Author: Dominick Flarey

Case Management Certification Program Article on Small Practice Revenue Cycle

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Good article for certified case managers.

The article, “3 Pain Points Affecting Small Practice Healthcare Revenue Cycle” by Jacqueline Belliveau states,

“While working in a small practice allows providers to really understand their patients and their community’s healthcare needs, it can also create unique healthcare revenue cycle management challenges.

Small practices come with several advantages. Some providers prefer the close relationship of working with just a couple other physicians versus a multitude of providers in a hospital.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our case management certification program to learn more.  Please review to see if it matches your academic and professional needs.

Healthcare Case Management Program Article on ER and Clinics

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Good article regarding traditional ER’s and clinics.

The article, “The Lines Are Blurred Between Freestanding ERs and Urgent Care Centers”  by Olivia Nguyen states

“Last November in Frisco, Candie and Dustin Sandlin entered a Legacy ER & Urgent Care center—a walk-in clinic that also operates as a freestanding emergency center—because the couple’s primary-care physician was unavailable. Candie, experiencing symptoms of a migraine headache, was told by the on-site doctor that a CAT scan was needed to rule out any serious diagnoses.”

To read the entire article, please click here

If you are interested in Case Management and healthcare, then please review our healthcare case management program

Bereavement Counseling Program Article on Helping a Bereaved Friend

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Great article about how to help a grieving friend.  Too many times one does more harm trying to help by doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing.  Helping a grieving friend requires some understanding of grief itself

The article, “What Your Grieving Friend Really Needs :When someone you love dies, every single relationship in your life is reevaluated”, by Lisa Ingrassia states

“My feelings were crushed the night my father died.  My entire world exploded when my father died.

As I silently observed my father take his last breath, I felt my heart beat hard inside my chest, exactly six times before I burst into uncontrollable tears.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Bereavement Counseling Program

Pet Loss Grief Article on Losing a Dog

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Great article on Pet Loss Grief. Losing a dog can be a painful time especially with how close one can become with his canine friend.

The article, “Of grief and renewal, raising and losing a great dog”, by David Jones states

“Grief is an emotion that’s hard to define and even harder to understand. There are levels of it depending on the loss, the depths of some I can’t fathom. But the pattern of healing, I imagine, is the same in each.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pet Loss Grief Counseling Program

Health Case Management Article on Technology and Patient Outcomes

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

How Innovative Technology Is Improving Patient Outcomes

Recently, healthcare had made some enormous progress. More compact and powerful hardware, along with increased competition and demand, has fueled intense research to bring us insights and tools that weren’t possible a generation ago. Here are just a few of the ways that technical innovation is creating more positive patient outcomes.

Wearables

Monitoring patient vitals has gone way beyond attaching wires and sensors directly to the skin. Today’s electronics allow medical sensors to be built right into hospital clothing, a technology that’s become known as fibertronics. The original concept had clothing such as shirts where traditional sensors were permanently attached to measure and transmit vitals like temperature, pulse, respiration, and even blood sugar levels.

With fibertronics, an array of tiny sensors and microchips can be wired right into hospital garb. This is hardly noticeable for the patient, and fibertronics actually provides more consistent and comprehensive information.

Telemedicine

The data that is provided by hospital sensors is taking the form of telemedicine. It can be uploaded to hospital computers anywhere in the world, where it’s analyzed by increasingly advanced algorithms that learn and adapt to patient trends. The results are instantly transmitted to viewable screens. Nursing staff can see essentially real-time reporting and react accordingly. Many systems can also provide visual and audio alerts if these readings fall outside safe thresholds.

This provides a level of visibility into the condition of ICU or incapacitated patients that is saving lives. Constant monitoring allows for more collaboration and better emergency management among nursing staff.

Bioprinting

The rapid evolvement of biologic materials that can be applied with 3D printing methods has opened the doors to astonishing possibilities for surgeons. While there is still some controversy surrounding the subject, laboratories can use stem cells to generate a sampling of the patient’s own cell types for a variety of applications. Today’s surgeons have already managed to recreate bones, arteries, skin, and even liver tissue to give those suffering from disease or traumatic injury new hope.

With bioprinting, doctors could recreate replacement parts to precise custom dimensions, so that even those born with birth defects may be able to lead normal lives.

AR and VR

Virtual reality has gone way beyond a video gamer’s paradise to helping improve medical outcomes. Surgeons faced with difficult procedures can review and practice them in virtual reality before cutting into the patient. Augmented reality adds something to the experience, such as providing important textual information to students using this technology to understand different treatments.

Patients about to undergo these procedures can also immerse themselves in VR to see for themselves exactly what will be happening. Viewing the entire procedure can give them a greater understanding and peace of mind. VR can also help them to understand and appreciate their own post-op obligations for ideal recovery.

Patient Education

Keeping patients educated and informed on their medical conditions and treatment is an important aspect of achieving the most successful outcomes and improving HCAHPS scores. Modern technology programs can automatically update patients on their own diagnosis, treatment, and recovery programs. Patients can read explanations and view video feeds related to their prognosis at every stage of the journey from examination to recovery.

Those undergoing treatment can interact with digital resources for viewing appointment and medication schedules, the identity and background of primary caregivers, dietary requirements, and even consult through video chat. Giving patients more information on their own condition and treatments will empower them to have a greater impact on their own recovery.

These are just a few of the emerging technologies that are providing healthcare professionals with superior tools and techniques. But helping patients to understand their own part in the healing process is also essential.

 

 

About the author: Anica is a professional content and copywriter from San Francisco, California. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. She was raised in a big family, so she’s used to putting things to a vote. Also, cartwheels are her specialty.

 

 

Please also review our Health Case Management Program

Bereavement Counseling Training Article on Grieving and Diet

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Eating and regular functioning is difficult to maintain when grieving.  If we can eat, what is best to for us to consume and digest during bereavement?

The article, “What To Eat When Grief Is Eating You” by Kristi Hugstad states

“When you’re grieving – particularly after the death of a loved one – you might experience decision fatigue. This happens in response to the number of decisions you’ve been forced to make over a very short period of time, deteriorating the quality of those decisions.”

To view the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Bereavement Counseling Training

Case Management Program Article on Data Breaches

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

HIPAA Headaches: What Happens When Patient Data is Compromised

 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is legislation that outlines how health records must be protected and secured. However, in today’s technology advanced world, data breaches are occurring at an alarming rate and some of those breaches have compromised health records. Healthcare providers must understand how dangerous medical record breaches can be and what to do if they believe their data has been compromised.

Incidences of Medical Record Data Breaches

Over the past few years, 89 percent of healthcare organizations experienced a security breach. One reason hackers are particularly interested in health records is that they contain information that can lead to identity theft, such as social security numbers, home addresses and even the names of family members which are often used as security questions. It is expected that more than 25 million people will have their medical information stolen between 2015 and 2019. Breaches occur in many different ways. Some of the most common reasons for a breach in health records include:

  • Healthcare employee uses an unsecure cloud-based app to access protected health information
  • Excel spreadsheets with patient information copied and stolen
  • Missing backup disks from an unlocked storage facility
  • A weak password leads to a server breach
  • Doctors or administrators provide staff with usernames and passwords enabling an employee unauthorized access to data
  • The hacking of a server leading to the misappropriation of patient information

Healthcare Provider Responsibility Under HIPAA

All medical professionals, including doctors, nursing professionals, and technicians are required to safeguard patient records as much as possible. The 2009 stimulus act required that a breach that affects 500 or more patients must be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the media. One way that healthcare providers could provide added protection is to encrypt data, something that financial organizations have done for years, but something that healthcare providers have been slow to adopt. Other ways that medical records can be protected is by improved cloud storage and stricter password rules.

Increased Fines

One thing that the government is looking into to stop the increase in medical record breaches is an increase in fines against healthcare providers when data is breached. In many cases, the breaches occur due to lax security at the healthcare location. More than 40 percent involved portable devices like laptops or USB hard drives while a large number of other breaches occurred due to easily-hacked passwords. Since the enactment of HIPAA, there were more than 22,000 complaints about violations of privacy in medical records but only one fine has been issued since 2003.

It is critical that healthcare providers take as many steps as possible to protect the records of the patients they care for and there are steps that can be taken to that end. Encryption, stronger password requirements and secure cloud storage are three of the best ways you can keep your patient’s health records safe. Hopefully, the above information will help you, as a professional, to better secure your patients’ data.

 

Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake.

 

 

Please also review our Case Management Program

 

Career Nurses: How to Advance Your Healthcare Career

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Career Nurses: How to Advance Your Healthcare Career

 

Nursing is a challenging yet rewarding career for thousands of individuals across the country. Many seek to advance their careers to a higher level in healthcare, whether that be in the field of nurse management or elsewhere. If you’re a career-minded nursing professional and seek a higher calling, use the following tips to help you advance your nursing career:

Advance your Education

Like any profession, education is often the key to success. For the nursing field, if you started out with an Associate degree, go back to school for your Bachelor’s degree. If you already have a Bachelor’s degree, look into getting a health care law degree online. Your current employer might offer tuition incentives for those seeking a higher education.

Once you’ve obtained an advanced degree, you’ll be able to move into a management or administrative level position

Seek Different Certifications

Medical and healthcare employers are always looking for nurses who have obtained various specialized certifications. Some popular certifications include dialysis treatment, MDS (coding and billing), phlebotomy and more. There are over 26 different certifications that are available for nurses who are looking to advance their careers.

Nurses who have recently graduated from school normally choose a specialty and seek an entry level position within a hospital, nursing home or medical clinic.

Look for a Mentor

Mentors can be great for helping aspiring nurses advance their careers. The best mentors will have years of experience as a manager or director, and can meet with you on a regular basis to discuss issues within the workplace and offer hands on training in management areas, if necessary.

Many employers offer mentorship programs that can lead directly to a promotion if the nurse successfully completes the program.

Grow your Network

Like any other career field, nurses must always focus on growing their network of healthcare professionals. Connect with other nurses online, stay in touch with classmates from college, and mingle with people at work. Personal networking can lead to numerous potential opportunities in specialty areas and in management.

The road to becoming a nurse is not an easy one. Those who successfully complete their college education and on-the-job training have a rewarding career to look forward to. Those who put in the extra time and effort into professional development will give themselves the opportunity to enjoy higher salaries and a fruitful career in nursing or healthcare management.

 

About the Author

Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky Snowball.

 

 

You can also diversify your nursing career with a variety of healthcare certifications for nurses.

Please review the programs at AIHCP

Pastoral Thanatology Article on Discussing End of Life Issuea

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Good article on the importance of not waiting to the last second to discuss death and death wishes.  It is not as morbid as one would think but smart and in all reality a healthy acceptance of life itself.  By accepting death, we can live life to its most fullest.

The article, “Don’t wait: Now’s the time to discuss end-of-life care” by Robert Powell states,

“Half of Americans say people in the U.S. have too little control over their end-of-life medical decisions, according to recent Kaiser Family Foundation/Economist survey.

Given that, what might Americans do to make sure they have control over their end-of-life medical decisions?”

To read the entire article, please click here

If you would like to learn more about care of the dying or would like to become certified in Pastoral Thanatology then please review the program

 

Bereavement Counseling Training Article on Grief and Infertility

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Good article on mothers and pregnancy and loss.

The article, “Unpregnant: Mothers’ secret grief” by Lisa Roose-Church states

“Samantha Fox’s eyes glisten with tears as she looks at an urn and light brown teddy bear on a corner shelf in her home.

Inside the small box are the ashes of Fox’s daughter, Lucy Fox, who was diagnosed in utero with anencephaly, a defect that meant she would likely be stillborn or survive only a few hours to a few days after birth.”

To read the entire article, please click here

If you would like to learn more about Bereavement Counseling training then please review the program and see if it matches your academic and professional needs.