Tag Archives: Healthcare Professionals

Addictions, Clinics, Consultations, Drugs, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Rehab, Society, Therapies

Beacon of Hope for All Drug Dependents

Rehabilitation is the term used to refer to the restoration of lost capabilities and to heal the body f r o m prevailing ailments. Alcohol rehabilitation is a successful journey to bring out the addicted people to live a normal life. Alcohol addiction affects a person’s life in all aspects and will damage the personal reputation and success to a huge extent. A person cannot fight the battle all alone as he will go empty handed in terms of success.

cliffsidemalibu

Trained professionals play a vital role in counseling, giving medication and to choose a whole round of treatment to choose f r o m. Alcohol treatment programs will provide the willingness to fight their anxiety, obsession within and to lead a life that is free f r o m alcohol.

A good rehabilitation center will study all the psychological factors to which the patient is succumbed to and to know more information about their socio-economic background. The degree of addiction of a patient influences the treatment program. Selecting an alcohol rehabilitation center is a daunting task. Alcohol treatment center should be committed to help the individuals in reviving their lifestyle and to conquer their dependence on alcohol. Cliffside Malibu is a renowned alcohol treatment center which is committed to bring out a difference with great set of goals and rehabilitation program. They offer individual attention that gives a worldly difference to the patients.

Huge amount of time should be invested for the recovery of patients. It is a patient-centric process and it will work only when patients co-operate with the professionals. It involves active commitment and sincerity f r o m the patient’s side as it is not a spectator sport. The availability of good addiction recovery program in Cliffside Malibu can be challenging and it encourages the patient to stick to the medication and facilitates a good thought process. The experts offer individual consultation for every patient.

The first step in getting out of the devil is to make your mind to join Cliffside Malibu where a world class treatment program is available with trained professionals who care for you. They take personal interests on every individual and hold your fingers in the process of addiction recovery. Cliffside Malibu is one of the best alcohol rehabilitation centers with a long term goal of getting success against alcoholism for all their patients. Alcohol addiction can be totally severed out with the help of specialist here at the center.

Cliffside Malibu offers wide range of addiction recovery process like yoga, massage, acupuncture, and counseling and try to make them mentally fit to fight against the battle. The alcohol rehabs have got huge success in bringing out many patients out of the horrible experience. The company offers 100% success rate in saying every patient will walk out of the campus as a person free of alcohol thoughts. There is no disparity for any patient and everyone is treated equally to attain the maximum benefits.

Cliffside Malibu Rehabilitation facility is a highly successful center with various types of addiction recovery programs. Dr. Georgina Smith is the Project Director who is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist heads the team. They can be reached through their dedicated hotline at at 1-800-501-1988 or through their website at http://www.cliffsidemalibu.com/. They have the friendly staff waiting to respond to your queries at the earliest possible.

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Clinics, Consultations, Cosmetic Dentistry, Cosmetic Surgery, Dental Care, Dentistry, Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Surgery

Orange Juice And Teeth – A Rotten Cocktail

A refreshing glass of orange juice with your breakfast might not be quite as beneficial as you once thought.

Recent studies have revealed that some juices are so acidic they erode teeth enamel with every sip. Dr Yan-Fang Ren, of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, reported that the acid in orange juice ‘is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away’.

Using a revolutionary vertical scanning microscope for the first time, the researchers were able to see the extensive surface detail on teeth.

Such juice-drinking has further, negative implications; the unnatural acceleration of erosion of the teeth that it causes substantially increases the risk of development and spread of tooth decay.

However, for those among you on a quest for healthy, pearly whites, fear not! The Hospital Group, one of the country’s leading plastic surgery providers, offer a range of dental treatments in its specialist cosmetic dentistry clinics located around the UK.

Teeth whitening, pain-free veneers, white fillings and porcelain crowns are just a few of the popular treatments available at the NuSmile dentistry treatment centres across the country.

Since The Hospital Group was established in 1992, it has grown from a small pharmaceutical company to one of the UK’s foremost plastic surgery providers. The Group is committed to providing the very highest standards and all procedures are performed by an expert medical team in state-of-the-art facilities that are second to none.

For further information on The Hospital Group’s range of dentistry procedures please visit www.thehospitalgroup.org or call 0845 762 6727.

Contact Details: For further information on The Hospital Group’s range of dentistry procedures please visit www.thehospitalgroup.org or call 0845 762 6727.

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Clinics, Consultations, Disorders, Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Society, Therapies

Eating Disorder Treatment for Elite Clientele

Cliffside Malibu, an elegant recovery center on the Malibu coast, has long been a leading light in the California treatment community. Now, the center is pleased to announce its renewed commitment to helping eating disorder victims achieve physical and psychological wellness.

cliffsidemalibu

Eating disorder treatment is a delicate art form. To be successful, it has to be administered exactly the right way, with a nuanced attention to detail. The best treatment facilities are those which pay closest attention to the unique individual needs of their unique individual clients. In the end, the healing process can’t go forward on any terms other than those.

That principle, in turn, is the bedrock of Cliffside Malibu’s eating disorder treatment philosophy.

With its expert caregivers and posh amenities, Cliffside Malibu is a world-class institution. The center has always catered to an elite clientele. Now Cliffside is expanding its mission, with the goal of delivering the best eating disorder therapy on the planet to those who need it. From Anorexia recovery to Bulimia treatment, at Cliffside Malibu nothing less than excellence will ever be acceptable.

“Eating disorder recovery depends first and foremost on the quality of eating disorder treatment,” said Cliffside Malibu Program Director Dr. Georgina Smith. “At Cliffside Malibu, we recognize that our treatment programs have the power to change lives, and we do everything in our power to live up to that responsibility. We believe that we owe that much to the clients who trust us with their health.”

That sense of obligation, in no uncertain terms, is precisely what distinguishes Cliffside from its competitors.

There’s no shortage of eating disorder treatment centers in Los Angeles. All too often, many of those clinics employ inexperienced or unqualified caregivers. Predictably, these facilities generally fall short of the promises they make to their clients—with disastrous consequences for those clients and the people who care about them.

Given the stakes in the eating disorder recovery process, that sort of failure is simply unacceptable.

“Eating disorders ruin lives,” said Patricia Freeberry, Cliffside’s Clinical Director. “Eating disorder treatment can help to fix what’s broken, but only if it’s delivered by people who know exactly what they’re doing. At Cliffside Malibu, our eating disorder specialists are the best in the world at what they do.”

Eating disorder victims don’t need to be told what they stand to lose in the fight against their diseases. What might not be so obvious, though, is the value of what they stand to win. Cliffside Malibu helps clients rediscover life as they used to know it, before anorexia and bulimia made them strangers to everything and everyone they’d ever cared about. It’s hard to imagine that any lesson could ever be more worth learning than that.

Contact Details: Cliffside Malibu is a luxury residential eating disorder treatment center located in Malibu, California. For further details about Cliffside’s treatment methods, amenities, or other general information about the eating disorder clinic, please call 1-800-501-1988 or visit our Web site at www.cliffsidemalibu.com.

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Addictions, Clinics, Consultations, Drugs, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Rehab, Society

Prescription Drug Abuse Throughout Ontario – OxyContin(r) On The Chopping Block

This year the province of Ontario , Canada is leading an extensive investigation into the misuse and abuse of OxyContin. This is a particular pharmaceutical that can be paid for by Ontario ‘s public drug plan, unfortunately these prescriptions have tripled in the last five years. The Health Minister of Ontario wants to find out if the people getting the OxyContin really do need it. Drug Rehab Services has been on the receiving end of this, this particular drug rehab placement agency handles hundreds of calls from people in Ontario looking for help for OxyContin abuse. “Our calls have been on the rise and the most common question asked is how can I get help for Oxy abuse. Fortunately we have built a very large database of over 4000 different treatment centers across Canada , and do provide many different resources for Ontario residents.” Says Marcel Gemme, owner of Drug Rehab Services.

OxyContin is a slow release pain medicine that is mainly intended for people in extreme or chronic pain. The drug has a long history of being abused in ways of crushing the drug and snorting it, chewing the drug and mixing with alcohol, and even breaking the drug down and injecting it into your veins. OxyContin is given out so freely in Ontario , and it is not uncommon for abusers of OxyContin to be double doctoring; visiting multiple doctors complaining of symptoms of pain. Apparently there is no way of tracking whom has been prescribed, and in the last five years there was 450 deaths due to OxyContin overdose in Ontario.

This investigation has also led health regulators in the United States to make sure the producers of opiod painkillers strengthen their safety measures in order to prevent the misuse and abuse. The Food and Drug Administration in the United States is concerned about the rising numbers of overdoses and accidental deaths due to OxyContin, which has increased over the past ten years. The counsellors at Drug Rehab Services will continue to provide the best possible resources for those struggling with OxyContin abuse. If you or someone you know is struggling with an OxyContin addiction, call their toll free hotline at, 1-877-254-3348, or visit the website at, http://drug-rehab.ca/

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Addictions, Clinics, Consultations, Drugs, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Rehab, Society

Drug Rehab Services Helps Ontario OxyContin Abusers

OxyContin abuse is a very serious problem that does impact the residents of Ontario. Drug Rehab Services receives many calls from families looking for help who have a loved one slowly dying form an OxyContin addiction. “OxyContin has many other brand names,” comments Marcel, owner of Drug Rehab Services, “it is also know as Supeudol, Enodcet, Oxycocet, and the slang term ‘hillbilly heroin’.” OxyContin or Oxycodone has caused many overdoses and deaths in the province of Ontario. In 1990, the Chief Medical Examiner of Ontario, Dr. Barry Mclellan, asked forensic scientists to go back and review the death files of people who died from drug overdoses for the past five years in Ontario. The findings were quite shocking, between 1999 and 2003, there was a four to five fold increase in deaths where Oxycodone was detected in the blood stream.

Following a brief timeline; in 2000 the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported a %400 increase in Oxycodone related deaths. In 2001, Oxycodone abuse was highly publicized all throughout North America. In 2003, 101 people died in Ontario with Oxycodone found in their blood stream. This was ten times more than one decade ago. 2004; the FDA strengthened warnings about Oxycodone and its many products, this was also followed by warnings issued by Perdu Pharma, the company that was marketing OxyContin. In 2005, a story reported on CTV about a young Ontario man named Kyle Blythe, whose doctor prescribed him OxyContin for tendonitis in his wrist. One hundred thousand dollars later, OxyContin destroyed his life, and took away his wife and home. Kyle then entered a legal methadone maintenance program to help get off of the OxyContin.

Drug Rehab Service has compiled a database of over 4000 different resources, and this includes resources for people looking for help in Ontario. If you are requiring help for an OxyContin addiction in Ontario, call the counsellors at Drug Rehab Services at, 1-877-254-3348, or visit their website at, http://drug-rehab.ca.

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Addictions, Clinics, Consultations, Drugs, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Rehab, Society

Drug And Alcohol Treatment Transforming The World Of Rehabilitation

Sunset Malibu, an exclusive drug and alcohol treatment center on the California coast, has long been a transformational force in the field of treatment and recovery. Now, Sunset has redoubled its efforts in the fight against alcoholism. For clients and their families, those efforts can make all the difference in the world.

drugrehabsunsetmalibu

Alcohol abuse is a devastating disease, one that strips its victims of their hope and joy dignity. The good news, though, is that targeted alcohol rehabilitation programs really can help patients rediscover themselves as they used to be—but only if those programs meet the unique individual needs of the individual clients.

Those considerations are at the heart of Sunset Malibu’s treatment philosophy. As a result, Sunset Malibu’s alcohol treatment programs change lives.

With its world-class caregivers and elegant accommodations, Sunset Malibu is an unparalleled recovery destination. The center has always catered to upscale clients f r o m every corner of the globe. Now Sunset is renewing its commitment to its core values, with the goal of delivering life-changing care to individuals who seek it.

At Sunset Malibu, no pursuit could ever be more fulfilling than that of becoming whole again.

“Alcoholism can destroy families and careers,” Sunset Malibu owner Richard Taite said. “Our foremost goal is to help clients develop the skills and strength they need to rebuild their world f r o m the ground up.”

When it comes to the best alcoholism treatment Los Angeles has to offer, that passion to create change is precisely what sets Sunset apart f r o m its competitors.

There are plenty of alcohol recovery facilities in Southern California. But many of them offer the same generic treatment programs to all of their clients. It’s as if what worked for one victim of alcoholism should work for them all. But this simply isn’t the case. To pretend otherwise can grossly jeopardize the healing process. Such results unforgivable and unnecessary.

“Our clients trust us with their lives,” Taite said. “It’s a humbling and inspiring responsibility, and we respond to it with the utmost dedication. Our treatment methods, along with education and counseling, reflect our commitment to every individual who walks through our doors.”

Alcohol abuse is a pernicious foe, but not an unconquerable one. Sunset Malibu is committed to helping alcoholism victims rediscover themselves as they used to be, and life as they used to know it. The center’s record of success speaks for itself.

Sunset’s residents really do heal f r o m the inside-out. For clients and their families, no outcome could ever possibly be more desirable.

Contact Details: Sunset Malibu is a luxury drug and alcohol treatment center located in Malibu, California. For further details about Sunset’s drug rehab facility, treatment strategies, accommodations, or other general facts, please call 1-800-332-9202 or visit the website at http://www.drugrehabsunsetmalibu.com.

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Addictions, Clinics, Consultations, Drugs, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Rehab, Society

Luxury Drug Rehab Experts Help Addicts Find the Right Treatment

Upscale victims of addiction often seek professional treatment facilities capable of helping them achieve recovery without sacrificing the luxurious lifestyles to which they’re accustomed. Unfortunately, that search is often impeded by a lack of transparency in the treatment center community. That’s about to change.

LuxuryDrugRehab.com is pleased to announce a new referral service linking affluent addiction victims to the best treatment and recovery facilities on earth. The goal of LuxuryDrugRehab.com is to help those victims find the facility that’s exactly right for them. This is to ensure positive outcomes and lasting results in the healing process. To do that, the service provides clients with expert personal advice—combined with a thorough and accurate understanding of the treatment options available to them. That sort of enlightenment can often make all the difference in the world.

Rehabilitation is never easy. On the contrary, recovery is an arduous process. So —recovery patients need all the support they can get on the road to wellness. The best luxury drug rehab centers combine clinical excellence with elegant amenities and world-class service. This helps them achieve the goal of helping clients get better without suffering along the way. In the end, treatment can’t succeed on any terms other than those.

Frequently, that principle isn’t put into practice. Many rehab centers fall far short of the commitments they make to their clients.

While there are plenty of “luxury” treatment facilities in California, many fail to deliver the sort of cutting-edge care upon which all meaningful recovery must be based. Instead, they choose to devote their resources to superficial amenities — as if recovery could be achieved through physical comfort alone. When push comes to shove, a rehab center that focuses on elegance before expertise can’t possibly be expected to help its residents achieve any kind of lasting wellness.

Given what’s at stake in the fight against addiction, failure is simply unacceptable. And that, in a no uncertain terms, is precisely why LuxuryDrugRehab.com is so important to its clients and their families

It’s no secret that addiction is an awful disease. The good news is that successful luxury addiction treatment facilities can help clients rediscover life as they used to know it, and rediscover themselves as they used to be. LuxuryDrugRehab.com promises to change the lives of those individuals who trust their health to its professional counselors, by helping them distinguish elite treatment facilities from inferior institutions.

Under the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine that any service could ever be more important than that.

LuxuryDrugRehab.com is a referral service dedicated to connecting callers with the right long term luxury drug rehab center. To learn more about the service and luxury drug rehab programs, call 1-888-488-0088, or visit the website at luxurydrugrehab.com. Online visitors will find testimonials, staff profiles, and other valuable information about the rehabilitation experience.

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Heartbreaking Drug Addiction Story Shown on New Rehab Blog

The Narconon drug rehab blog has recently been publishing a heartbreaking; yet, inspiring true story of a woman’s drug addiction. Sabrina was a drug addict and runaway from Montreal, Canada, who saw her own demons destroy her life and the life of her family. Talking about her family at the time, Sabrina said in the interview: “I tried to make sure they were as far away from me as possible. I didn’t want to think about them – I didn’t want to have a family.” Recent postings on the new Narconon drug rehab blog show a short 60 second trailer of the soon to be released full-length interview.

With blogging being one of the most effective ways to get information out there, the Narconon drug rehab program wanted the opportunity to share some true stories, and also post some useful information to help those struggling with addiction. This informative new blog features categories such as, Drug and Alcohol Fact Sheets, thesearticles will give readers the hard facts on drugs, not sugar coating the devastating impact these drugs have. There are two similar categories, Overcoming Addiction, and Drug Addiction Stories. Both of these categories feature true and fictional stories of people battling drug addiction. It shows in great detail the pain and suffering caused by drugs and alcohol, it also tells of the inspirational moments of those people who overcame their own addictions.

If a reader is interested in keeping up to date on the recent activities of the Narconon Trois-Rivieres drug rehab center, there is a category on the blog, Drug Prevention News, which talks about all the recent events and activities taking place. Drug addiction is a very powerful demon to fight, and millions of people are battling it everyday. The ones that have beaten their addictions need to tell their story. Those still battling need to see that achieving life long sobriety is possible. This is one of the main purposes of this new drug rehab blog. For more information about drug addiction, or if you or someone you know is battling drug addiction. Call the Narconon drug rehab toll free line at, 1-877-782-7409. You can also visit the Narconon drug rehab programs website at http://narconon.ca/.

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Business of Medicine, Health 2.0, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Software, Hospitals, Online, Society

Using ROAM, Authorized Healthcare Workers In New Brunswick Can Securely Access Any Health System In The Province From Any Location

The province is teaming up with partners to provide health-care professionals with better and faster access to medical information.

Health Minister Michael Murphy announced on Monday that new specialty software had recently been integrated with IT systems in New Brunswick’s regional hospitals and other health-care facilities.

“Providing all provincial health-care workers with a single secure access portal to provincial health information systems represents a significant modernization of our health system,” said Murphy. “This is a significant milestone in our One Patient One Record project, and further ensures the consistent delivery of care, regardless of the patient’s location.”

The access portal is supported by AnyWare Group’s ROAM platform. In addition to improving working conditions for health-care professionals, it will better protect patient privacy by providing to New Brunswick’s health-care professionals secure remote access to all of the province’s health information systems.

Health officials said that this innovative project will have an impact on the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the system.

“Sharing a single common secure infrastructure across the province’s entire health-care system provides cost savings for the province, and a consistent experience for health-care workers,” said Gordon Gilman, CEO of FacilicorpNB. “This project is a result of excellent teamwork and collaboration between the regional health authorities, the Department of Health and FacilicorpNB.”

The portal will increase the efficiency of the health-care system by allowing clinicians to devote more time to patients, and improve patient safety. Health officials also mentioned the portal’s impact on innovation and cost-effectiveness, thereby lowering health-care expenditures and reducing wait times.

“AnyWare Group is pleased to be supporting New Brunswick’s iHER (interoperable electronic health record) initiative,” said Robert Lalonde, AnyWare Group Inc. CEO. “Providing a single secure remote access point for all health-care workers across the province makes New Brunswick a North American leader in e-health.”

The launch of the ROAM platform follows the introduction of government legislation designed to protect personal health information and privacy.

About AnyWare Group
AnyWare Group is the leading remote access solution provider for hospitals and healthcare organizations. AnyWare Group’s award-winning ROAM Platform enables clientless remote access to all applications from any device (PCs and Macs) without requiring the management of users’ computers. Through the ROAM portal, organizations present all relevant applications to authorized users, when and where required. More information is available at www.AnyWareGroup.com.

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Clinics, Consultations, Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Hospitals, Obesity, Society, Surgeons, Surgery, Weight loss

Lexington Medical Center Has Made Medical History By Becoming The First Hospital In South Carolina With Incisionless Surgery

Lexington Medical Center has made medical history by becoming the first hospital in South Carolina with incisionless surgery.

incisionless surgery

The South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center, a physician practice affiliated with Lexington Medical Center, is now offering “the ROSE procedure” and performed it for the first time at Lexington Medical Center this week. ROSE stands for Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endoscopic. This procedure is for patients who have gained weight back after gastric bypass surgery. Currently, only approximately 30 facilities in the United States offer this treatment.

During ROSE, the surgeon will insert an endoscope through the patient’s mouth into the stomach pouch. The doctor then creates folds to make the stomach pouch smaller. Because there are no external cuts into the body, the procedure offers the advantages of reduced risk of infection, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time and no scars. The treatment can be especially important in South Carolina, which ranks 5th in the nation for obesity.

Dr. Marc Antonetti and Dr. Glen Strickland of the South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center completed special training to do the ROSE procedure at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas earlier this year. Each procedure takes about 1 ½ hours. Patients may be in the hospital less than one day. The ideal candidate is someone who had gastric bypass two years ago, lost greater than 50% of their excess weight and regained greater than 10%.

Before the ROSE procedure, patients who regained weight after gastric bypass surgery had few treatment options. Scarring from the initial procedure made revision surgery challenging, with longer recovery time and an increased risk for complications.

Some patients regain weight after gastric bypass surgery because of gradual enlargement of the surgically altered small stomach pouch. In weight loss surgery, the stomach pouch is made very small, which creates a feeling of fullness after just a small volume of food is eaten. When the pouch gradually enlarges, the feeling of fullness is no longer present, patients can eat larger meals and weight regain occurs.

Doctors say similar incisionless surgery may have future application for gall bladder surgery and appendectomies.

The South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center is dual-certified as a Center of Excellence in bariatric surgery by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Its doctors are Dr. Antonetti, Dr. Strickland and Dr. Jim Givens. The surgeons there have completed more than 3,000 bariatric surgeries.

News reporters who wish to do a story on the procedure, its patients and doctors should call Jennifer Wilson at Lexington Medical Center at 803-791-2191. For more information on the South Carolina Obesity Surgery Center and the ROSE procedure, go to www.scobesity.com.

About Lexington Medical Center
Lexington Medical Center, in West Columbia, S.C., anchors a county-wide health care network that includes six community medical centers throughout Lexington County and employs a staff of 5,100 health care professionals. The network also includes the largest extended care facility in the state, an occupational health center and physician practices. At its heart is the 384-bed state-of-the-art Lexington Medical Center, with a reputation for the highest quality care. Lexington Medical Center was voted one of the “Best Places to Work” by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, “Best Hospital” by readers of The State for nine years in a row, “Best Hospital” by readers of the Free Times and “Best Place to Have a Baby” by readers of Palmetto Parent. Visit www.lexmed.com or www.lexmed.tv.

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Assistants, Critical Care, Health Reform, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Hospitals, Nurses

Nursing Shortfall In The UK, According To Hays, Specialist Recruitment

According to Hays, specialist recruitment, the acute shortage of qualified workers, which continues to plague the nursing sector, is particularly apparent for A&E, critical care (ITU), theatre, intensive care (ICU) and emergency medicine nurses.

hays.com healthcare

The magnitude of the shortage has however now also spilt over into other areas of nursing jobs such as obstetrician, orthopaedic, anaesthetic and gynaecologist nurses are also highly sought after by the health service. Additionally there is currently a shortage of accident and emergency expertise and a growing requirement for nurses from an emergency medicine background.

“Without a doubt, there is a shortage of nurses in the UK. The available talent from abroad throws an important lifeline given the pressing need for skilled nurses. Around 10% of nurses working in the UK have trained abroad and it is important that skills shortages in the healthcare sector continue to be addressed where possible, using labour from overseas where necessary,” added Simon Hudson, the new Director of Hays Global Resourcing.

The UK has been able to benefit from the global mobility of the nursing sector and tap into the worldwide nursing talent pool to fill its vacancies, however, “The shortage of nurses is not just limited to the UK. Demand exceeds supply across the world, which in turn fuels this cyclical international movement of labour in the nursing profession,” continued Simon.

Many UK nurses are leaving to go and work abroad to destinations such as Canada, Australia, the Middle East and the United States. There are several reasons why nurses from the UK are attracted to overseas destinations, but clearly it is more a case of lifestyle and financial reasons rather than an inability to find a job in the UK.

Nursing in the UK not only offers excellent and varied opportunities to learn valuable skills but also enables individuals to make a positive difference to the lives of others. The NHS encourages applications from people with a wide range of academic and vocational qualifications.

“Going on a work placement or volunteering are excellent routes into the nursing sector and a great way to get a feel for the industry,” said John Faraguna, the newly appointed Managing Director of Hays Health and Social Care. Other ways of entering the industry include cadet schemes and apprenticeships, especially for those with previous NHS experience, for example, clinical support workers and healthcare assistants.

According to recent statistics from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), one in three community nurses are over 50 and over a fifth of practice nurses are over 55, which adds up to around 200,000 nurses who are due to retire over the next decade.

This represents almost 50% of the worker population and this will leave a massive skills shortfall if these problems are not addressed. This is a worrying prospect at a time when the size of the UK’s elderly population looks set to continue to increase over the coming years, meaning the demand for specialist nurses will continue to grow with it.

“The best solution to this issue is a combination of more effective utilisation and retention of skilled nurses, increased emphasis on training new nurses and, in the short term, increased international recruitment” concluded John,

 

About Hays Healthcare:
Hays Healthcare is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. As at 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,294 staff operating from 380 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:
– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million; 
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments; 
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees. 

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Anti-aging, Clinics, Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Non-Surgical Procedure, Skincare, Surgeons, Surgery

The Harley Medical Group Launches Its New Sculptra Volumising Treatment In Response To The Latest Celeb Trend For Baby Smooth Faces Hits London

The world’s most beautiful people are ditching the ‘heroin chic’ look of gaunt faces and sharpened cheekbones and instead opting for apple-shaped cheeks and rounded foreheads. The recently reported LA trend for the so-called ‘pillow face’ is seeing celebs swap Botox for plumping treatments. Now, inspired by the likes of Kylie and Madonna, women in London are embracing the smooth, padded look sported by the stars.

The Harley Medical Group, the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, has anticipated the uptake of the trend in London by launching Sculptra, an injectable volumising treatment – in its six London clinics. Thanks to growing demand for ‘apple’ cheeks, the introduction of Sculptra has been its fastest ever non-surgical launch.

Liz Dale, Director at The Harley Medical Group, said: “We counsel all our patients to have realistic expectations – no procedure will leave them looking like exactly like Nicole Kidman or Liz Hurley. However, Sculptra will fill in lines and wrinkles and make the face look plumper and more even. It’s a really great investment as the results can last up to three years.”

Sculptra stimulates the build up of the body’s own collagen. Like more traditional dermal fillers, Sculptra is introduced into areas of the face that have lost their natural plumpness and elasticity. The non-permanent restoration of lost facial volume gives smoother, younger-looking skin.

The main ingredient of Sculptra is Poly-L-lactic Acid. The PLLA works from deep within the skin’s layers stimulating the body’s own production of collagen. Poly-L-lactic acid has been used in surgical procedures for over 25 years and is gradually and naturally broken down by the body.

Dr Nicky Naylor, The Harley Medical Group, said: “We’re seeing patients using Sculptra on sunken cheeks to give a fuller-faced look, or a little higher up on the face to give a more sculptured effect. A lot of women that come in are after a heart-shaped face – à la Madonna – which can be achieved by rounding out the cheeks.”

Liz Dale continued: “The surgical side of the business continues to grow steadily but we’ve seen real increases in the demand for non-surgical treatments, particularly in London where LA trends tend to hit first. We’re responding by committing to a series of new treatment launches this year. In addition to Sculptra, we’ve also recently launched the radical Obagi Blue Chemical Peel, which has been dubbed the ‘Recessionista’s Facelift’ by fans thanks to its effectiveness at improving skin tightness and reducing lines, wrinkles and scars at a relatively low cost.”

 

About The Harley Medical Group
The Harley Medical Group is the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, performing more procedures and with more cosmetic surgery clinics than any other provider. It has been established for over 25 years and is one of the most highly-regarded Cosmetic Surgery Groups operating in the UK, with over treated 435,000 patients to date.

The Harley Medical Group is renowned for introducing and pioneering most new surgical and non surgical techniques to the UK and Irish markets, such as Aesthera PPx, Laser Hair Removal, Cool Touch Laser, Silk Touch Laser, Collagen for lines and wrinkles, Laser for snoring, Tumescent Liposuction, LPG cellulite treatment etc. All new treatments and techniques are first thoroughly researched and tested before they are submitted for approval by the Group’s Medical Advisory Committee, as being suitable for application by the Group’s fully trained and specialized Plastic Surgeons, Doctors and Treatment Nurses.

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Anti-aging, Clinics, Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Medicine, Nurses, Skincare, Surgeons, Surgery

Following National Nurses’ Day, The Harley Medical Group Has Announced That It Will Be Helping To Reward The Valuable Work Done By Nurses In The UK

The Harley Medical Group has launched a special discount on all non-surgical and surgical treatments for all registered nurses. The 10% non-surgical discount and a £250 reduction on all surgical procedures will be available across The Harley Medical Group’s 26 clinics and can be taken up by nurses throughout the summer.

Liz Dale, Director at The Harley Medical Group said, “Nurses are the backbone of our sector and we wanted to show our appreciation by giving a little something back. Hard working nurses can take advantage of the offer and treat themselves to a Medical Microdermabrasion for example, which helps bring back a healthy glow to the face and rejuvenate the skin.”

She continued, “It’s thanks to our nurses that we’re a trusted cosmetic surgery provider, as shown by our continued growth. Our patients are met on their very first appointment by a qualified nurse who will give them full, impartial advice on what course of action they should take and guide them through any chosen programme of treatment.”

National Nurses’ Day is celebrated on 12th May each year, as a tribute to the work of Florence Nightingale who was born on the day in 1820.

All patients considering cosmetic surgery should ensure that their surgeon is trained and registered in the GMC Specialist Register as a Plastic Surgeon and ensure that their first consultation is carried out by a medical professional. All consultations at The Harley Medical Group are carried out by a fully qualified Cosmetic Surgery Nurse Counsellor.

 

About The Harley Medical Group 
The Harley Medical Group is the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, with 26 clinics nationwide, performing more procedures and with more clinics than any other cosmetic surgery provider. It has been established for over 25 years and is one of the most highly-regarded Cosmetic Surgery Groups operating in the UK. It has treated over 435,000 patients to date.

The Harley Medical Group is renowned for introducing and pioneering most new surgical and non surgical techniques to the UK and Irish markets, such as Aesthera PPx, Laser Hair Removal, Cool Touch Laser, Silk Touch Laser, Collagen for lines and wrinkles, Laser for snoring, Tumescent Liposuction, LPG cellulite treatment etc. All new treatments and techniques are first thoroughly researched and tested before they are submitted for approval by the Group’s Medical Advisory Committee, as being suitable for application by the Group’s fully trained and specialized Plastic Surgeons, Doctors and Treatment Nurses.

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Anti-aging, Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Medicine, Skincare, Surgeons, Surgery

Men’s Careers Push Them Into Surgery

The Harley Medical Group has reported that UK men are becoming more preoccupied with their appearance, especially within four key career areas. The increase in awareness and anxiety amongst men that their bodies may not look their best, has been met with an explosion in the number of slang terms for unwanted areas of the male body, along with rise in the number of operations to remove them.

The cosmetic surgery operation to reduce male breast tissue, or ‘moobs’, is now relatively commonplace, but the removal of ‘Simon Cowells’ (modern day rhyming slang for jowls), and the removal of ‘mandles’ (male love handles) are also becoming more popular than ever.

The demand for male cosmetic surgery is in part being driven by long working hours and work stress, according to the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, The Harley Medical Group. An audit of the most common career choices amongst the UK’s burgeoning male cosmetic surgery market revealed that some punishing careers appear to be taking their toll on British males, who are now seeking the help of the UK’s leading surgeons to turn back the clock.

The audit was carried out by The Harley Medical Group, which has carried out more than 55,000 procedures on British males and showed a recent 26% year-on-year increase in male surgery. The audit also revealed that male patients over the last 12 months are predominantly from four career areas:

Bankers and city workers
Civil Service
Politics, Public affairs and local councils
Professional Services – legal and accountancy

Mr Frati, Surgeon, The Harley Medical Group commented, “The bad diets, punishing hours and stress that often goes hand in hand with these types of professions make men prime candidates for premature aging. We’re not surprised to see a trend emerge for professions most likely to opt for surgery as the side-effects of a punishing job can cause the loss of skin elasticity and encourage build up of stubborn fat in key areas.”

Liposuction on ‘mandles’ and ‘moobs’, face lifts including mini-face lifts to improve the jowls, or ‘Simon Cowells’, are amongst the most popular male procedures in 2009. Rhinoplasty and Otoplasty are also proving popular; particularly amongst male cosmetic surgery patients aged 25-35, and ‘Boytox’ (Botox for men) – continues to be very popular, up 12% year-on-year.

Liz Dale, Director of The Harley Medical Group, commented, “There is no doubt that in some areas, men are feeling more under pressure to look the part as the work place becomes increasingly competitive.”

All patients considering cosmetic surgery should ensure that their surgeon is trained and registered in the GMC Specialist Register as a Plastic Surgeon and ensure that their first consultation is carried out by a medical professional. All consultations at The Harley Medical Group are carried out by a fully qualified Cosmetic Surgery Nurse Counsellor. The Harley Medical Group has been established for 25 years and has 26 clinics in the UK.

 

About The Harley Medical Group:
The Harley Medical Group is the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, performing more procedures and with more clinics than any other cosmetic surgery provider. It has been established for over 25 years and is one of the most highly-regarded Cosmetic Surgery Groups operating in the UK. It has conducted over 435,000 procedures to date.

The Harley Medical Group is renowned for introducing and pioneering most new surgical and non surgical techniques to the UK and Irish markets. All new treatments and techniques are first thoroughly researched and tested before they are submitted for approval by the Group’s Medical Advisory Committee, as being suitable for application by the Group’s fully trained and specialized Plastic Surgeons, Doctors and Treatment Nurses.

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Business of Medicine, Health 2.0, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Software, Hospitals, Online

Anyware Group’s ROAM Helps Radiologists, Physicians And Managers Access Hospital Systems From Anywhere

With doctors spread across 4 rural counties, Memorial Medical Center of West Michigan has implemented AnyWare Group’s ROAM (Role Oriented Access Management) as the remote access platform to deliver their medical systems and applications, leading to more timely adherence to the hospital’s “sign-off” policy.

All hospitals depend on physicians and radiologists to promptly “sign-off” on patient records – but it is challenging to encourage and sustain compliance when physicians are spread out over a wide rural area like Western Michigan. With ROAM, healthcare providers can access internal hospital systems, check patient records and sign-off reports, from home or in a distant office, improving the effectiveness, and lifestyles, of physicians, administrators and IT staff – who might otherwise be forced to stay overtime in the hospital.

“A high level of complexity can discourage consistent adherence to the “sign-off” policy,” said Sue Luskin, IS Supervisor at MMCWM. “ROAM is so intuitive, it’s easy to use right away and our physicians and staff took to it immediately.”

Sue Luskin recently received an email sent by Lynn S. McCurdy, D.O., a radiologist. Dr. McCurdy wrote:

“I just used ROAM to sign 28 reports (which were not transcribed yet when I left the hospital at 7:30 last night). It worked beautifully; in fact, much more smoothly than when I was editing and signing reports in house (perhaps because both I and the transcriptionist were busily accessing the list). Next time I won’t stay late while the weather is deteriorating, knowing I can sign things from the safety of my home.”

Memorial Medical also chose ROAM because it is “clientless” – so specialists in distant cities can be provided with a secure personalized portal that restricts access to only the systems and information they need, based on role, within minutes. Rural hospitals often rely on larger urban hospitals for consultations from on-call specialists, especially in emergency situations. Remote access systems that take days to add a new user, or require a high level of technical support for end users, are not well suited for this situation.

“We recently heard from a consulting radiologist from a large urban hospital who had provided a diagnosis for one of our emergency patients,” said Sue Luskin. “He said that consulting to Memorial Medical was such a wonderful experience – that we could set him up with a new temporary user account immediately and, within minutes, he was reviewing images and dictating his diagnosis. He was very impressed with the ease with which ROAM had made records available.”

Prior to introducing ROAM, Memorial Medical provided access to their HIS through IPsec VPN, which required that IT staff either burn and mail out a CD or visit distant offices and homes to install a client on each of the personal computers belonging to authorized users on the network. It was very time consuming for IT staff and tends to act as a disincentive to granting remote access to new users.

“We at AnyWare Group are very excited to be working with Memorial Medical on this important initiative that truly highlights the unique capabilities of the ROAM Platform,” said Robert Lalonde, CEO of AnyWare Group Inc. “By providing authorized physicians, clinicians and managers with a single point of access to hospital systems and applications, ROAM is helping Memorial Medical improve the work life and efficiency of physicians and staff.”

About Memorial Medical Center of West Michigan
Headquartered in the town of Ludington, Michigan, an area known for its beautiful beaches, spectacular sunsets and numerous parks, Memorial Medical Center of West Michigan serves a community spread out over 4 rural counties, with over 500 employees, including those working in a satellite primary care facility in a neighboring county.

About AnyWare Group
AnyWare Group provides remote access solutions designed to meet the needs of hospitals and healthcare organizations. AnyWare Group’s award-winning ROAM Platform enables clientless remote access to all applications from any device (PCs and Macs) without requiring the management of users’ computers. Through the ROAM portal, organizations present all relevant applications to authorized users, when and where required.

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Anti-aging, Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Medicine, Skincare, Surgeons, Surgery

Breast Augmentation Surgery Is Still Top Of The Ops

The Harley Medical Group has reported a rise in breast augmentation surgery, with a growth of 27% year on year. This increase has been driven by a boom in post baby surgery, with mothers now accounting for 60% of breast augmentation patients, making it the third most common type of post-natal procedure.

Angela Fry, 38, from Maidenhead had a breast augmentation after she had her fourth child. She comments: “After each birth my shape changed dramatically and my breasts sagged and lost their shape completely. For me, having a Breast Augmentation wasn’t about getting bigger breasts but getting them back to the shape and size that was right for my figure. Having the surgery has made me feel more feminine and given me much more confidence in myself.”

Breast augmentation surgery was first performed in 1895 and is today the most popular surgical cosmetic procedure for women. During the procedure an incision is made in the crease of the underside of the breast and the implant is inserted into a pocket created by the surgeon. The result is fuller and more evenly shaped breasts. The treatment takes around one hour to perform and a general anaesthetic will be administered to the patient.

Breast augmentation surgery at The Harley Medical Group costs from £4,275. For more information visit the www.harleymedical.co.uk.

 

About The Harley Medical Group:
The Harley Medical Group is the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, performing more procedures and with more clinics than any other cosmetic surgery provider. It has been established for over 25 years and is one of the most highly-regarded Cosmetic Surgery Groups operating in the UK. It has treated over 435,000 patients to date.

The Harley Medical Group works tirelessly to maintain the highest standards in the industry for the benefits all cosmetic surgery and non surgical patients. We are currently at the forefront of the campaign to ensure that the Government continues to regulate the use of certain laser types used in cosmetic surgery and non surgical treatments so that patients are protected from rogue practitioners.

All of The Harley Medical Group’s clinics are registered with the Healthcare Commission and there are now 26 clinics in the UK and Ireland: London (Harley Street, Wimbledon, The City, Chiswick, Finchley & Watford), Marlow, Birmingham, Leeds, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Chester, Nottingham, Southampton, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Dublin, Northampton, Cambridge, Maidstone, Belfast, Reading, Sheffield and Liverpool.

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Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Medicine, Online, Pharmaceuticals

ePharmaExpo.Com – A Central Source For Business News And Information For Everyone Associated With The Pharmaceutical And Life Sciences Industries

The recently launched ePharmaExpo.com website incorporates a virtual trade show, event postings, recruitment database, and forums to give everyone associated with the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries a central source for business news and information.

The launch of ePharmaExpo.com, a website encompassing multiple aspects of the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, was recently announced. ePharmaExpo.com is designed to be a central information resource for businesses, vendors, employees, and job seekers within the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries.

The main draw of ePharmaExpo.com is expected to be the virtual trade show feature. This component of the website allows businesses to showcase their services and products through online booth displays, which take the place of traditional trade show booths. Businesses will have the opportunity to reach an undetermined number of Internet users year round and twenty-four hours a day instead of a limited number of trade show participants for a few days at a conventional industry trade show. Visitors can benefit from viewing products and services from their home or business instead of traveling to pharmaceutical and life sciences trade shows. ePharmaExpo.com owners hope to increase the quality of leads generated for the site’s exhibitors by offering a means to connect with interested parties.

Pharmaceutical and life sciences businesses, organizations, and universities from across the nation are able to post upcoming local events on ePharmaExpo.com. Newsworthy items such as information about industry-related conference and seminars and press releases are accepted.

ePharmaExpo.com can also be used as a source for businesses searching for qualified job applicants and for those seeking employment in the pharmaceutical and life sciences fields. Businesses can currently take advantage of the website’s introductory offer of free three-month job postings. The owners report that over one hundred positions have been posted since the launch of ePharmaExpo.com. A resume database allows companies to search for candidates with specific qualifications, decreasing their time and money spent recruiting qualified candidates. Job seekers can post their resumes and search for employment opportunities by state.

A discussion forum allows ePharmaExpo.com visitors to communicate anonymously with other visitors and the website exhibitors. Visitors can post comments and questions, exchange information, and seek the advice of other forum users. ePharmaExpo.com administrators have future plans for an anonymous messaging system, which will allow visitors to ask questions directly to the site’s exhibitors without revealing their identities. The intention of this feature is to promote a more relaxed atmosphere for visitors that allows for an exchange of information without disclosing personal data.

About ePharmaExpo.com: ePharmaExpo.com is a virtual trade show website for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. The website features exhibitions of products and services, discussion forums, and industry job postings and events. Contact Chi-chau Tse at 619-808-3773 or tse@ePharmaExpo.com for more information.

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Business of Medicine, Health 2.0, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Software, Hospitals, Online

MaineGeneral Health Selects AnyWare Group’s ROAM Platform For Remote Access

AnyWare Group Inc. announced today that MaineGeneral Health, one of the largest health care systems in Maine, has implemented AnyWare Group’s clientless remote access platform. The ROAM (Role Oriented Access Management) platform allows secure remote access to any designated application or file share within the health care system through a role-based portal.

Physicians associated with MaineGeneral’s Augusta and Waterville campuses may now use any PC or Mac, equipped with nothing more than a web browser and a basic version of JAVA, to access more than thirty applications within the health care system. Application examples include Eclipsys Sunrise, Allscripts TouchWorks, Philips iSite, Kronos and Lawson which reside in various environments including Citrix and Terminal Services.

“Initially we were looking for a very secure and cost effective remote access technology to connect our independent physicians to our EHR,” said Danny Burgess, CIO of MaineGeneral Health. “To be honest I had a very difficult time believing the claims of what ROAM could do for our organization. ROAM simply sounded too good to be true. Healthcare vendors routinely make extraordinary claims, but most have a track record of over-promising and under-delivering. It was not until we agreed to a ROAM pilot that AnyWare Group demonstrated they could do everything they said and much more.”

ROAM’s remote access capabilities have proven effective for the IT staff of MaineGeneral as well as a broad cross section of healthcare professionals. “The positive feedback from physicians has been overwhelming,” said Jimmy Mansir, System Support Technician. “Users are receiving the access they need, when needed”. “I have found ROAM to be an extremely powerful tool, simple to use and, best of all, it delivers only the applications that I require,” said Dr. Edward Ringel, Director of Clinical Informatics.

System engineering staff can deploy applications quickly, securely and reliably. “Prior to using ROAM for remote access, we had used IPSec VPN as well as one of the leading SSL VPN appliances – Citrix Access Gateway – for remote access connectivity. Both are great technologies, but we all agreed that ROAM delivered a level of security, simplicity and flexibility that was hard to ignore,” said Jerry Lindsay, Senior Systems Engineer. “Valuable IT resources have been freed to work in critical areas because, as a service, we just tell AnyWare Group what applications or roles we want to add to our ROAM Portal and they take care of it.”

AnyWare Group provides proactive monitoring and responsive 7/24 support as part of the service. “One of the most significant benefits of ROAM has been the support and engineering services that come bundled as part of the ROAM offering. There hasn’t been a single issue they couldn’t help us with”, said Mansir. “In addition our help calls regarding remote access have 
virtually disappeared as end users find the ROAM remote access solution extremely simple to use. There is virtually no learning curve for the end users.”

“Since AnyWare Group focuses on healthcare solutions, they have expertise that has helped us optimize a number of our applications including our PACS systems for remote access,” said Burgess.

“Having MaineGeneral Health as a customer is certainly a thrill for us. They have given us an opportunity to demonstrate the value we bring to both the IT department and end users – particularly physicians,” said Robert Lalonde, CEO of AnyWare Group. “The results at MaineGeneral legitimize the benefit claims of ROAM as a clientless remote access platform and are yet another customer proof point for us.”

About MaineGeneral Health
MaineGeneral Health is the parent corporation of a network of acute care hospitals, physician practices, long term nursing care, and assisted living and retirement communities.

About AnyWare Group
AnyWare Group is the leading remote access solution provider for hospitals and healthcare organizations. AnyWare Group’s award-winning ROAM Platform enables clientless remote access to all applications from any device (PCs and Macs) without requiring the management of users’ computers. Through the ROAM portal, organizations present all relevant applications to authorized users, when and where required.

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Anesthesiology, Assistants, Business of Medicine, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Regulation

Texas Bills Filed To Regulate Anesthesiologist Assistants

Bills to license Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs), highly trained anesthesia care providers, have been introduced in the Texas legislature. Though AAs have been providing anesthesia in Texas operating rooms for the past 11 years, they believe it’s time to ask legislators to give the AA profession the regulatory protection enjoyed by other health care providers.

“We aren’t trying to change the way AAs practice at all, but we believe that it makes sense to have oversight of the people taking care of us when we need medical care,” says Paul McHorse, a certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA-C), and President of the Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. “AAs have always practiced within nationally accepted guidelines, but we believe that critical care areas should be regulated, and that certainly includes anesthesia. It’s just a matter of good public policy.”

SB 1794 by State Senator Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) and HB 3376 by State Representative John Davis (R-Houston) were filed on Wednesday, March 11th and are identical. If passed, the legislation would require that AAs be regulated and licensed by the Texas Medical Board in order to practice in the state. AAs already practice in Texas, but are not regulated by the state.

The first Anesthesiologist Assistants joined the anesthesia work force almost 40 years ago, at the same time as the more widely known Physician Assistants (PAs). “The big difference between PAs and AAs is that PA training is designed to cover needs in many medical specialties, and AA training focuses exclusively on the specialty of anesthesia,” explains Deb Lawson, AA-C, President of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. “Good anesthesia care calls for a very high degree of training and education, and our profession was designed with that in mind from the beginning.”

Like PAs working as physician extenders, AAs work exclusively with anesthesiologists. According to Mr. McHorse, “most anesthetics in the US are given by more than one anesthesia provider working as a team; with a qualified anesthetist like an AA in the room at all times, the anesthesiologist may direct more than one case at the same time, being available for those patients that need more attention. The advantage is that all of the patients have the benefit of an anesthesiologist’s expertise. The reason this ‘Anesthesia Care Team’ model is so widely practiced is that it has been shown to maximize both safety and economy, and results in significantly fewer anesthesia complications. AAs are dedicated to these goals.”

Support is strong among those who work with AAs. “It is my experience and opinion as a neurosurgeon that Anesthesiologist Assistants are qualified and competent anesthesia providers,” says Dr. Peter Shedden, who works with AAs at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. “Since AAs work closely with anesthesiologists, this unique relationship allows superior care in the increasingly higher acuity procedures characteristic of modern medicine. In my opinion, Anesthesiologist Assistants (AA) provide accurate, efficient and qualified care for patients and are pivotal for patients receiving a safe surgical experience.”

“The AA profession’s excellent track record of safety explains why interest in hiring AAs is at an all time high, and why the numbers of new employers and programs are growing,” says Ms. Lawson. “Other medical specialties have long had non-physician providers from both allied health and nursing, and anesthesia needs the same advantage. The shortage of anesthesia providers is well-known, and allied health professions have an added advantage: by not limiting their students to nursing experience, they don’t worsen the critical nursing shortage.”

“Our students enter training with the same background as students entering medical school,” says Joe Rifici, AA-C, M.Ed., and Program Director of the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “They spend the next two years learning the science, skills and art of anesthesia practice, from simple to very intense cases, in subspecialties such as cardiac, neuro, obstetrics and pediatrics. The gold standards of AA training include affiliation with a medical school and AA students always being paired with an experienced anesthesia provider, which maximizes both the educational experience and patient safety. Everyone benefits, and as everyone who has worked with AAs can attest, it’s an educational model that works.”

If AAs can already practice in Texas, why go to the trouble to push for licensing? Says Mr. McHorse, “Other states are seeking to utilize AAs as providers, and they will look to states like Texas, where AAs are established and have proven themselves, for guidance. Texas AAs would be proud to help establish a public policy precedent, and promote Texas as a leader in AA regulatory affairs.”

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Diagnostics, Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Professionals, Hospitals, Medicine, Physicians, Psychiatry, Society

Wrongful Convictions Of Physicians By Department Of Health (NYSDOH) Linked To Patient Mortality

The proliferation of wrongful convictions in New York State prompted the NYS Bar Association to create a Blue Ribbon task force to study its systemic, procedural and statutory causes, and to propose solutions. Indeed, a report by the Innocence Project found New York State to be the national leader, outpacing all other states in its rate of wrongful convictions. The Blue Ribbon findings, embodied in a document entitled “ Final Report of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Wrongful Convictions” was unanimously endorsed by the Association’s House of Delegates on April 4.

The findings of the Task Force provide a disturbing commentary on flagrant errors by the New York State judicial system, leading to convictions of innocent individuals. In over 50% of cases, the failures of government practices – such as misconduct by prosecutors – were to blame for the wrongful convictions.

Wrongful convictions do not solely implicate the New York State criminal justice system. They are reportedly rife in the legal practices of the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH), known for ignoring due process and abusing power in its disciplinary actions against physicians. Several bills aiming to redress these inequities were all vetoed. Reported among many of these due process violations is the denying of witnesses for phy sicians’ defense, the use of tainted judges, and the coaching of plaintiffs by prosecutors to lie – indeed, “winning” cases is vital for their career advancement. Especially targeted in these malicious prosecutions are physicians practicing complementary medicine. One physician who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution remarked, “Convicting doctors is a cinch: just don’t allow them any witnesses; then the Department is free to make up whatever it wants.”

The tragedy of wrongful convictions in matters of health care affects far more than physicians. The plight of patients suddenly obliged to forgo the continuity of their medical care by the forcible removal of their long term physicians via the challenging of their license is illustrated in press and Internet releases entitled, “Patient Mortality Linked to Judicial Errors.” Noted are certain fragile patients who, “vulnerable, sick, alone, frightened and suddenly deprived of their main lifeline (their physician), became acutely demoralized, refused referrals to other doctors or failed to bond with them, eventually giving up their will to live and neglecting their medical needs.” One physician reported the untimely deaths of 7 patients, including one from suicide, the rapid decline of 8 Alzheimer’s and the relapses of 12 psychiatric patients leading to their serial hospitalizations.”

In response, petitions have now been forwarded to agencies concerned with patient20welfare, calling for independent impact studies on state-ordered patient abandonment. Agencies contacted include the U.S. Health and Human Services Administration (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. The petition has also been sent to Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, NYSDOH.

This landmark study, of major interest to medical, psychiatric and medico-legal communities and the public at large, would aim to show that abruptly severing medical and psychiatric services by state agencies has serious and sometimes fatal consequences for patients – especially patients who are disadvantaged, infirm, chronically ill or psychiatrically disabled. It would also suggest remedial action. Indeed, if state agencies assume the power of terminating the basic care to patients provided for by their physicians, they presumably also should accept the responsibility for adequately supporting said patients through crisis, by providing them with life-saving continuity of care.

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