March Highlights

March 2015 Highlights

The Countdown to ICD-10 is happening. See exactly how much time is left!

The transition to ICD-10 is required for everyone covered by the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA). Please note, the change to ICD-10 does not affect CPT coding for outpatient procedures and physician services.
ICD-10 Live Countdown

The Four Steps to Orchestrating Complex Care

By: Leslie Szasz, RN, and Janis Tucci, RN Every hospice faces patients whose needs are beyond our usual parameters—patients who require “complex care.” Consider, for example, the newborn with multiple anomalies or the ALS patient on BiPAP. Or perhaps a patient who is experiencing ventilator withdrawal or another who has attempted suicide. The next obvious question is what should we be doing differently? At Chapters Health System, which operates LifePath Hospice in Temple Terrace, FL and Good Shepherd Hospice in Sebring, FL, we have established a formal process to better serve these patients and their families. This process, which we refer to as our “Complex Case Format,” helps us coordinate the multiple priorities, ensure maximum communication among staff at all levels, and provide flexibility to adapt, depending on the patient and family’s current needs. In this article, we review the steps involved in the Complex Case Format.
Complex Care

Smiley, the golden retriever, is a unique therapy dog for the blind and disabled.

Read his story at the following link.
Smiley's Story

3-D Printing Revolutionizes Modern Medicine

When cancer researcher Rosalie Sears, PhD, clicks the print button, ink does not spray onto a page. Instead, actual human cells issue from different heads of her 3-D printer. In a short while, she has before her a very small tumor -- an exact replica of a patient's cancerous growth. At that point, she and her colleagues can attack the printed copy with any number of cancer treatments.
3D Printing Just Got Cooler

Folic Acid May Decrease Stroke Risk For People With High Blood Pressure

WebMD News from HealthDay By Robert Preidt SUNDAY, March 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Folic acid -- the same nutrient women take in pregnancy to help ward off birth defects -- may also help lower stroke risk in people with high blood pressure, a new Chinese study finds. The findings are intriguing, one U.S. heart health expert said.
Folic Acid

Cochlear Implant May Benefit Mind and Mood of Older People

(Reuters Health) - Thinking skills, social interactions and quality of life may improve for older people with hearing loss when hearing is restored with a cochlear implant, according to a study from France.
Cochlear Implant

Internet Slang Meets American Sign Language

As language evolves, the powers that regulate language tend to shift. Just look at the Oxford English Dictionary, who added terms like “duck face,” “lolcat,” and “hawt” to their prestigious lexicon this past December. For the English-speaking world, these additions are anywhere from ridiculous to annoying but at the end of the day, the terms are accepted and agreed upon.
ASL + Slang

Robert Downey Jr gives a robotic arm to a very special little boy.

Downey Jr. and Albert Manero, a #CollectiveProject student who founded Limbitless, surprised a very special child with a new bionic 3D printed arm at no cost to the family.
LA Times