Meditation Instructor Program Article on Anxiety

Good article about meditation and how it can help calm and bring peace to those suffering from anxiety.  Anxiety can be a huge issue for some and meditation can help

The article, The Science Behind Meditation As A Treatment For Anxiety, by Quora states

“While doing this, you are not only doing something with your short term stress, you are also conditioning yourself for the longer term. Keep thinking the same negative type of thought often enough, and you’ll make this conditioning worse and worse, with which you’ll able to stress yourself out 1) much more and 2) in a much shorter amount of time.”

To read the entire article, please click here

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Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Program Article on Teaching Children About Death

Good article about being honest with children about death.  Each age has a certain ability to understand death and the information given should correspond with the maturity of the child to comprehend.   The importance of discussing death with the child when it occurs is very important though and in some cases can provide critical life lessons to the child’s emotional and mental growth in experiencing death in his or her life.

The article, “Tell Your Children The Honest Truth About Death And Dying” by Shannon Burberry states

“Death is difficult for anyone to grasp, but it’s especially hard for children to understand. They will often ask “when is the person coming back?” or “when will we see them again?” It is my firm belief that honesty is the best policy, and it is important to be direct about what has happened.”

To read the entire article, please click here

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Healthcare Case Management Article on Work Injuries and Healthcare Coverage

Injured on the Job? How Being Injured at Work can Impact Your Healthcare

Being injured on the job has the potential to seriously impact not only your physical health, but also your financial health and well-being. The good news is that state and federal workers’ compensation laws mean that there is a good chance your medical expenses will be covered. In addition, although approximately 75% of workers’ compensation cases only cover medical expenses, you may also be entitled to compensation for lost wages.

Unfortunately, while the workers’ compensation program provides many benefits to those injured on the job, it also has the potential to seriously affect the type and quality of the health care you receive. For this reason, it is essential that you know about the potential impacts to your health care in order to be fully prepared should you be unfortunate enough to experience a work-related injury.

Your Normal Health Insurance Won’t Cover Your Injury
Almost every health insurance policy contains an exclusion for work-related injuries, which means that your normal health insurance won’t cover any medical expenses related to treating injuries you suffered on the job. The reason behind this is that these expenses should instead be covered by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. However, your health insurance provider may still be required to pay for your medical expenses should the workers’ compensation insurance deny payment for whatever reason. Of course, it’s always a good idea to seek out workers’ comp lawyers in your area to ensure that your rights are respected.

You May Be Limited in Your Choice of Doctor
Not all doctors and hospitals accept workers’ compensation insurance, which means that you may be limited in your choice of doctors. If your current doctor does accept workers’ compensation insurance, you will still be able to use this doctor in most cases. However, should your doctor not accept workers’ comp, you will usually be forced to begin searching for medical professionals in your area that do take workers’ compensation cases.

You Could Be Forced to Wait for Treatment
Unfortunately, filing a workers’ compensation claim also means that you may be forced to wait longer before you can begin receiving any necessary treatments for your injury. The reason is that all medical expenses generally need to be approved by the workers’ compensation insurer before they can be performed. How this works is that first the doctor must determine whatever medical treatments are necessary to treat your injury. After this, the doctor then sends a request for authorization to the insurer, which then must determine that the treatment is necessary and reasonable before sending final approval back to the doctor. Although the process typically doesn’t take more than a few days, you will still have to wait to begin treatment until this final approval has been received.

American workers’ compensation laws were put in place in order to protect workers and ensure that their medical expenses are covered in case of a work-related injury. While this is definitely a huge benefit to anyone who would otherwise be unable to cover the costs of these medical expenses, it is still important that everyone is also aware of the ways in which a workers’ compensation claim can affect the health care you receive.

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.

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Healthcare Life Coach Article on Weight-Loss Strategies That Truly Threaten Your Health

If you’ve ever had difficulty losing weight, you know what it’s like to feel desperate. You might even make some questionable decisions to help move the process along. If so, you’re not alone. Nearly everyone does at some point in their dieting life.
The problem is that while some weight-loss strategies are just unpleasant, others are downright dangerous. If you’ve embarked on a new weight-loss strategy, you’ll want to check your program against the list in this article. This list contains some of the most dangerous weight-loss mistakes that people can make.

  1. Detox Diets
    Money Crashers points out that many dieters look to detox diets for quick weight loss results. However, these diets also come with their own dangers. People who undergo rapid weight loss plans such as this one end up tired and irritable. They also lose muscle mass, which they need to lose weight. It’s better to eat a healthy diet over the long haul than to go on a detox diet.
  2. Starvation Diets
    The promise of quick weight loss traps many people: Starvation diets count among those types of weight-loss strategies. People who embark on starvation diets not only don’t get the nutrition they need, they also set themselves up for conditions like anorexia nervosa.
    The challenge with this and other eating disorders is that they may be difficult to overcome and may require some advanced treatment measures. According to Reasons Eating Disorder Center, these treatments could include inpatient therapies as well as hospitalization. In light of this, the dieter is better off cutting fewer calories and allowing him/herself to lose the weight at a slower pace.
  3. Too Much Exercise
    Exercising counts among the best ways to keep yourself healthy. However, if you’re in the habit of over-exercising because you’ve overeaten, you may be overdoing it. This practice can lead to exhaustion and injury. And if you do get injured, you lose the opportunity exercise and burn calories. Keeping your exercise routine consistent, whether you overeat or not, will set you up for some healthier habits in the long run.
  4. Not Enough Variety
    The dieter who sticks to a high-variety diet experiences better health than dieters who follow rigid diets. Rigid dieters typically don’t get a variety of nutrients. Some of them also tend to overeat, which actually makes them gain weight. Finally, the people who practice rigid dieting deal with more negative consequences like negative body obsession and mood problems than those who don’t. A diet filled with variety of healthy foods works best to counteract the effects of rigid dieting.
    Many dieters wind up following some dangerous weight-loss plans because these programs promise quick weight loss. However, quick weight loss is rarely healthy. Injuries, eating disorders, and too few nutrients are just some of the after effects of questionable weight-loss strategies.

If you’re considering a new weight loss plan have it checked out by a doctor to ensure that you’re following a healthy eating habit. The same goes for a new exercise routine. Taking these steps ensures your good health and vitality remains after your weight-loss efforts end.

 

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.

 

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Case Management Certification Program Article on Small Practice Revenue Cycle

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

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

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Bereavement Counseling Program Article on Helping a Bereaved Friend

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

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

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.

 

 

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Bereavement Counseling Training Article on Grieving and Diet

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

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