December 2024 Newsletter

Merry Christmas!

Presented by Ronda Polansky M.S. CCC-SLP & Patheous Health

We know you have options for dysphagia evaluations, and we appreciate your trust and support of our service and staff over the years. DFW area is a big place but small at heart and the friendships we have developed over the years mean the most to us! This festive season, we wish all of you the priceless gift of peace that surpasses all understanding, as well as indescribable joy, quality health and blessings of prosperity at Christmas and throughout all of 2024.

Happy Birthday DiagnosTEX – DTEX turns 21 years old this year on December 3rd! Twenty-one years of serving the DFW and surrounding areas, doing more than 100K dysphagia evaluations for our community. We would like to thank not only our customers and those who have supported us all of these years in DFW. We would also like to thank all of our employees for the many years of friendship, belly laughs, and so many priceless memories! Thank you for your hard work and commitment to what DiagnosTEX stands for, and allowing us to become a staple in DFW for dysphagia imaging. We truly treasure each and every one of our customers and employees and are blessed to have you all as a part of our daily lives! To love what you do and the people you do it with is the true definition of success and happiness! A BIG DTEX THANK YOU!

DiagnosTex and Patheous Health are now united as ONE TEAM to be your preferred provider in Dysphagia Imaging! Combining our strengths and becoming Patheous Health has allowed us to have the opportunity to serve the Dallas/Fort Worth Area with both MBSS and FEES! Get in touch with our Account Executive, Misty Stephens, to explore the possibilities and find out how we can support your needs. Let’s enhance your resources together! Please feel free to reach out her for assistance with any services we offer.

Contact Misty at mstephens@patheoushealth.com OR 252-676-0952.

NEED CEU BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR? - Patheous Health offers a variety of upcoming courses and live webinars. Classes are offered in a self-study or live webinar format. We know, life happens, and all of our live webinars will be available for replay for a specific timeframe. Also, from time to time we offer bundled class offerings which gives you extra knowledge while also bringing some savings to your wallet. Check out PatheousHealth.com for more details or scan the below QR code for quick access.

Available 12/1/24 – 12/31/24:

Trauma Informed Care 101
Swallow Intervention for Tracheostomized and Ventilator Dependent Patients
Mechanical Ventilator and In-Line Speaking Value Application

Available 12/16/24:

Esophageal Visualization is Standard of Care. What You Need to Know

2024 Holiday Season Schedule - Please keep our holiday schedules in mind when scheduling your MBSS at the end of November and December! We will be closed November 28 and 29th for the Thanksgiving Holiday and also Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in December. We will make it a priority to get everyone seen before the holidays, as we know eating with family and friends is a very important part of these holidays. Please keep our holiday schedules in mind when scheduling your dysphagia instrumental evaluations at the end of November and December!

DiagnosTEX / Patheous outpatient clinic – Open to ALL ages, call and schedule with us Monday through Friday. DiagnosTEX is changing the standard of care for dysphagia evaluation in DFW for both adults and pediatrics! Come experience the one-of-a-kind customized concierge MBSS experience in North Richland

Hills! Visit dysphagiadiagnostex.com for more information on scheduling and other dysphagia resources.

Helpful Information

National Handwashing Awareness Week (December 1 -7) - The week is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of handwashing and practicing good hand hygiene to prevent the spread of germs and infections. Handwashing with soap and water is one of the simplest, most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and stay healthy. There is an estimate of 3,000 droplets of respiratory pathogens are expelled with each and every cough and 40, 000 with every sneeze. Handwashing can help prevent the spread of respiratory infections by around 20%. Good time of year for this!

The 2024 ASHA Convention will be held December 5–7, 2024 at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. The education program covers 32 topics related to the profession. Alison Levine will be the keynote speaker at the Opening General Session on Thursday, December 5 from 8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m. She is a history-making mountaineer who founded a non-profit dedicated to improving women’s lives in western Uganda.

Updated Medicare FEE schedule and other 2025 changes:

A lot of changes are coming to Medicare plans in 2025, America's seniors will pay more for their health care in the new year, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that premiums for its Part B plan will increase by about 6% in 2025.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Medicare changes include the elimination of the Medicare “donut hole” and a limit on how much you’ll have to pay out of pocket for covered prescription drugs.
There will be a new payment plan you can opt into to spread out your medication costs.
In response to these changes, insurers will likely change pricing and coverage for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries should receive a letter in the middle of 2025 about unused benefits.
Other changes impact the availability of mental health care, prior authorization use, and unpaid caregiver support for Medicare recipients with dementia.
Deductible - You won't pay a deductible for inpatient rehab if Medicare has already charged one for a prior hospitalization in the same benefit period. The Part B deductible will also rise from $240 to $257.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule to update the Medicare fee-forservice prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) for federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. Inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) payment rates The IRF PPS payment rate will increase by 2% to $18,907. IRF QRP rating system A five-star rating system will be created to distinguish between the quality of care offered by providers.

The VA has just announced that there will be a new audit of Signature on file that has launched, we would like to remind everyone how important it is for consents to be complete when submitted to us for all dysphagia imaging.

Thank you for your attention and assistance with this.

Dysphagia Tidbit – Savorease

The phrase "melt in the mouth" describes soft, airy, and delicious food—now redefined for dysphagia by Dr. Reva Barewal, founder of Savorease Therapeutic Foods. With healthcare professionals and chefs, Dr. Barewal developed Crispy Melts: the first evidence-based, high-dissolving finger food designed for those with dysphagia on soft diets. Nutritious, plant-based, and savory, it complements all IDDSI solid levels, including puree.

Crispy Melts bring joy to eating, enhance diet variety, and support oral exercise to build strength and endurance. Six research studies highlight benefits across care settings and subpopulations like stroke and pediatric feeding, with ongoing studies planned. The DFW area of Patheous Health/DiagnosTEX will explore its use in diagnostic imaging to improve dysphagia management.

DON’T MISS THE UPCOMING OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN OUR WEBINAR!

Savorease products are available at savorease.com.

For wholesale orders, email info@savorease.com.