Partners In Practice

Guest: Donald Sefcik, MD Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA After many years of discussion, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) will offer PAs Certificates of Added Qualification in 5 specialties, beginning in 2011. Dr. Don Sefcik, chairman of the NCCPA, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain what it takes to obtain certification, what the benefits are to PAs, and why the NCCPA decided to institute the certification now, with the nation's healthcare system in flux.

Guest: Barbara Phillips Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Millions of people worldwide have Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. What do you need to know about today's Internet-savvy e-Patient, who uses online tools to share information with their medical providers, search for medical information, and manage and cope with their medical conditions. Nurse practitioner Barbara Phillips, founder and CEO of NP Choice, LLC, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to  effectively connect with your patients, and how to set up online policies and online identities.

Guest: Ken Harbert, PhD Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Do some of your patients have trouble sleeping, experience nightmares or are filled with anger or rage? If so they may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Ken Harbert, dean of the school of physician studies at South College in Knoxville, Tennessee, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss how to identify post traumatic stress disorder and how to distinguish between PTSD and every day stress, as well as how to get a mental health professional involved in treatment. The two also talk about how PTSD is being incorporated into the curriculum of physician assistant studies.

Guest: Yvette Petti, PhD, APRN-BC Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP In the next five years, women will account for more than 10 percent of the veterans in the United States. The growing population of female soldiers has raised new challenges for government. Not only are women facing some of the same health issues as men, like depression and post traumatic stress disorder, but they are dealing with issues like sexual trauma, and the need for services such as mammograms and fertility counseling. Dr. Yvette Petti, adult nurse practitioner for the Department of Primary Care and Women's Wellness Services at the VA Medical Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss what the Veterans Administration is doing, and how they are reaching outside the VA, to meet the health needs of women veterans.

Guest: Emmanuel Teye Adjase, MD Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The Rural Health Training School in Kintampo, Ghana, was established in 1969 by the Ministry of Health. Now this one-of-a-kind school has trained more than 500 medical assistants who are the backbone of healthcare in Ghana. Medical assistants, comparable to physician assistants in the US, provide care to people living in remote and under-served communities. Dr. Emanuel Teye Adjase, director of the school, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the education model, his partnerships with other universities and how the program has thrived and changed to meet the needs in the country over the past four decades. Nursing students Our teaching team at Kintampo Rural Health Training School. Lisa Dandrea Lenell with Dr. Adjase First class at KRHTS

Guest: Michael Powe Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Recently, Aetna, which is one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, announced it would reimburse PAs at 85 percent of the physician pay schedule. So what does this move mean for PAs? Michael Powe, vice president of health systems reimbursement policy for the American Academy of Physician Assistants, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to look at the current reimbursement picture and how PAs can make sure they are being reimbursed for the care they provide. They also look at how this process could change in the future with healthcare reform.

Guest: Michael Powe Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Medicare and physician assistants both entered the healthcare field in the 1960s, but despite their similar ages, physician assistants don't always understand Medicare. Complicated rules and seeming inconsistencies can lead physician assistants to make billing errors — and avoiding these errors is more important than ever, as the federal government is looking more closely at Medicare billing, with an eye on potential fraud. Michael Powe, vice president of health systems and reimbursement for the American Academy of Physician Assistants, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about how to navigate the red tape and successfully obtain Medicare reimbursement.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Kimberly Comparetto, NP Alcohol, ecstacy and marijuana use has always been an issue for teens in the United States, but there are other alarming trends as well. More than five percent of 12 year-olds in this country say they have abused prescription drugs. As a medical professional on the front lines, how do you talk to teens and their parents if you suspect an addiction problem with your patients? Kimberly Comparetto, a psychiatric mental health NP who works in the adolescent in-patient unit of Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook, Maine, joins host Mimi Secor to talk about risk factors, warning signs, treatment options and ways to open the lines of communication between patients and parents who may have a child with an addiction problem.

Guest: Susan Scanland, MSN, CRNP, GNP-BC Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP How can we limit the risk of Alzheimer's disease? New research suggests a correlation between obesity, type 2 diabetes and dementia. Susan Scanland, gerontological nurse practitioner, discusses this research with host Mimi Secor. She discusses how Alzheimer's, weight and waist size seem to be related, and how clinicians can help patients reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Guest: Helen Carcio, NP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP More than 33 million people in the United States suffer from overactive bladder problems. Bladder health programs are being established in existing and new clinics to treat this issue that is rapidly growing, especially among the elderly. NP Helen Carcio began a certification program on the internet that teaches medical entrepreneurs how to establish these clinics. She joins host Mimi Secor to discuss start-up costs, the treatment process and the role of the NP and PA in this groundbreaking new expertise.

Guest: Karen Bass, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Karen Bass began her career in the 1980s as a PA working in the nation's largest trauma center at the Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, but away from the ED she had a passion for politics. Today she is the former speaker of the California Assembly and the democratic nominee for the 33rd congressional district in California. Speaker Emeritus Bass joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss how her career in healthcare shaped and influenced her career in politics, and the changes she would like to bring to the physician assistant profession if she's elected to Congress in November.

Guest: William Fenn, PhD, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The House of Delegates establishes philosophies and beliefs for the physician assistant profession. It was a busy time for delegates at this years AAPA Conference in Atlanta. Several legislative issues passed, some failed, some had to be tabled and some major issues didn't even come up. What changes were made and how will these decisions affect PAs across the country? Dr. William Fenn, immediate past vice president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, speaker of the House of Delegates and professor at Western Michigan University, reviews what transpired at the meeting with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell. They also explain the process and how PAs can get involved.

Guest: Jeremy Allen, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA When patients go to the emergency department for a non-life-threatening emergency, it seems impossible to predict how long the wait could be to see a medical provider. But now patients in New Britain, Connecticut, can plan their care by checking their iPhone. Physician assistant Jeremy Allen talks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about his role as lead developer on an iPhone app for the Hospital of Central Connecticut. They discuss the benefits to patients and ER staff, as well as how to expand the technology for other medical sites.

Guest: Roger Green, DNP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Retail health clinics are popping up all over the United States in grocery and drug stores. More than 10,000 NPs and PAs are employed by these clinics— and they are the largest employer for NPs nationwide. So why do nurse practitioners and physician assistants want to work at these clinics? Dr. Roger Green, division western region vice president of the Little Clinics in the Kroger grocery store system, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss why so many NPs and PAs want to work in retail health, who these companies are recruiting and the global expansion of these clinics.

Guest: Roger Green, DNP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Healthcare practiced between the grocery store's pharmacy and produce section is becoming one of the largest sectors employing nurse practitioners in the United States. Since retail clinics see patients from the age of 1 to 100 most NPs are family nurse practitioners. Dr. Roger Green, division vice president of the western region of the Kroger grocery store system's Little Clinics, joins host Mimi Secor to talk about why such clinics are so popular among patients and NPs who work in this rapidly growing medical specialty.

Guest: Captain Linnea Axman, FNP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Nurse practitioners can be found in all branches of the military. NPs are deployed to all areas of the globe, wherever there are soldiers— from war zones to humanitarian efforts. How does a career as a Navy NP differ from a civilian NP? Captain Linnea Axman, lead research administrator, project director and family nurse practitioner at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, joins host Mimi Secor to talk about her career in the Navy, what role nurse practitioners have in the military and the opportunities the Navy offers to NPs.

Guest: Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, FNP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP In 1965, Dr. Loretta Ford, a pediatric nurse at the University of Colorado Medical Center, began to grow concerned about the patients in her community. She saw a need for improved healthcare delivery, especially in the growing number of rural and urban areas where primary pediatric physicians were lacking. Dr. Ford, renowned as the founder of the nurse practitioner field, joins host Mimi Secor to talk about the challenges and triumphs during the early years, and the state of the field in the 21st century.

Guest: Robert M. Blumm, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Forty years ago, the title of "physician associate" was changed to "physician assistant." Now there is a strong grassroots effort amongst PAs to change the name back. On April 5, 2010, 50 leaders in the PA profession signed a letter declaring that the title "physician associate" better fits the role. Bob Blumm, immediate past president of the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants and a supporter of the letter, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about why this change is critical to the profession, the implications it will have on the future and what needs to be done to make the change a reality.

Guest: Jeffrey Nicholson, PhD, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA A malpractice lawsuit is something all physician assistants want to avoid, but what do you do if you are sued by a patient? We'll explore the difference between malpractice for physicians and malpractice for PAs, and can a PA be qualified to testify in court as a legal expert? Dr. Jeffrey Nicholson, president of the American Academy of PAs in Legal Medicine, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to talk about the process of a lawsuit, common themes and mistakes in PA malpractice cases, and what to do if you make a mistake.

Guest: Marie-Eileen Onieal, PhD Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP With more Americans due to become insured as a result of healthcare reform, nurse practitioners will be increasingly necessary to help make up for the shortage of primary care physicians. Residents of Massachusetts have been required to have health insurance since 2007. There, nurse practitioners have stepped in to meet the demand for primary care. Nurse practitioner Dr. Marie-Eileen Onieal, health policy expert and director of health services for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, joins host Mimi Secor to look at the role NPs play in Massachusetts' healthcare system, and how this model can help reduce costs and improve patient care throughout the country.