Partners in Practice

As medicine takes an increasingly evidence-based approach to care, it's more important than ever for busy clinicians to be able to evaluate the benefits and risk-reduction associated with new treatments and medications. This week's guest, Tom Bartol, nurse practitioner at the Richmond Area Health Center in Richmond, Maine, discusses with host Mimi Secor how to wade through the research data and evaluate statistical significance versus clinical significance, and find the information you need in order to treat your patients more effectively.

ICD-10, HIPPA and OIG sounds more like secret code than medical codes. What do you need to know in order to understand the ever changing world of medical coding and how can you be prepared for what's to come? Betsy Nicoletti, author of The Field Guide to Physician Coding and co-founder of codapedia.com, helps explain to host Lisa Dandrea Lenell how practices can manage changes in coding through technology and billing procedures.

Every year brings changes to Medicare and Medicaid billing, and 2011 is no exception. This year, one main difference is the addition of an annual wellness visit. Betsy Nicoletti, author of The Field Guide to Physician Coding, helps host Lisa Dandrea Lenell sort out new billing codes and rules to help your practice stay compliant, while at the same time maximizing benefits of CMS.

Saudi Arabia is a country that is quickly developing, and as part of that development, physican assistants are filling a newly emerging need in the healthcare system. Our guest is PA David Fahringer, department head and program director at the Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences in Dhahran, where students recently completed their first semester in the new 28-month "assistant physician" program. They discuss the advantages and challenges of the program's military component, and how cultural differences are being surmounted to make the program a success.

You're already a nurse, so why take the extra step to become a Nurse Practitioner? Allison Blood, an NP student at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the mentors in her life who lead her to this next step in her education. They also talk about the highlights and challenges of being an NP student and goals for the future.

Nurse practitioner Maryana McGlasson waited for months to find out if she would be selected to work with the Doctors without Borders Program. Once she was notified, she had three days to hop on a plane and get to Nigeria, where she would be one of a handful of nurses dealing with hundreds of patients with cholera. She shares her inspiring story with host Mimi Secor on why she decided to become a Doctors without Borders volunteer and what it's like to treat patients with this highly contagious cholera in a tent city lacking even reliable electricity.

You're already a nurse, so why take the extra step to become a Nurse Practitioner? Allison Blood, an NP student at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the mentors in her life who lead her to this next step in her education. They also talk about the highlights and challenges of being an NP student and goals for the future.

Nurse practitioner Maryana McGlasson waited for months to find out if she would be selected to work with the Doctors without Borders Program. Once she was notified, she had three days to hop on a plane and get to Nigeria, where she would be one of a handful of nurses dealing with hundreds of patients with cholera. She shares her inspiring story with host Mimi Secor on why she decided to become a Doctors without Borders volunteer and what it's like to treat patients with this highly contagious cholera in a tent city lacking even reliable electricity.

The recession has not slowed the demand for cosmetic procedures. Last year, more than 10 million surgical and non-surgical procedures were performed in the United States last year. Advanced practice clinicians are getting hired to help keep up with demand, performing lasers, botox and fillers. Jill Jones, CEO of Aesthetic Advancements, Incorporated, in Atlanta and NP Jennifer Puleo, owner of Faces of South Tampa in Florida, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the training and opportunities in this growing field.

The United States is not the only country experiencing a shortage of physicians. Europeans are feeling the pinch as well. The medical community in the Netherlands began six PA programs a decade ago to make sure there were enough medical providers for their patients. Physician assistant Luppo Kuilman, a lecturer at Hanze University Groningen in the Netherlands, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain how the PA program works in his country, what constitutes the challenges, and what the future holds for PAs in this rapidly growing field worldwide.