PT and the Greater Good

Congratulations?

Dean Metz — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:16:00 GMT

A friend of mine posted on Facebook today, "I've maxed out my health insurance deductible, in-network bills are on them now." What an interesting state of affairs when we're tempted to congratulate someone for being unwell enough to warrant full payment...(read more)

More Harm Than Good?

Dean Metz — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:12:00 GMT

An interesting article came out in the British popular press last week that states some chronic low-back pain can be cured by antibiotics. The writing is fairly clear that only certain cases would benefit from this approach and it includes links to the...(read more)

‘Does it Do What It Says on the Tin?'

Dean Metz — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:17:00 GMT

I learned this expression while working in England. It was a way of getting to the core of something, often a product, to determine the original intent and whether it was accomplished. I wonder that about continuing education requirements. Florida has...(read more)

Continuing Education Continues

Dean Metz — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:25:00 GMT

So I'm back in the US about six months now and I've got a massive amount of continuing education to do. Before anyone starts wagging fingers about "serves you right" or anything else that sounds like your mother scolding, I had to do lots of CPD (continuous...(read more)

Is It Any Wonder?

Dean Metz — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:46:00 GMT

Public health is a challenging field. It's an area focused on prevention so therefore not reimbursable by most third-party payers. It's primarily spearheaded by government bodies; therefore it is often not trusted or presented as too "nanny state" and...(read more)

Being an English Versus American Health Consumer

Dean Metz — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:40:00 GMT

Last week I got to experience being a consumer in the US health system again. What fun!... not. I have a relative who was an emergent inpatient in a hospital in the southern part of the country. I traveled down to assist my relative at home and be present...(read more)

Dancing Faster and Faster

Dean Metz — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:18:00 GMT

New York state has made remarkable changes to the way it's administering Medicaid. The Medicaid Redesign Team has enacted changes that will completely alter the current practices and expectations of both providers and patients. As of May 1, all long-term...(read more)

The Road Paved with Good Intentions

Dean Metz — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:43:00 GMT

Last week my ADVANCE colleague, Janey Goude, wrote a piece about the Medicare plan to charge penalties to hospitals with excessive readmission rates. I had to reluctantly agree with her assessment... the plan isn't working the way it should. This is one...(read more)

Showing Our Age

Dean Metz — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:07:00 GMT

I read this article on NPR (National Public Radio) about how people of a certain age, which includes me, are less fit than their counterparts of two decades ago. How can this be? With all the advances in knowledge and availability of information, how...(read more)

Personal Accountability

Dean Metz — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:38:00 GMT

In response to my blog from last week, one Facebook reader suggested that laws such as Mayor Bloomberg's ban on super-sized drinks started a slide down a slippery slope into a nanny state. Simultaneously fellow ADVANCE blogger, Toni Patt, DPT, reflected...(read more)

The Obesity Fight

Dean Metz — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:44:00 GMT

By now, many people have heard about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to combat obesity by limiting the size of soft drinks containing sugar. There has been both an aggressive ad campaign and a new ban on beverages over 16 ounces. He has...(read more)

Goodbye Fee for Service!

Dean Metz — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:48:00 GMT

For most of my professional life, except when I worked in the NHS in England, either I was paid on a fee-for-service basis or the employer I worked for was reimbursed that way. Essentially, "make a visit, get paid" was the way it worked. That's a very...(read more)

Just Phone It In!

Dean Metz — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:45:00 GMT

A piece of research came out in the British Medical Journal at the end of last month regarding tele-physio. I've been a vocal critic of this practice "development" in this blog and to anyone who will listen. This is an important piece of research. If...(read more)

The Vitamin D Question

Dean Metz — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:56:00 GMT

As many readers of this blog know, I'm fairly passionate about fall prevention and have been trying to incorporate my work in that arena into my public health work. The potential impact on our aging population, and cost the rest of us will bear as a result,...(read more)

We Should Watch (Read) Gretchen Reynolds

Dean Metz — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:29:00 GMT

Who is Gretchen Reynolds, you may ask? She's a columnist for The New York Times , and journalist for other publications as well, who writes about exercise and fitness . She brings reports about studies on exercise, fitness and aging to the general public...(read more)