Articles

LifeCare Medical Services: Going the Extra Mile

Go the extra mile. That’s the mission for all service-based businesses. For LifeCare Medical Services, it’s a way of life.

Vitreo-Retinal Consultants: Quality Care for 35 years

Retinal disorders are among the most common causes of visual impairment and blindness for people over 55 in the United States. One such disorder, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), affects at least 35 percent of all people over 75 — more than 10 million Americans. As the baby boomer generation ages, the number of people with age-related eye diseases is expected to double.

Advancing the Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Tumors at Akron General

The incidence of brain tumors is on the rise. Or is it?

Samer Narouze, MD, PhD Leading the Way in Advanced Pain Medicine at Western Reserve Hospital

Opioid prescription and addiction are serious problems. Consider these facts from the CDC: In the last 15 years, prescriptions for opioids have quadrupled. During that same time period, more than 165,000 people died from prescription opioid overdose. In 2014 alone, nearly 2 million Americans were addicted to or abused opioid medications.

Advances in AAA Repair at Cleveland Clinic Akron General

Early detection improves outcomes. This is true for all diseases. For abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), early detection saves lives. AAA, however, is usually asymptomatic. When it is discovered, it’s usually by accident — during diagnostic imaging for gastrointestinal problems, for example.

Bariatric Surgery at Lake Health

Morbid obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. A staggering 68 percent of adults over the age of 20 are overweight (with a Body Mass Index [BMI] of 25–29.9), and more than 35 percent are obese (BMI of 30 or higher), according to an ongoing CDC-supported study. A number of serious health problems are linked to obesity including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.

Dominic J. Bagnoli, MD, CEO U.S. Acute Care Solutions: Patient-centered, Physician-owned

Servant’s heart, owner’s mind and a passion to make a difference. This has been the recipe for success for Dominic Bagnoli, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, and the company he co-founded more than 20 years ago — Emergency Medicine Physicians (EMP). It’s also the foundation for U.S. Acute Care Solutions (USACS), a new company he launched last year.

What Is Physician Medical Identity Theft?

It's one of the fastest-growing types of ID theft, and it can involve a patient’s health information or a physician’s professional identifiers.

Doctors Join Forces to Remain Independent

“America’s doctors are facing an epidemic.” That’s the headline on the Association of Independent Physicians’ website. Their statistics confirm this: In 2000, well over half (57 percent) of all physicians in the United States worked for themselves. Now, that number (36 percent) is closer to one in three.

St. Vincent’s Lands National Contract with Employers Centers of Excellence Network

New physicians, expanded services and upgraded facilities took the spotlight in 2015 during St. Vincent Charity Medical Center’s 150th anniversary year. Several other projects are still in the works for 2016, including one announced last month: St. Vincent’s has launched the first bariatric surgery program in the nation with the Employers Centers of Excellence Network (ECEN) through the Pacific Business Group on Health. The ECEN is comprised of Fortune 500 companies which have banded together to secure the finest surgical care for their employees at the most reasonable cost.

Advanced Interventional Oncology Services Now at Aultman

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery have long been the three pillars of cancer care. Since the turn of the century, interventional oncology has been recognized as the fourth pillar. Often a complementary or pre-treatment, interventional oncology is also used when other therapies have failed or are deemed unsafe for certain patients.

Navigating the Maze of Genetic Testing

There are genetic tests that are best ordered by those who have the experience to do so. However, given the large number of genetic tests available and their increased use in general practice, more and more clinicians will find themselves in the position of ordering from the genetic test menu.

Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinical Trial Now Enrolling Subjects

Chronic pelvic pain is a complex diagnosis, encompassing multiple different conditions and many organ systems. Treatment of chronic pain is challenging due to an incomplete understanding of pain processing.

Akron Children’s Expands Oncology/Hematology Services, Increases Access, Improves Outcomes

When Jeffrey Hord, MD, joined Akron Children’s Hospital as Director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in 1999, his goal was to increase access to care for children and teens with cancer. In his first year, Akron Children’s treated 53 newly diagnosed cancer patients. In 2014, new cancer cases numbered 96, putting Akron Children’s in the top one-third of pediatric cancer centers in the U.S.

Talking to Adult Children About Money Struggles

Young adults from all economic backgrounds have been living with the realities of a challenging economy, limited job offers and increased living expenses.

Knee and Hip Revision Surgery at St. Vincent’s: Experience, Team Approach Make all the Difference

Total joint replacement (TJR) is becoming more and more common. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, more than 1 million Americans a year have a total hip or knee replacement. Revision surgeries account for 15–20 percent of that number, according to Bernard Stulberg, MD.

Sunlight on Healthcare Fundraising

Physician engagement with a hospital’s philanthropic actions is an essential tool for ensuring continued quality care for their patients and improving hospital facilities and services. And although many physicians may feel removed from the philanthropic arm of their hospitals or healthcare organizations, this does not have to be the case.

Take Two Texts and Tweet Me in the Morning

Look around meetings and restaurants. Chances are pretty good that people are texting (creating a future boon for physicians treating carpal tunnel syndrome or “text claw”).

Continuing the Legacy of Cardiovascular Care at Cleveland Clinic

The legacy of pioneering cardiovascular research at Cleveland Clinic is vast and long-standing. Many established researchers are continuing this legacy of cardiovascular research in their own fields at the Clinic. While it is important to recognize the contributions of all of them, due to space limitations this story focuses on only three of them.

Care for Kids with Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders at Akron Children’s

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in school-aged children in the United States. In 2012, approximately 208,000 children and adolescents had diabetes, according to the CDC. And the numbers for both groups are increasing. Cydney Fenton, MD, is Director of Akron Children’s Hospital’s Center for Diabetes & Endocrinology, which recorded 10,000 patient visits in 2014.