logo
Mikin Patel, MD and Osman Ahmed, MD Join Joint & Vascular Institute

Mikin Patel, MD and Osman Ahmed, MD Join Joint & Vascular Institute

Business Wire3 days ago

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dr. Mikin V. Patel and Dr. Osman Ahmed have co-founded the Joint & Vascular Institute. Both doctors specialize in performing minimally invasive imaging-guided procedures to treat a multitude of diseases and health conditions, many of which once required open surgery.
Joint & Vascular Institute offers academic-level care to patients in the convenience of a patient-focused outpatient clinic.
Dr. Patel completed his diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center and a fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Northwestern McGaw Medical Center. After working at the University of Arizona Medical Center, he returned to the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, where he taught other physicians how to treat patients effectively using advanced endovascular techniques.
'I'm excited to offer academic-level care to patients in the convenience of a patient-focused outpatient clinic,' Dr. Patel said.
Dr. Ahmed received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed his diagnostic residency at the University of Chicago and his fellowship training in vascular and interventional radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Ahmed is a pioneer in the field of musculoskeletal embolization in the United States and has been published in several peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Ahmed added: 'Vascular and interventional radiology is one of the fastest growing and most innovative fields in medicine. We provide minimally invasive options to patients and their doctors in the greater Chicago area that, in many cases, are safer, yet just as effective, as their surgical alternatives.'
The doctors' expertise includes minimally invasive treatments for cancer, vascular disease, uterine fibroids, benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), internal hemorrhoids, and thyroid nodules, as well as orthopedic embolization procedures that treat conditions such as adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), plantar fasciitis, knee osteoarthritis and hip bursitis/osteoarthritis.
Unlike surgery, vascular and interventional radiology procedures to treat these conditions are performed on an outpatient basis, require no hospitalization or general anesthesia, carry less risk and offer a much faster recovery. Additionally, they are less expensive than surgery and covered by most insurance plans and Medicare.
Joint & Vascular Institute
Joint & Vascular Institute is dedicated to offering innovative, minimally invasive solutions to help patients achieve relief from pain and improve overall health. Serving the northern Chicago area, the practice specializes in advanced procedures designed to treat a variety of conditions without the need for traditional surgery, helping patients recover quickly and resume their daily lives. For more information visit jointvascular.com.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New York Boomers Lose Medicare Battle
New York Boomers Lose Medicare Battle

Newsweek

time5 hours ago

  • Newsweek

New York Boomers Lose Medicare Battle

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New York's highest court has rejected a legal challenge by retired city workers seeking to block a plan to move them from traditional Medicare - with city-funded supplemental coverage - to private Medicare Advantage plans. Newsweek has contacted the New York City Law Department for comment via email. Why It Matters New York City is required by law to provide health insurance coverage for retirees formerly employed by the city. The roots of the policy go back to 2021, when city officials and leaders of major public employee unions agreed to cut $600 million annually from the city's healthcare spending. The agreed-upon solution was to shift roughly 250,000 retirees and their dependents to a Medicare Advantage plan - an alternative to traditional Medicare that typically offers lower premiums. At the time, City Hall, then under the helm of former New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, argued in favour of the change because of the annual savings it would generate. The current Mayor Eric Adams has since embraced the idea. But critics have said the plan would mean more out-of-pocket costs for former New York government employees. What To Know In a unanimous decision issued Wednesday, June 18, Judge Shirley Troutman of the State of New York Court of Appeals said the retirees failed to provide adequate evidence that the shift would reduce their health benefits. The court also found no legally binding agreement ensuring the city would maintain their existing coverage. Stock image/file photo: Medicare enrollment form. Stock image/file photo: Medicare enrollment form. GETTY "If forced into a Medicare Advantage plan, retirees will lose access to many of the doctors they depend on for life-saving treatment and will routinely be denied coverage for medical care. That is because, unlike traditional Medicare (a publicly run program), private Medicare Advantage plans limit access to medical providers and medical care in order to maximize profits," the Organization of Public Service Retirees said in a statement following the decision. Medicare Advantage plans are private insurance options approved by Medicare. They replace traditional Medicare Parts A and B, covering hospital and outpatient care — except hospice. Most also include prescription drug coverage (Part D). Insurance companies offering these plans get a set payment from Medicare for each person enrolled. They also charge patients out-of-pocket costs and often require them to use doctors in their network or get referrals to see specialists. What People Are Saying The Council of the City of New York Common Sense Council said in a statement: "While we are extremely disappointed with the Court of Appeals decision today, it only strengthens our resolve to fight for our municipal retirees and ensure they are provided the supplemental Medicare insurance they were promised. We encourage our colleagues to join us in supporting Intro 1096, which would prevent this administration and any future administration from taking away this fundamental right and forcing retirees into a lesser health insurance plan." Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said in a press release: "On behalf of 250,000 retirees, we call on the City Council and the next mayor to prevent us from being forced into a privatized Medicare Advantage plan and to let us continue receiving the health insurance we were promised and desperately need: traditional Medicare plus a supplemental plan." Justin Brannan, New York City Council Finance Committee Chair and Democratic candidate for city comptroller, said on X: "The City of New York should never, ever be screwing over retirees – and neither should the courts. Nobody will ever want to work for New York City again. Zero trust. Medicare Advantage is a bait and switch scam & betrayal. Enough! City Hall clearly doesn't care about retirees." What Happens Next While the Court of Appeals dismissed the retirees' primary claims, it sent the case back to a lower court to resolve remaining legal issues.

Even with job-based health coverage, experts suggest signing up for Medicare
Even with job-based health coverage, experts suggest signing up for Medicare

Boston Globe

time5 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

Even with job-based health coverage, experts suggest signing up for Medicare

More than a year after her riding accident, Diamond was back at the emergency room after she tripped on a step while entering a New York restaurant. Her face covered in blood, Diamond was examined by staff, who did multiple CT scans. The bill for that care: $12,000. Advertisement This time, though, the insurance coverage wasn't routine. Nearly all her claims were denied. Diamond was caught in a fairly common coverage snag: People who have group health insurance when they become eligible for Medicare sometimes find themselves on the hook for their medical bills because their group plan stops paying. Diamond contacted several people at UnitedHealthcare before she found out why the insurer refused to pay her claims. When Diamond turned 65 in 2022, Medicare — unbeknownst to her — became the 'primary payer' for her claims, meaning the federal health program for older or disabled people was supposed to take the lead in covering her medical bills, before other insurers paid anything. (As secondary payer, Diamond's employer policy picked up 20% of what Medicare would have paid.) Advertisement Had she signed up for the government insurance plan when she turned 65, Diamond could have avoided a financially perilous situation that left her unexpectedly responsible for the medical costs she incurred during that time. She began to understand what had happened as she made inquiries about the denied claims. Diamond said she was told that UnitedHealthcare audited her claims last year and determined it had been improperly paying for her care, perhaps because her pricey medical claims after her fall from the horse raised a red flag. The insurer not only stopped paying current claims but also moved to claw back tens of thousands of dollars it had paid to providers in the two years since she turned 65. Some of those providers are now seeking payment from her. 'It's horrifying,' she said. 'For about two months I was devastated. I thought, 'Where am I going to get the money to pay all these people? There goes my retirement.'' The mistake has already cost her $25,000 and may cost her much more if providers continue to bill her for amounts that UnitedHealthcare has clawed back for care she received before signing up for Medicare in February. A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson declined to provide an on-the-record statement, citing safety concerns. Patient advocates say they frequently hear from people who, like Diamond, thought they didn't need to sign up for Medicare upon turning 65 because they had group health coverage. That assumption is generally correct if they or their spouse is working at a company with at least 20 employees. In that case, employer coverage is considered primary and they can delay signing up for Medicare as long as they or their spouse continues to be employed there. Advertisement But if someone has employer coverage through a company with fewer than 20 workers, Medicare Similarly, if someone is older than 65 and has retiree health coverage or has left their job and opted to continue their employer coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, also known as COBRA, Medicare pays first. The issue can also arise for people who are younger than 65 if they are eligible for Medicare because of a disability. In those instances, Medicare pays first if they or their family member works at a company with fewer than 100 employees. If people in these groups don't sign up for Medicare when they become eligible, they can find themselves responsible for all their medical bills for years. (They may also owe a penalty for late enrollment in the Medicare program.) 'It's very alarming and there's no current fix to the situation,' said Fred Riccardi, president of the New York-based Medicare Rights Center, a national patient advocacy organization. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did not respond to a request for comment. 'What I see constantly now is that insurers go back and they claw back the money from the doctor and the doctor then claws the money back from the patient,' he said. Advertisement Costly claims may trigger an insurer to examine someone's coverage. Those big claims 'seem to get on the insurer's radar,' said Casey Schwarz, senior counsel for education and federal policy at the Medicare Rights Center. UnitedHealthcare has recouped over $50,000 in medical bills from some of the providers who treated Diamond in New York after her riding accident. She's paid them about $25,000 so far. Some have agreed to let her pay the amount Medicare would have paid. But there may be more bills to come. Under New York law, health plans have two years after claims are paid to claw back payments from providers, and providers have three years to sue patients for medical debt. So, while there is still time for Diamond to be billed, the clock will eventually run out. Diamond plans to sue the broker who manages her company's health plan and other benefits for negligence. 'The Medicare secondary payment rules basically say that if you didn't sign up because you didn't know Medicare was supposed to be primary, that's on you,' said Melanie Lambert, senior Medicare advocate at the Center for Medicare Advocacy in Connecticut. Lambert said she has seen the issue 'many, many times.' In some instances, if a beneficiary can demonstrate they were misled by an employer or a federal employee, they may qualify for relief or a special enrollment period, she said. In a Advertisement The Department of Labor didn't respond to a request for comment. In earlier times, people started collecting Social Security benefits then automatically got Medicare when they turned 65. Now, enrolling in Medicare is more complicated for many people, said Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president and the executive director of the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. 'As more people are delaying going on Social Security and delaying going on Medicare, there's more opportunities for people to make mistakes, and those mistakes are costly,' Neuman said. Coverage experts say there are no clear requirements for insurers, employers, or the federal government to notify people about how the payment rules governing coordination of benefits between health plans may change when they become eligible for Medicare. The information appears in a chart in the government's 'Medicare & You' handbook, if someone knows to look for it. But it is not easy to find. A straightforward fix could solve many of the problems people face in this area, Scherzer said. Since every health plan knows its enrollees' ages, why not require them to notify people approaching 65 of possible benefit coordination issues with Medicare? 'It's so simple and such a no-brainer.' This story was published in partnership with .

KindlyMD and Nakamoto Announce an Additional $51.5 Million In PIPE Financing To Support Bitcoin Treasury Efforts
KindlyMD and Nakamoto Announce an Additional $51.5 Million In PIPE Financing To Support Bitcoin Treasury Efforts

Business Wire

time8 hours ago

  • Business Wire

KindlyMD and Nakamoto Announce an Additional $51.5 Million In PIPE Financing To Support Bitcoin Treasury Efforts

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kindly MD, Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA) ('KindlyMD'), which previously announced its anticipated merger with Nakamoto Holdings Inc. ('Nakamoto'), a Bitcoin-native holding company, today announced the close of an additional $51.5 million in private placement in public equity ('PIPE financing') to support its efforts to establish a Bitcoin treasury. To date, KindlyMD has raised a total of approximately $563 million in PIPE financing and $763 million including convertible notes. 'Investor demand for Nakamoto is incredibly strong. This additional financing was raised in under 72 hours, adding the option for more working capital in addition to acquiring bitcoin,' said David Bailey, Founder and CEO of Nakamoto. 'We continue to execute our strategy to raise as much capital as possible to acquire as much bitcoin as possible.' The transaction includes $51.5 million in gross proceeds from a fully committed PIPE financing priced at $5.00 per share and consisting of common stock in KindlyMD. The net proceeds from the PIPE financing are intended to be used by KindlyMD to purchase Bitcoin and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The PIPE financing is expected to close concurrently with the merger. Advisors Cohen & Company Capital Markets ('CCM'), a division of J.V.B. Financial Group, LLC is serving as lead financial advisor to Nakamoto and placement agent for the PIPE Financing. Reed Smith LLP is acting as legal advisor to Nakamoto. Brunson Chandler & Jones, PLLC is acting as legal advisor to KindlyMD. About KindlyMD KindlyMD is a patient-first healthcare and healthcare data company redefining value-based care and patient-centered medical services. KindlyMD leverages data analysis to deliver evidence-based, personalized solutions in order to reduce opioid use, improve health outcomes faster, and provide algorithmic guidance on the use of alternative medicine in healthcare. KindlyMD provides a patient-focused healthcare experience that integrates traditional medical evaluation and management with mental health integration and compliant alternative medicine education and inclusion. It focuses on creating personalized care plans for each individual that get people back to work and life faster, reduce opioid use, and yield high patient satisfaction. Its specialty outpatient clinical services are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance contracts as well as offered on a fee-for-service basis. For more information, please visit About Nakamoto Nakamoto is a Bitcoin treasury company building a global portfolio of Bitcoin-native companies. Nakamoto plans to establish the first publicly traded conglomerate of Bitcoin companies by accumulating Bitcoin in its treasury and by leveraging its treasury to acquire and develop an ecosystem of Bitcoin companies across finance, media, advisory and more. The company aims to provide commercial and financial infrastructure for the next generation of capital markets. For more information, please visit Additional Information and Where to Find It In connection with the merger, PIPE Financing and the initial PIPE financing and debt financing announced on May 12, 2025 (collectively, the 'Transactions'), KindlyMD intends to file with the SEC an information statement, in preliminary and definitive form (the 'information statement'), and KindlyMD will file other documents regarding the Transactions with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE INFORMATION STATEMENT, AS MAY BE AMENDED OR SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED BY KINDLYMD WITH THE SEC BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT KINDLYMD AND NAKAMOTO, THE TRANSACTIONS, THE RISKS RELATED THERETO AND RELATED MATTERS. A definitive information statement will be mailed to shareholders of KindlyMD. Investors will be able to obtain free copies of statement, as may be amended from time to time, and other relevant documents filed by KindlyMD with the SEC (when they become available) through the website maintained by the SEC at Copies of documents filed with the SEC by KindlyMD, including the information statement (when available), will be available free of charge from KindlyMD's website at under the 'Investors' tab. Forward-Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that Kindly MD or Nakamoto expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Words such as 'estimate,' 'project,' 'predict,' 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'potential,' 'create,' 'intend,' 'could,' 'would,' 'may,' 'plan,' 'will,' 'guidance,' 'look,' 'goal,' 'future,' 'build,' 'focus,' 'continue,' 'strive,' 'allow' or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the proposed merger and related transactions, (collectively, the 'Transactions') the expected closing of the proposed Transactions and the timing thereof and as adjusted descriptions of the post-transaction company and its operations, strategies and plans, integration, debt levels and leverage ratio, capital expenditures, cash flows and anticipated uses thereof, synergies, opportunities and anticipated future performance, including the management team and board of directors of the combined company and expected use of proceeds from the Transactions, and any post-closing transactions contemplated between the combined company and BTC Inc (and/or UTXO, LLC through BTC Inc). Information adjusted for the proposed Transactions should not be considered a forecast of future results. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this release. These include the risk that Kindly MD and Nakamoto businesses (which may include the businesses of BTC Inc and/or UTXO in the future, as applicable) will not be integrated successfully and the risk that Kindly MD or the applicable governing bodies of BTC Inc and/or UTXO may not pursue or approve the terms of an acquisition of BTC Inc and/or UTXO; the risk that cost savings, synergies and growth from the proposed transaction may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the possibility that shareholders of Kindly MD may not approve the issuance of new shares of Kindly MD common stock in the Transactions or that shareholders of Kindly MD may not approve the Transactions; the risk that a condition to closing of the Transactions may not be satisfied, that either party may terminate the merger agreement, the subscription agreements of the convertible debt purchase agreement or that the closing of the Transactions might be delayed or not occur at all; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the Transactions; the parties do not receive regulatory approval of the Transactions; the occurrence of any other event, change, or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement relating to the Transactions; the risk that changes in Kindly MD's capital structure and governance could have adverse effects on the market value of its securities; the ability of Kindly MD and Nakamoto to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers and on Kindly MD and Nakamoto's operating results and business generally; the risk the Transactions could distract management from ongoing business operations or cause Kindly MD and/or Nakamoto to incur substantial costs; the risk that Kindly MD may be unable to reduce expenses or access financing or liquidity; the impact of any related economic downturn; the risk of changes in governmental regulations or enforcement practices; and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond Kindly MD's and Nakamoto's control, including those detailed in Kindly MD's Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and such other documents of Kindly MD filed, or to be filed, with the SEC that are or will be available on Kindly MD's website at and on the website of the SEC at All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Kindly MD and Nakamoto believe to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and neither Kindly MD or Nakamoto undertakes any obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store