Clinical Document Improvement (CDI) Trends in Medical Coding

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Interested in becoming a medical billing and coding specialist? An area that a medical billing and coding specialist must work with other medical professionals to improve accuracy is clinical documentation and medical coding. Both of these elements of a medical billing and coding specialist’s job are increasingly important to health care providers as they work hard to remain sustainable and competitive in the world of medicine.

But first, what is clinical documentation improvement? What are the problems plaguing clinical documentation? Finally, what are the advancements and technology that will help improve clinical documentation and medical coding accuracy.

What is Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI)?

A program that helps to incorporate the terminology needed for a medical billing and coding specialist to accurately translate a patient’s condition into precise medical code. Through medical record review, the medical coding professional will capture important clinician documentation while the patient is in the medical facility.  The request is then sent to a clinician for clarification and additional documentation to assign the proper medical code.

Problems Plaguing Clinical Documentation

The first problem that affects clinical documentation accuracy is incomplete or inaccurate documentation. If the incorrect medical code is assigned to a patient’s treatment, diagnosis or procedure, the billing is incorrect. This may cause patients overbilling costs or the medical facility incorrect reimbursement. With the help of clinical documentation improvement, errors and mis-coding can be caught early which leads to higher quality care and accurate reimbursement.

The next problem for accurate clinical documentation is physician query fatigue. Precise medical coding places unnecessary demand on physician’s time. Giving the physician a central platform to input medical coding can improve query fatigue.

The final problem that affects the accuracy of clinical documentation is that medical coders, medical professionals and clinical documentation specialists may be located in different locations so collaboration may be difficult. A single platform reduces the amount of cross-input and errors that will occur with multiple platforms for medical coding and clinical documentation.

Without absolute accuracy in clinical documentation and medical coding, health care providers cannot receive the correct reimbursement, which can cause a negative impact on profitability and ultimately patient care. With this in mind, trends in medical coding queries and CDI will integrate mobile technology and offer solutions that aim to improve accuracy for better outcomes. These solutions will be for both physicians and hospitals. Here are a few trends to watch in 2018 and into 2019. They include advancements in new technology, improvements in value-based purchasing, physician support, and consumer access to data.

Advancements in CDI from New Technology

New developments in technology will continue to create innovations within the healthcare industry. Some of these innovations will be centered around the process of CDI physician queries. These queries are important to keeping accurate documentation of care. The improvements will simplify the query process. At the same time, they will significantly decrease the time medical billing and coding specialists spend on follow ups with physicians to double-check query answers. Hospitals without an adequate number of CDI specialists stand to benefit a lot from this trend. As medical billing and coding specialists spend less time on query follow-ups, their overall productivity will increase.

Value-Based Purchasing Will Become More Efficient

Medicare has instituted the Medicare Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, which aims to promote greater efficiency in hospitals by basing payments on the quality of care provided to patients. The program adjusts payments to healthcare providers through the CMS Inpatient Prospective Payment System.

This reimbursement program makes it absolutely critical for hospitals to continually improve coding accuracy. This will help ensure that physician documentation results in proper payments from Medicare.

Physician Support Will Improve with CDI

It is no secret that physicians report a high level of burnout. The most recent surveys show that more than half of doctors report having recurring or continuing feelings of burnout.

Because of this alarming trend, the healthcare industry is working hard to address physician burnout. In fact, the Stanford University School of Medicine joined with the Rochester, Minnesota based Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association to present the American Conference on Physician Health. The innovative conference focused on methods that industry organizations can adopt to help lessen physician burnout and increase physician well-being.

What does medical coding and CDI have to do with this? Advancements in technology will help healthcare providers complete coding queries with greater speed and efficiency. Physicians are demanding better solutions. Technology will answer those demands with programs that make that aspect of their jobs easier rather than harder.

Greater Consumer Access to Data on Quality of Care with CDI

Big data is creating an industry in which healthcare consumers can research provider quality scores with ease from a variety of reporting sources, such as Leapfrog and Healthgrades.

Because these scoring services utilize a provider’s coded data, any inaccuracies in medical coding can result in lower rankings. Providers will become more concerned of this relationship between medical coding and consumer awareness. Physicians and hospitals will work to ensure their public reputation is protected and their quality of service is properly reflected.

Accurate medical coding and CDI are foundational to improvements in many areas of healthcare. The overall industry, physicians, and patients all rely on data for better decision-making and outcomes. These trends will drive progress and enhancements in medical coding.

Did learning clinical document improvement trends interest you in becoming a medical billing and coding specialist? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute’s Medical Billing and Coding programs will provide you with the opportunity to learn insurance coding and processing, medical administrative procedures, and the regulatory requirements in the healthcare delivery system.  School externships provide the opportunity to apply the medical billing and coding skills learned in the classroom in actual medical settings. Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical billing & coding courses to gain essential skills and training to achieve entry-level positions in this career field. These medical billing & coding courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

Contact us to learn more about how you can become a medical billing and coding assistant today.

 

How to Make a Difference as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

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Licensed practical nurses provide primary nursing care to their patients. They work under the guidance and authority of nurses and doctors. The LPN wants to make a difference in the lives of the patients. They promote the patient’s well-being and optimum health by preventing diseases, easing pain and promoting health.

To give their best when it comes to work, the LPN collaborates with other members of the healthcare team to ensure safety and good outcomes of their patient’s health. They also teach their patients how to promote their good health and how to take care of themselves. They guide the patients on the road to good health. The licensed practical nurse understands that communication and engagement with the patients is vital in giving the right diagnosis and having a good relationship with them. This enables the LPN to connect and communicate effectively by working to achieve the patient’s optimum health.

There is a lack of well-trained LPNs in the healthcare industry. There is a lot to opportunity to make the health care system run efficient and smoothly. An LPN spends the most time with the patient than any other health practitioner. As a result, maximum responsibility and care must be observed when a nurse is handling multiple patients.

How to Make a Difference

The best ways to make a difference for the LPN to have the right mindset, be committed to the patient, properly communicate, be empathetic, treat patients with dignity and respect, treat patients as individuals, show compassion, regularly check on the patients, and keep supplies close.

Having the right mindset

Taking care of patients requires the right mindset. There are many patients going through difficult times with their health and can at times be rude and negative. A licensed practical nurse must have a positive attitude and the right mindset to ensure that their work is done effectively. They should encourage and help their patients to regain their optimum health. The LPN must make it a priority to have the correct mindset to make sure patients are treated properly.

Commitment

Being committed to one’s job will ensure that the quality of health thrives. Focusing attention on issues of overuse, misuse, and underuse will help the LPN stay alert. With commitment, the licensed practical nurse will ensure that the patient is satisfied and always healthy and safe. Committing to one’s job is the only way to improve the quality of health for patients. When an LPN is not paying close attention to detail, poor health care is given.

Communication is Crucial

When taking care of your patients, the LPN must create an open line of communication between themselves and the patient. The patient must be able to express how they feel so the LPN can give them the proper care. The LPN must enable the patient to be heard and give them time to speak their mind, responding to questions. It is crucial to communicate properly with the patient to provide the optimum care.

Being Empathetic

The LPN must put themselves in the patient’s situations in order to understand how they feel. Being empathic will allow the LPN to handle patients with care and support them as they try to make steps to improve their health.

Treating Patient with Dignity and Respect

An LPN should not make the patient feel like they are a burden. They should feel comfortable and respected in any situation. The licensed practical nurse should not discriminate based on culture, color or religion. They should be comfortable with any human diversity and focus only on wellness.

Treating the Patient as an Individual

Patients are human beings first and sickness doesn’t define them. The LPN shouldn’t refer to them as sick or unwell. An LPN should call them by their name and not refer to them as a diagnosis or a number. This will help their patients feel cared for and important.

Showing Compassion

Compassion helps an LPN reach out and help people however they are struggling. Showing compassion to their patients will help the them relax and forget their anxiety and fear. The patient will maintain a calm presence when the LPN offers compassion and love. As an LPN, when you show that you genuinely care, it helps alleviate the patient’s stress levels and helps them focus on improving their health.

Regularly Check on Patients

Patients feel better when a nurse checks on them consistently. This enhances the patient’s trust levels with the LPN. When an LPN is doing rounds, they must check on all patients, listen to their concerns and show compassion.

Keep Supplies Close

Keep supplies close to the patients and restock the supplies regularly. It is usually frustrating when a nurse must stop what they are doing and go get supplies. It is advisable that all supplies are in the room to make things easier and less stressful for everyone.

Becoming a licensed practical nurse requires a person with compassion and kindness. If the LPN does not have these qualities, the quality of improving health care doesn’t reach its potential. An LPN must be open-minded and positive. It is the only way to ensure that their patients are comfortable in sharing confidential information freely and giving the LPN their full trust. To ensure that the patient’s health is optimum, the LPN needs to monitor the patient’s health and keep them updated on diagnosis and treatments.

Nurses must also teach their patients what their health conditions mean and how to regulate and stabilize their health. They should always be available to cater to the needs of their patients. It is vital that whenever the patient requires the LPN, they are available to solve any issue and help the patient on the road to recovery. The LPN should also administer medication, schedule and confirm medical appointments, provide basic bed care, record the details of the patient diagnosis, treatment and medical history, dress wounds, and collect samples as needed. Improving the quality of health care should be a priority for all nurses.

Did learning about how a licensed practical nurse can make a difference? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

 

Using Structured Reflection to Learn from Experience: An LPN Guide

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Nursing and the clinical world are full of learning experiences. Although licensed practical nurses (LPN)s undertake formal training and keep skills updated through courses, there is so much more to learning and development. With a wealth of experience to learn from one of the best ways for LPNs to be able to develop in the workplace is to use structured reflection and this article explores how it works.

What is Structured Reflection?

Reflection is a conscious action where someone considers something that either had a positive or challenging action, and if appropriate, how it might be improved or done differently in future. There are several structured models to work through which guide an LPN through a series of actions to consider how they have learned from an incident in clinical practice. Some LPNs can do this alone, whereas others wok in a facilitated group where they challenge and support each other.

What Does Reflection Do?

Reflection enables an LPN to delve deeper into a scenario to think about what they have learned about in a structured manner, so they can move on and develop. Some of the things that structured reflection allow to happen include:

  • Constructive criticism of how someone works with colleagues
  • Study their own decision-making processes
  • Identify learning needs
  • Face problematic episodes
  • Analyze difficulties and identify gaps in learning

Models of Reflection

There are several theoretical models of reflection which enable an LPN to work systematically through a scenario using a structured framework. These models help the LPN to explore the emotions and feelings, and to consider their learning points. The model developed by Christopher Johns uses a framework set around the esthetics, personal feelings, and reflexivity using Carper’s Knowledge pattern. By asking a series of cues or questions to explore how a nurse feels about a situation, the issue can be explored and produce some constructive learning outcomes.

Gibbs also developed a reflective model used in nursing. With a cycle of questions, Gibbs was able to demonstrate how to reflect from issues in practice. This model is commonly used in nursing but does not have the depth of questioning used in the Johns model.

Types of Reflection

There are several scenarios when an LPN can find themselves reflecting on practice. Johns developed a framework identifying the types of reflection with associated behaviors. Reflection on experience is the situation where an LPN reflects on something after the event with the intention of drawing on insights to move forward. The reflection in action scenario is when someone pauses in a specific situation, so they can reframe the issue and move forward. Another scenario is an internal supervisor, describing how an LPN thinks to themselves when in conversation with others in order to make sense of a situation.

Reflection within the moment is the sense of being aware of what the person is thinking as they reflect. It enables some space to think about what to do next. Finally, mindful practice is the sense of being aware of self and what desirable practice is about. All of these types of reflection are forms used by an LPN but the one used most in the structured reflection situation is reflecting on experience.

How to Reflect on a Scenario

If an LPN is planning to reflect on a scenario, this can be done alone or with a colleague. It is best to find some quiet space where the session is unlikely to be disturbed or overheard as this enables the issue to be explored in depth and in a timely way without feeling rushed. The first stage is telling the story of what happened. This is an outline of the issue, so it can be explored further. Working on this in a structured way the next question to ask is what the person was thinking or feeling at the time. Using open ended questions is very important so that thoughts on an event can be more readily explored.

Asking how the person can make sense of the scenario is the next stage in a reflective cycle. This explores their understanding of the context. Analyzing it requires some thoughtful questioning. Exploring what would have happened if someone had not been there or what would have occurred if something had gone unnoticed are just two types of questions that could be asked at this point. Finding out what could be done differently if this situation arose again is vital. This indicates how a person has learned and moved on from the original scenario.

It is important to journal reflective incidents and keep them in a professional development folder. Scenarios such as dealing with something difficult are common interview questions and having an example in hand is good preparation. It also demonstrates continuous learning from clinical practice.

Reflection done in a structured way is an excellent way for an LPN to learn from experience. By exploring the issue, they are able to find ways of learning and moving forward with a particular scenario, so it is done more effectively the next time.

Did learning about structured reflection to learn from experience interest you? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

 

How Licensed Practical Nurses Can Implement Change in Their Department

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Healthcare is an ever-changing industry. Many procedures that were once commonplace are now obsolete. Some changes require organizations to work collaboratively and are very complex. There are, however, lots of other changes in practice that make a big difference to patients that licensed practical nurses can do within a clinical team. Here’s how to make a change in a department.

Review the Idea

One of the first things to do when planning a change is to check out the evidence for it. This includes reviewing any research studies and whether any other clinical teams have done it previously. If another hospital has changed the same thing such as the type of dressing used on a surgical ward, the licensed practical nurse should check out how they did it and review their results. It also builds networks and connections in other areas to share good practice with other medical professionals.

Get Permission

If a licensed practical nurse is planning a change in a department they need to get permission. There are many policies and guidelines for medical professionals, and the licensed practical nurse will want to abide by them. It is vital to approach the departmental head to get permission but to also check whether any other approval is needed.

Communicate

When making a change in a clinical department it is very important the medical team is informed and engaged. If they are expected to do something different, the sooner they are aware of the project the better. The licensed practical nurse can inform the team at a department meeting and also provide regular updates. This also gives the opportunity for other medical staff to offer feedback on the project and processes which can be helpful. When medical staff are well informed about a change and have the opportunity to get involved, they are more likely to be supportive and help implement the idea.

Plan, Do, Study, Act

One of the fundamental aspects of quality improvement changes is the change cycle itself. The Plan-Do-Study-Act Model, proposed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is commonly used in healthcare. This model is designed to give structure to the process. Planning is the first stage. During the planning stage the project is set up, key metrics are agreed upon to measure a difference, and the actual change itself is defined. The licensed practical nurse needs to be focused on a goal. For example, a licensed practical nurse is interested in discharging some people one day earlier from the hospital than current practice. The planning stage will include identifying criteria to select patients, communicating the change, and deciding how a change will be measured. The goal can be the number of patients discharged from the hospital successfully a day earlier than usual.

The next stage is “Do” where the change is tested. An agreed time-period is defined when the change will be piloted. This could see all adults under 65 having a specific type of surgery sent home a day earlier.

“Study” involves reviewing the data and results of the pilot study. This will look at whether the change was successful and whether anything needs to change and be retested. In the example, adult patients under 65 being sent home a day earlier following surgery. Studying the results would include seeing whether any of the patients had problems or were readmitted to the hospital. It may be that everything was fine and there were no issues. In this case the change can continue to be implemented and monitored. But what if there was a problem, such as those living alone who found going home a day earlier problematic? This would require a further change of the plan to address this issue.

The project then moves to the “Act”stage. If a new change like excluding people who live alone from the early discharge criteria needs to be trialed then the cycle starts again, adjusting the project to accommodate for a new test. If it looks as though it is successful with no problems, then it can continue to be implemented. New projects need to continue to be monitored for issues. The longer the project continues the more data will be collected, enabling the licensed practical nurse to see the difference the change has made. A final decision will be made to close the project, embedding the change into mainstream work.

Share Practice

If the change is a success, then it should be shared with others medical professionals that are considering similar changes. This can be done within a hospital or clinic as the change may be transferable to other clinical specialties. Another way of sharing practice is to submit a poster or oral presentation to a relevant conference where the innovation can be presented to a wider audience. Licensed practical nurses should also consider publishing their project in a peer reviewed journal. This shares good practice and is also an example of good professional development for the licensed practical nurse.

Sharing practice goes further than the actual change and subject. It is also important for the licensed practical nurse to reflect on what went well and what could be done in a different way on another project. This will help implement innovation more successfully in the future.

In healthcare, change is a continuous process. By using a structured change method, licensed practical nurses can implement innovative changes into their departments which have beneficial outcomes for patients and their families.

Did learning about change interest you? Are you ready to become a licensed practical nurse? Gwinnett Institute in Orlando offers a Practical Nursing diploma program that trains LPN students for positions delivering basic bedside care to patients.  The Practical Nursing diploma program provides the didactic and skills training needed to take the NCLEX-PN examination.*  

*While Gwinnett Institute provides test preparation and review assistance to college students, it cannot guarantee any college student will be able to take or pass any type of licensure exam.  College students must be mindful throughout their entire school training program that licensure is a required pre-requisite for employment as a nurse and to diligently prepare themselves to meet this important requirement.

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a license practical nurse at Gwinnett College.

How Predictive Analytics is Transforming the Legal Industry

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Are you interested in the law and working with big data? The demand for paralegals is growing, even with the introduction of predictive analytics into the legal industry. A paralegal’s job is demanding, and predictive analytics only helps the paralegal do and manage more. This makes them even more valuable in the legal industry.

One crucial challenge facing the legal industry is the vast amount of data generated on a daily basis. This is true for many areas of the legal industry including legal research, answering initial questions about litigation, assisting with discovery, outlining a strategy, or performing a multitude of other tasks that paralegals and legal assistants perform every day. How can the average paralegal or legal assistant extract useful insight from all this data? Can predictive analytics help the legal team decide whether to litigate a case or settle? Not only will legal predictive analytics tell a legal team what the win-rate of outside attorneys is, but it will shed light on what forms and motions they used to win the case. Is this attorney unbeatable or do they just have a good work ethic?

Predictive analytics is a discipline that has grown alongside the exponential growth of data in the digital world. Now the legal industry is making use of this type of analysis to improve overall efficiency and accuracy. Software comes with language-based technologies that easily scan, read, and synthesize written documents. With these documents, predictive analytics can use statistical techniques to glean future events from data mining, predictive modeling and machine learning. With this capability, predictive analytics is making an impact in the legal industry and answering many questions that legal teams need answers to.

What are the Different Legal Predictive Analytics Techniques?

Data Mining – the discovery of patterns, abnormalities and correlations in large amounts of data to generate new legal strategies and predict case outcomes.

Predictive Modeling – the use of statistics to predict outcomes. Predictors are identified that are to influence future case law or legal judgements.

Machine Learning – uses statistical techniques to teach computer systems with data. Information is gleaned from these statistics rather than programmed.

Easier Access to Accurate Research and Data

Millions of legal documents are being added to digital repositories every day, and the platforms are designed to process this digital data at very high speeds. In addition, the data must be enriched in order to extract additional relevant insights. Document meta-data enrichment and advanced data parsing technology takes raw data and transforms it into insights relevant to legal questions. By understanding this process, paralegals and legal assistants can perform even more accurate, efficient research in support of legal strategies.

The Power of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

While still new to the legal industry, machine learning, and AI are making a considerable impact on the legal industry. AI is technology that enables a machine to carry out tasks associated with human decision making. Machine learning is a subset of this technology. It enables the machine to process large quantities of data and learn from that data, essentially becoming smarter over time.

Empowering Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Rather than replacing paralegals and legal assistants, this technology will empower them to be even greater support to attorneys. Robot lawyers will not exist, nor will robot paralegals. However, the predictive analytic technology will perform the repetitive, tedious tasks necessary for thoroughly preparing for legal matters. It will also answer many lingering questions that a legal team may have at the beginning of a case. For example, how much in fees should the legal team charge the client? It will not replace the subtle, sophisticated judgment necessary for the administration of justice.

What types of statistical techniques are used in predictive analysis? The legal industry is using a variety of models including regression analytics, time series modeling, and graph analysis modeling.

Regression Analytics – which is a statistical technique to estimate the relationships between and among variables. These may include dependent and independent variables. This is especially important in establishing a causal relationship between such things as a defendant’s alleged offense and determining the plaintiff’s damages.

Time Series Modeling – which indexes a series of data points in chronological order. Typically, the data points will be spaced equally to predict cycles or patterns. One application area is financial lending law.

Graph Analytics – which is also known as network analysis, is being adopted to help identify financial crimes, detecting fraud, and conducting research.

Legal Predictive Analytics

Data analytics is providing real value and utility to the legal industry by enabling users to make better decisions in a variety of legal areas such as copyright, trademark law, antitrust, securities, and other types of litigation.

Data analytics empowers innovative legal insights through mining data sets built out of case opinions, legislation, docket data, and other areas. The insights promise to improve conclusions drawn by legal counsel, judges, and other stakeholders in the legal industry.

This is an exciting time for paralegals and legal assistants. Predictive analytics will empower them to be highly indispensable members of any legal team.

Did learning about predictive analytics and the legal industry interest you? Ready to become part of a legal team as a paralegal or legal assistant? The Gwinnett College diploma and degree programs in paralegal studies provides students with the theoretical and practical knowledge and the legal skills necessary to perform many paralegal functions including research, writing, investigation, and interviewing.  Paralegal studies students gain knowledge of the paralegal and legal assistant’s role in areas such as tort law, litigation, criminal law, civil law, real estate, bankruptcy, wills/trusts & estates, and domestic relations. Theoretical and practical knowledge of how a traditional legal office operates on a day-to-day basis is also included as part of the training. 

Contact us today to learn more about becoming a paralegal or legal assistant.

Find Your Passion Helping Others with a Massage Therapy Career

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There are those who have great compassion for people with a life goal to enrich the lives of others. For those people, there is nothing more rewarding than having a career that helps and enriches their clients.

One of the most gratifying careers that falls into this category is massage therapy. Not only do you get to make others feel better but you’re able to see the difference in their mind and body with your healing hands.

How Massage Therapy Helps Others

Between July 2016 and July 2017 over 59 million US adults had a massage at least once, according to the American Massage Therapy Association. There is an increased demand for massage therapy from highly trained and compassionate massage therapists.

This is due to the fact that massage therapy works to help others in a variety of ways including:

  • Helps alleviate anxiety
  • Relieves lower back pain
  • Soothes tension headaches
  • Helps reduce depression symptoms
  • Restores restful sleep
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Improves circulation
  • Provides physical relaxation
  • Helps with range of motion and flexibility
  • Enhances vitality and energy
  • Helps with aching muscles
  • Release of nerve compression

There are a number of diseases and disorders that are relieved such as osteoarthritis, gout and rheumatoid arthritis. Along with treating symptoms of diseases and disorders, there are also areas of help with specific pains such as carpal tunnel, scoliosis, whiplash and sciatica.

Osteoarthritis – caused by the inflammation, breakdown and loss of cartilage in the joints. According to the Arthritis Foundation, Osteoarthritis affects 27 million Americans. There is no cure, but treatment can help control pain and swelling allowing the patient to stay mobile and active.

Gout – a form of inflammatory arthritis that can develop from high levels of uric acid in the blood. According to the Arthritis Foundation, the acid forms crystals in the joints that can poke the patient causing severe pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling. Gout occurs in over 8 million American adults.

Rheumatoid Arthritis – an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the joints, mistakenly thinking that the joints are a foreign body. This can cause swelling and pain in the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. According to the Arthritis Foundation, 1.5 million people in the US have rheumatoid arthritis.

Carpal Tunnel – a numbness and tingling in the hand and arm caused by a pinched median nerve in the wrist. A patient that is at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome may have hereditary factors, use their hand repetitively, put their hand or wrist in an improper position or have one or more health problems including diabetes. Carpal tunnel affects more than 3 million people in the US each year.

Scoliosis – a sideways curvature of the spine. Although the main cause is unknown, it is a symptom of cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. Scoliosis affects over 3 million people in the US each year.

Whiplash – a neck injury that occurs when a person’s head suddenly moves backward and then forward. Most cases of whiplash are caused by car accidents, when a person is rear-ended. Other activities that may also cause whiplash are bungee jumping, skiing or riding horses. Neck pain is usually associated with whiplash, plus neck stiffness, reduced range of motion, back pain and headaches.

Sciatica – pain that radiates down the sciatic nerve down to the lower back, through the hips and buttocks to the legs. Sciatica can be caused by a herniated disk or bone spur. The symptoms include inflammation, pain and numbness in the legs. Sciatica affects over 3 million people in the US each year.

Emotional and Physiological Benefits

Massage therapy isn’t just for helping those in pain, it works just as well for emotional and physiological needs. Just a few of the areas covered include lower stress levels, mood improvement, reduced fatigue, reduced anger, and a reduction in anxiety and depression. This is why so many get regular massages as part of their health and relaxation choices – it does so much for their psyche as well as their physical bodies.

Reduce Stress

Many clients come to the massage therapist to reduce the stress in their lives through massage. The massage therapist must create a comfortable atmosphere that allows a client to relax and let stress go. Through physical contact, the massage therapist will allow endorphins into the brain causing a reduction of stress and overall calming experience. Similar to yoga or meditation, the massage therapist can create a stress-free environment for the client to reduce their stress level while being massaged.

A Good Listener

Another aspect of helping others through massage therapy is that the massage therapist develops the skills to listen to others. While some clients wish to experience their massage with peace and quiet or appropriate background music, others will feel the need to talk to the massage therapist and listening skills will continue to develop. It is the perfect environment for some people to feel comfortable enough to share things, which helps them relax even further.

A Need to Heal

There is one thing that most massage therapists have in common – the ability to heal others. Massage therapy is an ideal career for helping others and doing it in a non-invasive way, that makes the client feel good.

Massage Types

There are many different types of massage such as Swedish massage, deep massage, sports massage, hot stone massage and trigger point massage.

Each one of these massage types help in specific ways that vary depending on what the individual needs. The best part is that the massage therapist gets to suggest the right one for their clients and cater to their distinct areas of concern.

For instance, the massage therapist may have a client that simply wants more relaxation and can suggest a Swedish massage; but a client who has been injured while running would benefit from a sports massage. It’s all about helping others obtain the kind of alternative medicine that makes them feel better while helping relieve pain and heal better.

A Creative Workplace

This is where the massage therapist’s own creativity comes in – they get to tailor their care as well as make their work area an extension of their own personality with the oils they choose, the lighting, music, and scents. Not only does the client benefit from the environment, the massage therapist is also working in the same type of atmosphere and reaps the rewards of a relaxing ambiance.

By being able to customize the type of techniques and modalities that they learn, it also makes their workday more creative and less repetitive – and best of all, the massage therapist is helping others.

The Rewards are Many

Along with the passion in helping others, the rewards of a career in massage therapy are numerous. Once you gain enough experience and can set out on your own, you have the freedom of choosing your own work space, setting your own hours, and choosing your own style for your workplace.

Even if you are newly graduated and work for someone else, you typically have choices in some of the elements of your workspace such as choosing your favorite scent or a specific oil that is part of a package.

There is a diverse range of workplaces that a massage therapist can use their gift such as hotels, beauty and health spas, resorts, cruise ships, health clubs, at large companies and wellness centers. It’s the best of both worlds with massage therapy, helping others while being in your own relaxing atmosphere.

Interested in learning more about a career in massage therapy? Ready to become a massage therapist? Upon graduation, Massage Therapy Program students will receive diplomas and be qualified to seek entry-level positions as clinical, medical, or deep tissue massage therapists in wellness clinics and centers, spa environments including resorts and franchises, and self-employment.

Contact us to learn more about how you can become a massage therapist today.

 

How Nurses Keep Patients Hydrated in the Hospital

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In a hospital setting it is surprisingly easy for older people and sick patients to become dehydrated as a consequence of their illness. Dehydration leads to confusion, headaches, infections, and acute kidney injury. The nurse along with the CNA have a critical role in checking the status of patients and preventing dehydration from occurring. This helps patients recover sooner.

As an adult ages the body’s fluid reserve becomes smaller and the body’s ability to conserve water is reduced. With a smaller water reserve, the body urines more frequently and does not keep that water for bodily function. Hydration is more important as we age and if we have chronic illnesses. A chronic illness like uncontrolled diabetes causes the body to expel urine more frequently as a pathway to expel increased glucose in the body. Whether in perfect health or in the hospital, it is important to stay hydrated for body health and wellness.

What is Dehydration?

A condition when the loss of body fluids and water exceeds the amount that is ingested. Without the proper amount of water in the body, the body loses its ability to function normally.  Some of the symptoms of dehydration include increased thirst, dry mouth, decreased urine output, urine that has a dark yellow color, dizziness, labored breathing, and headaches. Other signs of water retention, due to low water supply include swollen feet, hands and ankles.

Those suffering form severe dehydration may have symptoms including low blood pressure, sunken eyes, a weak pulse or rapid heartbeat, confusion or lethargy. It is important for nurses to check the status of patients and make sure they are properly hydrated.

How Do People Lose Water in Their Bodies?

Patients will lose water every day from water vapor in the breath that is exhaled, in sweat, urine and stool. Other ways a patient can become dehydrated in a hospital is from a fever, vomiting and diarrhea.

Some medications can cause constipation and an increase in water consumption is needed to eliminate the body’s stress and relieve constipation. Processed foods are high in protein and lack the moisture content of fresh foods. Meats also pull water from the body during digestion. Hospital meal plans take this into consideration and try to offer the patient fresh foods that are not processed.

What Does Water Do for the Body?

Water is in every part of our bodies. More than half of our body weight is water. Water helps regulate the body’s temperature, rids the body of waste, lubricates the intestines and joints, aids in digestion and most importantly transports oxygen and nutrients throughout the body through the body’s cells.

How to Prevent Dehydration of Patients in the Hospital

To prevent dehydration in patients, it is important for the nurse to be proactive and check the status of the patient to make sure they are drinking enough water in the first place, before they become dehydrated and suffer symptoms of dizziness and headache. The nurse should educate the patient and family on the need for proper water intake. The nurse can find out if the patient prefers a specific drink or want to add natural flavor to the water to make it more palatable. The patient should stay away from caffeine as it will actually cause them to be more dehydrated. The nurse should check the bedside to make sure the patient has access to water. Finally, the nurse will need to monitor the patient’s fluid intake to make sure they are staying hydrated.

Be Proactive

One of the vital skills of a nurse is to spot those patients who need assistance with eating and drinking. Recognizing the patient has a problem means the nurse can schedule time to help them with drinking fluids so they do not become dehydrated. This is especially important when a patient stops receiving intravenous fluids as they may not drink sufficient water.

Educate the Patient and Family

Nurses play a vital role in raising awareness of the importance of fluid intake with both patients and their families. Patients need to be told how much they are expected to drink so they help themselves where possible. If they are unable to drink without help, then a nurse can support them. Relatives visiting the patient can also be asked to assist with supporting them with having a drink.

Find Out Preferences

One of the easiest things to do when a patient is reluctant to drink and becomes at risk of dehydration, is to find out what they like. If there is a favorite drink or a specific way they like tea made, a nurse can see what the catering staff can do or ask a relative to bring things to the hospital. If a patient can be tempted by something they want to drink, this encourages them to take sips regularly. Supporting a patient by getting them to drink a small amount regularly helps them get into a routine and slowly take more fluids.

The patient may prefer the addition of fresh lemons or limes. Even natural flavors can spice up the water including orange, pineapple or cherry. The addition of natural plant sweetener in small amounts can also help a patient drink more water.

Many fresh foods have water in them as well. Fresh fruits like grapes, watermelon and oranges have a high water content. Fresh vegetables including lettuce, cucumbers and celery are also full of water.

Stay Away from Caffeine

Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually cause the body to expel water. Drinks including soda and coffee can make a patient more dehydrated as the diuretic will cause the patient to pass more urine. Most hospital meal plans try to keep patients from drinking caffeine to help them stay hydrated.

Check the Bedside Area

Nurses can do a few simple things to ensure people avoid dehydration in the hospital. Making sure drinks are left within reach of the patient along with a call buzzer is fundamental, but often something that gets overlooked. Sometimes patients require a beaker with a covered lid for drinking to avoid spillages so providing the correct utensils is another way a nurse can help.

How to Check the Status of Fluids in Patients

One of the core roles of a nurse is to chart vital signs including the fluid intake and output. As they are with the patients in the hospital, it is essential to monitor the amount of fluid being taken in so that any risks to health can be dealt with promptly. A nurse will also have a role in measuring urine output to assess the function of the kidneys. By charting fluids, dehydration can be closely monitored to prevent problems from occurring.

Fluid balance and monitoring the intake and output of body fluids is vital to prevent a number of serious complications. If patients are supported to drink more this will help avoid dehydration and a deterioration in their condition. Raising awareness of the issue is another proactive role that nurses have in care settings. Nurses are vital in this role and key to preventing complications from dehydration.

Enjoy helping others? Are you interested in learning more about how to check the hydration status of patients? The Associate of Science in Nursing degree program provides training to prepare college graduates to enter the nursing profession as a registered nurse. Upon graduation and licensure, college graduates will be eligible to seek employment in hospitals, clinics, private duty, urgent and acute care centers, and various other medical or business facilities requiring the services of registered nurses.

Contact us today to learn more about the Associates of Science in Nursing degree program at Gwinnett College.

Why Competent Medical Billing and Coding Professionals Are Invaluable

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Medical billing and coding professionals convey complex information regarding a patient’s diagnoses, procedures, prescriptions, and equipment into alphanumeric codes and then transfer them into the billing databases and patient records. These separate tasks may be handled by several different medical billing and coding professionals. Most people overlook or are completely unaware that all of this is taking place behind the scenes, not knowing that the accuracy of medical billing and coding helps everyone.

Accurate billing and coding insures that the physician’s office is paid for services rendered, it charges the correct amount to patients, insurance companies pay their fair share of medical expenses and additional expenses don’t come of out patient’s pockets, and it can help researchers identify trends to stop pandemics. This is why a competent medical billing and coding professional is invaluable.

What Does a Medical Billing and Coding Professional Do?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical billing and coding professionals organize and manage health information data by ensuring that it maintains its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security. Medical billing and coding professionals use various classification systems to code and categorize patient information for insurance reimbursement, databases and registries, and to maintain patients’ medical histories. Medical billing and coding professionals typically do the following on a day-to-day basis:

  • Review patients’ records for timeliness, completeness and accuracy
  • Record, organize and maintain data for clinical databases and registries
  • Use medical coding classification software to assign clinical codes for reimbursement and data analysis
  • Electronically record data for collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and reporting
  • Maintain confidentiality of patients’ records under HIPAA

Medical billing and coding specialists document patients’ health information, including their medical history, symptoms, examination and test results and treatments that are provided to patients.

Insurance Reimbursement

Health care providers depend on the reimbursements they receive from insurance claims to run their practices. If there is a hold-up in payment flow, it can be detrimental. According to 2015 data from the American Academy of Family Physicians, approximately 44 claims are denied per physician each month, costing them nearly $13,200 per year to rework. What’s more, a majority of these claims are never reworked. This means either physicians aren’t reimbursed for services provided, patients are denied the services they need, and/or patients are required to pay more out-of-pocket for covered services.

Most denied claims result in oversight errors by staffers, such as entering incorrect information, mixing up point of service codes or ICD-10 codes, or failing to input codes for every procedure completed. Other common errors include duplicate billing, not verifying current insurance coverage, or not having the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) attached to a denied claim. Most errors are completely avoidable on the part of the medical billing and coding professional. That’s why competency and attention to detail are so important in medical billing and coding.

Patient Records

Translating a patient’s diagnosis, prescriptions, and procedures accurately isn’t just important for insurance reimbursement, it’s also vital for maintaining thorough and accurate patient records. Medical billing and coding professionals handle a patient’s data and services from the point of admission to discharge. This is why electronic medical records should be used even though there are still going to be some user error.

Any mistake, such as leaving out complications, symptoms, or pre-existing conditions, can result in a patient not getting informed quality care. For example, an error can result in a patient with a chronic disease not being considered for a disease management program. Plus, when subsequent providers see the record, they won’t have the full picture of the patient’s condition. With electronic health records, every physician or medical assistant that treats the patient will know their history. This means it is invaluable to have a medical billing and coding specialist that can master medical software.

Double Billing

The medical billing and coding professional should have a robust audit system and filing procedure to counter against submitting a bill twice. Double billing is inefficient and causes problems with the insurance claims. Medical billing and coding professionals are ideally placed to establish audit processes within the office to prevent overbilling.

A medical billing and coding professional needs to master coding, checking the detail are all vital steps to take in avoiding double billing errors. They also help maintain an efficient medical office and ensure bills are processed in a timely way.

Other ways that over billing may be submitted by the medical billing and coding professional is accidently billing for services not provided. The medical billing and coding professional will need to double check coding that is performed by the physician or medical assistant that is unreadable. An unqualified medical billing and coding professional may bill for a service that is covered in a global fee. Other billing errors a medical billing and coding professional should be aware of is upcoding to get paid for a more complex procedure than was performed. With proper training, a medical billing and coding professional can avoid all the pitfalls in medical coding.

Data Analysis

Accurate coding is necessary for healthcare data analysis. Claims data can be examined to assess everything from treatment outcomes to disease prevalence within a population. This data analysis can also find trends in more complex statistical modeling that predicts specific disease outbreaks. When this data is input correctly and provides a complete and thorough picture of each patient, analysts can target susceptible populations and generate solutions to improve health outcomes. Therefore, competent medical billing and coding professionals aren’t simply crucial for a smooth-running healthcare practice; they are vital component ensuring the delivery and quality of healthcare as a whole.

For a prospective medical billing and coding professional, this information should offer a push to take part in this in-demand career path. However, it also brings on the heat– as it’s extremely important for these professionals to do their jobs well. The medical industry needs more professionals who can quickly and effectively examine, interpret, document, and track complicated medical data. Individuals who can are absolutely invaluable in today’s healthcare practice.

Did learning how invaluable medical billing and coding professionals are interest you in becoming one? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute’s Medical Billing and Coding programs will provide you with the opportunity to learn insurance coding and processing, medical administrative procedures, and the regulatory requirements in the healthcare delivery system.  School externships provide the opportunity to apply the medical billing and coding skills learned in the classroom in actual medical settings. Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical billing & coding courses to gain essential skills and training to achieve entry-level positions in this career field. These medical billing & coding courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

Contact us to learn more about how you can become a medical billing and coding assistant today.

7 Questions to Prepare for a Medical Assisting Interview

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Candidates succeed in job interviews when their answers match employer expectations. In a medical assisting interview, employers ask questions that reveal the candidates’ skills, practice-specific knowledge and their fit with the practice/institution. However, the medical assistant candidate should not try to guess at the employer’s expectations as they will want to work in an atmosphere that fits them and, in a position, that they can succeed in.

Marketing assistant candidates should take updated copies of their resume, relevant certificates and licenses to the medical assisting interview. They should also have researched the organization interviewing them, so they have questions to ask when the interview completes.

Try not to memorize your answers as it can come off unenthusiastic and emotionless. Try to memorize the key points you want to talk about and add stories from your previous experience to elaborate. These spontaneous answers to the interviewer’s questions will show that you are enthusiastic about and interested in the position.

Interviewers ask questions common to all jobs apart from those specific to the medical assistant job. Here are seven most common questions asked during a medical assisting interview:

Question #1. Tell me about yourself.

This is an open-ended question intended to help interviewees relax. However, candidates should not talk too much, especially about their personal lives. Instead, they should mention a few interests relevant to medical assisting, such as volunteering, or focus on their professional skills or academics.

Candidates can mention the number of years they have worked as a medical assistant, the facilities they have worked at and the responsibilities they have had. If asked to elaborate, they can mention taking patient vitals and medical histories, assisting in medical procedures, or any administrative or front office duties.

Candidates who have no experience can describe their education, the skills they have learned, their certifications and licenses, and their externship. Some skills that are important to graduates, without work experience, include good customer service, organizational skills and multitasking. The medical assistant candidate can also talk about answering the phone, managing word processing software and scheduling appointments.

Question #2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

While discussing strengths, candidates should avoid boasting. Ideally, they should share some job-related skills they are strong in, along with a few people skills or instances of academic excellence.  They will let the hiring physician now that they are calm under pressure, have the ability to multitask, like working in a team and interfacing with patients. They will want to tell a story about their strength and a situation where it can in handy.

Medical assisting candidates should avoid using use the word “weakness.” Instead, they must talk of “opportunities”or “areas that need improvement,” which can be perceived as a positive too. Weaknesses may include being a perfectionist or getting to work early and staying late to get the job done. It can be seen as a weakness of the candidate but a positive for the medical assisting practice.

Question #3. Do you like being around people?

Since people skills are very essential for medical assistants, candidates should try to show that they love interacting with others and truly enjoy helping them. The medical assisting candidate can tell a story of a positive interaction with a colleague, patient or during an externship. Maybe they had a group of coworkers that always got lunch together, a manager that they got along with or regular customers that they can tell a story about.

Question #4. What schedule do you hope to work? Do you have any scheduling restrictions?

Be honest with this answer and try to understand the demands of the job before applying. If this is a doctor’s office, then shifts from 9 to 5 may be available. If an emergency facility, they will need medical assistants on nights and weekends as the facility is open 24/7. You can always negotiate your hours or switch with other medical assistants but start off your new job on the right foot. Be clear with your hiring physician the demands on your time and the hours you are available.

Question #5. How do you protect the rights and confidentiality of patients?

Medical assisting candidates’ answers can be about any Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training they received and how they apply it by being discreet in their dealings with patients and their records.

State situations that may need additional discretion including answering the phone with a patient or other doctor’s office, greeting a patient while working on another patient’s chart, or not giving out medical information to family and friends unless patient consent is given.

Medical assistants that do not adhere to HIPAA regulations will get in trouble and compromise the confidentiality of the patient.

Question #6. Describe a difficult situation at your workplace and how you handled it.

Medical assisting candidates should talk of a real experience, where their actions helped resolve a difficult situation. They should also share the positive aspects of the experience, without blaming others. Tell a story about a time when you used your skills and knowledge to diffuse a situation, help calm an angry customer or dealt with an emergency.

If this is the medical assisting candidates’ first job, they can refer to instances from their training, non-medical work experience or during an externship. The hiring physician will want to know that the medical assistant candidate can de-escalate situations and take care of emergencies in a calm fashion.

The medical assistant candidate can also take the time to ask the hiring physician how they will handle the difficult situation.  They will listen, learn and respond to show the hiring physician that the medical assistant candidate is interested and willing to learn.

Question #7. What do you like most about being a medical assistant, and what do you like the least?

Although many candidates might say that they like everything about the job, it is better to say what they specifically like and why. Candidates can be open about what they find difficult, which would help employers to provide training or support in those areas.

Usually, interviewers close the medical assisting interview by asking if the candidates have any questions for them. The answer should always be a “yes,” followed by at least one question.  Take the time to research the medical facility and the employees that work there. Come up with a few questions that you want answered and that will show the hiring physician that you are taking the interview seriously. However, if interviewers have already covered everything, the medical assisting candidate can ask a general question about the working atmosphere or locality.

Did learning about medical assisting interview questions interest you? Ready to become a medical assistant? Gwinnett Colleges & Institute offers medical assisting courses to gain essential skills and training. The core curriculum focuses on the medical assisting skills and training you will need to seek entry-level employment in physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and other medical settings needing the services of associates trained in both front and back office medical assisting skills. These medical assisting courses will be the first step in starting a rewarding career.

Crystal – Massage Graduate from Sandy Springs

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One of Gwinnett College – Sandy Springs’ Massage Therapy graduates, Crystal, was just mentioned in the Miami Curated blog for being “amazing.”
Crystal currently works at Newport Beachside Resort and Spa (305-949-1300, 16701 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160) as a massage therapist. We are so proud of her. Here is the review;
Newport Beachside Resort and Spa
 
One of the best values for spa month is at the Aveda Spa and Salon at the Newport Beachside Resort and Spa in Sunny Isles Beach. For $109 you get an 80 minute Stress Fix massage (ask for Crystal, she’s amazing), use of the steam, a bellini or glass of champagne, and — get this, a tiki hut on the beach for the day. Bottom line, the price of a spa treatment can be a daycation. Other treatments include a couples indulgence (50 minutes) for $139 and the Elemental Nature Package massage and facial (100 minutes) for $139. Don’t expect fancy, but it’s spacious, friendly, and you’ll get a very good massage (I went twice). Newport Beachside Resort and Spa, 16701 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles. Parking is $12 with validation.”
 
Students, Faculty, Staff, and Friends – if you’re ever in Miami, you know where to go!