understanding the difference between immediate...
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Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News – Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
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Understanding the Difference BetweenImmediate and Delayed AutoimmuneResponsesSEPTEMBER 7, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
By Dr. Chad Larson, NMD,DC, CCN, CSCS
Are you one of many peopleasking the all too familiarquestion, “Why areautoimmune issuesbecoming so rampant?”Well, the truth is they reallyaren’t becoming moreprevalent; problemsassociated with autoimmune response have always been here—we’rejust identifying them better today. While genetics and environmentalfactors affect our predisposition to—and development of—allergies,sensitivities and autoimmune responses, there’s a lot more to it. Casesof such responses have not actually multiplied, but rather our knowledgeof a broader spectrum of immune reactions has.
Through ongoing studies, we have learned so much about the way ourbodies respond to different foods, antigens and environmental factors.Not only have we learned that immune responses can be triggered bysensitivities and intolerances in addition to the more commonly termed“allergies,” but we have learned that there are different ways our bodiescan respond to them. Specifically, these responses can be immediate ordelayed.
Immediate immune responses usually appear within 12 minutes ofexposure to something that the immune system rejects. When you thinkof an allergic reaction, for example, you might imagine one’s faceswelling up, body breaking out in hives or throat tightening up andcausing breathing difficulty. These are immediate, or type Ihypersensitivity responses to antigens (allergens) that the bodymistakenly recognizes as harmful and works to attack or fight off. Nutsand shellfish are examples of common allergens that would cause these
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Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News – Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
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Karen Wolk Feinstein
immediate reactions. [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: THE DAILY BEAT
Jewish Healthcare Foundation Approves$100,000 Grant to Support Stop the BleedProgramSEPTEMBER 2, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) Boardof Trustees approved a $100,000 grant toimplement a regional Stop the Bleed initiative, acommunity outreach, training, and actionprogram that empowers the general public withthe first responder skills and equipmentnecessary to stop or slow life-threateningbleeding.
JHF will support a regional planning effort andprovide resources (including bleeding control kitsand training) to the local Jewish community and the Foundation’sHIV/AIDS service partners.
Mass casualty events—including shootings, multi-vehicle accidents, andacts of terrorism—have become increasingly common. While emergencyinterventions may save victims of mass casualty situations, some bleedto death at the scene before medical help arrives. Equipping bystanderswith basic first responder skills and tools can quicken intervention timesand potentially save lives.
“No one wants to think about mass casualty incidents, but many citiesacross the U.S.—including Aurora, Sandy Hook, Boston, Orlando, andDallas—have been touched by such tragedies,” says JHF President andCEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD. “It is critically important that our regionis as prepared as possible for an emergency situation. That starts with allof us knowing how to stop life-threatening bleeding, similar to how manyin the general public can provide CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] tosomeone in distress.” [Read more…]
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FILED UNDER: THE DAILY BEAT
Why Drug Rehabs Should Not LabelPeople As “Addicts”SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
By Clare Waismann
Despite an estimated 23.5million people needingtreatment for substanceabuse in 2009, only 11.2%of these individuals actuallygot treatment at a specialfacility, according to theSubstance Abuse andMental Health ServicesAdministration’s NationalSurvey on Drug Use andHealth. The reasons for this are multifaceted. Access to treatment islimited, and many drug rehab centers offer inadequate services that donot effectively treat drug addiction. Additionally, many of these rehabfacilities use the term “addict” to describe the individuals they proclaim tohelp. Moving away from the term “addict” can help effective drugrehabilitation facilities provide a more caring, compassionate quality ofcare.
The Stigma Associated with the Label “Addict”
Many people writing or talking about substance abuse do not know howto effectively talk about it. The topic is often shrouded in secrecy andstigma in our society. As a result, people struggling with drug addictiontry to hide their problem or avoid treatment. This sense of shame causesmany people to steer clear of drug rehab centers, despite knowing thatthey need to get help.
One of the reasons for this is that our society has an unhelpful way ofconceptualizing addiction. The term “addict” defines a person by his orher disease. Rather than being a person in pain who needs compassion,an “addict” is someone who is broken. Furthermore, many people believethat once a person is an addict, that person will always be an addict. Thisfurther penalizes people struggling with addiction, who internalize the
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message that they will always be damaged or broken. Many drug rehabprograms perpetuate this message, which is prominent in the TwelveStep program: you will always be an addict, and you must learn how tocope with the addiction. [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: DRUG & ALCOHOL TREATMENT
Sponsor: Presbyterian SeniorCare—Energizing ExperienceSEPTEMBER 1, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
FILED UNDER: SENIOR CARETAGGED WITH: PRESBYTERIAN SENIORCARE
Pennsylvania’s Temporary MarijuanaRegulations—What Physicians Need toKnowAUGUST 30, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
By Sarah Carlins and Adam Shestak
Among the loudest voices thatadvocated for the legalization ofmedical marijuana were parents ofchildren affected by medical
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conditions that are not responsive toconventional medical treatment.Some children suffering with severeseizure disorders, forexample, have experienceda great reduction insymptoms when treatedwith medical marijuana andtherefore an improvedquality of life.
However, the industry is stilldeveloping in the state andit may be many months before medical marijuana will be generallyavailable from suppliers in Pennsylvania. Because of the desire to offerthis form of treatment to children who are seriously compromised,Section 2106 of the new Medical Marijuana Act (the “Act”) specificallyallows parents and guardians of minors to lawfully obtain medicalmarijuana from outside of Pennsylvania in order to give them immediateaccess. Although the regulations implementing the Act are still beingdrafted, temporary regulations pertaining to Section 2106 have just beenreleased (28 Pa Code Ch. 1131, the “Temporary Regulations”).
Physicians and other medical practitioners will likely receive questionsfrom their patients about this issue. The following is a brief overview ofthe regulations and their practical application. [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: THE DAILY BEAT
Switch to a Smarter EHRAUGUST 25, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News – Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
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By Alex Tate
The EHR is taking the Health It industry one step closer to an efficient,more cost effective world. Physicians across the state are adoptingEHRs and without a surprise, things are looking good; better than theywere previously. With the introduction of this latest gadget gizmo,physicians are able to experience improved medical recorddocumentation and legibility. The tool has earned its place in hospitalsand practices as the primary means of achieving better care, betterpopulation health and lower health care cost per capita. However, there’sanother side of the coin often overlooked.
Malpractice insurers have reported EHRs to be a source of medicalliability instead. According to a national medical liability insurer,substantial amount of EHR-related malpractice claims was derived fromsystem errors (42%) and not user factors. Which is why it’s often best toeducate yourself of the real risks of outdated EHRs and make the smartdecision when investing in health IT.
Interoperability
The percentage of office-based pediatricians using EHRs rose from 58%in 2009 to 79% in 2012, while at the same time the limited pediatricfunctionality and multiple EHR systems and platforms contribute tointeroperability problems (Lehmann CU, et al. Pediatrics. 2015;135: e7-e15).
Primary care physicians are not often cognizant of the reality that they donot have immediate access to data on emergency department visits,hospital admissions, subspecialist reports, laboratory results and acutecare provided outside the medical home due to interoperability issues.Fragmented EHRs help in contributing to serious errors in medicalmanagement, exposing patients to harm and pediatricians to
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professional liability.
A more reasonable approach to the issue would involve the providerasking their patients to direct summaries from other providers to themedical home. [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: EMR, TECHNOLOGY
The Truth about Patient Engagement: 5MythsAUGUST 24, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
By Mary McNeill, MS, RD,LD, CDE, MBA
As clinicians, we are told weneed to engage patientsmore effectively to treatthem successfully. Whydoes this often seem sodifficult? Let’s dive deeperand evaluate certain mythsaround patient engagement.
Myth #1: Patients are notengaged.
On the contrary, the person in front of you in the exam room is veryengaged. They had to evaluate their health, decide to make anappointment, give up their time to drive to your office, wait to be calledback, and are sitting in front of you voluntarily. We don’t know what ittook to get there: babysitters, rides, asking for time off work, coming upwith the copayment, etc. However, there they are, against many odds. These series of steps translates into patient engagement or a desire forthem to help themselves.
Myth #2: Patients do not think about their health.
Patients do think about their health, and the impact their condition mighthave on their lives in the future. They are involved in the decision makingprocess around their health. They might have made the decision to seekout an opinion from friends or the internet, get their prescriptions refilled,or to ignore their illness. They may have decided to implement their careplan as they understood it from their provider, but stopped complyingwhen they decided it was too difficult. Exercise may be hard to
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Auto-dispensing hand sanitizer wallunits are great to cut down germ
transfer in high traffic areas.
implement when a patient’s sleep apnea has not been treated, or theirarthritis flares up, or if their children are sick, for example. [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: PATIENT CARE
Increase Infection Control Awareness toProtect Students, PatientsAUGUST 24, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
Use Infection Control as a Means for IllnessPrevention this Back-to-School SeasonBy Dominic Toscani
The kids are back in school,and that means cold and fluseason is just around thecorner. While there’s nosubstitute for proper hygieneand clean hands, a solidinfection control regimen goes along way toward keepingstudents, teachers and medicalstaff healthy, while alsoreducing exposure to viralgerms. What does an effectiveinfection control plan look like?It’s a series of preventativemeasures to keep bacteria andviruses from spreading before itbecomes an outbreak.
The first step in any infectioncontrol program is increasing awareness. When students and teachersknow what to do at home, they are less likely to bring a virus to school.The same can be said for the medical industry. When custodians orcommercial cleaning teams have a clear starting point, it is easier tokeep the educational or medical facility safe and clean for everyone.
Isn’t Using Sanitizing AgentsEnough?Infection control is more than just sanitization. It’s the purification anderadication of potential airborne or liquid viral strains. While Clorox wipesand Lysol sprays are effective at attacking bacteria, some methods of
Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News – Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
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Sandie Colatrella and John E. Baverso
using these products are not effective. For the best antibacterialcleaning, do not reuse any cleaning wipes or materials, as theseincrease the risk of spreading around more bacteria and germs.
After addressing common surfaces, it’s key to disinfect materials thatchildren and staff may touch and have frequent hand to mouth contact. Consider disinfecting books, toys, musical instruments and stuffedanimals with disinfectant spray that attacks a wide array of bacteria andviruses. [Read more…]
FILED UNDER: MEDICAL SUPPLIES
The Next Nurse Specialty—Architectureand Health Care Design?AUGUST 23, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
In talking to Sandie Colatrella,RN, BSN, CLNC, you get anunderstanding that she knowsher nursing specialty very welland is quite passionate aboutit. What is her specialty?Colatrella is the Vice Presidentin charge of Health CareOperations and Research atthe Pittsburgh-based firm,Avanti Architecture.
Colatrella now continues her original nursing mission of caring forpatients within the confines of an architectural firm with a healthcaredesign specialty. She sees her role as helping the healthcarepractitioners as well as patients by designing improved work spaces thatincorporate comfort, safety and efficiency into the functionality of theplan.
[Read more…]
FILED UNDER: HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTION & DESIGNTAGGED WITH: AVANTI ARCHITECTURE
5 Reasons E-prescribing Benefits YourPractice
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AUGUST 22, 2016 BY THE WESTERN PA HEALTHCARE NEWS TEAM
Is e-prescribing the right move for yourpractice? Matthew J. Hawkins, CEO ofVitera Healthcare Solutions, offers fivereasons why it is:
E-prescribing adoption is not onlyrewarded, but failing to do so isbeginning to be penalized. According to
the American Medical Association (AMA), physicians who don’t adopt e-prescribing when eligible will face penalties starting in 2012. Eligiblephysicians are subject to a 1.5 percent Medicare payment reductionbased on their 2013 Medicare Part B fee schedule amounts during theyear. The penalty is 2 percent in 2014.
E-prescribing allows you to monitor patient adherence tomedication more effectively, increasing quality of care. Many of thephysicians we work with tell us that one big advantage of e-prescribing isthat it increases their patients’ compliance to medication usage bysimplifying the prescription-filling process. Paper prescriptions may resultin a breach in the patient care continuum because doctors have noaccurate means of monitoring if patients have filled the prescription afterthe medication has been prescribed by paper. With e-prescribing,however, a refill request goes directly from the doctor’s office to thepharmacy electronically and the practice gets an electronic confirmationthat the pharmacy received the request and filled the prescription.
[Read more…]
FILED UNDER: TECHNOLOGY, TELEMEDICINE
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