January 2011 Newsletter

Clinical Café Newsletter
By: Ronda Polansky M.S. CCC-SLP

JANUARY 2010
Happy New Year!!!!!

Fun Facts about New Year’s Resolutions
1. About 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more New Year’s resolutions each year.
2. About 67% of people who make resolutions make three or more.
3. Most popular resolutions include promises of weight loss, exercise and quitting smoking.
4. Also common are resolutions dealing with better money management / debt reduction.
5. The following statistics reveal how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:
• past the first week: 75%
• past 2 weeks: 71%
• after one month: 64%
• after 6 months: 46%

***********NEW HISTORY INTAKE FORM*********** – Please note the new history form included! Start using this form immediately. New Medicare regulations change every year and we must change with them. They require new and different information to prove medical necessity for evaluating the patient for dysphagia, which requires more documentation! It is frustrating but necessary. We thank you for doing your part to help us meet these requirements.

DiagnosTEX 2011 Dysphagia Calendar – Be sure you get the new DiagnosTEX 2010 Dysphagia Calendar if you haven’t already!!

Unpredictable Weather in Texas – It’s been a warm winter… so far!
Unfortunately in Texas we do not get a beautiful flaky snowfall, we get ice (usually black ice). Our weather can change overnight! This obviously becomes a problem for anyone who travels. Most of our daily routine is traveling extensively in all directions! As winter approaches and the threat of severe weather conditions arise, DiagnosTEX owners and drivers will evaluate the conditions of the roads and DiagnosTEX will contact all scheduled facilities immediately if we are unable to meet our appointments for that day. If the weather conditions are severe, we will cancel the day and reschedule the facilities as promptly as possible. If bad weather starts during the work day, an owner and the driver(s) present on the mobile unit(s) will decide together if any changes in the schedule should be made. The patients are extremely important, and our top priority has to be the safety of the patients, our employees and vehicles! Avoiding these types of risk is important also to prevent further delay of our service to you (due to injury or damaged vehicles). Even minor damage to the mobile vehicle can put us “down” for several days. Our work days are heavily weighted with travel (all over the D/FW metroplex and surrounding areas, on multiple roads and bridges, through varying amounts/degrees of traffic), which naturally increases our risk of difficulties, especially weather-related. Our decision to run the vans that day may be based upon whether or not public schools are closed because of road conditions. In the case of a cancelled day, we will do our best to get your study rescheduled as promptly as we can. Please drive carefully during these winter ice storms!
Flu season – DiagnosTEX keeps stock of Airborne in the office and hand sanitizer everywhere!!  We service many elderly and medically fragile individuals in a day and we are very concerned and conscientious that we do not unnecessarily expose them to anything. We would like to ask all facility SLPs, staff, or family members that are ill, coughing, and/or may have a cold, to take precaution and reconsider coming onto the van. Our small contained environment can be easily contaminated. Thank you for your consideration of these precautions for our patients and staff!

ASHA or TSHA????? FACTS and CONTACTS
• The State Board of Examiners requires 20 clock hours of CEUs in order to renew a 2-year license.

• ASHA requires all certificate holders to accumulate 30 hours every 3 years to maintain their CCC.

• TSHA does NOT require CE to be maintained for membership.

• TSHA is an approved sponsor for continuing education in the State of Texas, as well as an ASHA approved provider. You can attend TSHA approved courses and receive credit for CEU hours that will go towards renewing your Texas license AS WELL as the maintenance of your ASHA CCC.

• TSHA maintains a FREE CEU registry that lists only TSHA approved courses that TSHA members attend.

• ASHA maintains a CEU registry that lists only ASHA approved courses that ASHA members attend (a fee is required). Only ASHA CEU hours will count towards ACE.

• CEU units/hours cannot be posted on both TSHA and ASHA CE registries.

Contacts:
ASHA CE – Loretta Lee – loretta@leeresource.com
TSHA CE – Karen King – kjking5315@aol.com