AHDI's Healthcare Documentation Integrity Conference 2014

Alternative medicine and holistic treatments are a growing trend in the United States and more and more often, words like "reiki," "chakra healing," "homeopathy," "acupuncture," and "energy work" are appearing in patient files. What is "alternative medicine?" How does it work and is it a legitimate medical specialty? Do they need transcriptionists? NEMT President Linda Allard, CHPS, has spent more than 25 years in the transcription field, working with "traditional" health information, but she is also a certified reiki healer, yoga teacher, and a practitioner of other "alternative" therapies. In her presentation, she will combine the two fields, discussing holistic treatment as a growing medical specialty that transcriptionists need to know about and also highlighting reiki and yoga from her personal point of view. At the end of the program, Allard will lead attendees through some short reiki breathing and meditation exercises to help them open and clear their minds, energizing themselves. She'll also show them how to take what they learned back home with them so they can use reiki breathing and meditation to help de-stress and re-center themselves in the middle of a long workday.

Learning Objectives:
1. Terminology for alternative medicine.
2. How to market to alternative medicine practitioners.
3. Learn the differences between the alternative medicine modalities.

Credit: 1 CoM

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This session will discuss equivocal deaths to include highlights of some of Coroner Murphy’s more interesting and challenging cases and how/why cause of death was or was not able to be determined. *Note: Content may be graphic.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand things are not as they seem.
2. Understand the need to investigate with an open mind.
3. Let the case speak for itself.
4. Grasp the concept of alternative conclusions.
5. Facts and truth speak for themselves.

Credit: 1 CM

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Nearly 60 years ago, Morris and colleagues showed that train conductors who were more physically active at work than bus drivers had fewer coronary heart incidences. Since then, numerous comprehensive studies on physical activity and health have been launched, and today, the relationship is clear. Far less attention has been focused on health implications for how active one is at work. Meanwhile, a related but distinct area of research on sedentary behavior has emerged. We know that those who sit for prolonged periods of time have increased blood lipids, glucose, and additionally have suppressed triglyceride uptake—all of which increase risk for a myriad of chronic diseases. In response to these findings, many manufacturers of standing and active workstations are cropping up. Yet, seated office stations remain the normative standard for most workplace environments. Although standing and active workstations clearly have the potential to reduce occupational sitting and increase overall energy expenditure, their feasibility and acceptability in workplace environments is unclear. This session will address this potential and engage attendees in a critical examination of the acceptability and feasibility of standing or active workstations in their own workplace environment.

Learning Objectives:
1. Learn health risks associated with prolonged sitting.
2. Learn how U.S. occupational trends away from goods production to service industry enterprises and the related changes in occupational energy expenditure.
3. Learn the importance of workplace environmental and policy modifications to increase occupational energy expenditure.
4. Critically examine the feasibility and acceptability of standing and active workstations workplace environments.

Credit: 1 CoM

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The American Burn Association estimates that more than 1 million burn injuries occur per year in the US. A burn is one of the most traumatic injuries a person can endure. The painful and intrusive medical procedures required to treat a burn injury can be overwhelmingly traumatizing. Burn survivors are profoundly affected in all aspects of their life. They hurt and struggle long after the physical pain is gone. This session will go beyond the physical scars and dive into the emotional impact of a traumatic burn injury and how Child Life Specialists and Family Therapists effectively support psychological healing throughout all phases of recovery, including reintegration. The goal of this presentation is to educate healthcare professionals on the importance of treating the whole patient and not just the injury.

Credit: 1 CM

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Robotics is a surgical tool used to maximize visualization and dexterity in minimally invasive surgery. Since 2005, its use in gynecology has expanded, and now a significant proportion of hysterectomies for fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic masses, cervical cancers, and uterine cancers are performed using robotic technology. Advantages include less pain, a shorter hospital stay, better patient satisfaction, lower risk of complications, and a shorter recovery time.

Learning Objectives:
1. Introduce technology used in robotic surgery.
2. Learn how robotics are used in gynecologic surgery.
3. Learn the pros and cons of robotic surgery in gynecology.

Credit: 1 CM

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This session will discuss protocols developed by Dr. Odell and Dr. Richard Sorgnard to successfully treat all forms of peripheral neuropathies. The combined electrochemical treatment (CET) is composed of low doses of local anesthetic block combined with an advanced electromedical cell signaling device manufactured in Germany. This has produced about an 80% success rate in local and nationwide patients.                                                                                                                                                                          

Medical groups around the country were trained to perform the treatment protocol with the appropriate electrical stimulation device. Unfortunately, untrained individuals, employing non-validated protocols and devices, offered inferior treatment protocols and devices while citing our research as proof of the efficacy of the technique. Unscrupulous device salesman cited peer-reviewed studies authored by Dr. Odell and Cindy Cernak, DPM, as support for these inferior protocols and devices. Such citation was grossly misleading. These activities led to push-back from Medicare around the country.

Fortunately, complete, accurate, and ethical documentation had always been a mainstay in Dr. Odell’s practice. Shortly after the CET inception and spread, groups using CET came under attack by Medicare in the form of audits and new Local Coverage Decision implementations denying medical necessity for the protocol. An early adapter to EMR, Dr. Odell created ethical, complete, and nearly bullet-proof templates that have enabled him to 1) win all appeals to date at the Administrative Law Judge level and continue treating our Medicare patients; 2) not even be audited because of record completeness.

Learning Objectives:
1. Introduce concept of the Electrochemical Block for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.
2. Learn how safe and effective this technique is.
3. Trace how maximize the chances of true medical innovation being accepted against a backdrop of “Evidence Based Medicine” requirements.
4. Underscore the importance of medical documentation when dealing with the government and third party payers.
5. Gain an understanding of how medical literature can be misused when a new technique is popularized.

Credit: 1 CM

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Few people are familiar with the profession of creating artificial eyes, though many of us know or know of someone who has lost an eye. This presentation will introduce this obscure profession and provide a better understanding of the experience of eye loss and the steps necessary for a patient to have one of these prosthetic works of art created.

Learning Objectives:
1. Learn the basics of the mostly unknown profession of ocularistry.
2. Understand the relationship between patient, ophthalmologist, and ocularist.
3. See the progression of the fabrication process and some of the newest technologies available to patients.
4. Learn some of the challenges facing the profession in today's healthcare environment.

Credit: 1 CM

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An estimated 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide have epilepsy. Epilepsy affects more people than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson's combined. Misinformation and inaccurate depictions in television and film have led to misperceptions associated with epilepsy and people with seizure disorders. However, through education and awareness such as this fascinating session, the negative stigma that has been associated with epilepsy over the years can be corrected.

The presenter will discuss epilepsy and seizures—along with truths and myths about this mysterious disorder—to include the different types of epilepsy, epilepsy syndromes, diagnostic procedures performed, and treatment available for this disorder, including the newest drugs on the market.

Bio:  Ann is the owner of a healthcare documentation service in South Florida, having earned a master's in Health Service Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Ann was trained and certified by the Epilepsy Foundation under a grant from UCB Pharma to educate those who have epilepsy and their caregivers, the educational community, especially the teachers who may be the first to recognize this disorder in a student, school transportation drivers, and first responders. Ann has been actively involved in AHDI and is currently finishing her term as the AHDI Director for District 6 on the National Leadership Board. 

Credit: 1 CM

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The Linx Reflux Management System is an FDA-approved magnetic esophageal sphincter device. Linx is indicated for patients with diagnosed gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), confirmed by abnormal pH testing, who continue to have symptoms of GERD despite maximum medical therapy. Linx has been studied extensively in human subjects, and the long-term results on its safety and efficacy have been published. This session will be helpful for anyone interested in learning about this new technology, its place in the management of GERD, and the challenges in coding and billing for this procedure.

Learning Objectives:

• Define GERD, its epidemiology, and its medico-economic impact.
• Identify the indications for the medical and surgical management of GERD.
• Describe the Linx procedure, including its expected outcomes and complications.

Credit: 1 CM

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Treatment modalities for the burn-injured patient are ever changing. Treatment plans are based on multiple factors, such as burn size and depth, burn location, patient age, and pre-existing health conditions. No two patients are alike and the plan of care can change hour to hour and day to day based on the current physical assessment of the patient. This session will touch on the factors that dictate the care provided to a burn patient, as well as the current trends in burn care treatment. Followup care and required hospital readmissions will briefly be discussed, also.

Credit: 1 CM

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