Sometimes the fewer words the better – this long infographic (reasonably well-sourced) just tells part of the story – cost drivers and population / disease trends.
The final Home and Community-Based Services regulations set forth new requirements for several Medicaid authorities under which states may provide home and community-based long-term services and supports. The regulations enhance the quality of HCBS and provide additional protections to individuals that receive services under these Medicaid authorities.
Although the subject of the article had Meniere's, the treatment is for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)......
More than 7 million people in the United States can expect to have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), especially as they age. Unlike Meniere’s Disease, where the cause is often unknown, BPPV is caused by gravity-sensing particles in the ear accidentally entering the spinning-motion sensors of the ear. The symptoms of BPPV can be relieved by maneuvers that relocate the particles.
With the room spinning around her, Foster made a model of the ear with her fingers and tilting and turning the model in front of her eyes, she began to conceive a maneuver that might get the particles out of her horizontal canal and back where they belonged.
Then, she translated the theory she had created with her finger model into action, with a half-somersault, followed by a head turn and another quick move of the head.
“Bing! It was gone,” said Foster. “The second those particles moved out, the spinning just dead stopped.”
A moment later, Foster realized the implications of what she had discovered. This was instant relief from a terribly disabling experience that a patient could do at home, alone—and for free.
Interesting twist for migraine management...
"This study demonstrates a striking association between reduction in perceived stress and the occurrence of migraine headaches," said study lead author Richard B. Lipton, M.D., director, Montefiore Headache Center, professor and vice chair of neurology and the Edwin S. Lowe Chair in Neurology, Einstein. "Results were strongest during the first six hours where decline in stress was associated with a nearly five-fold increased risk of migraine onset. The hormone cortisol, which rises during times of stress and reduces pain, may contribute to the triggering of headache during periods of relaxation."
By gathering these pointers in one place, I hope these blog posts will help people get up to speed faster if they suddenly find themselves needing to research a health condition or understand treatment options. Going forward, I’ll tag the posts “how-to-search-medical-info” so you can see what else has been covered and find other installments in the series.
The first place to check if you need to learn a lot in a hurry is MedlinePlus. The site was launched just over 15 years ago by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to help consumers find and make better use of authoritative medical information. It provides a quick overview of more than 900 medical topics, expertly curated by information specialists on a daily basis. As an added bonus, MedlinePlus is alsoavailable in Spanish
“Engaging in physical activity is a key treatment process in pain management. Very often, clinicians would prescribe exercise classes, physiotherapy, walking and cycling programmes as part of the treatment, but who would like to engage in these activities when they feel like a zombie?”, argues study lead-author Dr Nicole Tang.
Dr Tang and study co-author Dr Adam Sanborn examined the day-to-day association between night-time sleep and daytime physical activity in chronic pain patients. “Many of the patients struggled to stay physically active after the onset of pain and we found that chronic pain patients spontaneously engaged in more physical activity following a better night of sleep”.
I just got back from the conference in Las Vegas that was put on by the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF). I wish I could say that I go to this conference every year, but I don’t. I go every two or three years and always leave thinking that I should go more often.
There are about 40 types of ataxia, so one of the most valuable sessions is called “Birds of a Feather,” where attendees get together with others who have the same type of ataxia. I have spinocerebellar ataxia, type I (SCA1). This is a great opportunity to find out what research is being done and what they have learned recently about that specific disability type.
Darling, a Hilton, Monroe County, resident and CEO of the Rochester-based Center for Disability Rights, said the activists left after confirming the union would support changes to the health and education laws that were acceptable to the group.
“They’re pushing that language today, so we declared victory and left their offices,” Darling said Wednesday. “We got what we needed, so we’re thrilled.”
The protesters had stayed in the office 24 hours a day, with protesters sleeping on chairs, the floor and air mattresses, Darling said. Darling himself only left the property once over the week, he said.
The change in state law would help implement the federal Community First Choice Option, which took effect in 2011 and gave states the option to provide home-based attendants to Medicaid enrollees with disabilities. The program comes with a 6 percent boost in federal matching funds for any related services provided to patients.
“It has been standard operating procedure that patients will be discontinued from therapy services because they are not improving,” she said.
No more. In January, Medicare officialsupdated the agency’s policy manual — the rule book for everything Medicare does — to erase any notion that improvement is necessary to receive coverage for skilled care. That means Medicare now will pay for physical therapy, nursing care and other services for beneficiaries with chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease in order to maintain their condition and prevent deterioration.
For example, the least healthy counties have twice the premature death rate--measured by years lost before the age of 75--as the healthiest counties, according to a new ranking. If you just cite the overall rate, you miss what's happening in, say, Menominee County, Wisconsin.
The state you live in matters, and the county you live in matters more. Which is why the latest County Health Rankings, developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, are so valuable. They provide a detailed picture of health for 3,000-plus counties, measuring both outcomes (like premature death) and factors that cause these outcomes. They allow communities to understand how they're performing health-wise, and what's driving that performance.