UNTHSC Pilot Program Equips the Next Generation of Safety Leaders


CPPS Pilot Program

CPPS Pilot Program

The CPPS course pilot group can truly be called innovators. We welcome these participants to the patient safety community and know they will change health care for the better.”

Ten UNT Health Science Center students made history by completing the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) pilot program, a unique collaboration between UNT Health Science Center, SaferCare Texas, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

The CPPS credential distinguishes health care professionals who demonstrate competency in the following patient safety domains: culture, leadership, risks and solutions, measuring and improving performance, and systems thinking and design/human factors. The pilot is the first program nationally specifically offered to provide qualified medical students an opportunity to prepare for the CPPS certification exam.

“Ensuring future providers understand critical concepts related to patient safety is an essential part of their learning experience,” said Lillee Gelinas, MS, RN, CPPS, FAAN, Senior Fellow at SaferCare Texas, who led the CPPS review course pilot. “We chose to implement the CPPS pilot program to help qualified candidates prepare for the certification exam by reviewing the key domain content areas and test-taking strategies.”

IHI’s CPPS credential is the leading health care interprofessional certification specific to the field of safety. More than 3,000 professionals have earned the CPPS credential, representing all 50 states and 10 countries. Achieving certification demonstrates personal and professional commitment to the patients and families who trust providers and health care professionals to do no harm while compassionately providing evidence-based care.

“IHI’s mission is to improve health and health care worldwide, and the CPPS credential helps fulfill that mission by setting standards for the field,” said Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, IHI’s Vice President of Patient Safety Programs and President of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety. “The CPPS course pilot group can truly be called innovators. We welcome these participants to the patient safety community and know they will change health care for the better.”

Sponsored by SaferCare Texas, the pilot was conducted with 10 Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) students who are members of the IHI Open School – Fort Worth Chapter. To qualify, participants met IHI’s CPPS requirements and SaferCare Texas’ criteria for selection into the course. The students received a scholarship from SaferCare Texas to cover the costs of the review course, practice exams, and the certification exam.

“With an estimated 440,000 deaths occurring every year from preventable errors, it is critical that future health care professionals, like myself, take patient safety seriously,” said Heather D. DeVille, MS, CPPS, OMS-II, TCOM student and IHI Open School Fort Worth Chapter President. “I’m looking forward to sharing the strategies and lessons learned throughout this course with my peers and future organizations.”

SaferCare Texas plans to expand this program into other colleges and schools across UNT Health Science Center’s campus. If you would like more information, please contact Katie Shanklin at katie.shanklin(at)unthsc(dot)edu.

About SaferCare Texas

A department within the UNT Health Science Center, SaferCare Texas was founded in response to the national challenge to improve patient safety and eliminate preventable harm. Through professional and community education, applied research, and quality improvement projects, SaferCare Texas identifies opportunities to eliminate medical errors and assure all patients receive the safest care. SaferCare Texas includes diverse health care and related institutions throughout the region, as well as fellows and scholars who represent a broad array of health care professionals, patients, and advocates. Learn more at Safercaretexas.org

About UNT Health Science Center

UNT Health Science Center is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers, with six schools that specialize in patient-centered education, research and health care. With a passion for teamwork and innovation, UNTHSC is driven to improve the human condition. For more information, visit https://www.unthsc.edu/

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Attorney John Q. Kelly Appears on Fox News to Discuss the Case of a Connecticut Man Charged With Killing Anguilla Hotel Worker


ATTORNEY JOHN Q. KELLY, Greenwich, CT

ATTORNEY JOHN Q. KELLY

“You are allowed to use reasonable force to protect yourself and your family from bodily harm,” Kelly commented.

Connecticut banker Scott Hapgood is accused of manslaughter in connection with the death of hotel maintenance worker Kenny Mitchel. (Gavin Scott Hapgood v Regina in the Courts of Anguilla CLAIM No. AXAHCV 2019/0018) Hapgood has told authorities that Mitchel came to his hotel room door on April 13 at the Malliouhana An Auberge resort on the island of Anguilla, wielded a knife, tried to rob him, and threatened his daughter. Hapgood then used reasonable force to restrain him.

The ensuing confrontation and struggle left Mitchel dead and Hapgood bloodied and bruised. “You are allowed to use reasonable force to protect yourself and your family from bodily harm,” Kelly commented.

According to Kelly, there are three main issues that are going to prove important in the trial. One will be the autopsy, or what actually caused Mitchel’s death. The Fox News interview with Kelly (https://video.foxnews.com/v/6075825576001/#sp=show-clips), which aired on Aug. 22, 2019, reported that Hapgood’s attorney said toxicology results show Mitchel had cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of death, which may have caused him to act in a “frenzied” manner or may have been a contributing factor in his death. (https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Report-Man-allegedly-killed-by-Darien-man-had-14341909.php) Second, the processing of the crime scene will play an important role in the trial. Third, determining whether witness statements were written down properly or videotaped, signed, and otherwise recorded accurately.

When asked if he thinks Hapgood can receive a fair trial, Kelly said it is hard to tell that ahead of time. Factors which will affect the outcome include the judge assigned to the case, the way in which the jury deliberates and how the prosecutor presents his evidence. Kelly also noted that the media portrayal of the case and any possible bias can also impact the trial.

About Ivey, Barnum & O’Mara, LLC

Ivey, Barnum & O’Mara, LLC is a general practice law firm which was established in Greenwich, CT in 1950. It is the largest Greenwich-based law firm, with a fully staffed branch office in New Canaan, CT and satellite locations in New York.

The firm is dedicated to its clients and community and offers service in a wide range of practice areas including personal injury and wrongful death, residential and commercial real estate, trusts and estates, employment law, civil litigation, corporate and franchise matters. The firm employs the latest technologies to successfully achieve their clients’ objectives, whether personal, family or business.

To learn more, visit https://www.ibolaw.com/ or call 203-661-6000 to schedule a consultation.

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PAINWeekEnd Regional Conferences Return After Hugely Successful National Conference


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…helping PAINWeekEnd attendees understand medical necessity for substance abuse treatment, drug testing, and prescribing controlled medications

PAINWeekEnd, on September 28 at the Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills, 21850 W Oxnard Street in California, will be a timely full-day program providing busy clinicians and allied healthcare practitioners with 6.0 hours of relevant, practical instruction in the management of chronic pain.

In 2018, the California legislature passed new laws intended to address the crisis of opioid abuse in the state. Among the bills signed are new requirements for standardized and serialized prescription pads; enhancements to pain related CME requirements that mandate instruction in addiction risk; and direction that prescribers of opioid medications provide access to, and education in, the use of naloxone. Additional regulatory measures are scheduled to go into effect. Senior faculty member Jennifer Bolen, JD, is the founder of The Legal Side of Pain in Knoxville, Tennessee. She observed, “As payer policies for treatment continue to evolve, it is important that providers take steps to stay current on the legal and regulatory environment that may affect their practice and their patients. To that end, I look forward to helping PAINWeekEnd attendees understand medical necessity for substance abuse treatment, drug testing, and prescribing controlled medications.” Attorney Bolen will present two courses at PAINWeekEnd: Get Your Specimens in Order: Timely Use of Test Results, and Embrace Changes and Prevent Overdose: A Basic Blueprint for Legal Risk Mitigation and Response.

Other courses to be offered at PAINWeekEnd Woodland Hills include The Role of the Advanced Practice Provider in the Acute Care Setting; Involuntary Tapers: Legal, Ethical, and Clinical Concerns; Cannabis vs Cannabinoids: The Politics of Medical Marijuana; and Episodic Versus Chronic Migraine: An Update on Novel and Emerging Therapeutic Options.

Commercially supported activities—addressing a range of product, disease state, and medical information topics—will also be presented.

For more information about this or other regional conferences, and to register for $129, go to the PAINWeekEnd website. BONUS: PAINWeekEnd registrants may register for the 2020 PAINWeek National Conference, September 8-12, in Las Vegas, for $200 off the regular online published price.

PAINWeekEnd is provided by Global Education Group. About Global Education Group:

Global Education Group focuses on producing partnership-based CME for healthcare practitioners. The Global team works with a select group of medical education companies, associations, academic institutions and healthcare facilities to develop and accredit live healthcare conferences and workshops as well as online activities. With each partnership or joint providership, Global brings accreditation expertise, project management excellence and grant funding intelligence. Based in Littleton, Colo., Global has accreditation with commendation from the ACCME. Global also holds accreditations to offer continuing education for nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, dietitians, dentists and psychologists. Global is a division of Ultimate Medical Academy.

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Remote Monitoring Solution Addresses Rural Healthcare Challenges


Infobionic is a leading remote cardiac monitoring company that is transforming the efficiency and economics of ambulatory remote patient monitoring processes.

Stuart Long, CEO of Infobionic, underscores how remote monitoring and telemedicine can help solve the rural healthcare challenges.

“All patients deserve access to the best medical solutions, regardless of their location.”

Patients who live in rural areas are in need of access to proper and convenient care. According to a 2018 study, over 85.5 million people in rural areas need better access to healthcare—this translates to a need of 4,022 doctors[1].

Compounding the need to improve access and for nearly the past decade the healthcare challenges in rural areas have worsened—with over 100 hospitals in 30 states having closed their doors since 2010. Texas has seen the most hospital closures at 20, followed by Tennessee with 12 and Georgia and Oklahoma tie for third with seven closures each[2].

However, with consumer health wearables on the rise, rural residents may not have to sacrifice time or convenience if their nearby hospital closes its doors. Telemedicine and remote monitoring are the best solutions for these scarcely populated areas. Stuart Long, CEO of InfoBionic, a leading remote cardiac monitoring company, notes that remote monitoring technologies are the best solution to help address these challenges.

“All patients deserve access to the best medical solutions, regardless of their location,” said Long. “It’s vital for healthcare providers to incorporate remote monitoring and telemedicine procedures into their longitudinal patient care plans.”

These closures also impact hospitals that remain open. A study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) focused on the outcomes of rural closures on heart-attack patients, and the results are troubling. Patients experiencing heart-attack symptoms in rural areas are often forced to travel long distances to their closest emergency room. According to the study, when a patient’s travel time to the hospital was 30 minutes or more, the likelihood of a 30-day readmission increased by six percent, the one-year mortality rate increased by eight percent, and the likelihood of receiving the proper cardiac procedure declined by four percent[3].

These statistics prove the need for prompt solutions; telemedicine and remote monitoring come in a variety of forms, from apps to smart watches to even wearable fabrics. Popular brands like Fitbit or the Apple Watch are consumer products available for purchase that track steps taken, calories burned, sleep times and heartbeat patterns. Apps on these wearables can act as a liaison to remote diagnostic monitoring solutions, like InfoBionic’s MoMe Kardia.

The MoMe Kardia provides diagnostic remote cardiac monitoring that streams patient cardiac data to doctors in near real-time. For those in rural areas, the ability to be at home and have their health monitored is not only convenient–it may be their only option.

“The MoMe is one piece of the complex puzzle required to solve the rural healthcare challenge,” said Long. “Consumer wearables and apps are the first step, but there is a need for healthcare industry leaders to develop and implement programs to support remote networks to support patients and work with manufacturers to ensure the remote monitoring technology requirements can meet the healthcare demands of rural patient populations.”

About InfoBionic

InfoBionic is a digital health company transforming the efficiency and economics of ambulatory remote patient monitoring processes by optimizing clinical and real-world utility for the users that need it most – physicians and their patients. The Massachusetts-based team of seasoned entrepreneurs have had successful careers in healthcare, IT, medical devices and mobile technology, and bring specific expertise in remote monitoring and cardiology. They have seen first-hand the complexities of traditional cardiac arrhythmia detection and monitoring processes and designed the transformative MoMe® Kardia platform to remove the roadblocks hindering faster, more effective diagnosis and decision-making. Frost & Sullivan bestowed the 2019 North American Remote Cardiac Monitoring Technology Leadership Award upon InfoBionic. For more information visit http://www.infobionic.com

About MoMe® Kardia

The company’s flagship product, the MoMe® Kardia 3-in1 monitor, is the first non-invasive remote cardiac monitor to offer truly full disclosure, heartbeat-to-heartbeat data over the Cloud, allowing doctors 24/7 real-time access to hospital telemetry-level data. With the MoMe® Kardia, doctors will be able to eliminate third-party monitoring data services and take full ownership of the cardiac monitoring process, empowering them to realize lucrative new revenue streams by billing globally for the monitoring service. MoMe® Kardia is not intended for use as an emergency medical response system. Call 911 if you feel you are having a medical emergency.

1.Mills, Terence. “How Health Care Apps Can Improve Patient Health And Support Physicians.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 4 Sept. 2019.

2. Ellison, Ayla. “State-by-State Breakdown of 113 Rural Hospital Closures: Of the 30 States That Have Seen at Least One Rural Hospital Close since 2010, Those with the Most Closures Are Located in the South, According to & nbsp;the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.” Becker’s Hospital Review, 26 Aug. 2019,

3. “Emergency Department Openings and Closures Impact Resources for Heart Attack Patients.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 4 Sept. 2019.

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Voices of Cancer, What We Really Need, What We Really Want


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Lynda

“This is absolute MUST READ for anyone dealing with cancer as a patient, family member or friend! I got mine yesterday and couldn’t put it down until I finished.”

Voices of Cancer helps validate patients’ feelings and thoughts, as well as offering guidance to those supporting them, through lessons learned from the inevitable “cancer shift” in perspective that occurs post-diagnosis. This book contains insight that can help those on all walks of their journey:


  • Focus on what is really important
  • Find joy in the small things
  • Begin to accept physical, mental and emotional changes
  • Vocalize the need for support and the acceptance of reality
  • Learn to live beyond the diagnosis

Every cancer story is different, but there is one commonality: both patients and the people supporting them often struggle to properly articulate their wants and needs through particularly challenging – and in many cases, uncharted – territory. Voices of Cancer offers a candid look into the world of a cancer patient, informed by the author’s own story and conversations had with dozens of patients weighing in on their needs, wants, and dislikes as they navigate the complex world of diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.

With comprehensive and accessible insight from people who’ve been there, Voices of Cancer helps educate, dispel fears and start positive conversations about what a cancer diagnosis truly means, while shining a light on how best to support a loved one on their own terms.

http://www.lyndawolters.com

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Epic Experience, a nonprofit camp helping adult cancer survivors and thrivers learn to live beyond cancer. To learn more about Epic Experience and to donate directly, please visit:

http://www.epicexperience.org.

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Caravan Health Announces Health Care Visionaries Mandy Cohen and Quint Studer as Headline Speakers for 2019 Accountable Care Symposium


“The two-day event will be filled with informative and dynamic speakers covering all the most pressing topics in care coordination, physician engagement and population health management,” said Tim Gronniger, Caravan Chief Executive Officer.

Caravan Health announced Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and Quint Studer, Founder of The Studer Group and Studer Community Institute, will take the main stage as featured speakers for the fourth annual Accountable Care Symposium on December 11-12, 2019 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Secretary Cohen is an internal medicine physician who formerly served as the Chief Operations Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where she was responsible for implementing policies for Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Federal Marketplace. She will bring her insights about value-based care and the population health initiatives to the symposium.

“Leadership is more important than ever in this time of great change in health care,” said Secretary Cohen. “I look forward to our discussion about current efforts in North Carolina and beyond to transform health care and the leadership needed to manage through complex change.”

Mr. Studer has spent decades discovering and refining the tools and actions to create and sustain a culture of high performance. He is a highly requested speaker and a best-selling author. His most recent book is titled “The Busy Leader’s Handbook.”

“The number one leadership skill individuals and organizations need today is the mastery of leading and managing change. While the word change is used often, not enough time is spent helping those in health care know how to maximize their performance in the ever-changing environment,” said Mr. Studer.

“Again, this December Caravan Health will welcome hundreds of practitioners, executives and experts to a one-of-a-kind opportunity for learning and connecting with colleagues,” said Tim Gronniger, Caravan Chief Executive Officer. “The two-day event will be filled with informative and dynamic speakers covering all the most pressing topics in care coordination, physician engagement and population health management.”

In addition to featured speakers, this year’s symposium will feature five learning tracks geared to different levels of expertise and different roles. The tracks include general sessions led by Caravan Health leaders and leading health care experts; innovations in technology; leadership and strategy which will include – for the first time ever – sessions that celebrate women in leadership roles; practice transformation; and starter sessions for new participants.

Register for the accountable care symposium at http://www.caravanhealth.com/symposium.

About Caravan Health:

Caravan Health is the national leader of successful accountable care and population health programs for community health systems. Caravan Health works with more than 250 health systems, 25,000 providers and hundreds of thousands of patient lives to drive quality, financial benefits and strong physician relationships in accountable care organizations. For more information visit http://www.caravanhealth.com.

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Georgia Magazine Recognizes Dr. Phillip Langer as 2019 Top Orthopedic Surgeon


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Dr. Phillip Langer is a nationally recognized orthopedic physician who is double Board Certified in both Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine. He offers advanced orthopedic care to patients in and around the Atlanta area. Dr. Langer has exceptional training, skill, and experience to treat many different injuries that require therapy, repair, and/or reconstruction. His areas of expertise include:

  •     Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction)
  •     Rotator Cuff Repair
  •     Labral Repair
  •     Hip Arthroscopy
  •     Femoral Acetabular Impingement
  •     Knee Reconstruction
  •     Cartilage Repair/Restoration
  •     Total/Partial Knee Replacement
  •     Tendon Repair
  •     PRP
  •     Viscosupplementation

In the duration of his 19-year medical career, Dr. Langer has garnered numerous awards and honors. Dr. Phillip Langer is a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, and he has completed three Fellowships: Sports Medicine/Arthroscopy, Complex Orthopedic Trauma, and Hip Arthroscopy. His expertise in many areas of orthopedic surgery and treatments have given him the earned respect of his peers across the United States. Dr. Langer has given himself the goal of becoming the best at what he does. He does not settle for simply being a good doctor – he wants to make sure that he is the best doctor that his patients can turn to. Dr. Langer has also become an expert at performing minimally invasive techniques to treat various hip problems in young, active patients. Knowing that he is able to help people stay active is something that he takes pride in.

Dr. Langer is the Medical Director of Orthopedic Sports Medicine at Ortho Sport & Spine Physicians in Atlanta, Georgia. This nationally recognized center of excellence in Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Interventional Spine Treatment provides excellent and personalized care to all patients.

“I truly understand the importance of putting patients at the center of everything I do. When my patients and I have time for open communication, I am better able to deliver exceptional care. This award is confirmation that patients are pleased with their care and knowing that patients are pleased is very satisfying,” says Dr. Langer.

More About Dr. Langer, MD, MS:

Dr. Phillip Langer of Ortho Sport and Spine is double Board Certified in both Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine. Dr. Langer has successfully completed Three Fellowships that have not only given him expertise in many areas concerning orthopedic surgery and treatments, but they have also given him the earned respect of his peers across the United States. Dr. Langer has repeatedly been chosen to teach at the national/international level by the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He was the Associate Team Physician and Orthopedic Surgeon of the NBA Miami Heat 2007-2008 before transferring to be the Assistant Team Physician and Orthopedic Surgeon for the NHL Atlanta Thrashers and NFL Atlanta Falcons in 2008-2011. Dr. Langer has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, a Fellow of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, an Active Member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America, and a member of the prestigious University of Minnesota Wangensteen Surgical Society. He is the Medical Director of the Department of Orthopedic Sports Medicine at Ortho Sport & Spine Physicians.

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The Coleman Institute Now Offering Effective Opioid Detoxification Services In Louisiana


Dr. Peter Coleman, founder and National Medical Director for The Coleman Institute shared, “The Coleman Institute continues to focus on making treatment available to those who need it most by partnering with physicians who have the same goals of providing compassionate, patient-focused care.”

The Coleman Institute, a leader in opioid addiction treatment, specializing in outpatient detoxification, announced today the addition of a new office in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Coleman Institute and AppleGate Recovery, both BayMark Health Services companies, are collaborating to expand service options that are proven, live-saving treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD). Dr. Philip Isherwood, Medical Director for AppleGate Recovery, will lead the new service in Louisiana.

The Coleman Institute’s programs utilize medically supervised detoxification to comfortably and safely control the physical withdrawal symptoms that can make recovery from opioid addiction challenging, if not impossible. The combination of convenient, outpatient detoxification and ongoing support, including Naltrexone therapy, provides patients with a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan offering the real opportunity to achieve long-term recovery. Dr. Isherwood and other staff will be offering a full range of treatment services, including six months of after-care services to help patients develop ongoing recovery support systems.

Dr. Peter Coleman, founder and National Medical Director for The Coleman Institute shared, “While access to life-changing treatment options is better than ever before, the effects of the opioid crisis persist. The Coleman Institute continues to focus on making treatment available to those who need it most by partnering with physicians who have the same goals of providing compassionate, patient-focused care. Dr. Isherwood and the AppleGate Recovery team absolutely share those values and are a welcomed addition to the Coleman team.”

Dr. Isherwood cofounded AppleGate Recovery in 2008 but has been treating opioid addiction since 2004. He graduated medical school from the University of Illinois and was an Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport. He was also the Medical Director for an opiate treatment facility in Shreveport, Louisiana and brings a wealth of knowledge about the science of addiction and recovery to his current role. Dr. Isherwood has worked as an Emergency Medicine Physician and is a Colonel in the United States Army Reserves, having served four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mike Saul, Division President for BayMark Health Services noted, “Dr. Peter Coleman and Dr. Philip Isherwood are valuable leaders to their treatment teams and excellent physicians to their patients. It is very exciting to be embarking on a new mission to meet our patients where they are at, and offer a variety of treatment options within one location to satisfy their complex and unique needs. These two services, outpatient detoxification and medication-assisted treatment, are now being offered at two locations in both Richmond, VA and Lake Charles, LA and we plan to continue improving patient access to care in a number of additional locations.”

Located at 751 Bayou Pines East, Suite P, Lake Charles, LA 70601, The Coleman Institute in Lake Charles is open 9:00am-5pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 6am-3:00pm Wednesday, 9am-4:00pm on Fridays and Saturday by appointment only.

For more information on The Coleman Institute, or to find a location near you, visit: http://www.TheColemanInstitute.com.

About BayMark Health Services & The Coleman Institute:

BayMark Health Services provides medication-assisted treatment to more than 53,000 patients in recovery from substance use disorder across the United States and Ontario, Canada. Our outpatient programs deliver medically supervised treatment, in a variety of modalities and settings, to meet the diverse needs of our patients who struggle with the use of opioids, alcohol and other prescription and illicit substances. The BayMark continuum of patient-focused services includes: highly structured opioid treatment programs utilizing methadone or buprenorphine and outpatient buprenorphine treatment programs, both of which incorporate counseling as part of an individualized treatment plan for opioid use disorder. Additionally, inpatient detoxification services are offered for a variety of substance use disorders.

For more than 20 years, the Coleman Institute has focused on treating opioid addiction and alcoholism with a unique, outpatient withdrawal management protocol supported by ongoing naltrexone therapy and recovery support.

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New Space Management Module by Dude Solutions Brings Healthcare and Senior Living Facilities to Life


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Dude Solutions

We designed the Space Management module to help organizations visualize their work and capture exactly how space is utilized in the building to help with reimbursement reporting.

Dude Solutions, the leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of operations management solutions, today introduced a Space Management module to their award-winning computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), TheWorxHub™. This new Space Management module delivers an easy way to bring facilities to life and streamline work with visual interior maps, space utilization tools and configurable layers for compliance information.

With the enhanced Space Management functionality, hospitals and senior living communities can create a visualization of building interiors by uploading a PDF, CAD or other image format to TheWorxHub. This digital floor plan allows facilities and maintenance teams to plot work orders and assets, group work by location, and streamline staffing and scheduling. Additionally, users can organize space by department and location and use square footage calculations to see how the space is being utilized by its primary occupants.

“We understand that hospitals and senior living communities face inefficiencies in organizing and locating paper-based drawings and artifacts. Not having a centralized repository of architectural and life safety drawings can lead to time wasted flipping through binders, returning to an office where they’re pinned to the wall or interrupting others to find the data,” said Josh Malbogat, Director of Healthcare at Dude Solutions. “We designed the Space Management module to help organizations visualize their work with a mobile-friendly facility map that not only connects critical work for staff and contractors, but also captures how space is utilized in the building to help with reimbursement reporting.”

Space visualizations, layering and mapping addresses Life Safety Code, NFPA and Joint Commission requirements, such as evacuation routes or medical gas shut-offs, are added to facility maps for survey and inspection readiness and understanding high-risk or problematic areas. Historical information on equipment and work orders is also documented for consistency when employees leave or when onboarding new staff.

TheWorxHub platform was announced as a Vision Award winner in the Smart Buildings/IoT/Software category. The awards program, sponsored by FacilitiesNet.com, recognizes products that contribute to the efficient and profitable operations and management of institutional and commercial buildings in the United States.

To learn more about the new Space Management module and TheWorxHub, or request a live demo, please visit the Dude Solutions website.

ABOUT DUDE SOLUTIONS

Dude Solutions is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of operations management solutions to education, government, healthcare, senior living, manufacturing and membership-based organizations. For nearly two decades, Dude Solutions has inspired clients to create better work and better lives. We combine innovative, user-friendly technology with the world’s smartest operations engine, empowering operations leaders to transform the most important places in our lives. Today, more than 12,000 organizations use our award-winning software to manage maintenance, assets, energy, safety, IT, events and more. For more information, visit dudesolutions.com.

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CODAC Behavioral Healthcare to Expand Addiction Treatment for Prisoners to Massachusetts


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…We are excited to be working with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department on this important step in advancing the message that addiction is a disease just like diabetes or cancer and evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as MAT should be available to all patients.

CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, the largest non-profit, outpatient provider for opioid treatment in Rhode Island, today announced the expansion of its services to treat addiction during incarceration to Hampden County, MA. CODAC, which worked with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) in launching the nation’s first program to screen all inmates for opioid use disorder (OUD) and provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for those in need, has been selected by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department to implement a similar program in Hampden County, MA at each of its correctional facilities. The program began on September 1.

Nearly two-thirds of incarcerated people suffer from substance use disorders and, compared to the rest of the adult population, the opioid-related overdose death rate is 120 times higher for persons released from prisons and jails. The consensus best-practice approach for opioid-addiction treatment is MAT, and recent legislation in Massachusetts and other states has called for an increase in access to addiction medications for prisoners with a demonstrated need to help ease withdrawal symptoms and lower the risk of relapse when released.    

CODAC’s nationally praised MAT program with RIDOC was associated with a 61 percent decrease in post-incarceration deaths and contributed to an overall drop in overdose deaths statewide in RI, as reported by a Brown University study and published in JAMA Psychiatry. CODAC is now also licensed as an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) provider in Massachusetts.

“In the midst of our nation’s opioid epidemic, we are excited to be working with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department on this important step in advancing the message that addiction is a disease just like diabetes or cancer and evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as MAT should be available to all patients,” said Linda Hurley, President/CEO of CODAC. “What we have accomplished in RIDOC has proven beneficial to the entire state. It’s scalable and feasible elsewhere, and we are always willing to help other states implement similar programs.”

In Hampden County, opioid overdose deaths increased 84 percent from 2017 to 2018, even as the rate of deaths declined in much of the rest of the state. The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department MAT initiative is part of a statewide pilot program established in 2018 by the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association to provide MAT at five county correctional facilities in the Commonwealth: Middlesex, Franklin, Norfolk, Hampden and Hampshire. (Essex and Suffolk counties later asked to join the program.)

“Medication Assisted Treatment, along with the appropriate group and one on one counseling, is one more tool in our addiction recovery tool box we are now providing inmates,” said Hampden Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi. “There has been a great sense of relief among the people who come to us knowing they will be able to continue their treatment thanks to our staff and the medical professionals working with us on behalf of CODAC Behavioral Healthcare. Medication Assisted Treatment just makes sense and providing it is the right thing to do.”

The MAT program to be administered by CODAC to inmates at Hampden County correctional facilities will mirror the RIDOC program in offering counseling and behavioral therapies along with access to all three FDA-approved addiction medications: methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Clinical criteria and inmate preference will be used to tailor the best treatment to each patient’s individual needs. CODAC will operate a dispensary inside the Hampden County House of Correction to provide real-time MAT services, seven days per week.

The program will allow for continuation of MAT, new inductions and pre-release access. For those inmates who enter with an active MAT prescription, once a medication is confirmed, they will be allowed to continue their treatment regimen while incarcerated. Those inmates committed who report opioid use, past or present, will be assessed for eligibility and started on MAT, as appropriate. In addition, inmates who are currently sentenced, and not on medication, may be eligible to be started on MAT prior to release (this population typically includes inmates who were committed prior to the program starting, were not offered treatment/were withdrawn from their MAT treatment, and request to be stabilized on a medication prior to release).

Upon release, former inmates will return to their communities with a coordinated post-release plan to ensure continuity of care and assist in re-entry. Further, data collected from the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department’s MAT Initiative will be given to public agencies to help establish best practices that can be used in the state for serving this vulnerable population.

About CODAC Behavioral Healthcare

CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, a non-profit organization founded in 1971, is Rhode Island’s oldest and largest provider of outpatient services for opioid use disorder, other substance use disorders, and concurrent behavioral health challenges. With eight locations across Rhode Island, CODAC has attained Center of Excellence designations for each of its treatment sites. CODAC has done extensive work with individuals involved in the criminal justice system since 1994 and, in 2016, launched a program with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) that was the first of its kind in the United States to screen all inmates for opioid use disorder and provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for those in need. Results from CODAC’s RIDOC program have been studied and published, and the program has been recognized as “a model for all 50 states” by the Department of Justice, SAMHSA and multiple other national agencies. In addition, CODAC is now licensed in Massachusetts to operate an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). For more information about CODAC, visit: http://www.codacinc.org

Contact:

Alisha Bourdeau,CFO; CODAC

(401) 275-5038

abourdeau(at)codacinc.org

Bill Gordon; PR/Media Relations

646-924-6146

billgordon37(at)hotmail.com

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