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In the late 1990s, obesity became a billable code. That means that doctors could list obesity as a health care diagnosis and receive payment through insurance companies, Medicaid and Medicare. Since that time, obesity has been at the forefront of public health issues. A desire to eradicate obesity from the population has become evident, and it has even extended into healthcare hiring practices. In 2012, a Texas hospital issued a policy those with a body mass index (BMI) over 35 need not apply. The rationale for the policy, however, was not health related. Rather, it stated that the individual's appearance should be fitting to the image the healthcare organization wished to project. According to the CDC, a little over one-third of adults in the United States are obese. In the case of the Texas hospital, that would mean that one out of three applicants would have been turned away because of their size. The CDC further states that weight bias in hiring does exist and that overweight

When looking at various credentials behind health care professionals names, someone might see the letters, "MD, MPH" or "JD, MPH" or "MHA, MPH" or "RN, MPH" or simply "MPH".  The MPH does not stand for miles per hour as some may joke.  Rather, it stands for Master of Public Health. Those holding an MPH complete graduate school training through programs leading to a master's degree. In order to be admitted into a master's level program, the candidate must first have earned a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree typically may be earned at a four-year college or university in a variety of major areas. The graduate programs should be accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).  The criteria for accreditation includes areas such as Comprehensiveness, Rigor, Flexibility, Qualification, Opportunity, Recognition.  Degrees awarded may be in the following areas: behavioral and social science, biostatist

In nursing, there are many different titles given to those working in healthcare. Since the last post was about Certified Medical Assistants, here Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) will be discussed.  Certified Nursing Assistants complete high school training. Some high schools may even offer a CNA completion program. CNA training is typically comprised of lecture and clinical hours. For example, a local community college offers a CNA program of 75 lecture hours and 100 hours clinical training. Some employers, like nursing homes, also offer CNA training programs. The Red Cross offers a CNA training program, as well. If completed in a full-time fashion, the program may take 6 weeks to complete. During CNA training, topics covered include patients' rights, roles of the health care team, legal issues related to the CNA, medical terminology, infection control, body mechanics, communication skills, documentation care, basic patient care, and patient room upkeep. According to the Burea

A patient enters a doctor's office, and sees someone wearing scrubs sitting at the front desk with a stethoscope around their neck. On their name tag it says Person Persons, CMA. The CMA stands for Certified Medical Assistant. Certified Medical Assistants complete post high school training through either a one year certificate program or a 2-year program leading to an associates degree. In order to take the CMA exam, an individual must have attended a program accredited by CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs) or a program accredited by ABHES (Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools). Coursework may include human anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, keyboarding and computer applications, record keeping and accounting, coding, clinical and diagnostic procedures, pharmacology, medication administration, first aid, office practices, patient relations, and medical law and ethics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual w

As a former faculty member, I often heard students who were nurses comment about the "nurses eat their own" philosophy.  They found it to be disheartening and upsetting, and some stated this treatment caused them to depart from floor nursing.  As a non-nurse, I wondered about this phenomena. How and why do nurses eat their own? At the very foundation of this behavior is the idea that new nurses must be somehow "schooled" or "trained" by those with experience.  Nurses don't simply restrict this behavior to nurses, but also extend their "training" to those outside of the nursing profession who work in health care.  The training may include the usual routines of nursing, charting, patient care, passing medications, and the ins and outs of the health care system.  Beyond that, new nurses may be given instruction on the not so obvious aspects of health care.  They may intentionally be given difficult shifts, patients who require more care or be

Throughout my career, I have been questioned about how public health and hospitals are related. The answer is, public health and hospitals are very closely related.  Although it may not seem apparent to the average onlooker, many facets of a hospital contain public health components and address public health issues. First, many hospitals are the cornerstone of the community.  The hospital provides the basis for health care and health information in many towns and cities throughout America.  An entire group of hospitals exist called public hospitals and most are members of America's Essential Hospitals (formerly the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems). These hospitals meet the needs of the under-served and under-insured throughout the country. In addition to public hospitals, community hospitals provide many public health services that otherwise may not be present. Several smaller communities cannot support a public health department.  As a result

Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com There is a lot of discussion in healthcare right now regarding, EMR.  EMR stands for Electronic Medical Record.  EMR may also be referred to as EHR (Electronic Health Record).  It is essentially the same thing.  The EMR is comprised of any form of electronic medical record, and it has been around for a long time.  Examples of electronic medical records include lab reports, clinic visits, billing data, radiology reports, nursing notes, admission summaries and much more. The electronic medical record is essentially an electronic version of what was formerly placed in paper charts. However, many healthcare organizations still maintain paper charts in conjunction with the electronic records.   The records are stored in individual health organization system networks. Each time a patient visits a long term care facility, a hospital, or a clinic, the data is stored for review by nurses, doctors, and other staff. Because of HIPAA, only certain individuals