Two attorneys with nationwide reputations have formed a unique partnership to create a new law firm in West Hartford focusing on cost containment matters for healthcare and property/casualty industries. Mueller Pierce LLC combines the experience of victim’s rights attorney, Mark Mueller, with healthcare cost containment attorney, Howard Pierce.
The Connecticut office of Mueller Pierce, whose principal focus will be cost containment matters for group healthcare plans, property/casualty insurers, self-funded plans, individual plans, and group healthcare stop-loss insurers, will combine resources and expertise with a network that includes offices in Austin, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
“Cost containment in healthcare is on every business’ agenda,” Pierce said. “This is especially important now that the Supreme Court’s decision confirmed the Affordable Care Act to be the law of the land. For third party payers like health insurance companies, controlling costs is more important now than ever.
“Our goal is resolving disputes short of litigation in a business-to-business atmosphere. If we can arrive at solutions without going to trial, both businesses involved save time and money and get back to business quicker.”
Cost containment helps the healthcare system get a handle on escalating costs and ultimately improves the quality of healthcare.
Setting up shop in Connecticut was natural as some of Pierce’s largest institutional clients have their headquarters in the state. The local office provides the added benefit of reinforcing personal relationships, Pierce said.
Even with the wealth of experience Mueller and Pierce possess, the decision to open Mueller Pierce was not made lightly.
“Starting a firm with just four walls and no systems in place; that’s both a blessing and a curse, Pierce said. “The challenge is obvious, but the upside is that we can build those systems from the ground up to meet our unique needs. Essentially, we’re taking advantage of collective experiences of those in the firm to set up a system that responds to client needs as well as our own. We’re taking the best of what we’ve learned over the last two decades and applying it in the way we run the firm.”
Over the next year, the firm will be concentrating on establishing itself, introducing its own approach to alternate fee arrangements, including flat fees, retainers, reduced rates, blended rates and bonuses, all designed to meet their clients’ budgetary constraints.
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CTGolfer Mobile
A Kensington media/publishing company owner has teamed up with a former Connecticut State Golf Association Player of the Year to create the first mobile app designed to help Connecticut golfers find courses to play, practice ranges and golf shops to buy the latest equipment.
The CTGolfer Mobile app was designed by Robert Samek, owner of Netminder Communications, Inc., which publishes CTGolfer.com and the CTGolfer.com Course Guide; and Brent Paladino, assistant golf professional at New Haven Country Club in Hamden. It is exclusively for the iPhone and available for 99 cents from the Apple App Store.
CTGolfer Mobile, launched in May, allows users to find detailed information and directions for any public or private golf course in the state. Course information typically includes details on tee times, course design, statistics, yardages, slope, rating, practice facilities, clubhouse amenities and staff. Users may also submit comments about a course or read reviews. In addition, the app enables users to touch an address on screen to display a scalable map and receive turn-by-turn directions.
With modest advertising, the app has been downloaded several hundred times since launch.
With marketplace competitors such as Golflink and Golfnow, what makes CT Golfer Mobile special?
“What makes our product unique here in Connecticut is that we have identified a niche market that we can serve better than anyone else because we offer details about golf courses and other information that no one else publishes,” Samek said. “We also have the luxury of being well-established with a brand name that golfers know.”
Samek said he and Paladino are working on database updates to provide more detailed course fee information, something Samek takes a very personal stake in.
“We already have the most detailed listing of course fees that you can find,” he said. “That’s because I visit every public course in the state each spring and talk to the owners and golf pros about all the various fees they offer. And believe me, there are many.”
Samek is seeking funding and investors in order to expand the app, as well as to create a unique mobile golf game, currently in development.
“We want to be on every Connecticut golfer’s iPhone and offer dynamic information and services that will be informative, entertaining and provide great value,” he said. “We plan to offer tee time reservations and discount programs along with course information.”
Startup Spotlight is a periodic feature highlighting young, innovative Connecticut companies looking to make an impact in the state and beyond. Have an idea for Startup Spotlight? Contact John Lahtinen at jlahtinen@HartfordBusiness.com.
