Author: Dr. Clemens

Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
CMS Confirms ICD-10 Deadline

October 1st, 2015, is the deadline for healthcare providers to implement the twice-delayed ICD-10 code set, federal officials confirm. HHS will release the final rule, Administrative Simplification: Change to the Compliance Date for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD–10–CM and ICD-10-PCS) Medical Data Code Sets, in the Federal Register August 4. The one-year […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Fentanyl pectin nasal spray as treatment for incident predictable breakthrough pain (BTP) in oral mucositis induced by chemoradiotherapy in head and neck cancer

Published in Oral Oncol. 2014 Jul 4. pii: S1368-8375(14)00172-9 Authors: Bossi P et al BACKGROUND: Painful mucositis is one of the most distressing toxicities of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC), with the characteristics of incidental predictable breakthrough pain (BTP) during swallowing. Fentanyl pectin nasal spray (FPNS) could be a good therapeutic option. […]

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Uncategorized Published - 4 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Update on Tamper-Proof Hydrocodone Products

Abuse-deterrent single-entity hydrocodone products are edging closer to market. Purdue Pharma LP has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FD) has granted Priority Review designation for its once-daily single-entity hydrocodone bitartrate tablet, an investigational pain medication formulated to make the product more difficult to misuse or abuse though chewing, snorting, and intravenous injection. […]

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Uncategorized Published - 2 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
How to keep your employees from getting bored

These six tips will help you combat boredom in your workplace, too. 1. Teach people how to treat you As an executive or manager, if you micromanage and focus only on your specific tasks, your team will reflect and replicate that type of work environment, which can easily bore people. Keep people from falling into […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Anesthesia providers need to wash their hands during surgery

Anesthesia providers miss chances to clean their hands during surgical procedures and have low hand-hygiene compliance according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Researchers from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center used intraoperative video observation to map the temporal patterns of anesthesia providers’ hand contact with the anesthesia work environment. They assessed hand-hygiene […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Chronic Pain, Opioid Use High Among U.S. Soldiers After Deployment

Some 15% of U.S. Army infantry soldiers who’ve recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan say they’ve used opioids in the past month, with nearly half of these reporting no pain or only mild symptoms, according to a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. Nearly 2600 soldiers completed surveys roughly 3 months after returning from active […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
The $3.5 Million Anesthesiologist

Fathalla Mashali, MD, accused of bilking Medicare A New England anesthesiologist stands high above all others in Medicare’s recently released list of how much money it pays providers, and court records help explain why he posted Ruthian numbers in a league of mostly singles hitters. According to records the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Capnography During Deep Sedation with Propofol by Nonanesthesiologists: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Published in Anesthesia & Analgesia: July 2014 – Volume 119 – Issue 1 – p 49–55 Authors: van Loon, Kim MD et al BACKGROUND: Propofol, a short-acting hypnotic drug, is increasingly administered by a diverse group of specialists (e.g., cardiologists, gastroenterologists) during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Standard monitoring during sedation comprises continuous pulse oximetry with […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
Opioid Use Putting ‘America’s Fighting Force’ at Risk

The rising prevalence of chronic pain and/or opioid use by combat military personnel in the United States is cause for serious concern, new research suggests. In a survey of more than 2500 service members administered 3 months after they had returned from Afghanistan or Iraq, 44% reported having chronic pain, and 15% reported recent use […]

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Uncategorized Published - 1 August, 2014    By - Dr. Clemens
FDA: Lidocaine Viscous Should Not Be Used to Treat Teething Pain in Infants

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified health professionals, their provider organisations, and caregivers for infants, that prescription oral viscous lidocaine 2% solution should not be used to treat infants and children with teething pain. The FDA is requiring a Boxed Warning to be added to the prescribing information to highlight this information. […]

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