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How to avoid getting sick on your next vacation
Catherine Iste Medical & Allied HealthcareVacation can be that wonderful carrot, dangling out in the future. Blocking the time off on the calendar, making reservations, and other acts of preparation can add little boosts of positivity to dreary days between now and then. For some of us, it inspires cleared inboxes and finished projects, too. Unfortunately, many of us end up sick on our well-deserved breaks. Here are a few reasons we end up under the weather and some ways to get us back out enjoying it instead.
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ADA partners with National Institutes of Health for opioids webinar
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcarePrescription opioid abuse remains a dangerous and growing problem in America. Every day, more than 115 Americans die after overdosing on opioids, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The ADA is hosting an opioids webinar on Wednesday, April 3, featuring the National Institutes of Health. Called "NIH Response to the Opioid Crisis from a Research Perspective," the webinar will take place from 3-4 p.m. EST.
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Are your doctors asking patients the right questions?
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationIn healthcare, you know how crucially important good doctor-patient communication is. So are the doctors in your organization shedding enough light on the key information needed to make an accurate diagnosis every time? It's vital for doctors to utilize the best verbal and nonverbal forms of communication in order to determine what each patient needs. The good news: research has focused on how doctors can perfect their Q&A skills so they get the patient the accurate info they need. Suggest that your organization's physicians put this advice into practice.
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Physician burnout may have peaked, but it remains a healthcare crisis
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareFrom reported record highs in 2014, physician burnout levels have fallen. Despite nearly 45 percent of physicians reporting burnout in 2017, those numbers were highest in 2014 when more than 54 percent of U.S. physicians reported they suffered from the malaise. This is according to a new study published in Mayo Clinical Proceedings and conducted jointly with the American Medical Association. Another recent report — from the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — says doctors struggle with the "unyielding demands of electronic health record systems and ever-growing regulatory burdens."
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A blood test to measure pain
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareWhether acute or chronic, most of us have dealt with pain. In 2016, 20 percent of adults in the United States had chronic pain, and 8 percent had pain that limited at least one major life activity. The state of the art of pain measurement right now is a pain scale that was invented decades ago. However, a new University of Pittsburgh study shows that physicians may soon be able to quantify pain with a simple blood test. Researchers have developed a test that objectively measures pain biomarkers in the blood.
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What do elder care, robots and Japan have in common?
Catherine Iste Medical & Allied HealthcareWhile there is no shortage of attempts to stop or reverse it, we are all still aging. This year, for the first time in our history, there will be more of us over 65 than under 5 years old. This demographic shift, combined with our increasing longevity, will continue to exacerbate the disparities between the elderly population and those available to care for them. Japan is at the forefront of this new world; providing lessons for us all to consider.
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New research shows rural hospitals remain in dire straits
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationSince 2010, 95 rural hospitals have closed in 26 states as rural populations continue to crater compared to their urban counterparts. Rural hospitals are economic engines for the small communities they serve, and there are more than 60 million people who are cared for by these organizations. Thus, the loss of these hospitals is a crisis on two fronts: people are losing much-needed access to care and they are losing high-quality and high-paying jobs not likely found or replicated in the area. According to a new study, the economic effects of a lost hospital are immediate.
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New opportunities for telehealth, mHealth reimbursement that providers…
Christina Thielst Healthcare AdministrationThere has been pressure on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to address telehealth and mHealth reimbursement for years. The fruits of that labor by policymakers, healthcare providers, telehealth networks and information technology professionals are continuing to materialize with new reimbursement for remote patient monitoring and virtual visits. In a recent article, Eric Wicklund, a longtime reimbursement proponent and editor at mHealthIntelligence, presents survey data that finds providers aren’t paying attention. This includes that out of "280 health systems, two-thirds of those surveyed don’t know about CMS’ expanded telemedicine reimbursement opportunities."
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Schools, law enforcement team up to curb new trends in drug use
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityThe latest surge of drugs impacting teens is a matter of serious concern. While drug abuse has always been a problem, some of the newer ones are scary in the ways they are presented inconspicuously and innocently. This is why some law enforcement officials are teaming up with schools to warn parents of the latest teen drug trends as a part of their preventative efforts. These troubling new trends include prescription drugs, fentanyl, and heroin. Additionally, there's the risk of having entire generations addicted to nicotine. Federal, state, and local authorities want parents to be aware of all these so that they know the signs and act right away.
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Tips on how school counselors can use technology to up their game
Christy Conley EducationIn a time when school counselor caseloads can vary from the desired ASCA model number of 250 students per counselor to a caseload of over 900 students, counseling offices are constantly searching for avenues to produce large results with limited time and resources. Utilizing new technology is a great way to reach the masses and leave a lasting impression. New apps and websites are constantly hitting the market and can help counselors work smarter and not harder. This article features a few of my favorites.
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