Battling Infant Mortality

The Key is Fewer Preterm Births
When Vanderbilt University hosted Family Re-Union 2010 in June, the event occurred with a gloomy backdrop – Tennessee's ranking as 47 in the nation for infant mortality, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which publishes the annual KIDS COUNT reports on child wellbeing... Read More



Current Nashville Medical News

Reducing Unplanned Hospital Readmissions | Care Transitions, re-hospitalization, MedPAC, Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, payment bunding, Personal Health Record
Reducing Unplanned Hospital Readmissions
A Look at Care Transitions
Any business operation that has 20 percent of its goods or services returned should be in the market for serious reevaluation of its current products and production methods.

 
The New MTMC Will Open on Oct. 2 | Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Ascension Health, Saint Thomas Health Services, The New MTMC, Gordon Ferguson, Turner Universal Construction
The New MTMC Will Open on Oct. 2
Offers Spacious Patient Rooms, Cutting-Edge IT and Nurse Conveniences
The new Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) in Murfreesboro is a hub of activity these days, what with equipment and furniture deliveries, information technology and communication installations, and orientation sessions for physicians and staff. On Oct. 2, the doors open to patients

 
Vital Signs
When the Nashville Health Care Council released the results of its latest industry economic impact study, most local journalists — including this one — hurried back to their newsrooms to compile what were, essentially, different versions of the same story.
 
Using HIT Meaningfully
It's interesting how certain words or phrases quickly evolve to become an integral part of the lexicon. "Meaningful use" held no real significance in the healthcare space a decade ago. Today, every provider and administrator is aware of the phrase and its impact on HIT incentive funding and future reimbursements.
 
There's an App for That! | iPhone, iPad, medical applications, Felasfa M. Wodajo, iMedicalApps.com, Chrono, Musculo, VisualDx Mobile, PubMed on Tap, Epocrates, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
There's an App for That!
Medical Applications for Mobile Technology are Burgeoning
With mobile technologies advancing, so too are medical uses of those technologies – and the ride has just begun, predicts one expert.

 
Pediatrics Focus

Battling Infant Mortality | Family Re-Union 2010, infant mortality, preterm birth, Kimberly H. Harrell, Jorge Rojas, Veronica Gunn, Gwinnett Ladson, CenteringPregnancy, Vanderbilt University, Meharry Medical College, Baptist Hospital, Tennessee Department of Health
Battling Infant Mortality
The Key is Fewer Preterm Births
When Vanderbilt University hosted Family Re-Union 2010 in June, the event occurred with a gloomy backdrop – Tennessee's ranking as 47 in the nation for infant mortality, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which publishes the annual KIDS COUNT reports on child wellbeing.

 
New Immunization Rules Impact School, Day Care Enrollment | Kelly Moore, Tennessee Department of Health, immunization requirements, school enrollment, Certificate of Immunization, vaccine schedule
New Immunization Rules Impact School, Day Care Enrollment
It's been a decade since Tennessee last updated immunization requirements for children. An enhanced schedule, which became official at the end of 2009, impacts those enrolling in day care, pre-school, elementary/middle school and college.
 
Children Are Not Small Adults | Edward R.B. McCabe III,  nanopediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, Pediatric Research
Children Are Not Small Adults
Nanopediatrics Emerges to Ensure Nanotechnology Encompasses Kids

Imagine a pump the size of a molecule delivering medicine directly in the body where it's needed. Or a miniscule tool programmed to seek out and destroy the first cancer cells of a tumor. That's the promise of nanomedicine, medical applications in the much broader field of nanotechnology. Yet, as such customized medical innovations are being researched, Edward R.B. McCabe III, MD, has one reminder: Kids are different.


 
New BCBST Good Health Club
Helping Doctors Talk to Patients about Childhood Obesity
In June, the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the report F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010. It revealed that 38 states have adult obesity rates above 25 percent, and Tennessee tied Alabama in second place with a rate of 31.6 percent. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is working to nip that problem in the bud by targeting the problem of childhood obesity with a new education program designed for pediatricians and family practitioners to share with their patients.

 
Provider/Payer Relations Focus

The Payer's Perspective | Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, BCBST, NaviNet, Pay-for-Performance, P4P, Patient-Centered Medical Home, PCMH, Provider Payer Relations
The Payer's Perspective
Carriers Share Ideas to Boost Providers' Bottom Lines
A textbook example of a symbiotic relationship, payers and providers need each other to survive. Despite this co-dependent nature, the two groups often find themselves at odds. In today's complicated reimbursement landscape with increasing pressure from all sides to improve quality, eliminate waste and maximize efficiency, payers and providers must find new, sustainable ways to work together to remodel the healthcare delivery system.

 
Maximizing Reimbursements | Reimbursements, Physician Payer Relations, Elizabeth Woodcock, Jeffrey Milburn, MGMA, Healthcare Contract, Fee Schedule
Maximizing Reimbursements
In an environment of rising costs and diminishing returns, it's easy to hone in on contracted rates as the sole source of financial woes. Certainly, negotiating favorable reimbursements with payers is key to a healthy bottom line, but it's really only half the story.
 
Feature Profiles

Physician Spotlight: Sara F. Patterson, MD | Sara Patterson, Goodlettsville Pediatrics, Asperger's syndrome, drowning, immunizations, vaccines
Physician Spotlight: Sara F. Patterson, MD
P is for pediatrics, passion, parenthood, patience and professionalism. P, however, is not for perfection.
 
HEALTHCARE ENTERPRISE: InVivoLink Offers Unprecedented Data Collection on Orthopaedics Implant Procedures | InVivoLink, Ryan Wells, John Bass, American Joint Replacement Registry
HEALTHCARE ENTERPRISE: InVivoLink Offers Unprecedented Data Collection on Orthopaedics Implant Procedures
A Nashville-based company launched this spring is already building a roster of clients interested in the improved workflow of orthopaedic implantation procedures such as hip and knee replacements. Called InVivoLink (IVL), the company offers three Web-based applications targeting physicians, hospitals and manufacturers – and then helps them communicate with each other.
 
Contributed Expertise

Listening Loudly: Improvement Needed for Communication among Healthcare Providers | Sage Graham, University of Memphis, Washington Hill, Sarasota Memorial Hospital
Listening Loudly: Improvement Needed for Communication among Healthcare Providers
When Washington Hill, MD, was planning a day-long conference in April to focus on issues impacting the management of high-risk obstetrical patients in South Florida, he made certain that communication was high on the agenda.
 
Nashville Healthcare Law: Health Care Reform: Top 10 Things Employers Need to Know
In late March, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 were signed into law (together “the Act”), effectively ushering in a new era in healthcare. This sweeping legislation will radically alter the way healthcare is delivered and the way health insurance will be bought, sold and provided in the United States. The Act also imposes many new requirements on employer-sponsored group health plans. Failure to comply with those requirements may result in substantial monetary penalties. Healthcare providers are also employers, of course, and they will be drastically impacted by the following provisions like all other employers. This article is by no means intended to be a comprehensive look at the Act, rather it is a quick look at those provisions of the Act most likely to have a substantial impact on employers.
 
Moral Medicine: A Modest Proposal
Moral Medicine: A Modest Proposal
The biggest issue in healthcare reform is escalating costs. Without something changing our growth curve, we will be spending one out of every five dollars in the country on healthcare in 2017, one out of four in 2025 and one out of two by 2050. Clearly, something must be done.
 
Plan Now for the Impact of Healthcare Reform on Personal Finances
How will the new healthcare reform law affect physician incomes? No one knows for sure, but the worst thing doctors can do is to put off personal financial planning in the face of that uncertainty.
 
Healthcare Law


Breaking News


Low Vitamin D Linked to Heart Failure Deaths
Title: Low Vitamin D Linked to Heart Failure Deaths
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 11:11:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 11:11:12 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer
Title: Selenium May Protect Against Bladder Cancer
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 11:01:05 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Gene Test, Preventive Surgery Save Women's Lives
Title: Gene Test, Preventive Surgery Save Women's Lives
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:55:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 10:55:19 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk
Title: Timing of Delivery May Affect Cerebral Palsy Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 9/1/2010 10:36:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 10:36:01 AM Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Casual Sex Can Lead to Long-Term Relationships: Study
Title: Casual Sex Can Lead to Long-Term Relationships: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT

Health Tip: Spot Symptoms of Ringworm
Title: Health Tip: Spot Symptoms of Ringworm
Category: Health News
Created: 8/31/2010 10:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/1/2010 Posted Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:00 am CDT


Three-tier program focuses on learning disabilities - Knoxville News Sentinel

Three-tier program focuses on learning disabilities
Knoxville News Sentinel
Allsop is board certified in family medicine and a founding partner of Trinity Medical Associates, a family practice treating children and adults. ...

and more »
Posted Friday, August 6, 2010 11:15 pm CDT

The Johnson Family Band enjoys playing gengres outside their bluegrass tunes - Sioux Falls Argus Leader

The Johnson Family Band enjoys playing gengres outside their bluegrass tunes
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
and the Nashville band Old Crow Medicine Show helped spark an interest in a younger audience. "People realized it's (bluegrass) a lot of fun. ...

and more »
Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 2:03 am CDT

Nell Nolan Social Scene: Rhodes, Vanderbilt alumni assemble for student send-offs - NOLA.com

Nell Nolan Social Scene: Rhodes, Vanderbilt alumni assemble for student send-offs
NOLA.com
And as folks meandered and mingled, they eyed the festive black and gold decorations that are symbolic of the university, which is located in Nashville, ...

Posted Thursday, September 2, 2010 1:03 am CDT

 

 
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