DiagnosTEX July 2015 Newsletter
Clinical Café Newsletter
By: Ronda Polansky M.S. CCC-SLP
Happy Independence Day! God Bless the USA!
Happy 4th of July to everyone celebrating our country’s independence and honoring our veterans and current military who have served to ensure our FREEDOM!
Thank you to everyone who has served and/or is currently serving our country! We appreciate you more than you will ever know! We know that freedom does not come free… there is a cost!
Home Health Patients – Please make sure that the patient receiving the MBSS has legal authority to consent to the consultation before they sign the MBSS authorization paperwork. If a Healthcare Proxy is invoked, that person needs to sign it, not the patient. We have had several instances where the treating SLP, out of convenience, had the patient sign the authorization and then when the family member receives a co-pay bill for the MBSS they are refusing to pay because they did not give consent and did not sign the paperwork. Please make sure you are very clear at who is responsible and get the correct signature. Thank you.
Mobile
DiagnosTEX as a mobile unit is a service option for MBSS. Those using the mobile services must understand that mobile is flexibility on all parties, just as portable x-rays are. As a business operation we cannot be immobile during the day. Unfortunately we cannot wait on patient lunches or wait longer than 15 minutes for a patient to get out of bed. DiagnosTEX policy is to notify every facility of our arrival time before we arrive and then again when we pull in so everyone has the opportunity to prepare. There is always a risk with being mobile that we may be earlier than originally scheduled or later than originally scheduled. The scheduled time is an estimated time of arrival and we cannot always predict good traffic days or bad traffic days including complex cases versus straight forward cases. Please know that choosing this service option of arriving at your door rather than transportation to a hospital or sitting in a Radiology suite waiting room may require a few hours of flexible accommodation on the one day you are scheduled. .
DiagnosTEX Summer Conference
Alzheimer’s and Dysphagia/Feeding Difficulties. Who Does Not Understand? You or Them?
Date: TBD – Look for update on date and location in the DiagnosTEX August Newsletter next month!
Ampcare ESP CEU course – TEXAS – (for more information go to www.ampcarellc.com)
- TBD: July/August (DFW area)- inquire at info@ampcarellc.com
- July 18, 2015- Tulsa, OK
- August 14, 2015- Denison, TX
Alzheimer ’s disease is getting recognized as a healthcare issue
Last week the U.S. House Labor, Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee approved an historic $300 million increase for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee followed suit by approving an approximately $350 million increase for Alzheimer’s research at the NIH. Though these developments are encouraging, we still have a long way to go before this becomes law. The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the bill tomorrow, and the full Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the Senate Labor-HHS appropriations bill on Thursday. We will continue to keep you updated as this unfolds over the coming weeks in the House and in the Senate.
Texas Summers – HOT! HOT! HOT! Shall I describe it any other way??? Unfortunately, this time of year is one we dread in the mobile business! Hot temperatures, being parked on hot concrete in the sun, running A/Cs on high, and/or sitting on one location for long periods of time can often cause our generators to overheat. We take all precautions and maintain all required and preventative maintenance on our equipment, and strive to ensure this does not happen… but the Texas summer can be unforgiving and generators can only get “so hot” in triple digit temperatures. Please be aware that IF these generator issues occur we may have to adjust your scheduled time. Any time we can park under a portico (covered entrance at the front of a building) would be helpful to us, your patients, and the completion of your studies. Please check with your administrators on this; we appreciate your understanding.
Dysphagia Tidbit – National Stroke Association
Often confused with “dysphasia” (a speech and language disorder), dysphagia effects up to 60% of stroke patients, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Despite the prevalence of dysphagia, studies show that up to half of dysphagia sufferers don’t speak with a healthcare professional about their condition. This week, the NSA is raising awareness of post-stroke dysphagia. They want to make sure that tools and resources are available to effectively manage dysphagia—improving the quality of life after a stroke. Here’s some of what they are featuring this week as they draw attention to this condition during Dysphagia Awareness Week:
1) A post-stroke dysphagia infographic that describes the symptoms, complications, and treatment options
often associated with the condition.
2) Stories from stroke survivors living with dysphagia
3) Updated information about dysphagia
You can find all these tools and resources on their Dysphagia Awareness Week Web page1) A post-stroke dysphagia infographic that describes the symptoms, complications, and treatment options often associated with the condition.
2) Stories from stroke survivors living with dysphagia
3) Updated information about dysphagia
You can find all these tools and resources on their Dysphagia Awareness Week Web page