MedWorm: Rehabilitation Blogs

Decellularization May Enable Use of More Donor Organs

Fight Aging! — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Decellularization is the process of taking an existing organ and stripping its cells, leaving the intricate skeleton of the extracellular matrix intact. That can then be repopulated by a patient's own cells to recreate a donor organ for transplant, though only a few organs have been successfully rebuilt in this way so far. As a technique this has many advantages over simple transplants: it removes the possibility of immune rejection, makes the use of animal organs practical, and rehabilitates donor organs that would otherwise be unsuitable: [Perhaps a fifth of the] kidneys from deceased donors are thrown away each year due to damage. A paper [published] earlier this month suggests that they could be put to use as raw material for engineering new kidneys. The study's authors treated discar...

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Make Yourself Heard

Susan's Blog — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:09:13 +0100

I’ve been doing my Swami gig live these days and recently sat down with a woman I’ve known forever (forever in autism years means since diagnosis). She is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her son is currently home and should be (would like to be) living elsewhere. He is a Priority One, like Nat, and so his situation is difficult. His mom took him out because the placement was inappropriate. The match was terrible. The needs of the young men were completely different. I’m pretty sure that this was a vacant slot offered by the Department of Developmental Services and they found their round peg to go into that square hole and just hoped for the best. There are so many parents like her, like us, coming up through the schools, who have learned how to fight, just as the p...

New books

DentistryLibrary@Sydney — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:39:00 +0100

Atlas of dental rehabilitation techniques / Romeo Pascetta. Milan : Quintessence Publishing, 2012. Laboratory procedures require absolute precision to ensure that the appropriate anatomical information is preserved through each stage of fabrication. This laboratory manual defines the key elements that dental technicians should understand to succeed in their work. The authors illustrate the working techniques necessary to create esthetic and functional dental prostheses that reproduce the look of natural teeth. Contemporary restoration of endodontically treated teeth: evidence-based diagnosis and treatment planning. / Nadim Z. Baba (ed). Hanover Park, IL: Quintessence, 2013. Written by a group of renowned experts three decades after the publication of the last comprehensive book ...

CrisisMD Launched Today

In My Humble Opinion — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Penn Treaty Update

InsureBlog — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:19:00 +0100

It's been about almost exactly a year since we last checked in on the troubled Long Term Care insurance carrier. At the time, the Keystone State's Commonwealth Court had barred regulators from liquidating the company, insisting that it be "rehabilitated."Fast forward twelve months, and it looks like there's finally a plan in place to do just that:"The Pennsylvania insurance commissioner is seeking court permission to rehabilitate Penn Treaty ... in ways that could lead to big cuts in benefits, or big increases in premium rates, for the company's long-term care insurance (LTCI) policyholders."Benefits cuts or rate hikes?Count on both.The carrier seems to be about $2 billion in the hole, and "has less than $1 in assets for every $3 that it should hold as reserves." Oopsies. And it's estimate...

Health Information Technology: Blessings, Disasters, and Recommendations: An Interview with Scot M. Silverstein, MD

Health Care Renewal — Sat, 04 May 2013 19:02:00 +0100

I was recently interviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Saenger for The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery regarding use of healthcare information technology in provision of mental health services. The Center, part of the Coalition of Behavorial Health Agencies Inc., provides assistance to the New York City mental health provider community through expert trainings, focused technical assistance, evaluation, information dissemination and special projects.The interview is here:http://coalitionny.org/the_center/recovere-works/RECOVERe-worksApril2013.html#DrSilverstein The themes I discussed will be familiar to readers of this blog. -- SS (Source: Health Care Renewal)

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Amgen CEOs Prosper Despite (or Because of) Continuing Ethical Questions

Health Care Renewal — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:31:00 +0100

This is becoming a familiar narrative on Health Care Renewal: top health care leaders continue to enrich themselves while their organizations' behavior continues to raise ethical questions.For our latest example we return to the ongoing adventures of biotechnology giant Amgen.CEOs Get Richer An AP story (via the LA Times) documented the continuing enrichment of its current CEO:Amgen Inc's new chief executive, Robert A. Bradway, received total compensation of $13.6 million in 2012, more than his predecessor, according to an analysis of a company regulatory filing.Bradway, who was promoted from chief operating officer to chief executive May 23, saw his compensation nearly double from $7.1 million in 2011.Last year Bradway, 50, was paid a salary of $1.26 million and received stock awards wort...

DSM-V : Ready to Launch

Shrink Rap — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

The early editions of the DSM were chaotic. With more recent editions, there have been attempts to cluster symptoms into disorders in a way that is more useful: that allows for meaningful research and allows clinicians to have some diagnostic reliability. It gives us a language, though anyone who tries to talk about disorders that occur on a spectrum, disorders that are suddenly omnipresent, and so-called waste-basket diagnoses, knows we still have a long way to go. The "science" of it aside, the new DSM has been fraught with years of political derision. Let me talk just a little about the dilemma of creating diagnostic categories. On one side, there are those who don't like the idea of labeling people with diagnoses that may stigmatize the...

Unimo Electric Treaded Wheelchair to Negotiate Hospital Terrain

Medgadget — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:33:04 +0100

Nano-Optonics Energy, a Japanese firm, unveiled an electric wheelchair for hospitals and rehabilitation centers. It looks like a comfy chair you might find in a library, but with tank-like rubber treads. Though it’s not designed specifically for off-road travel, the treads on the Unimo wheelchair allow it to turn in place and so get around hospital corners and in and out of small elevators.The treaded chair can climb a step up to 6 inches (15 cm) in height and features an adjustable back that can also act as an assistant to help the rider get on and off. It’s controlled using a traditional joystick controller just like on traditional electric wheelchairs.Read More (Source: Medgadget)

Micro-patterned MeTro to Mend a Broken Heart

Medgadget — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:19:43 +0100

The evolution of treatment and management strategies for heart failure has been supported by some of the most sophisticated medical devices and surgical techniques developed over the last five decades. Despite these significant advances, a major limitation of our hearts is their inability to regenerate the vital myocardium (muscular tissue) which is essential to maintaining cardiac output. Thus injury to the myocardium can lead to permanently inhibited cardiac function which is difficult if not impossible to rehabilitate with even the most sophisticated medical technologies.Consequently, methods to regenerate or rehabilitate the myocardium is a major research focus for teams looking to impact the heart disease epidemic. Researchers from Brigham And Woman’s Hospital in Boston, MA are...

HMP Barlinnie and @TheatreNemo exploring art in #MentalHealth #Prison rehabilitation. #ukmh

Dawn Willis sharing the News and Views of the Mentally Wealthy — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:11:09 +0100

Read it here Filed under: Mental Health, The News & Policies. (Source: Dawn Willis sharing the News and Views of the Mentally Wealthy)

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Guest Blogger: Grace Quantock on Relaxation Rehabilitation, Part 4

Bah! to cancer — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:05:24 +0100

How to Rest and Make it Fun Lying down and doing nothing can be what is needed but sometimes our brains feel like they are racing and we need a gentle activity. Here are some suggestions: 1. Sanctuary. Imagine an inner safe place where you can go and feel calm, go there now. 2. Senses. Use relaxing sensory experiences. What is relaxation to you? What invokes relaxation and the sensation of ease? It could be falling asleep,the knowledge of nothing to do, a massage, a hug, a warm bath, the smell of clean linen, candle light, the sea and the beach. whatever it is for you, create or invoke it to relax today. Use smell, taste, colour and imagery. Is there something that you like to look at that makes you feel relaxed? A place, or view, or a picture or object. Gather these and use them. 3. Aroma...

Trying to sort out all the STEM and STEM related departments, graduate programs , at #UCDavis

The Tree of Life — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Well, I was in a meeting yesterday for the UC Davis ADVANCE program. This program is an NSF funded project to improve presence of women and underrepresented minorities on the faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). So I decided to see - how many departments at UC Davis might participate in such an initiative. And, well, wow. I knew there were a lot of STEM or STEM-related departments at UC Davis but I did not know there were this many. Here is a list I compiled of UC Davis STEM or STEM-related Departments. I included medical departments here since many people in such departments do medical/science research. But clearly this is a broad definition of STEM. But nevertheless, this gives some picture of the scope of science an...

"Neurotechnological Behavioural Treatment of Criminal Offenders—A Comment on Bomann-Larsen"

Neuroethics and Law Blog — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0100

Neurotechnological Behavioural Treatment of Criminal Offenders—A Comment on Bomann-Larsen by Jesper Ryberg and Thomas S. Petersen has been published in the most recent issue of Neuroethics: Abstract Whether it is morally acceptable to offer rehabilitation by CNS-intervention to criminals as... (Source: Neuroethics and Law Blog)

Guest Blogger: Grace Quantock on Relaxation Rehabilitation, Part 3

Bah! to cancer — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:03:56 +0100

Solutions for Resting Problems * When you struggle to switch your mind off try using mindfulness techniques. Observe the thoughts, the desires, the intense need to sit up and write something down or just look at that. Watch the flood of emotions, guilt, frustration, fear, unworthiness all come up and pass away. Let it all happen. It’s not you, you are the space in between the thoughts. * When you stick with it, the thoughts and tension begin to ease. At the beginning it can be very painful as the secondary tension related pain in the muscles releases. This passes and blood flows more easily. Remember in this difficult moment, you are helping your body to function more easily. * When tasks flood in, you can remind yourself that if they are important they will come back to you, that yo...

"Voluntary Rehabilitation? On Neurotechnological Behavioural Treatment, Valid Consent and (In)appropriate Offers"

Neuroethics and Law Blog — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0100

Voluntary Rehabilitation? On Neurotechnological Behavioural Treatment, Valid Consent and (In)appropriate Offers by Lene Bomann-Larsen has been published in the most recent issue of Neuroethics: Abstract Criminal offenders may be offered to participate in voluntary rehabilitation programs aiming at correcting undesirable... (Source: Neuroethics and Law Blog)

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Guest Blogger: Grace Quantock on Relaxation Rehabilitation, Part 2

Bah! to cancer — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:58:08 +0100

The Great Big Fear Illness can be uncomfortable and messy. Rest can seem boring. Before I reframed my thinking, when I was resting I felt sick. I had to rest, I could not carry on with whatever activity I was doing. I came face to face with the reality of the sickness. We get scared, and we are scared of losing dignity, life, hope, purpose, independence, and respect. And yet we are overcoming that fear every day we live with illness, or that we live as a survivor of illness. We are so much more, because of overcoming all this, not less. The fact that we are still managing to keep on even with the struggles, the pain, the unwashed hair, the need for naps, the life that looks nothing like a glossy magazine – all that is something to celebrate not to hide. Maybe our lives are uncomforta...

Giving Voice

Running a hospital — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:08:00 +0100

A tweet on Twitter from @gillian_salt led me first to this delightful video of a flash mob in Birmingham, UK, singing a piece about "Giving Voice." Intrigued, I went from that to a website of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, where things were explained to those in the UK and also to us "in the colonies:"With the financial climate hitting all areas of the economy the RCSLT realised the services essential to people who need support with communicating and swallowing could be under threat and that the profession would be heading for a difficult period. As a result, we set in motion our Giving Voice campaign.Giving Voice will help us and speech and language therapy services demonstrate SLTs’ unique value to national and local decision makers, while showing evidence o...

Guest Blogger: Grace Quantock on Relaxation Rehabilitation, Part 1

Bah! to cancer — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:51:21 +0100

I don’t know about you but I need more rest. I’d write that I lack rest but really the problem is the over-fullness. What I am lacking is nothingness, space, peace. I have been holding resentment around rest, and that makes it ineffective as well as unenjoyable. Rest is not something which is spoken about much in our societies. Maybe resting isn’t as glamourous as planning out your dream life, striving towards it, overcoming odds or fighting for your goals. But rest is essential, and it is in that space that the flowers and fruits of our labours blossom. Attitudes to In-Action Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is flowing on with their lives while we are stuck in sick-land. And how many people post on Facebook about their afternoon naps, after all? If we rest, if the ...

Arts & Crafts in Psychiatric Occupational Therapy

World of Psychology — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:17:24 +0100

The profession of occupational therapy (OT) has many of its roots in the Arts and Crafts Movement, a response to the industrialized production at the end of the nineteenth century which promoted a return to handcrafting (Hussey, Sabonis-Chafee, & O’Brien, 2007). Its origins also were strongly influenced by the earlier Moral Treatment Movement, which sought to improve the treatment of the institutionalized mentally ill population (Hussey et al., 2007). Therefore, the use of art and crafts in psychiatric settings has played a significant role in OT from the beginning. Furthermore, a core idea in the development of OT is that “occupation, or doing with the hands, can be seen as an integral part of experiencing a meaningful life” (Harris, 2008, p. 133). Crafts have many potential t...

Pain Medicine Care Complex - Children's National Medical Center

Psychology of Pain — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:24:00 +0100

Children's Pain Medicine Care Complex is one of only a few programs in the country focused exclusively on managing pain for infants, children, and teens. When children are unable to express their pain in words, our pediatric specialists have the unique insight to help. Our multidisciplinary approach enables us to treat your child's physical symptoms as well as the psychological and emotional aspects of pain. We consider how a child feels and perceives pain, and take steps in care to reduce their fears and their family's anxieties. Conditions We Care For There is no typical pain patient. The team looks at every part of a child's pain. We develop a unique treatment plan that may blend traditional medicine and alternative therapies to best fit the needs of each patient.The team...

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Sleepy Eye

The 4th Avenue Blues — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Our morning walk is completed and the breakfast dishes have been washed and put away. Second shift starts at 8am with volunteering. Maggie and I had warm cream cheese and strawberry preserve filled Danishes for breakfast. They were absolutely scrumptiously delicious with a cold glass of milk. The Danishes were soft and fresh as well. Mom is being more cognizant of sell by dates instead of grabbing the first thing she sees on the shelf.I find myself nodding off as I begin to write this post. Maggie's already back in the bed. My eyelids are as if they are tethered by lead. My head will slump forward in sleep and my obnoxiously loud snoring will wake me up again.I've been working some this morning on trying to rehabilitate my hand-me-down laptop. Charlie always gives me Janice's old laptop wh...

“Can We See the Baby Bump, Please?”: Film on Commercial Surrogacy in India Screens in Boston

Our Bodies Our Blog — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:09:16 +0100

Update: A second public event has been added, also co-sponsored by Our Bodies Ourselves: “Systemic Violence or Informed Consent? The Politics of New Reproductive Technologies and Medical Experimentation in India” is the theme of the program at MIT on Tuesday, April 23, which will include the film screening and remarks by Sama’s co-founder, Sarojini N. The event will take place in MIT Bldg. 5, Room 217, at 7 p.m. The rise of commercial surrogacy has led to numerous concerns and conversations involving women’s health and medical ethics. On Monday, April 22, Our Bodies Ourselves will sponsor a screening of “Can We See the Baby Bump, Please?” — a documentary film about commercial surrogacy in India that explores the ethical challenges. The screening w...

Place of Service (POS) CMS List Coding Instructions Revised (CR7631).

The Happy Hospitalist — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Every physician or other provider encounter requires a place of service (POS) code for proper claims processing. But how should a physician determine their point of service? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) put an end to that question once and for all with Change Request 7631. Apparently, there have been too many errors over too many years with physicians and other providers reporting the wrong site of service location. As far as I can tell, this Change Request 7631 was originally submitted March 29th, 2012 under Transmittal 2435 in the CMS Manual System. Transmittal 2435 was replaced by Transmittal 2561 on September 28th, 2012, which was replaced by Transmittal 2563 on October 11, 2012, which was replaced by transmittal 2613 on Dec...

A Path to Personalized Pain Treatment? | Pain Research Forum

Psychology of Pain — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0100

Opioids are in crisis. Many physicians and patients say that the medications can be used responsibly to treat chronic pain. Yet experts also warn that prescriptions are out of control and fueling an epidemic of abuse, overdose, and death. Government agencies have responded with tighter regulations, but investigators say the only real solution is to identify the most suitable candidates for opioid treatment: those patients most likely to experience effective analgesia with minimal adverse consequences. In a recent paper, a panel of prominent pain researchers and clinicians outlines a research agenda for achieving personalized opioid prescribing. Central to that plan is a call for large, long-term observational studies aimed at finding associations between patient ch...

Journal Alert - NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA

Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:54:00 +0100

This study investigated the electrophysiological responses to > single-letter reading in children (reading-related potentials) and > explored the morphological differences between covert and overt reading > conditions. > Sixty-five healthy children (6-13 years) participated in this study. > Reading-related potentials were recorded during visual stimulation with > single Italian alphabetic letters. Stimuli were displayed for 5 ms > either automatically at a randomly uttered time lag or upon voluntary > self-paced button press by children. In the covert conditions, children > had to passively look at single letters, while in the overt conditions > children were required to read aloud the letters. Electromyographic > activity of the forearm and lips was additi...

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Academic Rehabilitation

Cato-at-liberty — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:08:00 +0100

Roger Pilon Who says crime doesn’t pay? Just look at academia. The blogosphere was abuzz last week after the New York Post ran a piece about former Weather Underground radical Kathy Boudin, 69, who spent 22 years in prison for an armored-car robbery that killed three people, including the first black police officer on the Nyack police force, and left nine children fatherless. After her parole in 2003, Boudin was awarded a prestigious adjunct professorship at Columbia University (my alma mater) and this year was named the Sheinberg Scholar-in-Residence at NYU Law School. The context for the story? As the Post puts it, “Boudin’s bounce-back into respectability … comes to light a week before the release of Robert Redford’s movie ‘The Company You Keep,’ loosely based on the $1.6...

Serious power failure threatens the entire field of neuroscience

BPS RESEARCH DIGEST — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Psychology has had a torrid time of late, with fraud scandals and question marks about the replicability of many of the discipline's key findings. Today it is joined in the dock by its more biologically oriented sibling: Neuroscience. A team led by Katherine Button at the School of Experimental Psychology in Bristol, and including psychologist Brian Nosek, founder of the new Center for Open Science, make the case in a new paper that the majority of neuroscience studies involve woefully small sample sizes, rendering their results highly unreliable. "Low statistical power is an endemic problem in neuroscience," they write. At the heart of their case is a comprehensive analysis of 49 neuroscience meta-analyses published in 2011 (that's all the meta-analyses pub...

Detoxification

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:27:53 +0100

“Detoxification” or “detox” is a word that is put to many (related) uses. When used in a psychiatric sense its use refers to “the process of withdrawing a person from an addictive substance in a safe and effective manner” (Cambell’s Psychiatric Dictionary). Detoxification can also refer to the treatment of poisoning. When referring to the treatment of addictive substances detox is used variously to mean the treatment of a withdrawal syndrome, the experiencing of a withdrawal syndrome or the treatment of an acute drug overdose. Talk of “detoxing” is also beloved of alternative practitioners, the idea being that because of modern lifestyles or diets the body accumulates various toxins. With the aim of attaining health and equanimity these require periodic purging by (...

GE13: Manifesto and maturity of Malaysia politic

Murmurs from the Heart — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0100

The nature of politic in Malaysia has matured to some extent, though there is still a lot mindless emotion driven by those who rely and thrive on politic of hate. At least now, political parties explicitly lay out their promises in a written manifesto. At the end of the day, it's not "What you said, what I said", but what is written. This manifesto will also be used as a report card as to how many of the promises are fulfilled. Oddly enough, when Pakatan was questioned about their unfulfilled promises, they said "Manifesto is not a promise". These are words from the so-called progressive people. If it's not a promise, then what is it? Lure to get votes? Below are some highlights of BN manifesto. 32 pages compared to PR 4 pages manisfesto. It's a lot more comprehensive ...

Tourette Syndrome “PLUS”

PsychSplash — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:00:47 +0100

URL: http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/This site represents more than just “book knowledge” or clinical experience, however. It also incorporates my experiences as a family member and pro bono advocate for the Tourette’s Syndrome community. As the parent of two young adults with TS+ and as the spouse of a man with TS+, I know some of the pain and challenges that family members face on a daily basis. This web site is my way of sharing some of what I’ve learned personally and professionally in my journey over the past 21 years. If it helps another family, teacher, or colleague, I am delighted. For: Anyone, Anyone, Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Child and Adolescent, Clinical Psychology, Common Factors, Depression, Emotional Health, Foundation Website, General Psychology, Life, Pediatric Depr...

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Reader Question – How can we end the Meth epidemic?

Addiction Recovery Blog — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:00:11 +0100

Many of you might be asking this same question so I’m posting with the answer here. Enjoy. The question is from Incognito Methamphetamine causes more dopamine and serotonin to be released by the brain than, sex, heroin, nicotine, and chocolate combined. This fact alone is responsible for its almost instantaneous addiction. Its also nearly impossible to recover from since the brain has to learn again how to release those chemicals on its own, meaning you simply wont be able to feel pleasure of any kind for a long time while you recover. It is estimated that 80% of Portland, ORs crime is in some way, Meth related.This stuff is vile.Do you think the US and mainly the producers of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, (Sudafed) have done enough, or can do anymore to stop this drug?Do you think ...

New e-books received this week

DentistryLibrary@Sydney — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:15:00 +0100

Dental emergencies / Mark Greenwood (ed). Chichester, West Sussex, UK; Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. This book is a clear and comprehensive guide to the treatment and management of dental emergencies in clinical practice. Written and edited by experts in the field, the book provides succinct step by step advice for dealing with a range of emergency situations. Beginning with examination and patient histories, it covers restorative emergencies, traumatic injuries and pain management with advice for treatment options including analgesia, surgery, and referrals. Oral rehabilitation: a case-based approach. / Iven Klineberg(ed). Chichester, West Sussex, UK; Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. This book provides its readers with a structured approach to decision-making and case ...

Yerkes and Eugenics

The Neurocritic — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0100

"Eugenics, the art of breeding better men, imperatively demands reliable measurement of human traits of body and mind, of their inter-relations, and of their modification by environmental factors."-Yerkes (1923)The previous post on Distrust of Psychology contained several quotes from a 1904 editorial on the dim view of psychology taken by many physiologists of the era. It was written by Robert M. Yerkes, who was the editor of the Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. Yerkes himself was committed to establishing psychology as a respectable field (Yerkes, 1904):For those of us who have at heart the establishment and advancement of comparative psychology as a science coordinate with physiology there is the clear duty to make our work eminently worthy of scientific recognition ...

nurses f. cancer.

impactEDnurse — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 07:40:17 +0100

I’m sure your have seen the powerful slogan: F. Cancer. Well, I am going to tell you that our profession has the power to not only f. cancer, but to f. cardiovascular disease, f. chronic respiratory diseases and f. diabetes. Between them these four diseases are responsible for 60% of deaths worldwide. In low and middle-income countries they will kill 90% of their victims before the age of 60, and will inflict an added economic burden on those countries surpassing 7 Trillion dollars by 2025. Go back and read that again and think about it a little. As nurses we are immersed in the complex technological, physical, professional and ethical responses that are required to manage the impact (and the collateral damage) that they inflict. This is what we do. But each of us have the capacity t...

Elemental ion release from fixed restorative materials into patient saliva

Dental Technology Blog — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:53:00 +0100

The objective of this study was to quantitatively investigate the elemental ion release from the fixed gold alloy and ceramic crowns into patient saliva. Twenty patients who participated in the study were divided into two equal groups; 1) full coverage type IV gold crowns and 2) full coverage CAD-CAM-fabricated ceramic crowns. Saliva collection and clinical evaluation of marginal integrity and gingival health were performed before crowns preparation, 3 months and 6 months after crowns placement. Clinical evaluations were conducted using California Dental Association criteria. Collected saliva samples were analysed for element release using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The zinc, copper, palladium, gold and silver were released from type IV gold crowns into saliva,...

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Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: analysis of a case series at a dental school

Dental Technology Blog — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:51:00 +0100

Mathias Duarte, L. F. S., dos Reis, H. B., Tucci, R. and Dib, L. L. (2013), Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: analysis of a case series at a dental school. Special Care in Dentistry. doi: 10.1111/scd.12023 ABSTRACTBisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) is an adverse effect of drugs used to treat bone metabolism diseases, such as osteoporosis and bone metastases. The present study retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics and evolution of BRONJ cases that were diagnosed and treated at a dental school from 2004 to 2011. During that period, 13 patients met the criteria of the study among a population of 2,342 patients with oral lesions. Of the 13 patients, 12 were females. Ten were intravenous bisphosphonate users, and nine had breast cancer...

Link Feast

BPS RESEARCH DIGEST — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0100

In case you missed them - 10 of the best psychology links from the past week: 1. Fifteen psychology experts share their best productivity tips. 2. Last night, BBC Two's Horizon broadcast "The Creative Brain: How Insight Works" (more on creativity from the Digest archive). 3. Scientific American Mind have relaunched their blog network - long-time favourites are still there like Bering in Mind and The Scicurious Brain, but there are some new faces too, like Beautiful Minds by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, and PsySociety with Melanie Tannenbaum blogging "at the intersection of pop and psych culture." 4. Is psychology a science, can it be one, should it be? On BBC Radio 3's Nightwaves programme, cognitive psychologist Professor Keith Laws debated with philosopher of...

Old Deval Had to Fund…E-O-H-H-S

Susan's Blog — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:52:25 +0100

Here’s a parody I came up with while riding my bike today. Inspired by budget difficulties for our state agencies under EOHHS (Executive Office of Health and Human Services), it’s called “Old Deval,” (our governor) and it is sung to the tune of “Old MacDonald had a farm.” But first, here’s a glossary: 1) DDS = Department of Developmental Services (under the aegis of EOHHS, along with Mass Rehabilitation and Mass Department of Mental Health) 2) ID = Intellectual Disability 3) Aspie = Person with Asperger’s 4) ASD = Autism Spectrum Disorder And now, on with the song! Old Deval had to fund E-O-H-H-S: He had to fund the DDS … E-O-H-H-S With some ID her and some Aspies there Here ASD, there ASD, everywhere ASD Old Deval had to fund ...

Nora Ephron’s Final Act - NYTimes.com

Psychology of Pain — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:18:00 +0100

At 10 p.m. on a Friday night in a private room on the 14th Floor of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on 68th and York Avenue, my mother was lying in her bed hallucinating, in that dream space people go on their way to being gone.She spoke of seeing trees, possibly a forest. And she mentioned to Nick, my stepfather, that she had been to the theater where her play was showing and that the audience was full. In reality, she had not left the hospital in a month, and the play, "Lucky Guy," was nearly a year away from opening.My brother, Max, and I stood there in disbelief. Though it had been weeks since her blood count showed any sign of improvement, the gravity of the situation had crept up on us. Mom's housekeeper, Linda Diaz, who had worked for her for 25 years, was in the corner sobbing.At som...

Mental Practice Makes Perfect

PsyBlog | Psychology Blog — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:46:35 +0100

Surgeons do it. Tennis players do it. But do the rest of us undervalue the mental rehearsal of challenging activities? If you were to undergo brain surgery, would you care if the surgeon regularly carried out mental practice of the operation? Or, would you only be interested in the physical practice? (By mental practice I don't mean getting 'psyched up' or making plans or getting in the right frame of mind; I mean mentally running through the physical movements required for the operation.) Quite naturally you'd probably be much more interested in how often the surgeon had carried out the operation in real life, rather than in his imagination. But should you be? What is the value of mental practice, not just in surgery, but in life in general? How much benefit is there to mental rehearsal a...

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The Mice Keep Running

In My Humble Opinion — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0100

It had all been so easy when Jim was still around. Lisa's ex husband had many shortcomings, but being a critical care specialist sure came in handy. Any time her mom or dad had a health crisis, he was right there in the middle of it: advocating, interpreting, breaking down the complexities into easily digestible morsels of information. But then Lisa's father died, and the emotional and physical stress brought the unstable union to a breaking point. Years later, she sat in the ICU holding her mother's hand and longing for the man that she had grown to despise. She felt a slight tenderness stir in her heart that was suddenly extinguished by picturing her previous husband with his new, almost teenage love interest. Damn! Lisa'...

Rotations

Med Student Guide — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:49:00 +0100

by usmleworld1 (Posted Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:49 am)Clinical USA is a profession cooperation that sets up clerkships in the USA for IMG. Clinical USA secures Clinical Rotations (Core and Electives) in Top Rated Teaching U.S Hospitals and Affiliated Medical Clinics. We have the following Core and Elective Rotations available. CORE CLERKSHIP:1. Internal Medicine (12 weeks)2. Obstetrics & Gynecology (8 weeks)3. General Medicine Surgery (8 weeks)4. Surgical sub-specialties (12 weeks) *5. Pediatrics (6 weeks)6. Family Medicine (6 weeks)7. Psychiatry (6 weeks)8. Radiology (4 weeks)9. Clinical Pathology (4 weeks)§ Anesthesiology§ Neurosurgery§ Ophthalmology§ Otorhinolaryngology§ Orthopedic Surgery§ Pediatric Surgery§ Plastic Surgery§ Thoracic Surgery§ Vascular Surgery§ Urology§ Emergency M...

IQs Corner Recent Literature of Interest: 02-21-13

Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:41:00 +0100

Conclusions Results suggest a need for > better teacher awareness about inattentive subtype of ADHD. > PD FEB > PY 2013 > VL 18 > IS 1 > BP 18 > EP 23 > ER > > PT J > AU Seli, P > Cheyne, JA > Smilek, D > AF Seli, Paul > Cheyne, James Allan > Smilek, Daniel > TI Wandering Minds and Wavering Rhythms: Linking Mind Wandering and > Behavioral Variability > SO JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-HUMAN PERCEPTION AND PERFORMANCE > AB Mind wandering is a pervasive feature of human cognition often > associated with the withdrawal of task-related executive control > processes. Here, we explore the possibility that, in tasks requiring > executive control to sustain consistent responding, moments of mind > wandering cou...

Cognitive Neuroscience Research Assistant / Lab Manager Position -- Moss Rehab,

Talking Brains — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0100

The Cognition and Action Lab at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), a division of the Einstein Healthcare Network, has an opening beginning early summer of 2013 for a BA/BS- or Master’s-level Research Assistant/Lab Manager. The position involves assisting on NIH-funded studies of action and object representations in healthy and stroke populations using behavioral experiments, state-of-the art neuroimaging, and TMS/tDCS. Applicants should have a strong academic background in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or a related field, coursework in statistics and research methods, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, and prior human behavioral research experience. Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute is a stimulating academic environment offering many tra...

Rosenberg and Pringle , what a team!

PharmaGossip — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0100

Selling Marked Up Drugs with Made Up Patients-- Part Two by Martha Rosenberg and Evelyn Pringle No drug ads or Pharma sponsors dot the website of the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation which has renamed itself the Zen-like "Balanced Mind Foundation." (Meditation/medication--same idea, right?) Instead, visitors to the site will find slick slide shows, tales of children saved by bipolar drugs and a list of donor families. But according to the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry the actual guidelines the Balanced Mind Foundation uses to discern bipolar disorder in children and adolescents were funded by Abbott, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Forest, Janssen, Novartis and Pfizer. Oops. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the group that produce...

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Incremental Advances in Machine-Nerve Interfaces

Fight Aging! — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0100

Computational hardware, electronics, and biotechnology are three of the most rapidly advancing fields of human endeavor at the present time. The years ahead are going to be most interesting, even though progress always seems far too slow and incremental while living it a day at a time. One field that sits within the broad overlap of machinery, computing, and biology is that of nerve-machine interfaces, which spans the gamut from the creation of machines to take on the job of a biological nerve structure, through simulation of nervous system behavior, through to attaching machinery to nerves in order to form a new gestalt system. Examples of this work being demonstrated today are very crude in comparison to what will be possible in the future - but the path forward, while slow and incremen...

Title IX for disabled student sports?

Be the Best You can Be — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 03:38:00 +0100

I've had concerns with my #1's school, but some very dedicated teachers have provided him with adapted floor hockey and adapted soccer activities. For him this time is more valuable than most of his coursework.The exercise is good -- adapted floor hockey is more work than I'd naively expected. The social activity is more important though. He's able to work and play with his peers. It wasn't easy for his teachers and the schools to put these programs together. They have to work around the fuzzy boundaries of "CI" and "PI", a divide that predates autism spectrum disorder. His teammates are technically "PI" (physically impaired) but most have some degree of "CI" (cognitive impairment) as well. In his case the CI is significant and the PI a bit of a stretch -- but "pure" CI opportunities are ...

Carolinas Healthcare System Pays Executives Even More

Health Care Renewal — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:34:00 +0100

In May, 2012, we discussed the contrast between the outsize compensation given to top executives of Carolinas Healthcare System, a large tax-exempt public hospital authority, and the apparent failure of the system to fulfill it promise to provide community care. Now we can update that story.2012 Executive CompensationThe Charlotte Observer reported on the compensation given to top executives at the Carolinas Health Care System in 2012:The top executive at Carolinas HealthCare System received $4.76 million in 2012 compensation, a 12 percent increase over 2011, as the system celebrated a profitable year and met all of its systemwide performance goals, the system announced.CEO Michael Tarwater, 59, who has led the $7.5 billion nonprofit system for more than 10 years, received a salary o...

H2H “See You in 7” Tools Updated for Cardiac Rehab Awareness Week

ACC in Touch Blog — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:55:00 +0100

This post was authored by Marjorie King, MD, FACC, MAACVPR, past president and chair of the Professional Liaison Committee of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). The ACC and American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) have a longstanding relationship, and as a result, have developed a variety of tools for physicians and their patients to use to encourage participation in cardiovascular rehabilitation (cardiac rehab). As clinical practice guidelines highly recommend cardiac rehabilitation after cardiac events such as a myocardial infarction to improve mortality, quality of life and functional capacity, the ACC’s Hospital to Home (H2H) program stresses that it is important for a patient to have a...

Haptics, Body Sensors, New Protocols to Bring Telemedicine Up a Level

Medgadget — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:01:59 +0100

Judging by all the media coverage, telemedicine is surely a necessary part of our not too distant future. Yet the technology that powers today’s telemedicine continues to be essentially confined to something resembling Skype on wheels.At University of Texas at Dallas researchers are working on bringing new technologies together, like haptics, body sensors, and real time data transmission protocols, to allow for more substantial capabilities than just audio and video communication. They envision, for example, a rehabilitation system that can help therapists remotely work with patients on exercise techniques, including being able to feel the motion and strength of their movements while providing real time feedback.Read More (Source: Medgadget)

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Creating a Broader Mission for the ACC Prevention Committee

ACC in Touch Blog — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:55:00 +0100

This post was authored by Vera Bittner, MD, MSPH, FACC, chair of ACC’s Prevention Committee. Cardiovascular disease prevention is central to the mission of the ACC, and many entities within the College, including the ACC’s Prevention Committee, have contributed to this important mission through advocacy, education, and patient-centered care initiatives. However, previous coordination between these efforts was limited, and in May 2012, the Prevention Committee was challenged by the ACC’s Clinical Quality Committee (CQC) to rethink its role and mission within the College. Through tireless ACC staff efforts and discussions with multiple internal and external stakeholders, a new committee charter was developed and subsequently approved by both the CQC and the ACC Executive ...

IQs Corner Recent Literature of Interest: 2-5-2013

Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:12:00 +0100

This study will illustrate its usefulness in determining what measures are related, either as evidence of validity or as a bias, to instructional effectiveness. Student responses were also compared with faculty self-evaluations, one indicator of effective teaching, in order to determine if the SAI does measure instructional effectiveness. Overall, the SAI was found to have good reliability and validity with relatively few biases and could be used to extract five distinguishable traits of instructional effectiveness.PY 2013VL 38IS 1BP 94EP 113ERPT JAU Bensoussan, L Duclos, Y Rossi-Durand, CAF Bensoussan, Laurent Duclos, Yann Rossi-Durand, ChristianeTI Modulation of human motoneuron activity by a mental arithmetic taskSO HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENCEAB This study aimed to determine whether the perf...

Will My Smartphone Help Me End The Purgatory Of My Groundhog Day Diet?

Dr. Len's Cancer Blog — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:15:00 +0100

OK. So Groundhog Day was on Saturday this year, and unlike the furry little beast what I have to say each year around this time is just as good today as him looking for his shadow on Saturday. What is all this about, you are probably asking yourself? It is about an annual update that I started a couple of years ago on my blog to remind myself and those who are interested that losing weight and staying healthy is a tough slog and a major commitment which too often is not successful. Like many of you out there I am not immune to all the problems surrounding diet and trying to get weight under control. Try, try, try again and again, and hopefully one day we can all get it "right." That's why I dubbed this the Groundhog Day Diet, after the Bill Murray movie of a similar name where he strikes o...

Post-Doctoral Position at Georgetown University Medical Center

Talking Brains — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0100

The Cognitive Recovery Lab invites applications for a post-doctoral position opening immediately. The lab is directed by Dr. Peter Turkeltaub and operates across Georgetown University Medical Center and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. We aim to improve the lives of people with cognitive and language difficulties by expanding our understanding of (1) how the brain performs language and cognitive functions, (2) how these brain systems change in the face of injury or dysfunction, and (3) how we can improve recovery. To achieve these aims we perform a range of human subjects research from basic cognitive neuroscience through clinical trials. We use a variety of methods, including behavioral studies, lesion studies in people with stroke, multimodal MRI, tDCS, tDCS/fMRI, TMS, and TMS/E...

Healing PTSD with Pets for Vets

Channel N — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 22:46:29 +0100

“Healing Power of Pets: Veteran with PTSD finds new life with dog” is a video profiling a United States Marine Corps veteran who served in the Iraq war and like many returning veterans, suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Blade, a brave, strong man, developed debilitating symptoms of PTSD including suicidal thoughts, and nearly ended his own life. Fortunately, he connected with Pets for Vets instead. They’re a 501(c) non-profit organization who rescue dogs from shelters, rehabilitate and train them to become certified psychiatric service dogs, and match them to veterans who can benefit from these special companions. Blade was paired with a puppy named DD and from the moment they met, a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Watch the video for a touching d...

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L300 Neurostimulation System for Foot Drop Cleared for Kids in U.S.

Medgadget — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:49:40 +0100

The FDA has granted Bioness (Valencia, CA) clearance to make available for kids with foot drop from upper motor neuron pathologies like cerebral palsy, brain injury, and stroke, the same L300 neurostimulation system that was cleared for adults in the spring of 2011. The L300 uses a below-the-knee electronic muscle stimulation cuff to contract muscles in the leg. To synchronize, a little sensor is placed in the shoe that detects movement and talks to the cuff via a wireless connection. In addition, a wireless remote is used to configure and tune the system for individual needs and comfort levels.The system can be used either as a rehabilitation tool to help people regain their gait or as an assistive device to simply help get around the neighborhood.Read More (Source: Medgadget)

Worst NFL Injuries - Tom Junod on Injury Issue in the NFL - Esquire

Psychology of Pain — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 02:32:00 +0100

This NFL season has been defined by people talking about "the injury issue" — pundits, columnists, league officials. The one voice you haven't heard — until now — belongs to the players.By Tom JunodCrushed SkullPhil ToledanoPublished in the February 2013 issue, on sale any day nowMy left knee has been aching this entire week. I don't know why. I didn't get hit directly on it in the last game. My right knee has started the week so sore the side where the nerve got hit. When I wear the brace, my knees feel like total crap. When I start moving around, the muscles and tendons in my leg feel so stressed, sometimes I feel they might rupture. My lower back is so sore, painful and stiff; my right shoulder has lost some mobility for some reason. My right ankle is constantly being twisted; my ...

ReWalk Rehabilitation 2.0 Exoskeleton Improved to Get More People Using It

Medgadget — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:42:46 +0100

Argo Medical (Marlborough, MA) unveiled a new version of its ReWalk Rehabilitation exoskeleton for people with spinal cord injuries.The device is meant to be used in rehab clinics and the new version is meant to be able to support a greater range of user body sizes, a new sizing mechanism to get folks ready for each session, and a new beginner mode that helps newbies get used to the ReWalk.Read More (Source: Medgadget)

Why, to improve memory, we need to think of the brain as a system

SharpBrains — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:26:33 +0100

(Editor’s Note: every month we host an online Q&A with participants in the e-course How To Be Your Own Brain Fitness Coach. This is the lightly edited and anonymized transcript from the January Q&A session; the February Q&A will take place on Tuesday, February 12th) 2:02 OK, ready to go! Happy 2013 again. You can start writing your questions and comments in the box at the bottom, and hit Send. 2:04 Question Which activities or games or websites do you recommend to improve memory? 2:05 Faculty Answer Well, that is an impossible question to answer properly without talking specifics…have you watched the recorded lectures already? 2:06 I say that for 2 reasons: 1) to improve memory, one also has to consider other brain functions such as attention and managing stress; 2) and t...

All on Four® Fixed Implant Support Rehabilitation: A Masticatory Function Study

Dental Technology Blog — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:10:00 +0100

ConclusionThe muscular function similarity of All-on-Four and dentate patients shows that this treatment concept may be considered as a good option for oral rehabilitation in edentulous patients. (Source: Dental Technology Blog)

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Identification of risk factors for fracture of veneering materials and screw loosening of implant-supported fixed partial dentures in partially edentulous cases

Dental Technology Blog — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:59:00 +0100

Noda, K., Arakawa, H., Maekawa, K., Hara, E. S., Yamazaki, S., Kimura-Ono, A., Sonoyama, W., Minakuchi, H., Matsuka, Y. and Kuboki, T. (2013), Identification of risk factors for fracture of veneering materials and screw loosening of implant-supported fixed partial dentures in partially edentulous cases. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. doi: 10.1111/joor.12029 SummaryThis retrospective study identified the risk factors for fracture of veneering materials and screw loosening of implant-supported fixed partial dentures in partially edentulous cases. The study group included a total of 182 patients who were installed 219 suprastructures at the Fixed Prosthodontic Clinic of Okayama University Dental Hospital between February 1990 and March 2005 and were subdivided in two subgroups: 120 pati...

Reader Question – Does anybody know if there are any drug treatment programs available in Carson City?

Addiction Recovery Blog — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:40:12 +0100

Many of you might be asking this same question so I’m posting with the answer here. Enjoy. The question is from vanessa I’m from Carson City, Nevada and I would like to know if I could find a drug treatment center here. My son Ethan has finally agreed to attend a treatment program to overcome his crystal meth addiction. He experienced the negative effects of the drugs to his body and he realized that there’s still hope for a better life. I’m so happy that he’s taking this step into changing his life for good. Please help us find a drug rehab. I want to have the old Ethan back. Answer: It’s nice that your son finally realized how precious his life is. Using drugs has never been the solution to any problem for it makes everything worse. I’ll include...

Standardizing Pain Management - Penn Nursing Science

Psychology of Pain — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:46:00 +0100

This report underscored the importance of a consistent way to measure pain across transitions of care within military and Veterans Administration Healthcare (VHA) systems. The Army Pain Management Task Force developed a new integrated pain rating scale – the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS).Rosemary Polomano, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor of pain practice at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, collaborated with Army Pain Management Task Force leaders, COL Chester C. Buckenmaier III, MD (Director of the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management), COL Kevin T. Galloway, BSN, MHA (Office of the Army Surgeon General) and Rollin M. Gallagher, MD, MPH (Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center) to conduct initial psychometric te...

Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM)

Psychology of Pain — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:47:00 +0100

Established in 2003, the Army Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management Initiative (ARAPMI) sought to improve the management of acute pain in military and civilian medicine. Through clinical research efforts, it has become the model of integrated acute and chronic pain medicine. During the next six years, the ARAPMI vision expanded exponentially and now encompasses all aspects of pain management beginning at point of injury, regardless of where the injury occurs (battlefield, training or motor vehicle accident). The organizational objective expanded to ensure that pain management services are available at all military treatment facilities, those in-theatre, in Germany, and throughout the continental United States. A collaborative working relationship with Navy, Air Force and Veterans Admi...

Video – Juan Manuel Marquez denies drug use [CNN 12-17-2012]

Addiction Recovery Blog — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:40:07 +0100

This is a pretty good video I came across. Wanted to share it with everyone. EnjoyAuthor’s Description: Click and buy a Tee-Shirt using the link above for a 2% MeTee: Tee-Shirt Design in – The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) is part of the National Health Service in Established in 2001 to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of drug treatment, it is currently delivering the ambitions of the 2010 Drug Strategy across the treatment sector, pending the creation of a new public health That ambition is for recovery: for drug and alcohol users to become free of their dependence and to reintegrate into society, working, bringing up their children and having positive social Drug treatment benefits communities as well as individuals, through less cri...

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Do the smiles of the world's most influential individuals have common parameters?

Dental Technology Blog — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:30:00 +0100

Orce-Romero, A., Iglesias-Linares, A., Cantillo-Galindo, M., Yañez-Vico, R. M., Mendoza-Mendoza, A. and Solano-Reina, E. (2012), Do the smiles of the world's most influential individuals have common parameters? Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. doi: 10.1111/joor.12027 SummaryThe aim of this study was to determine – on the basis of the most recent yearly listings – whether there were any common measurable variables associated with the smiles of the world's most influential people. A total of 168 subjects were selected from the lists of Time magazine's 100 most influential people during the period 2006–2010. Smiling frontal view photographs were obtained. Thirty-six variables for each subject were traced and measured using photogrammetric analysis to obtain qualitative and quantita...

Oral health-related quality of life in patients with tooth wear. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation

Dental Technology Blog — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:30:00 +0100

Papagianni, C. E., van der Meulen, M. J., Naeije, M. and Lobbezoo, F. (2012), Oral health-related quality of life in patients with tooth wear. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation. doi: 10.1111/joor.12025 SummaryThe aim of this study was to investigate the impact of tooth wear (TW) on patients' oral health-related quality of life. A total of 198 participants were included in the study. They belonged to the following four different diagnostic categories: 51 patients with TW, 46 patients with painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD), 43 complete denture wearers and 58 healthy controls. The Dutch version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-NL) was used to assess the patients' oral health-related quality of life. The results of the study show that patients with TW have an impaired oral hea...

Cleveland Clinic Use of Multidisciplinary Teams; Salaried Physicians Deemed Essential

Lab Soft News — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:00:00 +0100

In a recent note, I began to explore ways in which the goals of hospital-based physicians and hospital executives could be better aligned (see: More on the Alignment of Hospital Physicians with Hospital Executives). The underlying assumption is that quality care may sometimes conflict with the cost of care. In my opinion, the faster way to achieve this alignment is through the deployment of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs). According to a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times, this important goal is being accomplished at the Cleveland Clinic (see: Approaching Illness as a Team). Below is an excerpt from the NYT piece: The Cleveland Clinic, long considered a premier medical system, is gaining new renown for innovation in improving the quality of care while holding down costs. I...

Fixing the pyramid: Marriage Letters

Turquoise Gates — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:55:00 +0100

Your back is permanently stooped from bearing burdens. Everything I'm too weak to do, you are strong enough to carry. I marvel at it, your endurance, your love, your perseverance when I'm giving up.I had brushed my teeth, done my hair, and I was looking for socks. I told you I was leaving, going to tend some friendships that desperately need tending. We'd already agreed. But there was this defeat in your voice when you said, "Will you be back for supper?" I looked at the clock. 4:30 p.m. No way. You looked forlorn. I asked you to sit on the blue chair and talk to me, and we sat across from each other in our messy front room. The first 10 times I asked you what you wanted me to do, you said, "I don't know," with your frustrated shrug and your half angry, half brokenhearted eyes. This time, ...

Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at Georgetown University

Talking Brains — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0100

The Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery and the laboratory of Professor Elissa Newport, director, are seeking a postdoctoral fellow capable of taking a leadership role in a new line of research focused on language, cognitive, and motor development after perinatal stroke, as compared with recovery of the same functions in adults after stroke to similar cortical areas. The research involves longitudinal research, observing and testing infants and young children who have suffered a perinatal stroke to the left or right hemisphere; and cross-sectional research, observing and testing older children and young adults who have grown up after the same type of stroke, or adults who have experienced a comparable stroke during adulthood. Our aim is understand how reorganization of cor...

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Post Doctoral and RA positions, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute

Talking Brains — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0100

The Language and Aphasia Lab of MRRI (www.mrri.org) invites applications for expected openings at the postdoctoral and RA levels, starting Summer/Fall 2013. Under the direction of Dr. Myrna Schwartz, our lab conducts NIH-funded research on language processing in typical speakers and individuals with aphasia. We seek to advance understanding of how words are learned and retrieved in speech, how these processes are affected by stroke, and how word production deficits can be ameliorated by treatment. MRRI and MossRehab, part of the Einstein Healthcare Network, are located in Philadelphia and Elkins Park, PA. We offer our employees unparalleled career opportunities including competitive compensation, attractive benefits plan including medical/dental/vision coverage, generous ...

The Morning Flap: December 27, 2012

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:01:33 +0100

These are my links for December 22nd through December 27th: Why States May Want to Fall off the ‘Cliff’ – Falling off the “fiscal cliff” is a bad thing, right? Not necessarily for some state governments that could begin collecting more in estate taxes on wealth left to heirs if the United States goes over the “cliff,” allowing sharp tax increases and federal spending cuts to take effect in January.In an example of federal and state tax law interaction that gets little notice on Capitol Hill, 30 states next year could collect $3 billion more in estate taxes if Congress and President Barack Obama do not act soon, estimated the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank. The reason? The federal estate tax would return with a vengeance...

Flap’s Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-24

FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 11:00:00 +0100

My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-24 – Locum Tenens (Temporary) Dentist – Gregory Cole, D.D.S. http://t.co/cKrTP0I8 #tcot 21:39:33, 2012-12-24 Merry Christmas 2012 – Flap's Blog http://t.co/ZZgoy0Sj #tcot 21:39:33, 2012-12-24 My Daily Twitter Digest for 2012-12-24 http://t.co/pY7jDm24 21:02:07, 2012-12-24 Merry Christmas 2012 http://t.co/QpDBlgSO #tcot 12:14:21, 2012-12-24 Realignment's unintended consequence: No supervision, rehabilitation for criminals http://t.co/YQ6hbMMD #tcot 10:17:55, 2012-12-24 Flap's California Blog @ Flap Twitter Digest for 2012-12-23 – Flap's California Blog http://t.co/HCU1R7y3 #tcot 04:54:55, 2012-12-24 Flap's Blog @ Flap Twitter Daily Digest for 2012-12-23 – Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap'...

Kier Bison, Ph.D., Discusses the Psychosocial Complications of Brain Injury

Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:32:02 +0100

Kier Bison, Ph.D., is the director of program development for Pate Rehabilitation and a clinical neuropsychologist.Contributor: Lana BandoimPublished: Dec 23, 2012 (Source: Most Recent Health Wellness - Associated Content)

The Perils of Yoga for Men - NYTimes.com

Psychology of Pain — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:18:00 +0100

Men are famous for ignoring aches and pains. It's macho. Men get physical exams less often than women. They tend to remain silent if worried about their health. When hurt, their impulse is to shun doctors and rely on home remedies, like avoiding heavy lifting to ease backaches. Male athletes play through injuries. It's all about virility and manliness.The stereotype has exceptions, of course. But denial of injury and ill health — from the relatively inconsequential to the grave — is common enough that physicians seek ways to encourage men to be more forthcoming.So it pays to listen carefully when guys start talking about intolerable pain and upended lives. Doing so led me to an unexpected finding that I have confirmed in a trove of federal data. It suggests thatyoga can be remarka...

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HHS CMS Proposed Rule on Essential Health Benefits

Policy and Medicine — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 05:00:00 +0100

As predicted, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released new regulations to further implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) last week—several weeks after President Obama was re-elected. The three proposed rules addressed: Prohibitions against health insurance companies from discriminating against individuals because of a pre-existing or chronic condition policies and standards for coverage of essential health benefits expanding employment-based wellness programs to promote health and help control health care spending The comment period on the proposed regulations ends Dec. 26. Under PPACA, Americans who are not covered through employers will be able to comparison shop for health insurance in online markets, also known as ...

Another Good Reason to Quit Smoking in New Year: Less Back Pain - University of Rochester Medical Center

Psychology of Pain — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:48:00 +0100

A University of Rochester Medical Center analysis of more than 5,300 patients followed for eight months during treatment of spinal disorders showed that cigarette smokers reported far more pain than never-smokers or those who had quit.Smoking cessation either prior to treatment or during the course of care was related to significant improvements in pain – a result that underlines the need for structured stop-smoking programs among the legions of patients who experience back pain due to degenerative disease, deformity, or musculoskeletal problems, said Caleb Behrend, M.D., chief resident in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at URMC.Glenn R. Rechtine, M.D., a nationally recognized spinal surgeon and adjunct faculty at URMC, led the study, which was publi...

The "King of Pain" Recants - Pharmaceutical Paid Key Opinion Leader Admits It Was All "Misinformation"

Health Care Renewal — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:11:00 +0100

This article does not seem to be available online.)In 1986, at the age of 31, he co-wrote a seminal paper arguing that opioids could also be used in the much larger group of people without cancer who suffered chronic pain. The paper was based on just 38 cases and included several caveats. Nevertheless, it opened the door to much broader prescribing of the drugs for more common complaints such as nerve or back pain. Dr Portenoy also cited the statistic that less than 1% of opioid users became addicted.Today, even proponents of opioid use say that figure was wrong. 'It's obviously crazy to think that only 1% of the population is at risk for opioid addiction,' said Lynn Webster, president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, one of the publishers of the 1996 statement. '...

Our Bodies Ourselves Goes to Nepal: Women’s Health Activists Discuss Cross-Border Surrogacy

Our Bodies Our Blog — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:22:28 +0100

This article was originally published in the winter 2012/2013 Our Bodies Ourselves newsletter. View the full newsletter. (Source: Our Bodies Our Blog)

(Only) human

Movin' Meat — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Chatting with some med students, a good question was raised: how do we, as doctors, deal with the emotional baggage we encounter in our profession? It's high stress, we see disturbing things, and sometimes we make mistakes that can result in harm to patients. The pressure and responsibility can be very hard to handle.These stresses, if unmanaged or poorly managed, can carry severe consequences for physicians. Burnout is rampant among docs (and trainees, too). Doctors have high rates of divorce, substance abuse and have the highest suicide rate of any profession.A normal day at my job is hard: I'm running nonstop for 8-12 hours, I'm constantly interrupted, I have patients making demands of my attention and empathy, I'm saturated with information and need to make rapid decision without adequ...

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Hero cat?

The Adventures of Cancer Girl — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 23:26:00 +0100

Garland, our cat, is going to be 16 in a few months, which is pretty old for a cat. She's always eaten dry cat food, but our vet recently suggested offering her some canned food "just to see if she likes it." The vet's theory is that it's good for older cats to have canned food, because it's easier to chew and helps keep the cats hydrated, and if they ever need medicine, it's easy to sneak in there.I dutifully went out and bought the canned food, and now I'm finding it hilarious that we had to "see if she likes it." Saying Garland loves the canned food is not strong enough of a statement. The canned food is the best thing to ever happen to Garland. Were it legal, Garland would marry the canned food and settle down and give birth to a litter of baby canned food. We are going to have to send...

Finding and Marketing Your OT Niche

Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 05:43:00 +0100

Guest post! Starting...now! Finding and Marketing Your OT NicheThe second rule in marketing any professional service is to know your audience; the first is know yourself, but as an occupational therapist, you have this part covered—for the most part. You know you want to provide exceptional service, but to whom and how may still be challenging questions. A common mistake in business is the “we’ll-fit-anyone” approach, which results in a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none phenomenon. While you may catch a few flitting minnows, you certainly won’t attract the loyal marlins that can make your business a true success.So how do you avoid the one-size-fits-all trap? Narrow your focus to find your niche, and thus better position yourself and your profession to grow. This way, your m...

In Life It’s OK To Ask Why

Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Let’s get real for a second.Life, family and balancing a career can get hectic at times.If we were to gauge from the images and fronts everyone has up, we would think something was wrong with us.After all, no one else seems to be complaining about the relational and economic woes we are experiencing.The fact is that gas prices keep going higher and higher, and we’re facing one of the toughest recessions to date, and there seems to be no relief in sight.All the while most parade around struggling to keep up a front that isn't even realistic. We live in a society where questioning the status quo is frowned upon.Just keep smiling and stay in line.I want to share with you that it is perfectly normal to get to a point where you want to question when is your time going to come? Oft...

Update: Let’s debunk 32 neuromyths…do we only use 10% of our brain?

SharpBrains — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:43:50 +0100

Time for SharpBrains’ November 2012 eNewsletter, featuring latest science, tools and thinking to upgrade brain health. Before we start, do you believe these 32 neuromyths? Do we only use 10% of our brain? New Science: Fast cycling can help Parkinson’s Disease patients strengthen brain connectivity for motor ability There’s no single silver bullet to treat depression (not even aerobic exercise) The cognitive and brain fitness benefits of being bilingual Newborn neurons in the adult brain are critical for learning and memory Calling high school students/ teachers to design creative experiments on the human brain New Tools: Brain health centers adding cognitive coaching services Study: Emerging brain computer interface can monitor and train attention in unmedicated ADHD c...

The 7-Step Method to Find Focus for Writing

Zen Habits — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:37:07 +0100

“I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.” ~William Faulkner Post written by Leo Babauta. Writers procrastinate on writing so much that the term “writer” is probably a misnomer. We should be called “putting things off-ists”. Why is it so hard to focus on writing for most people? Or other creative work, for that matter? It seems no matter our best intentions, it’s our lot in life to put off writing by checking email or Facebook or Twitter, doing other busy-work, chatting with someone, anything but the actual writing. I’ve figured out a few things that work. It’s my writer’s rehabilitation program, and I offer it here to all of you in hopes that it will help: Set a writing block. It’s not enough to say,...

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Seatbelt Controversy: Safety or Restraint

Alzheimer's Reading Room, The — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 05:00:00 +0100

By Elaine C. Pereira Alzheimer's Reading Room After more than 35 years working as an occupational therapist, originally in an adult rehabilitation setting but for most of my career as a school therapist, I have received considerable training in maintaining client safety. Therapists perceive and use seatbelts as safety belts. Belts secure physically challenged children and adults in wheelchairs so they can be transported safely or mobilize themselves without the risk of falling out and/or over. Imagine a quadriplegic, someone compromised to the extent that Christopher Reeves was, without the support of belts to remain semi-upright in a chair. Tragically he would have slumped out and onto the floor, as would hundreds of thousands of other individuals dependent on physical assistanc...

On the limits of Citicoline and the need for comprehensive brain injury rehabilitation

SharpBrains — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:38:54 +0100

Conclusion: Among patients with traumatic brain injury, the use of citicoline compared with placebo for 90 days did not result in improvement in functional and cognitive status. To Learn More; Retooling cognitive rehabilitation for patients with traumatic brain injury Brain Injury Care: Treatment and Reimbursement Challenges (Source: SharpBrains)

Letter to a prospective occupational therapy student

ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:08:00 +0100

I think program directors and faculty can tune in to this as well so they are more aware of what goes on...Dear Prospective Occupational Therapy Student:Thank you for contacting me and asking about volunteer opportunities at my facility. As a part-time occupational therapy educator I understand that most programs have some component of volunteerism associated with application to a program.I had to complete a similar level of volunteer experience when I applied to my occupational therapy program as well, and I fondly remember my volunteer experiences. I began those experiences a full year prior to submitting my application, probably because I read the admission requirements and saw that it was something valuable that would help me begin to make choices about a possible occupatio...

Brain injury in high-def with fiber tracking

The A and P Professor — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:00:00 +0100

U. PITTSBURGH (US) — New imaging technology will allow doctors to clearly see for the first time neural connections broken by traumatic brain injury.Called High Definition Fiber Tracking [1], the technology shows injuries much like X-rays show a fractured bone, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh [2] in a report published online in the Journal of Neurosurgery [3].In the report [4], the researchers describe the case of a 32-year-old man who wasn’t wearing a helmet when his all-terrain vehicle crashed. Initially, his CT scans showed bleeding and swelling on the right side of the brain, which controls left-sided body movement.High definition fiber tracking reveals loss of fibers, or connections, on the injured right side (yellow) and the intact, undamaged left side ...

Why doctors need to be politically engaged

The Patient's Doctor — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 02:31:00 +0100

This is a guest post by David Werner, Healthwrights. david@healthwrights.orgA few years ago, in the public market of the city of Mazatlan, Mexico, a thin, tired-looking woman with a sick baby in her arms approached me, asking for money to buy medicine. A doctor she had just consulted had told her that her baby had signs of pneumonia. And indeed the baby was breathing in short rapid breaths with flaring of the nostrils. She handed me a doctor's prescription for one of the newest, most expensive broad-spectrum antibiotics on the market. "I spent nearly everything I had to pay the doctor," she said, "and can't begin to pay for this medicine.""Were any lab tests done to find out what microbe is causing the infection?" I asked."No." She shook her head. "He just examined the baby and wrote this ...

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Disaster or Opportunity? 4 Simple Steps to Transforming Life’s Catastrophes

Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 05:00:00 +0100

I lost the use of my arms in a traffic accident.No one could understand why I laughed my way through surgeries and convalescence.How about you?Have you experienced any of life’s difficulties?Has job loss, divorce or losing a home happened to you?I’ve experienced all of the above.Through those experiences, I’ve learned 4 easy steps to help me get through the mental anguish and emotional fall out accompanying life’s inevitable troubles.First step is to let go.Let go of the past. It’s gone already. Trying to hang on to, or recreate, the past only prolongs pain for all involved.After my accident, I felt like my old way of life had been wiped away completely. It was pretty obvious that, without arms, I would never again be able to wrestle a 200 pound halibut on to a fishing boat.I was...

BBC News - Vegetative patient Scott Routley says 'I'm not in pain'

Psychology of Pain — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 01:27:00 +0100

A Canadian man who was believed to have been in a vegetative state for more than a decade, has been able to tell scientists that he is not in any pain.It's the first time an uncommunicative, severely brain-injured patient has been able to give answers clinically relevant to their care.Scott Routley, 39, was asked questions while having his brain activity scanned in an fMRI machine.His doctor says the discovery means medical textbooks will need rewriting.Vegetative patients emerge from a coma into a condition where they have periods awake, with their eyes open, but have no perception of themselves or the outside world.Mr Routley suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident 12 years ago.None of his physical assessments since then have shown any sign of awareness, or ability to communicat...

Getting the Support You Need When You’re Struggling with Depression

World of Psychology — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:31:37 +0100

“Our need for connection and love is just as fundamental as our need for food, water, and shelter,” writes clinical psychologist Lee H. Coleman, Ph.D, in his book Depression: A Guide for The Newly Diagnosed. So when you’re struggling with depression — or any mental illness, condition or concern — having support is incredibly important for getting better. In her book Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes, author Therese Borchard cites several studies about the power of support groups. For instance, she mentions a 2002 study, where 95 percent of people with severe depression reported that online support groups helped their symptoms. According to Coleman, people meet their needs for connection and social support in different ways....

Thought from Spaghetti- Ask questions!

Occupational Therapy Notes — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:38:00 +0100

I was making spaghetti the other day and it brought back thoughts of activity analysis and fieldwork that I thought I would share. I remember my very first Level 1 fieldwork instructor being worried that I didn't ask enough questions. I'm a shy person by nature and also tend to think on things for awhile before asking questions so I see if I can figure it out on my own. It took me a long time to see her point, but asking questions is essential in OT.If I was in rehab, and engaged in a cooking task (not hard to imagine that being an activity) it would be an interesting experience. A lot of my "cooking" is actually "microwaving" or "putting frozen meal in skillet." Not something I'm proud of but it is where I am right now. When I think of a meal that I actually make, spaghetti is pret...

Cotard's Syndrome: Not Pretending That We're Dead

The Neurocritic — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Playing dead game -- A craze called the "playing dead game" has swept this nation where people of all ages stage elaborate death scenes everyplace. Believing That We're DeadCotard's Syndrome is the delusional belief that one is dead or missing internal organs or other body parts (Debruyne et al., 2009). Those who suffer from this "delusion of negation" deny their own existence. The eponymous French neurologist Jules Cotard called it le délire de négation ("negation delirium").Cotard's syndrome has been observed in mentally ill persons with psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia and psychotic depression), as well as in neurological patients with acquired brain damage. In a review of 100 cases, Berrios and Luque (1995) found that:Depression was reported in 89% of subjects; the mo...

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Dual Joint Powered Bionic Leg Allows Amputee to Climb World’s Tallest Stair Race (VIDEO)

Medgadget — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:35:10 +0100

The New York City marathon might have been cancelled last weekend, but a more vertical endurance race went on inside Chicago’s Sears Tower (we’ll call it Willis Tower when the Big Ben is renamed after its next owner). The world’s highest indoor stair climbing event normally draws people with healthy knees and powerful legs, but this time one climber was missing a lower appendage entirely.Instead he was using a newly unveiled power prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University and that’s being tested at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) that activates its motors in response to forces applied to it by the wearer. The new leg allows for a more natural gait thanks to both the ankle and the knee being powered.Read More (Source: Medgadget)

India Revokes Patent On Roche Hepatitis C Drug

Pharmalot — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:14:45 +0100

In a move that will upset drugmakers, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board in India late last week revoked the patent on the Pegasys hepatitis C treatment marketed by Roche, which will make it possible for generic drugmakers to introduce lower-cost copycat versions. The board ruled that the drug is not a new invention after hearing an appeal filed by Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust, a patient advocacy group, against the validity of the patent. Interestingly, Pegasys was the first medicine to have been granted a patent in India after the Indian Patents Act was amended in 2005 to honor product patents. The decision is likely to intensify the battle between global drugmakers, patient advocates and the government over the delicate balance between intellectual property rights and affordable a...

Addicted lawyers can overcome barriers to recovery

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:41:45 +0100

Robert started drinking at age 18 and was an alcoholic by the time he entered law school. "I managed to get my degree and go to work for a Wall Street firm. After that I changed jobs every two years or less. I just couldn’t hang on to one. Nobody ever mentioned drinking to me. But I’m sure that with every job I lost, drinking was the main reason." Images of hard-headed, hard-drinking lawyers abound in popular culture. These images make a point: The professional status granted by a law degree offers no immunity from addiction. The same can be said for people in other prominent professions, such as physicians, pilots and politicians. In fact, the rate of addiction for attorneys may exceed that for the general population. In 2002, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services A...

The Puritans of Sobertown

Recovery Helpdesk — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 02:50:47 +0100

A Call From A Rehab I got a call from a patient at a residential drug treatment center today. He had been using Opana pretty heavily, and decided to go to rehab to get his life back on track. He had broken up with his girlfriend, and his little girl was staying with his mother. They’ve been giving me a Suboxone taper to help me detox from the OPs, he told me. At first, I felt okay and I had some time to do some thinking. I think I understand why I’ve been using. It’s the pain and the sadness I feel inside, and it comes out in anger, and it gives me an excuse to use. But they’ve been cutting my dose every day. And now I’m feeling pretty sick, and my mind is foggy and I can’t really focus. If I keep using, I’m not going to be able to see my daughter. And I’m afr...

The Rehabilitator: My October Cancer Peep

I've Still Got Both My Nuts: A True Cancer Blog — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:20:00 +0100

“Formula-6” Following my 2001 surgery I received at-home physical therapy. I progressed from not knowing how to signal my hip muscles to move, to feeling twitches, to seeing twitches, to creating visible movement, millimeters at a time. After ten weeks I could begin weight-bearing and intense PT at the hospital clinic. On a warm, beautiful March afternoon my dad pulled me away from my Field of Dreams and Triple Play Baseball spring training excitement to drive me to my first appointment with Formula-6, who was the PT clinic’s specialist: young, built, and formerly a competitive gymnast, cyclist, and tennis player. Formula-6 pushed me when I used the leg press, walking rail, underwater treadmill and other equipment, and his hands-on stretching was torture. My initial terror that m...

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Maintain Current Function Rehab Therapy Rule Change For SNF and HHC For Expanded Medicare Coverage Have Grave Unintended Consequences

The Happy Hospitalist — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

A landmark settlement was agreed to last week defining how The Medicare National Bank (CMS) would pay for skilled nursing facility (SNF) therapies and home health care therapies in the chronically debilitated but not medically improving class of CMS beneficiaries. Every article I've read applauds this ruling as a victory for Medicare patients. Nobody is paying attention to the grave consequences on the flip side of this settelment. This case is huge and I foresee grave unintended consequences with equally and potentially more devastating results for beneficiaries, for hospitals and for the viability of a Medicare program that is already bankrupt. On October 23, 2012 Obama's Departement of Health and Human Services settled the class action lawsuit ...

Long-term changes in graft height after maxillary sinus augmentation, onlay bone grafting, and combination of both techniques: a long-term retrospective cohort study

Dental Technology Blog — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:30:00 +0100

ConclusionThe treatment method does not seem to impact vertical bone loss following augmentation using autologous grafts. This approach results in long-term stability of dental implants. A sufficient width of keratinized peri-implant mucosa is important to prevent peri-implant bone loss and inflammation. (Source: Dental Technology Blog)

Whistleblower of the Year is PharmaGossip's Person of the Year 2012

PharmaGossip — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund is pleased to announce Allen Jones as our Whistleblower of the Year award winner for 2012. A graduate of Penn State University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in health physical education and therapy, Mr. Jones worked for the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General on two separate occasions. His first stint at the Office of the Inspector General lasted five years. He liked the work and was promoted several times, but the travel was too much with two adolescent teenage daughters to raise. Reluctantly, Mr. Jones left the OIG to work rehabilitating and selling houses – a job he did for the next 11 years. In 2002, with his daughters grown, Allen Jones returned to the Office of the Inspector General, and was assigned to investigate the State’s chief p...

Medicare Reportedly Settles on Coverage for Rehabilitative Services

HealthLawProf Blog — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

For many years, Medicare has refused to pay for physical or occupational therapy unless patients could show "improvement." Although this policy is a cost-saver, it has devastating effects on patients for whom these therapies are critical to maintaining current levels... (Source: HealthLawProf Blog)

Rehabilitation and Health Care Provider’s Guide to Cultures of the Foreign-Born

BHIC — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:32:34 +0100

From the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange, this guide provides specific information on cultural perspectives of foreign-born persons in the United States, especially recent immigrants. The monographs contain specific information about culture that rehabilitation service providers can use to more effectively meet the needs of foreign-born recipients of rehabilitation and health care services. Access the free downloadable guides here: http://bit.ly/T71iC1 (Source: BHIC)

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The LITFL Review 080

Life in the Fast Lane — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:41:33 +0100

Welcome to the lavish 80th edition! The LITFL Review is your regular and reliable source for the highest highlights, sneakiest sneak peaks and loudest shout-outs from the webbed world of emergency medicine and critical care. Each week the LITFL team casts the spotlight on the best and brightest from the blogosphere, the podcast video/audiosphere and the rest of the Web 2.0 social media jungle to find the most fantastic EM/CC FOAM (Free Open Access Meducation) around. The Most Fair Dinkum Ripper Beaut of the Week Leon Gussow of The Poison Review fame takes out top spot this week with four great toxicology posts. Check them out and see if you agree! Is magnesium beneficial in treating Irukandji jellyfish stings? – We may never know for sure… But its not looking promising! Ju...

Immediate loading of four (all-on-4) post-extractive implants supporting mandibular cross-arch fixed prostheses: 18-month follow-up from a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Dental Technology Blog — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Within the limits of this study, it can be suggested that immediately loaded mandibular cross-arch fixed dental prostheses can be supported by four post-extractive implants, however larger and longer follow-ups are needed. (Source: Dental Technology Blog)

Depression? There’s an App for That

World of Psychology — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:46:49 +0100

Jane McGonigal is a world-renowned game developer. She’s dedicated her career to the creation of intricate imaginary worlds and fiercely promotes the power of play. McGonigal encourages daily gaming. She believes that a quick dose of Angry Birds or hours spent plowing the virtual fields of FarmVille is not only relaxing but is actually beneficial to your health. So beneficial, in fact, that gaming may add up to 10 years to your life. In her groundbreaking TED Talk, McGonigal presents the research behind her theory. Live Longer, Be Happier Perhaps more interesting than her proposition to live longer is McGonigal’s empathic awareness that some people are uncertain about even living past today. Two years ago, McGonigal experienced persistent suicidal thoughts following a concussion. A...

Why Meaningful Use Stage 2 is So Important

Life as a Healthcare CIO — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:00:00 +0100

Last week my mother fell and broke her hip.She was taken to a very good local hospital and received excellent orthopedic care.The hospital used certified EHR technology and did their best to reconcile her medications.They used data sources such as historical prescribing records, previous hospitalization records, and calls to a few of her physicians who are not affiliated with the hospital (her primary caregiver is in downtown Los Angeles where she worked, not near the South Bay where she lives).Although are her physicians use electronic health records, the state of California does not yet have a widely deployed healthcare information exchange (although they are trying hard). There was no way to seamlessly exchange and synthesize all her data from various sites of care.Meaningful Use ...

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Sleep apnea plays dual role in stroke

Dr Portnay — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff. Sent from my iPhone (Source: Dr Portnay)

11 Ways to Reduce Healthcare Spending

Policy and Medicine — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion Though we are still early in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we are seeing signs that the fee for service culture is leaving us behind and the rate of costs increases have slowed down. Ultimately, the authors maintained that these 11 proposes are “the types of large-scale solutions that are necessary to contain health costs.” (Source: Policy and Medicine)

New Computer program

Deaf Village — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:04:00 +0100

To help deaf listen to music.. A computer-based music rehabilitation programme has been launched to help deaf people hear music more clearly. Developed at the University of Southampton it allows deaf people to pick out the individual sounds... (Source: Deaf Village)

Big Pharma’s newest invention: Adult ADHD - BY EVELYN PRINGLE AND MARTHA ROSENBERG,

PharmaGossip — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

This article originally appeared on AlterNet. There is good news and bad news about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — that is, if you’re a drug company. The bad news is the kid market has peaked out with 4.5 million U.S. children now carrying the label. The good news is adult ADHD is an emerging market. In fact, adult ADHD, with symptoms similar to pediatric ADHD such as impulsivity, distractibility and difficulty paying attention, following instructions and meeting deadlines, is the next big thing.“Immature adult market continues to offer greatest commercial potential,” read a 2008 press release to the pharmaceutical industry from the market research agency Datamonitor: “Estimated to be twice the size of the pediatric ADHD popula...

A Place For Nurses

The Nurse Practitioner's Place — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0100

A PLACE FOR NURSES The charge of the nurse is to keep patients comfortable, healthy and safe and many will tell you that it is an exciting albeit exhausting occupation to get into. Nurses are the right hands of the doctors who save and change lives every day with medical expertise but they also impart their own medical knowledge and supplement the instructions that doctors give to patients. To be a nurse not only requires a level of technical acumen and accreditation but your personality has to be conducive to healing, teaching, explaining and care. Long after your doctor moves onto the next patient, your nurse is the one who will attend to your care and administer the medicines you need to get better. Where would we be without nurses? Nursing was traditionally a female field but ove...

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Why I quit internal medicine for physiatry

Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 11:00:33 +0100

Some of you may know that I started out in an internal medicine residency and quit for physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Switching residencies? Not recommended. But entirely doable.I spent most of my first half of internship being really, really miserable. I remember sitting in the call room during my ICU month, talking to my mother about how badly I wanted to quit and what my options would be if I quit. Every time my resident would say, “This patient is really sick,” my stomach would churn. In the very beginning of the year, I’d only dread call on the morning of a call. Then I started to dread it the night before. Then I started to dread it like five minutes after the previous call ended.Continue reading ... Follow KevinMD.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Li...

Update: Connecting technology, healthy living, healthcare, concussions, and the Brain

SharpBrains — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:07:05 +0100

Time for SharpBrains’ September 2012 eNewsletter, featuring leading-edge research and insights to help connect the dots among technology, healthy living, healthare, concussions, and–our protagonist–the brain. — Technology & the Brain: Is the Internet making us dumber? (Nope, just different) Increasing cognitive loads on miners’ brains: good example of where society is heading Brain fitness meets HRV and EEG biometrics Employee Assistance Programs enhance corporate wellness with brain training The NIH Toolbox:First Comprehensive & Standardized Tests of Brain Function MMSE®/MMSE®-2™ Cognitive Impairment Screener, Now a Mobile App Healthy Living & the Brain: Why do SuperAgers Maintain Memory and a Thick Cortex? Will Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit en...

Chronic care decision-making from the caregiver’s perspective

Disruptive Women in Health Care — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 18:19:23 +0100

Coordinating ongoing care for people with chronic diseases or conditions has been a topic of interest among health care policy makers for some time. A large chunk of the health care budget goes to hospital, medical care and therapy or rehabilitation services for chronic conditions. Case management, nurse-hotlines and medical homes are some of the tools used by payers to try to manage the costs. In the end, a lot of care and service decisions are made by the patient’s family caregivers, who also provide a significant amount of care to the patient. My husband, Paul, suffered a stroke many years ago that left him with continuing physical and speech-language deficits. As Paul’s primary caregiver, I have years of experience in making health care decisions for him and with him, as well...

Microsoft’s Kinect Sensor Assists in Rehabilitation Thanks to Reflexion Rehabilitative Measurement Tool (video)

Medgadget — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:17:33 +0100

Over in sunny San Diego, California, our favorite video game controller turned medical device, the Kinect, is being used again as the basis for a rehabilitative therapy program designed to allow physical therapists to customize plans and monitor patients. Developed by the West Health Institute, the Reflexion Rehabilitative Measurement Tool uses the Kinect technology to not only monitor adherence to a rehab program, but to also track the motions of rehabilitative exercises to ensure that they are done correctly and to measure progress.Patients undergoing rehab typically receive individual sessions from physical therapists, who usually teach them exercises and anticipate that they will be done consistently and correctly in between sessions. Of course, there is little accountability, which ca...

Retooling cognitive rehabilitation for patients with traumatic brain injury

SharpBrains — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:07:58 +0100

Our colleague Kate Sullivan, who led a superb SharpBrains Virtual Summit workshop on How to Set Up a Brain Fitness Center to Enhance Cognitive Retraining and Rehabilitation, based on her experience at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, just alerted us of a new study prepared by her team: Outcomes from a Pilot Study using Computer-Based Rehabilitative Tools in a Military Population (Studies in Health Technology and Informatics). Abstract: Novel therapeutic approaches and outcome data are needed for cognitive rehabilitation for patients with a traumatic brain injury; computer-based programs may play a critical role in filling existing knowledge gaps. Brain-fitness computer programs can complement existing therapies, maximize neuroplasticity, pro...

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The promise of the medical home

hospital impact — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:45:02 +0100

by Anthony Cirillo Through a variety of circumstances, I was recently honored to present at Perspectives on Nutrition and Aging: A National Summit. I had seven minutes to articulate a possible solution to senior hunger and nutrition. It's the 40th anniversary of the inclusion of Senior Nutrition Programs in the Older Americans Act. Since 1972, 8 billion meals have been served to seniors. But this is about more than meals. With 60 million people over age 60, the number of older adults facing hunger, obesity and chronic medical conditions will increase. This is a societal issue. I presented a perspective that proposes to unite the continuum of care around this issue and I used the medical home as the foundation, while also including geriatric care managers, patient advocates, home health ...

Training Attention and Memory after Bypass Surgery

SharpBrains — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:42:29 +0100

This study demonstrated that patients suffering from cognitive deficits after coronary bypass surgery could greatly benefit from cognitive training that targets both attention and memory—the cognitive functions most affected after this type of operation…What’s more, benefits from the training are maintained over time…the development of cognitive rehabilitation tools would be highly beneficial for patients who undergo coronary bypass surgery as a way to speed up their recovery and improve their quality of life.” To Learn More: Cardiac Surgery Can Impact Long-term Cognitive Functioning Does cognitive training work? (For Whom? For What?) (Source: SharpBrains)

Why Psychiatric Patients Die Younger

Shrink Rap — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:00:00 +0100

If you're reading this for the answer, you can stop now. I don't know why psychiatric patients die younger than people who do not have psychiatric disorders. I think that fact only applies to those with chronic psychiatric illnesses, not to someone who has had a single episode of depression or anxiety. What qualifies as a chronic mental illness? I'm not sure -- but certainly if you get on-going disability (SSDI) benefits because of your psychiatric disorder, or if you live with a careprovider and attend a long-term psychosocial rehabilitation program for years, or have resided in a state hospital for years. How much less time do psychiatric patients live? The numbers vary from 8 years to 25 years, though I have hard time believing that the average...

September is 'Pain Awareness Month' - The Hill's Congress Blog

Psychology of Pain — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 01:37:00 +0100

For most Americans, a sudden feeling of pain indicates that something could be wrong. If it persists, we typically visit a doctor or nurse for a diagnosis and treatment. But what if the pain never goes away? And what do you do if your medical professional can't diagnose the cause, or even worse, what if there is no simple solution to make it go away? This is not a nightmare, but a reality that too many Americans – including me – face as they are forced to suffer and cope with chronic pain.An estimated 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, but few realize its true impact and many doubt its legitimacy as a medical condition. Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of ignorance. In 2003, while lifting a box at my catering company, I severed the sciatic nerve in my...

National Forum Preview on WIHI

Running a hospital — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:00:00 +0100

September 13, 2012: Special Preview of IHI's National Forum 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time Featuring: Gilbert Salinas, BS, MPA, Director of Patient-Centered Care, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (Los Angeles); 2012 National Forum Co-Chair Laura Adams, President and CEO, Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI)Leonard Berry, PhD,Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Texas A&M UniversityKatharine Luther, RN, MPM,Vice President, Hospital Portfolio Planning and Administration, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)Karen Baldoza, Director of Operations, Continuum Portfolio, IHIOne of the most important events of the year for IHI and for the health care improvement community is the National Forum. The theme for this year’s conference (December 9-12 in Orland...

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Marty Makary suggests transparency

Running a hospital — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:59:00 +0100

I haven't read the book yet, but this review of Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won’t Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care by Dr. Marty Makary makes it look like something worth reading.Here's are some excerpts from the review: Though concepts such as “accountability” and “transparency” have been trotted out from time to time, Makary believes that medicine is still a closed shop. In Unaccountable, he specifically targets hospitals, arguing that they need to gather, analyze, and publish information vital to prospective patients. They should keep precise tabs on patients’ surgical outcomes, the rate of hospital-borne infections, and other measures, and then put the statistics out where the public can see them (including on the Internet). Doing that would enco...

Nancy Gertner on The Situation of Dispositionist Criminal Sentencing

The Situationist — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:01:55 +0100

From Cognoscenti: There is a canned, formulaic newspaper story about any criminal case. It can be repeated in every prosecution, no matter what the crime, no matter who the defendant. Here’s how it goes: Judge X sentenced defendant Y to five years (or whatever the number). The prosecutor argued for 10 (or higher than the number the judge gave). The victim’s family is appalled. When interviewed, they stridently proclaim their outrage at the judge. The press then echoes that sentiment. All concerned assume that the right sentence is the one the prosecutor wanted or the victim demanded. So when the judge sentences the defendant to less, they cry foul. Another lenient judge! Another liberal! Another blow against the “tough on crime” mentality! Never do you see the opposite: a columnist...

Always A Fire: A Story of New York Giant Chad Jones

Medgadget — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:00:22 +0100

A new movie from our new favorite producers has just been released, Always A Fire. Besides being a story of hope, it’s almost a shocking look at how modern medicine and sheer will can combine to rehabilitate a star athlete from what seems like a no-going-back injury. We won’t say more because it speaks for itself:Read More (Source: Medgadget)

The Joint Commission Provides Hospitals Guidance for Better Opioid Use Management

Policy and Medicine — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:00:00 +0100

Over the past few years, there has been a growing focus on the abuse, misuse, and overuse of opioids or painkillers. Public health experts estimate that more than 35 million Americans age 12 and older have reported non-medical use of opioid analgesics during 2010 – up from 29 million in 200. In 2009, nearly 342,000 emergency department visits were associated with nonmedical use of opioid analgesics. In 2007, nearly 28,000 Americans died from unintended consequences of drug use, and of these, nearly 12,000 involved prescription drug pain relievers. To address these issues, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalized its final Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for extend-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioid medications. This was the first time th...

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Argo ReWalk Exoskeleton Now Ready to Take Home, Around Neighborhood (video)

Medgadget — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:00:10 +0100

Claire Lomas, a paraplegic woman from Leicestershire in the UK, is making medical history as the world’s first person to use an exoskeleton for daily living around her home. She proved the capability of the ReWalk system from ARGO Medical (Yokneam Ilit, Israel) by using it to walk a complete marathon and then lighting the Paralympic cauldron in Trafalgar Square.Until now, the ReWalk was exclusively used in rehabilitation clinics with a therapist spotting the patient and providing constant step-by-step guidance. Now Claire is able to use the device independently, even walking up and down stairs and around the neighborhood. Though the ReWalk is slower on flat surfaces compared to a wheelchair, the psychological benefit of being able to get around house, stand upright and talk to p...

“Psychology Works” Facts Sheet: Chronic Pain - Canadian Psychological Association

Psychology of Pain — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 16:41:00 +0100

What is chronic pain?Chronic pain is pain that does not go away. When pain lasts longer than 3 or 6 months, or beyond the usual time for recovery, it is said to be chronic. There are different types of chronic pain, many of which are not clearly understood. Chronic pain may be associated with an illness or disability, such as cancer, arthritis, or a phantom limb. Some types of pain start after an injury or accident and become chronic over time.Others may begin gradually, as is sometimes the case with low back pain. In some types of chronic pain, like migraine headaches, the pain is recurrent, rather than constant. There are many other kinds of chronic pain, such as postsurgical pain, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular disorders, and neuropathic pain. In some cases, the cause of chronic pain i...

Petition the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to support their nurses.

impactEDnurse — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:46:41 +0100

In Australia, we have seen our Nursing and Midwifery registration fees increase by $113 dollars (thats 340%) over the last 9 years. I calculated that last year, they collected somewhere in the ballpark of fifty three million, one hundred and forty-nine thousand, six hundred dollars in fees. The question that must continue to be asked of course, is are we getting value for our money? Well lets take a look. In Victoria, for the last 6 years, nurses have had access to a confidential health program to help with alcohol and drug health issues and mental illness. This unique program was was totally self-funded through annual Victorian nurses’ and midwives’ registration renewal fees at an annual cost of about $6 per nurse and midwife. Since the state boards were abolished in 2010 and replace...

Brainwave-Controlled Exoskeleton for Stroke Patient Rehabilitation

Medgadget — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:35:26 +0100

Researchers at Rice University and the University of Houston are currently developing a new way to help stroke survivors to recover. They’re using a brain-machine interface coupled with a robotic system to improve upper-limb rehabilitation. The robot device, called MAHI-EXO II, consists of an exoskeleton which is controlled by means of an EEG. In earlier research, the team was already successful in reconstructing 3D hand and walking motions from EEG signals. An earlier version of the robot, which is being validated in trials as we speak, was aimed at spinal-cord-injury patients.In stroke rehabilitation it is important to train by doing repetitive motions. The new device will give stroke patients a positive stimulus during their rehabilitation. This way the damaged neural pathways...

I'm Back...

Dr. Len's Cancer Blog — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:16:00 +0100

Miss me? In case you didn't notice, I haven't been around for a couple of months. The good news at least for me is that I think I am back, and the reason I was gone wasn't so terrible. Difficult, yes. Terrible, no. And although not completely recovered, I am making a valiant attempt to get back into the flow of things, since looking at the four walls of my house is driving me stir crazy. Starting 9 weeks ago today, I began an odyssey that has faced or will face many of us folks as we age. My joints just wore out. No one can say exactly say why it happened, but it did. The pain was intense, my activities were limited, and as I tried my best to meet my commitments around the country I found it increasingly difficult to get to where I had to go. Even walking around the office was ...

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Funding Roundup part 1

BHIC — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:50:23 +0100

Small Research Grant to Improve Healthcare Quality through Health Information Technology (R03) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – Funding to support a wide variety of research designs in order to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care through the implementation and use of health information technology. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Deadline: November 16, 2013 For more information: http://bit.ly/NnWNS6 Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services – Grants to support alternative financing programs that help individuals with disabilities purchase assistive technology devices. Geographic coverage: Nationwide Deadline: September 7, 2012 For more information: http://b...

Did Joint Commission Accredit a Hospital Whose Understanding of Medication Reconciliation is Recklessly Superficial?

Health Care Renewal — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 01:09:00 +0100

I submitted this complaint to the Joint Commission today.I've been challenging them in recent years (especially since my JAMA letter "Health Care Information Technology, Hospital Responsibilities, and Joint Commission Standards" on hospital executive's violation of JC Safety Standards of July 2009) over the issue of their accreditation of hospitals using bad health IT.Eventually, I hope, they will take a leadership role on health IT risk, lest they become a target for litigation. (I think they're already there for their inaction on EHR problems despite admitted knowledge of the problems, in print, e.g., in their 2009 Sentinel Events Alert on Health IT Risks.)Here is my complaint submitted both via email and via the Joint Commission "Report a Complaint online" page. I added a fe...

NIH Pain Consortium Centers of Excellence

Policy and Medicine — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:00:00 +0100

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pain Consortium recently selected 11 health professional schools as designated Centers of Excellence in Pain Education (CoEPEs). The CoEPEs will act as hubs for the development, evaluation, and distribution of pain management curriculum resources for medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy schools to enhance and improve how health care professionals are taught about pain and its treatment. Twenty institutes, centers and offices at NIH are involved in the consortium. “Virtually all health professionals are called upon to help patients suffering from pain,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “These new centers will translate current research findings about pain management to fill what have been recognized as gaps in curricula so c...

Well, duh! A wish and a hope is not a policy.

Running a hospital — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:12:00 +0100

Folks who are urging the adoption of risk-based provider contracts seem to forget the basics: To take on risk, you have understand the degree of risk you are taking on and how to manage it, and you need to have a balance sheet strong enough to take on that risk. Kaiser Health News reports:Few hospitals interested in becoming accountable care organizations are ready to take on financial risk, according to a survey released Friday from The Commonwealth Fund.“We’re really still at the very beginning of the adoption curve of the ACO model,” says lead author Anne-Marie Audet, who researches health system quality and efficiency at Commonwealth. “The challenge is that hospitals are still not ready to assume financial risk.”There are already 154 ACOs serving nearly 2.4 millio...

Obamacare Premium Increases

InsureBlog — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:49:00 +0100

Remember "If you like the plan you have you can keep it."? How about premiums will drop 3000%? Somehow things didn't quite work out that way. The folks at AHIP (America's Health Insurance Plans) offer this bit of enlightenment. Currently insurance companies offer lower premiums to younger Americans, since they generally have lower health costs. But starting in 2014, the law implements an age band so that the amount an older individual pays will be no more than three times what a younger individual pays. So if a state currently allows an age band of 5:1, older Americans might see a premium decrease — but younger Americans would see a premium spike. A similar dynamic exists with the law’s requirement that insurers selling policies through the health exchanges w...

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Why hospitals need patient advocates

hospital impact — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:45:02 +0100

by Jacqueline O'Doherty Discharge planning has been making headlines recently because of Medicare's hospital readmission and reduction program. Hospital readmission rates are coming under scrutiny not only by Medicare but also commercial payers and consumers alike, in an effort to manage the high cost of readmission after patient discharge. Successful discharge planning keeps the rate of readmission low. For patient advocates, successful discharge has always been part of our mission. Patient advocates strive to coordinate care and ensure a smooth transition from hospital to home. There are many variables that contribute the whether the patient will have a successful transition. For example, very often the patient will go into the hospital on medications and leave with new ones. Whe...

Hospitality is big down under

PharmaGossip — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:00:00 +0100

Oz Pharmaceutical companies spends $30m wining, dining doctors DRUG companies are spending $30 million a year wining and dining doctors and healthcare workers, and are subsidising nurse wages in some GP clinics. Australia's $22 billion pharmaceutical industry is sponsoring nurses to work free in doctors' surgeries as "diabetes educators", and to show asthmatics how to use their inhalers. Medicines Australia chief executive Brendan Shaw said yesterday the industry's code of conduct allowed "support for medical practice activities". He said companies often recruited and trained the nurses, who then worked for free or for subsidised wages at GP clinics. "There cannot be any interference with the independence of the doctors' care of their patients," he said. "There must not be any incenti...

Special interests drive language changes to OT Assistant laws in NY State

ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:01:00 +0100

As I blogged about earlier this year, there were some problems with the changes to the NY State occupational therapy law that placed significant barriers to non traditional fieldwork settings. OTA fieldwork educators in New York State and NYSOTA saw these problems and there was a last minute rush to file a technical amendment to the law so that they would not have to operate under such restrictive conditions.It is true that the way the law was written could have contributed to a decreased pool of practitioners able to accept fieldwork students; OTA students would have had to compete with OT students for licensed occupational therapy supervisors. Fieldwork educators already struggle to find 'slots' for their students and the law certainly did not help by imposing restrictive lim...

20 Years and Counting: America’s Vicious Cycle of Intervention in Somalia

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:19:00 +0100

By Malou InnocentYesterday, the L.A. Times revealed that the United States is equipping and training thousands of African soldiers to fight al-Shabab, the militant wing of the Islamist Somali government. For now, outsourcing the combat to African countries may appear to bring America minimal risk, but Washington’s renewal of its multi-decade attachment to Somalia continues a cycle of deciding its winners and losers. Among an assortment of tribes, clans, and African states fighting for self-serving ends, Washington has handcuffed itself to a hornet’s nest. The hubris of policymakers who believe they can remedy Somalia’s problems could produce policies that draw more recruits to the cause of militant groups, much as similar policies have in the past. Policymakers have failed repeatedl...

Brain Aging Research with Dr. Pamela Greenwood (BSP 87)

the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Discussion Forum (on Goodreads). (Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell)

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CMS Proposed Rule on Hospital Outpatients and Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Policy and Medicine — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:00:00 +0100

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed a rule that would update payment policies and rates for both hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) for calendar year (CY) 2013. The proposed rule seeks to promote higher quality and more efficient services for Medicare beneficiaries. CMS projects that total payments for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in HOPDs during CY 2013 under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) will be approximately $48.1 billion, while total CY 2013 payments under the ASC payment system will be approximately $4.10 billion. OUTPATIENT PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM Since August 2000, Medicare has paid hospitals for most services furnished in their outpatient depart...

Why I would never go to a non-board certified physician

Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:00:25 +0100

Full disclosure. I have 4 board certifications and dutifully do all of the required reading, continuing medical education (CME) and recertification exams to maintain my status (I am board certified in OB/GYN in both the US and Canada as well as board certified in pain medicine by both the American Board of Pain Medicine, ABPM, and the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation).Continue reading ... Follow KevinMD.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)

Broken Treatment: How the Addiction Industry is Failing its Clients

Addiction Inbox — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:00:00 +0100

It’s not medical. It's not psychiatric. What is it? 1. Most clinicians who treat addicted patients are counselors, not physicians; thus they cannot prescribe medication and they generally don’t “believe” in the use of medication for addictive disorders. 2. Most patients have medical insurance that excludes or severely limits treatment of addictive disorders, so payment for service is not good. This situation may change in the near future with the advent of healthcare reform in the United States. So writes Dr. Charles O’Brien of the University of Pennyslvania Perelman School of Medicine, in a recent article for The Dana Foundation’s website. In his article—“If Addictions Can Be Treated, Why Aren’t They?”—Dr. O’Brien asks a basic question: “Why are most pati...