One of the most useful things about Internet banking is that once you have your account information on your computer, you can export it into financial programs such as Microsoft Money and Quicken, to better manage your various household accounts. This can be particularly useful at tax time, if you export your account details into a tax calculator program such as TurboTax.
However, getting the software and your Internet banking to talk to each other can sometimes be easier said than done. While many banks (especially Internet-only banks) are good about this and offer an easy download link to save your online statements onto your computer, others offer only a very basic Internet banking service.
If your bank doesn’t produce export files, you may have luck with asking your software to access your Internet banking account directly, giving it your username and password (it goes without saying that you shouldn’t give these details to any software you don’t completely trust).
If that still doesn’t work, then don’t worry. Search the web for the name of your bank followed by ‘export software’, and you will often find that someone has produced a free script that you can use to save the information from your bank’s website. These scripts generally work by first asking you to save pages from your Internet banking using your web browser’s Save button or menu option, and then taking the files produced and converting them into a format that your financial software can understand.
If all else fails, call up your bank and ask them to help you. If they refuse, and it is really important to you, you might consider opening an account at an Internet bank, where they will be much more understanding towards these kinds of requests. You might also want to complain to the company that makes the financial software, as they may be able to persuade (or even help) the bank to do something about the problem.
Get you Economic stimulus package news at iTaxRebate.com
Learn about green energy tax cuts for your next investment project.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Information To Help You Make Health Care Decisions
Armed with good information, you can be your own best advocate when it comes to making health care decisions. That means not only gathering information on specific medical conditions and the latest treatments, but asking questions and seeking advice during your doctor visits.
But where can consumers get reliable and accurate health care information? In many cases, it's from prescription drug advertisements. Studies show that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising starts important conversations about overall health and disease between doctors and patients-conversations that may lead to new diagnosis and better treatment.
According to a Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital and Harris Interactive health care survey, for example, one-quarter of adult patients who consulted a doctor after seeing a DTC ad received a new diagnosis. Some of the most common new diagnoses included high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and depression. These conditions are often undertreated and underdiagnosed in the general population.
"Direct-to-Consumer advertising plays an invaluable role informing physicians and patients both about disease and new and lifesaving medicines," says Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson. "Educational advertising empowers patients to seek guidance from their doctors, which can lead to earlier detection and treatment of diseases."
Guiding Principles
PhRMA recently issued new guiding principles to further improve the educational value of prescription drug advertising. Through these principles, pharmaceutical companies pledge to provide even more accurate information to patients and doctors about health and disease they can use. Key elements include:
• Companies should submit all new DTC television advertisements to the Food and Drug Administration before releasing them for broadcast.
• DTC television advertising that identifies a product by name should clearly state the health conditions for which the medicine is approved, as well as the risks associated with the medicine being advertised.
• Companies should spend an appropriate amount of time educating health care professionals about new medicines or new therapeutic indications before beginning the first direct-to-consumer advertising campaign.
PhRMA represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
Health Care Information Technology
healthcare information technology consulting
But where can consumers get reliable and accurate health care information? In many cases, it's from prescription drug advertisements. Studies show that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising starts important conversations about overall health and disease between doctors and patients-conversations that may lead to new diagnosis and better treatment.
According to a Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital and Harris Interactive health care survey, for example, one-quarter of adult patients who consulted a doctor after seeing a DTC ad received a new diagnosis. Some of the most common new diagnoses included high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and depression. These conditions are often undertreated and underdiagnosed in the general population.
"Direct-to-Consumer advertising plays an invaluable role informing physicians and patients both about disease and new and lifesaving medicines," says Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson. "Educational advertising empowers patients to seek guidance from their doctors, which can lead to earlier detection and treatment of diseases."
Guiding Principles
PhRMA recently issued new guiding principles to further improve the educational value of prescription drug advertising. Through these principles, pharmaceutical companies pledge to provide even more accurate information to patients and doctors about health and disease they can use. Key elements include:
• Companies should submit all new DTC television advertisements to the Food and Drug Administration before releasing them for broadcast.
• DTC television advertising that identifies a product by name should clearly state the health conditions for which the medicine is approved, as well as the risks associated with the medicine being advertised.
• Companies should spend an appropriate amount of time educating health care professionals about new medicines or new therapeutic indications before beginning the first direct-to-consumer advertising campaign.
PhRMA represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
Health Care Information Technology
healthcare information technology consulting
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