Someone said recently the problem with politics is that we’ve all been taught to just not discuss it rather than learning how to agree to disagree (be adults) and perhaps even educate each other about why we have our differences. There’s no lack of political uproar these days no matter which side you’re on. But when it comes to healthcare and the health and well being of all our fellow countrymen and women and CHILDREN, we need to stand together to protect our healthcare system! The tax bill being pushed through Congress now is not a clean bill. That means there are MANY other issues tacked on to it to…
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The Nurse Practitioner Will See You Now
In case you haven’t noticed, health care is changing. By 2019 will lead to 25 million more primary care visits across the country. That’s nothing compared to the 75 million baby boomers aging into advanced care, and the 50 million among them who will need to be treated for multiple chronic conditions. Altogether, as a nation, we face a seemingly incalculable sum of provider sweat equity hours needed to care for our people, and how we accomplish that depends on how we evolve our health care system. One major shift has been the role of nurse practitioners in the quest for more affordable, high quality, patient-centered care at a time…
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Book Review: Physician, How Science Transformed the Art of Medicine
In his book, Physician, How Science Transformed the Art of Medicine, Dr. Rajeev Kurapati, MD, MBA, a hospitalist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Northern Kentucky (a member of the Mayo Clinic Center) examines the history and evolution of medicine from mystics trying to heal the ills caused by angry gods to today’s evidence based holistic care. The book is forthcoming from River Grove Press. Sandwiched between historical aspects of medicine, Dr. Kurapati shares stories of some of his own patients and how his philosophy of care has evolved over the span of his career. As he has spent years treating patients and dealing with family members who wanted only to…
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What is the OASIS in Home Health Care?
As many of you know, I have been in home health and hospice for over 35 years. I worked many years in the field seeing patients and writing plans of care. I’ve worked in middle management and mentored hundreds of nurses, therapists and social workers especially in documentation skills. Today I work in hospice as the QAPI nurse where I review documentation and the quality of care being provided by our fabulous staff. Home health and hospice are growing fields for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Patients leave the acute setting much sicker than they ever have and skilled professionals are in demand to handle the growth. But home health…
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Who Will Be Held Responsible for Nursing Home Deaths in Hurricane Irma?
I just have to rant. It sickens me to hear about nursing home residents suffering and dying in recent hurricanes. There’s the haunting photo of people sitting in wheelchairs in water over their laps in the Houston area. But a later photo showed them all OK after being evacuated. At least no one died from that debacle. Janice Connelly of Hollywood placed a memorial of balloons, flowers,candles and signs for the eight people who died at the center. Credit Scott McIntyre for The New York Times However, the 8 (so far) deaths in the Hollywood Fl rehab center are inexcusable. I hope the administrator and their owners are held responsible for…