Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog

Link of the Day - Obsessive Compulsive Foundation

In determining eligibility for Social Security disability benefits, the Social Security Administration looks not only at physical and educational factors, but also at mental or psychological problems. One of the many psychological infirmities we have seen in our Social Security disability claimants is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The is an excellent Web site for those who suffer from this illness, or who have a loved one who suffers from it. The site is the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, and they offer resources such as therapists, support groups, and affiliate organizations. Here is a quote from the site:

Our mission is to give support for individuals who suffer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; to provide education, information and answers about this biologically-based illness; to foster research to discover causes and effective treatment; and to advocate for the needs of those affected by OCD.

Jaw Disease May Be Linked To Fosamax And Similar Drugs

The Dallas Morning News has an article today about the apparent link between the bone disease osteonecrosis and drugs called bisphosphonates, such as the popular Fosamax.

The article states that dentists and doctors suggest that patients about to begin taking such drugs schedule any invasive dental work before starting the medication. An excerpt from the article:

For now, the best guidance physicians and dentists offer is prevention. Patients taking bisphosphonates should be keenly aware of oral hygiene and routine dental care. If someone is about to go on the drugs, dentists say, necessary invasive dental work should be done beforehand, if possible. The need for dental work should also be weighed against the risks of delaying therapy.

If invasive dental work is unavoidable for someone already on bisphonates, the advice is less clear. The drugs have a remarkable ability to huddle inside the bone for years, so they will persist long after a person stops taking the pills.

For that reason, Dr. John Kalmar says that patients may need to talk with their physicians about going off the drugs in the months before needed dental procedures. Dr. Kalmar, an expert in oral surgery and pathology at Ohio State University, was senior author of the Annals of Internal Medicine report summarizing facts about osteonecrosis.

"Data will tell you that the density of the bone stays the same for several months up to a year after stopping the drug," Dr. Kalmar said.

No one knows whether a drug holiday would help reduce the risk of jaw osteonecrosis, but Dr. Kalmar says it seems unlikely to do harm. He would also like to see an investigation into the effects of pulsing the drugs – stopping and starting them at various intervals – rather than taking them continuously for years.

Link of the Day - Better Business Bureau Online

Whether you agree with its stand on political issues, the Web site of the Better Business Bureau has quite a bit of helpful consumer information on such topics as identity theft, business scams, etc.

Their Web site states:

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) system in the U.S. extends across the nation; coast-to-coast, and in Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.

Since the founding of the first BBB in 1912, the BBB system has proven that the majority of marketplace problems can be solved fairly through the use of voluntary self-regulation and consumer education.

The BBB's Core Services include:

Business Reliability Reports

Dispute Resolution

Truth-in-Advertising

Consumer and Business Education

Charity Review

Link of the Day - Doctor's Guide

The Doctor's Guide is a British Web site with tons of medical information. There are two versions -- one for the general public, and one for medical professionals.

Link of the Day - Friday Fun

There have been lists like this of alleged "Hospital Bloopers" floating around the Internet for years. Most are probably not actual medical record entries, but they're fun anyway.

Link of the Day - United States Postal Service

The official Web site of the United States Postal Service is surprisingly helpful. You will find information on postal rates, postal regulations, requirements for forwarding mail, types of packaging available, and many other helpful bits of information.

Change Proposed In Physician Reimbursement Under Medicare

A note at ModernHealthcare.com mentions the continual problem with Medicare reimbursement to doctors. Under the current system, reimbursements should be cut by about 5% each year. Of course if the government actually did that, no doctors would see Medicare patients. So Congress has to "fudge" the law each year. Here's the note from the Web site:

A House bill would tie Medicare physician payments to the Medicare Economic Index, yielding a 1.8% increase for 2007 instead of a scheduled cut of about 4.6%. Medicare's current system for valuing physician services -- known as the sustainable growth rate formula -- "doesn't work," said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the bill's sponsor. The bill would replace the sustainable growth rate formula with the Medicare Economic Index "minus 1%," according to Burgess' office. It also would require physicians to report certain quality measurements to the CMS. A companion bill hasn't been introduced in the Senate.

Link of the Day - New England Journal Of Medicine

The New England Journal of Medicine is one of the most prestigious of all medical publications. You won't find immediate, breaking news in the Journal, but you will see in-depth examinations of important medical issues.

Link of the Day - Post Polio Syndrome Resources

Post-Polio Syndrome Resources of Louisiana is a Web site with a great deal of information and assistance for sufferers of this debilitating condition. As stated on the Web site:

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that can strike polio survivors anywhere from 10 to 40 years after recovery from an initial attack of the poliomyelitis virus. PPS is characterized by a further weakening of muscles that were previously injured by polio infection. Symptoms include fatigue, slowly progressive muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, and muscular atrophy. Some patients experience only minor symptoms, while others develop spinal muscular atrophy or what appears to be, but is not, a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease. PPS is rarely life-threatening.

The extent to which polio survivors will suffer from PPS depends on how seriously they were affected by the first polio attack. Patients who had only minimal symptoms from the original attack and subsequently develop PPS will most likely experience only mild PPS symptoms. People originally hit hard by the polio virus may develop a more severe case of PPS with a greater loss of muscle function, difficulty in swallowing, and more periods of fatigue.

More than 300,000 polio survivors in the United States may be at risk for PPS. Doctors are unable to establish a firm incidence rate, but they estimate that the condition affects 25 percent to 50 percent of these survivors, or possibly more depending on how the disorder is defined.

Link of the Day - Texas Health Facilities Program

The Texas Health Facilities Program provides information about nursing homes and other health care facilities so consumers can make better choices. To quote from the Web site:

To protect, promote, and enhance the health, well-being, and productivity of all Texans through:

• The gathering of data and development of information regarding the quality and effectiveness of health care services provided through providers and suppliers licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and certified by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA);
• The conducting of fair, impartial, and objective surveys and investigations of health care providers and suppliers;
• The promotion of quality improvement in the provision and supply of health care;
• The provision of accurate and timely information regarding the state of health care within the State to policy-makers, stake-holders, and other interested parties;
• The documentation of evidence for enforcement actions to protect the health and safety of Texans;
• The collaboration, coordination, and integration of efforts between the myriad State and Federal agencies and organizations involved in the licensure, certification, accreditation, and oversight of health care providers and suppliers to ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources possible; and
• The open, ethical, responsive, and accountable conduct of business to promote trust in government throughout the State and Federal governments.

The term "health care facility" applies to all health care provider organizations regulated by the Facility Licensing Group within the Texas Department of State Health Services.