.

B as in Books – How to Read a Book a Week

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“You will always have your brain with you (until that time when brain transplants are done and you may have someone else’s brain).”

Dale Dubin MD

There is some advice that has been around for a long time. Great ideas stick around. (BAD IDEAS stick around too, but that’s another story). Today’s post is about a great idea that comes with a ironclad guarantee. The guarantee is this:

Read a book a week and you will achieve success in your work and your life.

Most of the people you know don’t have the motivation or discipline to read a book a week. Or they may regard this idea as a foundation for a better future and greater personal success as nonsense. I make this audacious guarantee because I know the answer to the following questions:

How many people do you know read a book a week?

Do you know of any successful individuals who don’t read a lot?
Exactly.

Most of the people who learn about my peculiar reading habit give me a handy excuse for not reading a book a week. Some even get a little defensive, others apologetic.

“I don’t have time. Who has the time anyway?”

Well kids, you make time for what is important. In this time starved society of ours you need just a little bit of creativity to find the time to read. Here’s a list of some practical strategies to read a book a week.

Always Have a Book

Think about the time you spend waiting in lines. If you had a book you could easily squeeze in 5 to 10 minutes of reading. Think of other situations where you could grab 10-15 minutes of reading time. I always bring a book to the barbershop. If you have a book, you can always squeeze in a few minutes of reading.

Watch Less Television…Play Less Video Games

Personally, I stopped playing video games because I was never any good at them. I don’t watch a lot of television. I read.

Be Selective in What You Read

Try to read with purpose. Are you reading for entertainment or to learn something? If you’re trying to learn something, what are you trying to learn? At any given time I am reading between 8 and 10 different books. What you choose to read is not only a function of your personality and interests but also of your mood. I tried to read and finish a complete book before starting another but failed. Quirky yes, but this reading style works for me. Try it.

Read What Interests YOU

At any given moment I am totally and completely unable to tell you which books are on any best seller list. I’m simply not interested in what is selling well. I’m much more interested in books that interest me. We often associate bad feelings with reading because while in school we were forced to read what we were told to read. Well, no one is telling you what to read anymore. Read something, anything you want to learn a little more about.

Listen to Audiobooks

Whether in your car or your iPod, audiobooks are a fantastic way to get more “reading” done in the time you have. Try listening to a book while on the treadmill. This is my kind of multi-tasking.

So where will all of this reading? If practiced with a little bit of passion and purpose your reading will bring a great deal of knowledge and a development of an awareness of the world we live in. When you read a new book every week, you condition your mind to continuously take in new knowledge. Your thinking remains fresh and sharp. Your brain is always churning on new ideas, looking for connections, and synthesizing the input.

Just this afternoon I finished half of Dr. Dubin’s classic Rapid Interpretation of EKG’s. I’m getting more out of this book now than the first time I read it.

Quirky, yes.
So what was the title of the last book you read? And how long ago was that?