Category Archives: Insurance / Medical Services

By Jill Nagy

Dr. Michael Holland heads a medical team headquartered at Saratoga Hospital that looks after the medical needs of companies and their employees. From modest beginnings as company doctors, occupational medicine, Dr. Holland’s specialty, has developed into a board-certified field of medicine.

Dr. Holland began his medical career as an emergency room physician but, during off hours, the emergency room also served as the hospital’s occupational health office. After 18 years in the emergency room, and with a young family, he no longer wanted to work nights and weekends. Therefore, he undertook another residency and, since 1994, has been an occupational medicine specialist.

His field aims to meet the health and safety needs of business customers. Services include pre-employment examinations to make sure a candidate can do the job safely. He checks for illicit drug use, but also for such things as the ability to use a respirator mask for a job that requires one. For bus drivers, Dr. Holland assures that they can meet federal and New York State requirements. Basically, Dr. Holland explained, he tries to assure that  a prospective employee will not be a danger to himself or others. 

By Christine Graf

With cyberattacks against small businesses on the rise in recent years, it is more important than ever for companies to have cyber liability insurance policies. 

According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report, 46 percent of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees. In 2020, there were over 700,000 attacks against small businesses, resulting in $2.8 billion in damages.

“We’ve been dealing with cyber liability insurance for about 10 years, but it hasn’t been until the last five years that it has become more mainstream. Every business should have a general liability policy as well as a cyber liability policy,” said Jeremy Deason, a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and account executive at Associates of Glens Falls Insurance, an independently-owned insurance agency that writes policies throughout the United States. 

When cyber liability was in its infancy, policies were purchased primarily by companies that accepted credit cards or other digital forms of payment. These policies cover credit card breaches as well as the costs associated with providing data monitoring to customers.

By Susan Elise Campbell

With her new practice, Outta Sight Massotherapy LLC founder Brianna Gregory, LMT, is educating the community that massage is not just for relaxation or sports injuries. 

“Massotherapy is a new term that I’m putting in the face of the public,” said Gregory. “I like how people ask about the name and we start the conversation.”

According to Gregory, massage therapists can have very different goals and a range of skill sets.

“Some like a small space for relaxation and to be very Zen,” she said. “Others do sports massage at sporting events, which is very high energy.”

Medical massage can focus on recovery, TMJ, back aches, and more, she said. All massage is about muscular therapy and bodywork, and Gregory said she is equally comfortable with Western and Eastern influences in her treatments.

Gregory said she always wanted to work for herself and took business courses toward her associates degree. She is the owner and business manager of Outta Sight Massotherapy. John Krieg, LMT, is an independent practitioner on staff. 

But her first career was as a graphic designer. That path ended in 2020 with a diagnosis of macular degeneration. Working in front of a computer every day was no longer going to be feasible, she said.

By Christine Graf

Certified prosthetist Joe Fairley has established himself as an innovator in the field of prosthetics and orthotics.

His company, Ascent Fabrication, utilizes CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D print technology to create highly functional and innovative prosthetic and orthotic devices.

Fairley developed an interest in CAD while a student at Saratoga Springs High School, and it was while pursuing a physics degree at Siena College that he taught himself how to use his department’s new 3D printer. After mastering the device, he established a group at Siena to create hero-themed, prosthetic hands for kids.

They partnered with e-NABLE, a global community of volunteers who use 3D printers to make free and low-cost prosthetic upper limb devices for children and adults in need.

By Susan Elise Campbell

With Grace Mental Health Counseling PLLC has been growing and operating at capacity at their Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park locations since 2018. The business recently opened a third location in Queensbury, increasing access to quality mental health care in the North Country. 

“We consistently heard feedback that the community in and around Queensbury would benefit from more providers to support the expansion of the area,” said Nicole Edwards, LMHC, who is co-founder and co-owner with Diane Webb, LMHC.

Edwards specializes in couples and family counseling and Webb in trauma, “which is why we are well-matched. We do different things and have a well-rounded staff of therapists,” she said.

All three locations are purposefully located close to clinics, and the Queensbury location at Fowler Square is across the street from Adirondack Community College.

“We are easy to find at 719 Bay Road,” she said. “Students can walk over to Suite 2101 and receive services.”

The state Department of Health (DOH) has again recognized Albany Medical Center Hospital and Glens Falls Hospital as Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease (CEAD), and has awarded $2.35 million to each hospital in state funding over a five-year period.

As Centers of Excellence, Albany Med and Glens Falls Hospital serve as comprehensive resources to the healthcare community, providing diagnostic and consultative services to primary care providers in diagnosing patients, development of comprehensive care plans, assistance with the management of complex patient situations, and referrals of patients to specialty care.

Officials said their membership in the Albany Med Health System will allow Albany Med and Glens Falls Hospital to share resources and educational opportunities, making their services even more accessible to the people of our region and patients of the system, which also includes Columbia Memorial Health, Saratoga Hospital, and the Visiting Nurses Association of Albany.

“Alzheimer’s Disease is such a difficult diagnosis for patients and families – but programs like those offered by CEAD at Glens Falls Hospital and Albany Medical Center offer hope and tangible resources,” said Glens Falls Hospital Interim President and CEO Paul Scimeca. “Once again, the partnership with the Albany Med Health System preserves the local touch so important to the North Country while adding the strength of the region’s only tertiary care and teaching hospital.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

When Manuel Astruc, M.D., expanded his psychiatric practice years ago from a solo office to one with four nurse practitioners and specialists, he said “the pattern shift would have a bigger impact on the mental health of the community.” 

Now Astruc has introduced a new modality, the first in Saratoga County, that he believes will have the same positive effect. The little-known TMS technology he has acquired has been FDA approved for more than 10 years. 

“Mental health in the workplace and the impact of depression on company production is a problem,” he said.

According to the Center for Disease Control, “the percent of physician office visits with depression indicated on the medical record is 10.6” and “the percent of emergency department visits with depression indicated on the medical record is 11.2.”

“Even medical professionals and therapists don’t know it’s available,” said Astruc, who has lived and practiced in the Saratoga area for more than 26 years.

TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, a machine that stimulates deep areas of the brain and “advances the treatment of mental health disorders without medications or side effects,” he said.

One reason many sufferers of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction have been unaware of the existence of TMS therapy is because it is expensive to bring into a psychiatric practice and costly to use in terms of time and manpower, according to Astruc. 

“The typical course of treatment takes four to six weeks with five visits per week,” said Dr. Astruc. “That is time-intensive for the practice as every-day visits put demands on staff.”