November 2024 Newsletter

Cheers to the upcoming Holiday Season!

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

There’s no better time to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve your patients. The partnerships we’ve built have been the cornerstone of our success in the DFW area for 20 years. This season is a time to reflect on our blessings, and at DiagnosTEX, now PATHEOUS HEALTH, we are incredibly thankful for each of you who have chosen us as your preferred mobile healthcare provider. Your friendship and unwavering support over the years mean so much to us. Wishing you and your families a joyful Thanksgiving filled with blessings as we embrace the 2024 holiday season!

A BIG DFW TEXAS THANK YOU - The DiagnosTEX Annual Fall Conference was a tremendous success, and we owe it all to your support! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for the Dysphagia Across the Lifespan course on September 20, 2024. We are truly grateful to have such dedicated and enthusiastic customers and colleagues!We also want to extend our appreciation to our incredible vendors: Simply Thick (who provided our delicious lunch!), Ampcare, MannaQure, and Pureese Meal Co., along with everyone who contributed to our giveaways. We had a fantastic time sharing Friday with all of you!

WE HAVE BIG NEWS!

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 MBS and FEES!

Are you looking to expand your current imaging resources with a MBS or FEES service agreement? We’re here to help! Our team can quickly establish a Patient Service Agreement to streamline the process. Get in touch with our Account Executive to explore the possibilities and find out how we can support your needs. Let’s enhance your resources together!

WELCOME TO THE TEAM! Misty Stephens is our new DFW area Account Executive. With over 20 years of experience in the health care industry, including population health, Case Management, Home Health and Hospice, she brings invaluable expertise to our team. She is a passionate business development professional who thrives on creating meaningful connections and is looking forward to meeting you in the field. Please feel free to reach out to her for assistance with coordinating either of our dysphagia instrumental services we offer. Contact Misty at mstephens@patheoushealth.com OR 252-676-0952.

TSHA Communicologist – Ronda Polansky’s Part 3 of the 4-part Series on Medical Economics Beyond the Classroom: “Insurance Contracts 101, Rethink How You Negotiate” is now out and can be read on at TSHA website, search Communicologist. https://www.txsha.org/Education/Communicologist/Communicologist-Issues/Volume-51-Issue

NEED CEU BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR? - We offer a variety of upcoming courses and live webinars.

11/4/24 - Don’t Blow it! Respiratory Muscle Training Made Simple
11/7/24 - Much Ado about Swallow Studies - The clinical and financial value of dysphagia imaging in Skilled Nursing
11/14/24 - Intro to total Larengectomy for the Speech Language Pathologist

SHOUT OUT to Sunshine Pediatric Day Center! We received a very special tour of their Arlington and Dallas facility recently. PPECCs offer high quality care tailored to each medically complex child, a much needed service here in DFW. We look forward to partnering with them to provide any dysphagia instrumental services needed. Sunshine Pediatric Day Center will soon open a new facility in Desoto.

DiagnosTEX Is proud to share we have a new children’s book author on our team!– We are excited to share that our DTEX SLP Sunnye Thompson, has recently authored a children’s book called “Papa and MeMe’s Backyard” a delightful journey through cherished childhood memories and the simple pleasures in life. It can be found on Amazon. Congratulations Sunnye, we are so proud of you!

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 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 Reminders

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia are two of the most critical medical concerns for patients in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Given the degenerative nature of Alzheimer's and the varying rates of decline, it’s essential to regularly evaluate and re-evaluate these patients. Malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia are significant issues in this population, making it crucial to assess their feeding and swallowing abilities as they progress through the stages of the disease. Never underestimate the importance of providing dysphagia evaluations, re-evaluations, and appropriate diets for these individuals. They need an advocate—and that advocate is you!

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 will be out end of this month. Anticipated changes will include changes to mental health care, prior authorization, unpaid caregiver support, and Insurers are likely to change their pricing and coverage for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. We will continue to update you as we receive information.

Wishing each of you a joyful and healthy holiday season!