Medical Alert Enabling Seniors to Connect Instantly to Caregivers

To fully appreciate the efficiency of a medical alert system in the context of complementing the work of caregivers, let us consider an actual real-world case. Madelyn is a subscriber to one of the leading medical alert system companies. She is 60, with narcolepsy, and lives alone at her own home in California. One day, she decides to change the light bulb in her kitchen. As there is no one else to do the job, and because it is supposedly a simple job of unscrewing the old bulb and replacing it with a new one, she gets up on the short ladder and begins removing the old bulb. At one point, however, the table slightly moves and Madelyn loses her balance and she ends up on the floor, writhing in pain, her hips probably shattered. The phone is on the other side of the house, and if not for the medical alert device shes wearing around her neck, Madelyns situation could have been worse. She presses the panic button, contact is made with the medical alert systems response center, and within minutes one of Madelyns registered responders (whose numbers she registered with her medical alert device) arrive to give her assistance as they waited for the ambulances arrival. And while Madelyn subsequently endures months of hospitalization (her age and the location of the bone fracture made her condition complicated), it is obvious that things could have been a lot worse if not for the timely response of the medical alert systems monitoring center.

Now, the abovementioned story is not a fairytaleit is actually based on a case file from a medical alert system provider. The lesson here is simple: a medical alert system is designed to allow further flexibility for caregivers. In fact, it smoothly complementsand even extendsthe duties of a caregiver in order to give the senior the best care possible.

Most medical alert systems can be programmed to register the numbers of the persons that you want to be notified first in the event of an emergency. Most people register the neighbors that they trust, while others register relatives, or their grown children if they happen to live nearby. While notifying next of kin or caregivers, the response center will also send the necessary medical help from the medical facility that is located nearest the patients address. The whole system is set up with emphasis on efficiency and speed: in a few minutes, barring other mishaps, able hands are arriving to help.

Seniors can connect much faster to caregivers in an emergency with a medical alert, thanks to the devices single push-button action: there is nothing to confuse the senior wearing the device because there are no other options. You just press it. Also, the wearer does not have to worry about pressing the button by mistake when they dont even need medical help, the response center understands that such harmless mistakes can occur and, after all, it is better to be mistaken than to be sorry about failing to respond quickly to a real issue. In fact, most medical alert companies want you to test the device periodically by pressing the button and making sure you are comfortable using the system.

The medical alert systems design is so simple. That is why you will never find a medical alert system accompanied with pages and pages of how-to guides. The medical alert system itself is pretty much direct to the point: the package contains nothing but the wearable medical alert device and the base unit.

In the end, a medical alert system provides so many benefits and advantages to both the senior and the caregiver that there is hardly any argument against using it. To top it off, the monthly service fee is very reasonable, especially when one considers that the monitoring service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Indeed, ordering a medical alert is one of the best proactive decisions a caregiver can make to bring back quality to a seniors life.

Medical Identity Theft – One of the Fastest Growing Crimes

From keeping up with the latest technologies to providing top-notch patient care, there’s no doubt that healthcare industry professionals have a lot on their plate these days. But, would you imagine that one of their major concerns has nothing to do directly with patient care? Healthcare practices are spending large amounts of time and money keeping their practices compliant with the latest HIPAA regulations, and working hard to prevent a new trend in crime – medical identity theft. While it may not be making mainstream headlines, according to Javelin Strategy and Research, fraud resulting from exposure of health data has increased 112% year over year, from 3% in 2008 to 7% in 2009. To put this stat in perspective, medical identity theft is regarded as the fastest growing form of identity theft in America today and it is estimated that each year 250,000 to 500,000 people become victims of medical identity theft. Just like identity theft, medical identity theft is the act of stealing medical records or medical information of a patient. Both the medical facility and the patient suffer great losses once they are victimized by this type of crime. Imagine this scenario – when you check your mail one day, you find a giant bill from a hospital emergency room, yet you haven’t been to the doctor for anything other than a routine visit in years. So where did this five-figure bill with your name on it come from? The answer -someone stole your information and used it to obtain medical treatment and/or prescription drugs. Unfortunately, medical theft is a growing epidemic and is largely attributable to the large volume of paperwork medical providers are required to keep, in order to maintain 100% HIPAA compliance. Instances of medical identity theft are commonly reported when:

* Patients’ records are accidentally faxed or mailed to the wrong person * Medical records are stolen and misused after being disposed of improperly * Laptops containing confidential information or medical records are lost or stolen * Medical files left unattended in file rooms, on staff desks and in door folders; or unrestricted physical access to sensitive medical files.

While these security breaches might sound relatively innocuous, they are a huge concern. Not only does the medical facility face damage to their reputation and restitution fees, but also HIPAA has enacted legislation over the last year that makes such breaches very expensive – and on a punitive scale. Even worse, the victim may not realize the crime has occurred immediately due to lags in billing cycles so the theft is larger and potentially more costly. As if these scenarios aren’t nightmarish enough, add the fact that someone’s medical records could be tampered with, leading to improper medical care or misdiagnosis. With these costs to both victims and facilities in mind, preventing medical identity theft must be a high priority for medical facilities. It’s especially critical for smaller practices to take precautionary measures because they may have fewer internal protocols to protect patients…and shallower pockets to weather such an event. Ways to reduce medical identity theft include:

Medical Coding Jobs Key Characteristics That Determine Success

Medical coding jobs have grown to be very popular recently. A lot of people correlate an occupation in medical coding with top-notch employment security. Indeed, for the reason that number of individuals wanting to obtain health-related services continues to increase, the need for medical professionals like medical coders moreover expectedly improved. Before trying to train for medical coding jobs though, one needs to remember that not every individuals inherently have what is needed to achieve this kind of career. On this page, three key traits typical among those who stand out as medical coders are outlined.

Whenever a number of people think about medical coding jobs, they promptly think that those who are in this type of occupation are directly tasked to ensure patient health, just like any other healthcare professional. Even though this is true to an extent, people must never neglect the undeniable fact that the tasks achieved by medical coders are generally computer-related. Despite the fact that medical coders are anticipated to have a sufficient grasp of health concerns, their most important role inside the healthcare process is placed upon the call to adequately code and review in-patient data. Definitely, people who are noticed in medical coding jobs have got excellent computer expertise.

Other than having top-notch computer skills, those viewed as among the finest medical coders possess another essential attribute: outstanding communication skills. Basically, those seeking to pursue medical coding jobs should accomplish excellent vocabulary and grammar competence. Even though many don’t understand, those in the medical coding profession really need to communicate with others on a daily basis. For one, medical coders, especially those yet to progress into higher expertise levels, need to team up with fellow coders. Furthermore, medical coders are tasked to provide physicians and insurance agencies with accurate yet easy-to-understand specifics of patients.

A common need for reaching specialized success, endurance is also of good significance in achieving the top of one’s medical coding profession. Even though medical coding jobs are desired due to stability, medical coders that are only commencing their occupations do not really appreciate substantial income. Seeing that evolving through a variety of proficiency quantities demands a lot of experience, and also obtaining various credentials, only a few have the ability to achieve top-level medical coding jobs. Nevertheless, by being persistent enough and exhibiting full dedication towards the occupation, you should be able to succeed via medical coder ranks, and ultimately achieve a top-tier wage.

Although many primarily consider lessons to become medical coders, aspiring to eventually obtain the ideal medical coding jobs, just a few are able to score well in the career, let alone get to the medical coding career’s optimum. While would-be medical coders who possess excellent computer skills, excellent communication skills, and great persistence obviously have an aggressive edge, people who truly desire to go into the medical coding career still has an opportunity to succeed. Provided that one remains prepared enough to find out as often as possible and eager enough to improve one’s self naturally on a daily basis, attaining top-level medical coding jobs one day shouldn’t be an impossibility.

Convenience In Using Electronic Medical Records

Control over operations is the first and foremost priority of almost any professional organization. All else being equal, if an organization is able to control its service delivery processes to maintain the required service level and lower costs, it will be more competitive than its competitors. This is exactly the convenience that electronic medical records provide. Many companies have used electronic medical records systems to cut costs, improve bottom lines, and serve their patients better. Here are the factors that make electronic records so much easier to use.

Information Is Recorded Automatically: When you use electronic medical records, information gets recorded automatically at the source. The software is designed to capture relevant information and arrange it in a format that is easy to use. It is then possible to provide differing levels of access to people. Doctors could be given information that they need, the nursing staff the information that they need, and so on. The key factor is that staff does not have to depend on one another for efficient functioning. Thus, an organization has considerably more control as it can protect itself from the needless blame games that can ensue.

Worldwide Information Processing: With electronic medical records, you are free to process the information you have acquired worldwide. Once the information is in electronic form, the telecommunication abilities enable it to be transported worldwide at almost no cost. So, you can process your information in countries where the labour and infrastructure costs are lower, further improving your bottom-line results. The benefits of outsourcing need not accrue only to multinational companies. You can use it too!

Flexibility in Output Format: Most electronic medical records software is capable of changing the output format. This means that you have complete flexibility in terms of processing it. Different formats allow for different degrees of flexibility. You can use all of them.

Flexibility in Retrieval: How you can arrange and search your information also plays a very important role in how effective your system is. Electronic medical records can be arranged in a variety of forms. The software has capabilities that allow you to sort information by whatever variable you deem fit. For instance, if you want to sort the list of all patients with a particular medical condition, you could do this in a few minutes with a few clicks. Many medical organizations feel that this has helped them considerably in their research pursuits.

Access Documents on the Go: Electronic medical records can be stored on a central server. This server can then be connected to the Internet, and information can be accessed from the world over. Doctors can make decisions on emergency cases regardless of where they are. As the information is available online, they can access it on a mobile device if required. Also, this helps you to provide standardized services across multiple branches of your organization.

Electronic medical records are thus more convenient and help your organization to be more in control as well as improve your bottom line. The only drawback is security of online data, which can be taken care of by experts.

Reasons you should attend Medical Assistant School in Miami

There is a lot to think about when trying to figure out what career path you want to choose, especially when you have your own family. The years and money that go into earning a degree can sometimes be overwhelming. If the idea of working in the medical field has been a dream of yours for quite some time, medical assistant school may be a great place to start. The following are some of the top reasons to become a medical assistant:

1. You will be certified in less than two years

When becoming a medical assistant, there are two different paths you may choose. You can either get a medical assisting diploma or degree. Both programs will certify you to work as one of them, but the biggest difference between the two is the amount of time you attend school. A diploma can be earned in as few as 15 months, while an associate’s degree would take as little as 19 months. Most individuals that go for the associate degree value the time spent in the additional 30 credits that will help them prepare for the certification exam.

2. Job Growth is above-average

The average projected job growth for most jobs is expected to increase at a rate of 11 percent through 2022. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the job growth for this career is estimated to increase at 29 percent that same year. That rate of growth is much faster than the average. This means the demand for these professionals will be up the roof.

3. Career stability

Just as with doctors, physicians, and nurses, there is a need for medical assistants every hour of every day. Unlike other careers, the medical field just can’t take breaks. There are always patients that need your help. You will no longer have to scramble for extra shifts or compete with your coworkers for more hours. There will always be a need for medical assistants.

4. Job flexibility

The skills that a medical assistant possesses are always needed in clinics and hospitals all over the country. This means if you’re considering moving to a new state for personal reasons, finding a job wherever you end up won’t be a problem.

5. You may work in different settings

You will have the opportunity to work in the environment that makes you feel most comfortable. Medical assistants are needed in hospitals, clinics, private practices, and in ambulatory care.