Skilled nursing facilities need to be prepared NOW for Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM). Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced a new payment model/case-mix model called Patient Driven Payment Model, which will take place starting October 1st, 2019. Ultimately, Patient Driven Payment Model (also known as PDPM) is going to affect the Medicare patient’s stay in skilled nursing facilities across the country. PDPM is replacing the current RUG ( … [Read more...]
Physical Therapy
Losing Sleep Because of Work Can Make You Sick
Losing sleep because of work can severely impact your health and well-being. A study done by Dr. Torbjon Akerstedt, PhD and Dr. Kenneth P. Wright, Jr., PhD notes that losing sleep because of work schedules may be doing damage to your overall health. An estimated 40.6 million Americans sleep six hours or less a day based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the most affected are night shift workers. The CDC notes that sleep deprivation can c … [Read more...]
Get to Know Your CE Presenters! Lorie Schleck, PT
I recently sat down with one of our speakers, Lorie Schleck, PT, to discuss the emotional toll that both healthcare professionals (and patients) can experience when working with difficult pain management cases. We also discussed how stress impacts pain. Lorie’s course, Pain Physiology and the Pain Experience, is quite thought-provoking! You can check it out here. … [Read more...]
How Does a PT Become Certified in Dry Needling?
I recently sat down with one of our speakers, Dr. Chad Hensel, to discuss the benefits of dry needling and how a PT can become certified in this technique. You can check out Dr. Chad's course on dry needling here. … [Read more...]
5 Critical Heat Safety Tips for Patients
Brush up on your summer safety knowledge with our top heat safety tips so you can educate your patients on how to remain safely active during these long, hot summer days. Summertime is hot… especially in the South! With temperatures climbing to 100 degrees or more, it’s critically important you provide life-saving heat safety tips to your patients. #1 - Educate your Patient on the Signs of Heat Illness. This is the first and most important of our heat safety tips. You must … [Read more...]
Get to Know Your CE Presenters! Dr. Chad Hensel, PT, DPT, MHS, CSCS
I recently sat down with Dr. Chad Hensel to learn more him, why he became a PT, and to hear his funny story about what happened in his clinic. You can chat with Chad, too, during one of his upcoming webinars. Check out his live webinars and other courses here. … [Read more...]
Who Can Perform Dry Needling?
There is hot debate among healthcare professionals and legislative bodies over who can perform dry needling and who should perform dry needling. Learn the APTA’s stance on the issue here. In our previous blog, we addressed the safety and efficacy of dry needling technique for treating a wide variety of acute and chronic pain conditions. But, exactly who can perform dry needling? That is, is dry needling within the scope of practice for all physical therapists or is special t … [Read more...]
Dangerous Sleeping Pills? FDA Issues Black Box Warning on Ambien & Other Insomnia Meds
The FDA just issued a black box warning on prescription insomnia medications, and millions of Americans are currently taking these dangerous sleeping pills. Here’s what healthcare professionals need to know. 50 to 70 million adults suffer from a sleeping disorder with insomnia being the most common. For years, the gold standard for insomnia treatment has included combined behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy. But now, healthcare providers might want to consider using n … [Read more...]
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