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Speak Up About Hearing Loss Public Service Announcement Campaign

Speak Up About Hearing Loss is a broadcast public service announcement (PSA) campaign that urges families to break through the silence and openly discuss untreated hearing loss among older family members. The campaign hones in on a particular finding from an AARP/ASHA poll [PDF] that showed nearly 70% of respondents would seek treatment for a [...]

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NIH Research Featured in HBO Documentary Series “The Weight of the Nation” (Trailer)

The Weight of the Nation documentary series and public awareness campaign by the cable network HBO, launching this week, features National Institutes of Health research showing how obesity affects the country’s health and how interventions can turn the tide against obesity and its complications. The network, in consultation with NIH and other major health organizations, [...]

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Lupus Awareness Month

May is Lupus Awareness Month — a time for everyone to come together to raise awareness of lupus, an unpredictable and sometimes fatal disease, and show support for the estimated 1.5 million Americans and at least five million people worldwide affected by the disease. As part of Lupus Awareness Month activities, World Lupus Day is [...]

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Nurses Answer the Call: Expand Access to Care

National Nurses Week, May 6-12, provides an opportunity to recognize the multitude of ways the nursing profession contributes to the health of the nation. Since March 2010, the Affordable Care Act has given nurses and other healthcare professionals a historic opportunity to improve the health of millions of Americans. Through an array of provisions in [...]

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NSAIDs and Cardiovascular Risk Explained

After nearly 13 years of study and intense debate, a pair of new papers from the Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania have confirmed exactly how a once-popular class of anti-inflammatory drugs leads to cardiovascular risk for people taking it. It has been almost eight years since Vioxx® was withdrawn by Merck [...]

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New Generics Soon Available for Lipitor

May 16th, 2012 John Buck

In just days, a number of generic versions of Lipitor will hit pharmacy shelves. Pfizer’s 180-day generic exclusivity agreement for the medication expires at the end of the month. That will bring a host of new generic alternatives, and potential confusion, to more than 3 million Americans looking to control their cholesterol and reduce the cost of their drug therapies.

Clark Kebodeaux, PharmD, assistant professor pharmacy practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, deals with this issue every day when he’s practicing at Walgreens in St. Louis.

He will answer some common questions including:

  • Will the price of Lipitor come down?
  • Will the new generic alternatives work as well as Lipitor?
  • Does the generic medication affect me differently?
  • Do the inactive ingredients in the medication have any effect on patients?
  • Are there cases where the brand name works better than the generic?
  • Questions patients should ask their pharmacist or doctor about switching to generic.

Lipitor is the best-selling prescription drug of all time, and most prescribed brand-name drug in America. Every day about 3.5 million Americans take Lipitor.

Source: St. Louis College of Pharmacy

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ASPAN Announces 2012-2013 Board of Directors

May 16th, 2012 John Buck

The American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) introduced its 2012-2013 Board of Directors, including President Susan Carter, RN, BSN, CPAN, CAPA, PHN, and Vice President/President-Elect Twilla Shrout, BSN, MBA, RN, CPAN, CAPA.

Prior to the presidency, Ms. Carter served ASPAN in a number of capacities, including Treasurer, Region 1 Director (Western United States), Coordinator of the 2007 National Conference Committee, and on various other committees, including Standards and Guidelines, Publications, Strategic Planning, Computers and Information Technology, and as Chair of the Membership and Marketing and Governmental Affairs Committees.

Susan is also a nurse with the University of California (San Diego), where she has worked since 1993, initially in perianesthesia care at the Medical Center and more recently in the Student Health Center, working in urgent care. Perianesthesia clinical practice is a key focus for Susan, and she maintains her certification credentials and clinical practice experience by remaining contracted with several acute care institutions as per diem for phase I and phase II PACU.

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Guest Blogger: Katherine A. Adamson, PA-C, NCCPA Consultant & Advisor, Part 3 of 3

May 16th, 2012 John Buck

Avoiding the PA Disciplinary Review Process: Important Work, Part 3 of 3

by Katherine A. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA

This article is the final installment in a three-part series on the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants’ (NCCPA) enforcement of the Code of Conduct for Certified and Certifying PAs. In the first, I outlined the organization’s disciplinary review process, providing background on the disciplinary policy’s development and how cases are handled. In my second column, I shared insights into the two most common triggers of the disciplinary review process: (1) the diversion and self-administration of Controlled Dangerous Substances and (2) other abuses of prescribing privileges.

Certified PAs, by and large, are very well-meaning, professional, stand-up providers who provide excellent care and make a positive difference in the lives of patients throughout the United States (and even beyond). Some of the few who wind up the subject of an NCCPA disciplinary review case knowingly made bad decisions that landed them there and others were more hapless victims that stumbled into trouble without “knowing better.” We have been working for several years to better inform PAs about the behaviors that can get them into trouble in hopes of keeping them out of that kind of professional jeopardy.

Beyond the abuse of controlled substances and the prescription pad, a number of other issues can result in a PA facing a disciplinary sanction from NCCPA (which, as I’ve mentioned in my previous articles, usually follows discipline by the state licensing board).

Falsification of Credentials: For most PAs, maintaining certification is required, if not by the state, then by employers or entities that pay for the services we provide. That makes maintenance of certification a high-stakes proposition. That said, it’s important to keep it in perspective: losing certification can cost a job, but pretending to be certified when you’re not can cost your career. If you’re not certified, never say or imply that you are or let your employer or anyone else say or imply that you are. These cases can lead to permanent revocation of eligibility for certification. NCCPA has to pursue these aggressively to protect the integrity of the PA-C credential for all who have truly earned it and all who rely upon it.

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Speak Up About Hearing Loss Public Service Announcement Campaign

May 16th, 2012 kgarvin
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Speak Up About Hearing Loss is a broadcast public service announcement (PSA) campaign that urges families to break through the silence and openly discuss untreated hearing loss among older family members. The campaign hones in on a particular finding from an AARP/ASHA poll [PDF] that showed nearly 70% of respondents would seek treatment for a hearing problem if they were asked to do so by a loved one.

Read More »

Nurse Practitioners Look to Fill Gap with Expected Spike in Demand for Health Services

May 15th, 2012 John Buck

By Sarah Kliff, Published: May 13, The Washington Post

President Obama’s healthcare law is expected to expand health insurance to 32 million Americans over the next decade. Health policy experts anticipate that the wave of new insurance subscribers will lead to a spike in demand for medical services.

That has a battle heating up over who will provide that care. Nurse practitioners are rolling out a campaign this week to explain what, exactly, nurse practitioners do — and why patients should trust them with their medical needs.

“We know that the Affordable Care Act will extend health coverage to millions of Americans,” said Penny Kaye Jensen, president of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. “It’s important for consumers to understand what we do and that we’re fully prepared to care for them.”

Through advertisements, public service announcements and events, the organization will try to raise the profile of the country’s 155,000 nurse practitioners.

The campaign looks to exploit what many say is a looming doctor shortage. The Association of American Medical College predicts that the country will have 63,000 too few doctors as soon as 2015.

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