TIP OF THE WEEK
Catch sight of glaucoma with regular screenings
January is National Glaucoma Awareness month. Please join with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in promoting increased awareness of glaucoma and the glaucoma screening benefit provided by Medicare. Nearly 3 million Americans have glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Glaucoma often progresses insidiously with no symptoms. Consequently, many people with glaucoma are unaware they have the disease. Without regular screenings, permanent damage can occur before a problem is even noticed. Blindness may be prevented through early detection and treatment.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Medicare provides coverage of an annual glaucoma screening for beneficiaries in at least one of the following high-risk groups:
- Individuals with diabetes mellitus
- Individuals with a family history of glaucoma
- African-Americans age 50 and older
- Hispanic-Americans age 65 and older
A covered glaucoma screening includes:
- A dilated eye examination with an intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement
- A direct ophthalmoscopic examination or a slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination
MEDICARE COVERAGE
Patients rely on recommendations from their physician or other healthcare professionals. Identify patients in the high-risk groups mentioned above and talk to them about their risk for glaucoma. Encourage them to get annual glaucoma screening exams.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- Visit the CMS Glaucoma Screening Web site
- MLN Preventive Services Educational Products Web Page – Provides descriptions and ordering information for all provider-specific educational products related to preventive services.
- Eye Care America provides free health education materials and facilitates access to medical eye care
- The CMS website provides information for each preventive service covered by Medicare. Select "Medicare" and scroll down to the "Prevention" heading.
- For information to share with your Medicare patients, visit www.medicare.gov on the Web.
- For more information about National Glaucoma Awareness Month, please visit www.preventblindness.org/
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
MedQIC: Take a Quick Tour
These WebEx presentations provide an overview of the MedQIC site, how to navigate through the layers of information, and how to quickly find tools and resources. To view these presentations, you will need to download the WebEx player and have a computer with speakers.
IN THE NEWS
GROUP TRYING TO HALT INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE
January 11, 2007 -- The Advocate, LA -- Louisiana Health Care Review hopes to reduce the inappropriate use of the following drugs and classes of drugs: barbiturates, dicyclomine, meprobamate, belladonna alkaloids, flurazepam, pentazocine, trimethobenzamide, chlorpropamide, meperidine and propantheline. Read More >>
GOVERNMENT: QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE IMPROVING, BUT PREVENTION REMAINS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
January 11, 2007 -- Sign On San Diego -- The nation's minorities, poor and uninsured especially are missing out on the preventive screening and counseling they need, according to government reports. Read More >>
DOCTORS RARELY NOTE SLEEP PROBLEMS OF ELDERLY
January 12, 2007 -- Ashbury Park Press, NJ -- More than two-thirds of older patients report sleep problems, but doctors rarely note these complaints in the patients' charts, a Northwestern University study finds.
The study, published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, included 1,503 patients aged 60 and older who visited their primary care doctors. After the visits, social workers surveyed the patients about sleep problems. Read More >>
OHIO KEPRO EVENTS
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Objectives:
- Identify the basic principles of quality improvement
- Describe the role of data collection in the quality improvement process
- Discuss ways to improve team performance
- Identify strategies to improve the effectiveness of team leaders and team members
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, clinical managers, direct care professionals, QI team members
Continuing education credits for nurses and NAB credits for administrators are pending. Please contact Donna Maynard at 1.800.385.5080 to learn the program’s status.
If you are interested, please Download the Flyer and Register Online.
OTHER INDUSTRY EVENTS
Roadmap for Change: 2nd Annual Person Centered Care Coalition Conference
March 20, 2007 – Columbus, Ohio
Alzheimer’s Association Training Events
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Courses
Ohio Department of Health, Technical Assistance Program – New Programs
Ohio Health Care Association Events
An archive of The Nursing Home Weekly Update is available on our Web site. Click here >>
