Patient Care Forum

A Physical Therapy practice is no different than any other health care provider when it comes to introducing new technologies and treatments.  Technology and research are opening up windows to new ideas and potential treatment options for everything from pain management to exercise therapy for elder citizens.  In honor of National Physical Therapy Month, let’s examine the introduction of newer therapies as viable treatment options.

Halloween is rapidly approaching and children across the country are looking forward to trick or treating. Some of those children will be spending Halloween in a hospital receiving treatment. Luckily, patient care heroes like yourself can bring the fun to them. Here are 3 reasons you should get spooky at work this month.

A little more than one year ago, we published an article about the health care industry’s readiness for ICD-10.  The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) went live on October 1, 2015, after several years of being delayed.  Providers were given 12 months of flexibility in implementation because almost half weren’t on target to meet the implementation deadline.

As is the case with most healthcare careers, Physical Therapy is experiencing rapid growth and an increasingly diverse range of career opportunities.  With the month of October being an annual month of recognition for those in the Physical Therapy field, let’s take a look at a few of the trends that are driving the growth and opportunity.

If you are a fan of the National Football League, throughout the month of October, you will see the players wearing a variety of pink accessories with their typical uniforms.  From gloves to socks, and even spikes, pink will be the color of the month.  Why are these modern day warriors decking themselves out with pink accessories?  It’s all in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), the annual campaign devoted to promoting awareness of the disease and raise funds for research, prevention, treatment, and a cure.

Each year for National PT Month the APTA decides on a public awareness campaign to highlight one aspect of physical therapy.  The theme of National PT Month for 2016 is #ChoosePT and was chosen to raise awareness of the role that physical therapy can play in combatting our nation’s serious opioid epidemic.

In the news lately, most of the coverage has been dominated by the upcoming presidential election. However, there has also been significant news breaking about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2017.  The most recent news was that United Healthcare (UHC) has opted to leave the ACA exchanges beginning in 2017.  The reason for their departure is an estimated $1 billion in losses for 2015 – 2016.  Having such a major insurer leave the ACA marketplace has sent shock waves through the industry and rightfully caused quite a bit of fright for many Americans. 

Originally established in the 1970’s, the first published paper coining “Evidence-based Medicine” (EBM)  appeared in 1990.  In its simplest form, Evidence-based Medicine is the utilization of the current, best evidence and statistical analysis in making decisions about the care of individual patients.  The second role that EBM plays in modern healthcare is in the context of medical education.  In recent years, the term “evidence-based” is being applied to a broad range of activities throughout the health care system.

Back in June, we examined the healthcare proposals from the presumptive nominees of the Democrat and Republican Party.  Now that the nominating conventions have ended, and the presidential campaign is entering its final 60 days, let’s revisit the proposals of each of the major party candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and also include a brief look at the two minor party candidates, Dr. Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.   Note: The candidates are not being listed in any order of preference, and the included information has been taken from the official campaign websites.

September is Healthy Aging® Month and no American generation is more in tune with that fact than our “Baby Boomers”.  The Baby Boomer generation references people born between 1946 and 1964, with the first boomers now reaching their 70th birthday.  In the United States, there are approximately 76 million baby boomers, a number that includes people who have immigrated to our country and are of the boomer age.   Considering the fact that within the next ten years, more than 1 in 5 Americans will be over age 65, let’s examine ways that baby boomers can stay healthy as they age.

Just about every industry imaginable has been impacted by the rapid advancement of technology over the past few decades.  The Healthcare industry is no exception, although it has been a bit slower to embrace the digital revolution than others.  The marriage of innovative technologies and data utilization, with a helping hand from governmental legislation, has created an environment where healthcare providers are all but forced to join the revolution.  This digitization of healthcare is now being labeled as “The Internet of Medical Things”.

In April 2014, this space published an article questioning whether negative factors in Electronic Health Records Systems were outweighing the intended benefits. Now, more than two years later, it is time to revisit the status of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and the impact on medical care.  The HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act of 2009 was intended to promote the adoption of new technologies regarding the compilation and utilization of electronic data.

In June, we published an article outlining The Straight Facts About Zika Virus.  With news reports of the virus’ spread, it is time to revisit the issue and provide you with the latest updates on Zika.  As of August 3rd, the CDC is reporting that there are 1,825 reported Zika cases in the United States.  Six cases have been attributed to locally acquired mosquito bites, while 1,818 are associated with travel to highly infected areas of the world.  In the U.S., New York has the most number of reported cases at 491 and Florida is second with 322 and is also accountable for the six locally acquired cases.  As of this date, all fifty states are reporting at least one Zika virus case.

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is a month-long observance, beginning August 1st, and highlights the importance of vaccinations throughout one’s lifespan.  NIAM events are an opportunity to showcase the positive effects of immunization and encourage people to protect themselves against infectious diseases by staying current with their immunizations.  Last year’s measles outbreak is just one example of how important immunizations are in disease prevention.

We are in the midst of one of the hottest summers on record here in the United States.  As a medical professional, you typically work in an air-conditioned environment, but what about when you are at home with your children and pets.  For those of us that don’t have central air in our house or apartment, let’s take a look at a few simple ways that you can keep yourself and your pets safe from the heat and sizzle of summer.

Alarmists have predicted that nearly 50% of all jobs will be lost to automation and robotics in the coming decades.  While it is true that robotics will have some measure of impact on jobs across all sectors, including healthcare, analysts are publishing reports now that are more balanced regarding jobs lost versus jobs created.  For example, Forrester Research published a report in August of 2015, titled “Robots Will Not Steal All Our Jobs”.

The raw numbers are staggering.  Each day, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose.  Heroin-related overdose deaths have more than tripled in the past six years, with a 39% increase between 2012 and 2013 alone.  Nearly half of all opioid overdoses involve a prescribed medicine, while sales of prescription opioids in the U.S. have quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.  Clearly, there is an opioid crisis in our country and it has reached epidemic proportions.  Let’s examine the role that nursing professionals can play in addressing this opioid epidemic.

The 2016 presidential election is still over five months away, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dominating the 24-hour news cycle.  For simplicity sake, we are going to examine the positions of the two presumptive nominees for the Democrat and Republican Party.  Unless something other-worldly occurs, Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the respective party nominees so let’s take a look at their healthcare policy statements.  NOTE: The information used for this comparison has been published by both campaigns, and neither candidate is being endorsed through this writing.

Thus far, the spring and early summer of 2016 have been hot; we’ve had a steady dose of sun and higher temperatures across much of North America.  Weather patterns like this are a perfect reminder of the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun and skin cancer.  Each year in the U.S. alone there is more than 5 million reported cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, and another 5 million cases of other forms of skin cancer.

In every 24-hour news cycle, there is typically one or more stories about a man-made or natural disaster occurring somewhere within the United States. These disasters can include any number of victims from 5 to 10 to 50 or more and as a medical professional, nurses have to be prepared for that unwanted call at any time. The American Red Cross recommends that every family should talk about and prepare a plan for how they will react to a local disaster.