ProfNet Experts Available on Bundled Payments, Nutrition Tips, More

NEW YORK, Dec. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

• Bundled Payments
• Nutrition Tips and Trends for a Healthy New Year
• Five Things You Should Never Say to a Person With OCD

MEDIA JOBS

• South Florida Reporter – The Real Deal
• Editor/Journalist – MT Newswires
• Senior Reporter, Business of Law – Law360

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Holiday Gift Guide: Last-Minute Ideas for Bloggers and Storytellers
• Blog Profiles: Holiday DIY Blogs
• Journalist Spotlight: Amanda Baltazar, Freelance Journalist

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Bundled Payments
Deirdre Baggot, RN, Ph.D.
Principal
ECG Management Consultants, Denver
On Dec. 20, CMS announced the final rule for Episode Payment Models (EPMs). In doing so, CMS identified the 98 markets that will be mandated to participate in a bundled payment program for cardiac care, as well as surgical hip and femur fracture care. Bundled payment models for predictable elective procedures, such as joint replacements, have been well-studied, but bundling treatment for an emergent procedure, such as a heart attack, is a very different and unproven exercise. Heart attacks are characterized by their unpredictability, their need for immediate treatment, and their high readmission rate -- 20%. Without a proven financial model for emergent procedures, health systems need to lean on bundled payment experts who can guide them through establishing and managing a successful bundle program. Says Dr. Baggot: "Bundled payments operate best when there is predictability. Heart attacks are anything but predictable. We've trained ambulance drivers and EMTs to take chest pain patients to the nearest ER, racing against the clock and doing everything in their power to keep the patient alive (or at the very least, to minimize heart muscle damage). I understand CMS's desire to find a way to make providers more accountable and their treatment more consistent, but this is still relatively new terrain and it will be critical for providers to have access to experienced bundled payment experts who can help them navigate the complexities of the process."
Dr. Baggot is a former expert reviewer for the Bundled Payments for Care Initiative at CMS, and former lead of CMS's Acute Care Episode (ACE) demonstration. She has testified before Congress on the efficacy of bundled payments in improving costs and outcomes.
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/deirdrebaggot
Website: http://www.ecgmc.com
Contact: Joshua Schoonover, [email protected]

Nutrition Tips and Trends for a Healthy New Year
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD
Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training
Herbalife Nutrition
Bowerman is available to share her top tips to kick-start your New Year the healthy way: "Did your New Year's resolutions include a promise to 'eat right' and exercise? Many of us make these promises to ourselves in January, but by March we find our old habits sneaking back up on us. Some people tackle the problem too aggressively -- with overly restrictive diets, or exercise regimes that they can't commit to -- and soon give up their efforts. Being healthy is more than just making the right food choices – it's also about supplementing healthy food choices with increased participation in physical activity."
Website: http://www.herbalife.com
Contact: Laurie Masonson, [email protected]

Five Things You Should Never Say to a Person With OCD
Dr. Janet Lintala
Founder
Autism Health
Dr. Lintala details five things one should never say to a person with OCD: 1) "How bad can it really be?" So bad that it can take hours just to leave the house -- if they even ever make I out of the house. 2) "I'm also a bit OCD about things like that." There's a huge difference between keeping a neat and tidy home and suffering from incessant, intrusive thoughts and compulsions over which you have no control, no matter how exhausted you are. 3) "Snap out of it." OCD is not fun. If we could snap out of it, they would! 4) "Why can't you just think about something else?" OCD is a biological disorder of the brain. People with OCD can't control their thoughts any more than a diabetic can control their production of insulin. 5) "Let's go out and get drunk." OCD is an anxiety disorder, and alcohol use only makes anxiety worse.
Dr. Lintala is the author of "The Un-Prescription for Autism: A Natural Approach for a Calmer, Happier, and More Focused Child." She is also the mother of three boys with a variety of issues, such as Asperger's, Tourette's, OCD, anxiety and ADHD. She has a B.S. in genetics, and graduated as a Doctor of Chiropractic, Salutatorian, summa cum laude, from The National University of Health Sciences. She completed two Mentorships at the RIMLAND Center under Dr. Elizabeth Mumper, M.D., the former Medical Director of The Autism Research Institute.
Website: http://www.loveautismhealth.com
Book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Un-Prescription-Autism-Natural-Approach/dp/0814436633
Contact: Ryan McCormick, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• South Florida Reporter – The Real Deal
• Editor/Journalist – MT Newswires
• Senior Reporter, Business of Law – Law360

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: LAST-MINUTE IDEAS FOR BLOGGERS AND STORYTELLERS. When you're a professional storyteller – be it a journalist, blogger, videographer, or cartoonist – you're only as good as the tools you use. This holiday season, there's a host of new gadgets and gizmos available to aid in the search of the story or combat any issues one may come across in their pursuit. Below, we've compiled a list of our favorite gift ideas, so you can keep the journalists, bloggers, and storytellers in your life equipped to catch their next byline: http://bit.ly/2hLNEu5
• BLOG PROFILES: HOLIDAY DIY BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Research team selects an industry/subject and a handful of blogs that do a good job with contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at holiday DIY blogs: http://bit.ly/2hiDznf
• JOURNALIST SPOTLIGHT: AMANDA BALTAZAR, FREELANCE JOURNALIST. In our Journalist Spotlight Q&A series, PR Newswire for Journalists and ProfNet users share their insight and advice on how PR professionals and experts can improve communications and increase their chances of being featured in their publications. In this edition, we catch up with Amanda Baltazar, a freelance writer for a variety of trade publications. Amanda writes about nearly everything -- except perhaps politics. A few of her trade and industry specialties include restaurants, food, beverages, retail, and health. She also writes essays for consumer publications: http://prn.to/abaltazar

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