Partners In Practice

Guest: Gary Falcetano, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA As the medical publishing industry evolves, and journals expand into non-print new media, it's a good time to explore the function of medical journals in the professional lives of PAs and NPs. Will the experience of receiving a journal in the mail soon be a thing of the past? What do we get out of print media that we don't get online, and vice versa? And, in addition to clinical practice information, what can the engaged reader get out of the publications they read? PA Gary Falcetano, publisher of Clinician Reviews and Emergency Medicine, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the relevance of PA/NP journals, their evolution in the 21st century, and a model for an engaged journal reader.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Norma Hannigan Laughter has been shown to lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and build endorphins. Nurse practitioner Norma Hannigan, associate professor of clinical nursing at Columbia University in New York, joins host Mimi Secor for a serious discussion of the anecdotal and evidence-based research on laughter and how to use laughter as medicine in your clinical practice.

Guest: Tom Bartol Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP 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.

Guest: Betsy Nicoletti Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA 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.

Guest: Betsy Nicoletti Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA 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.

Guest: David Fahringer, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA 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.

Guest: Allison Blood Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP 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.

Guest: Maryana McGlasson Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP 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.

Guest: Jill Jones Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Jennifer Puleo 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.

Guest: Luppo Kuilman, MPA Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA 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.

Guest: Matt Freitas, FNP-C, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Delivering quality mental health care to patients seems to come with an overwhelming number of obstacles. How can primary care practices make it easier to provide psychiatric and psychological services? Matt Frietas, an NP/PA and vice president of Aspen Medical Group in Modesto, California, speaks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about how his clinic overcame billing issues, HIPPA laws and charting problems to provide quality mental healthcare to his patients at his clinic.

Guest: James Van Rhee, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The physician assistant profession is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States, and PA programs are popping up all over the country to keep up with the demand. The latest addition is the physician assistant program at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. Director. Jim Van Rhee PA-C  joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the details of the program, how it differs from other PA curricula, and why Northwestern decided to add a program for PAs to their medical school.

Guest: Susan Matthews, PhD Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP In September, over 5,000 nurses and nurse practitioners were invited to participate in a conference call with First Lady Michelle Obama to discuss the latest changes in healthcare policy. Five were invited to travel to Washington to participate in a roundtable discussion at the White House with the First Lady. Included in that group was Dr. Susan Matthews, owner of Bluegrass Regional Healthcare in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Dr. Matthews joins host Mimi Secor to talk about the important issues covered in that summit and the role NPs will play in the future of healthcare.

Guest: Christine Kessler Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP What makes Americans fat? Diet isn't entirely to blame. Christine Kessler, who is a nurse practitioner in the department of endocrinology and metabolic medicine at a Washington, DC, teaching hospital, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the many variables that are attributed to obesity in this country. They also look at what nurse practitioners can do to help their patients come up with strategies for living healthier lives.

Guest: David Goldberg, MD, JD Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Non-invasive body contouring allows physicians to tighten skin without surgery. What are the different types of non-invasive body contouring procedures, and how have these procedures evolved? Dr. David Goldberg, clinical professor of dermatology and director of laser research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, medical director of Skin, Laser and Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey, and co-director of Sanctuary Medical Center in Boca Raton, Florida, talks about the ever-increasing roles of PAs and NPs in cosmetic medicine, and updates physician extenders on the latest developments in non-invasive body contouring and aesthetic medicine. Dr. Goldberg also discusses medical-legal issues in the field, including regulations about lasers and medical spas. Hosted by Lisa Dandrea Lenell.  

Guest: Jeffrey Nicholson, PhD, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA All PAs hope to never be sued. But if it happens, will malpractice coverage pay for legal costs and court awards? Is employer-provided malpractice coverage enough, and what are the differences between the types of policies? PA Jeff Nicholson, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants in Legal Medicine, sorts out these issues and others with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell. They also look at whether additional policies are needed, depending on the PA's specialty.

Guest: Russell Dorr, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The virus that nearly wipes out the population in mega-popular horror writer Stephen King's novel The Stand and the physician assistant pressed into running the hospital in King's Under the Dome were created out of the author's imagination — with the technical advice of PA Russell Dorr. Mr. Dorr is a physician assistant at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Family Practice in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and has been Stephen King's medical researcher and advisor since 1975, working behind the scenes when the best-selling author brings medical issues into his fictional worlds. Host Lisa Dandrea Lenell talks with Mr. Dorr about how he began working with Stephen King, and the connections between his work as a PA his involvement in King's books, movies and television miniseries.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP Every day, we hear about the rise of chronic disease and rates of obesity. How do we persuade patients to change their behavior in order to become healthier? A new answer may lie in the field of wellness coaching. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner, wellness coach and visiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York City, talks with host Mimi Secor about the evidence-based methodology behind wellness coaching. They also cover certification requirements and how NPs and PAs interested in career opportunities in this field can set up a wellness practice.

Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP How does the medical home fit into the rapidly changing healthcare model in the United States? The idea of the medical home isn't a new one. It's actually based on a concept created by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the 1960s. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner and visiiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York, joins host Mimi Secor to explain how the medical home works, the technology needed to set it up and the opportunities the advanced practice clinician will play in this healthcare model.

Guest: Elizabeth Sheehan Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Seven hundred women a day receive medical care inside moldy tents on the grounds of what once was the Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. But their circumstances will soon improve, thanks to an innovative nonprofit organization, Containers to Clinics, launched by PA Elizabeth Sheehan. Containers to Clinics converts empty shipping containers into state-of-the-art medical facilities in rural areas where electricity, running water and quality medical care are hard to find. Lisa Dandrea Lenell talks to Sheehan about where the idea for Containers to Clinics came from, what it takes to set up a container and what the organization is doing to help the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January 2010.