A team of engineering graduate students from Johns Hopkins were surprised when shadowing pulmonologists to learn of the tremendous difficulties people with lung diseases experience with portable oxygen equipment. They have learned first hand from patients about the impact of current portable oxygen equipment on daily activities, and now wish to learn more from you. … Read more
Stanford University’s Medicine X Educational Grand Challenge brings together “diverse and inclusive groups of health care stakeholders around an important health care problem…in an engaging and collaborative educational format” to provide an opportunity to apply what is known about change management and put it into practice through an educational learning opportunity, or what we are … Read more
The following statement has been released by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA): “FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working closely with state and local health officials to investigate incidents of severe respiratory illnesses associated with the use of vaping products as quickly as possible. While the investigation … Read more
September 12, 2019 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the following statement regarding Hurricane Dorian: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced efforts underway to support North Carolina in response to Hurricane Dorian. On September 4, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health … Read more
The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has announced that the the federal government intends to ban all flavored e-cigarettes. The move comes after a recent survey demonstrated an alarming jump in youth e-cigarette use for the second year in a row. It also follows the publication of a scathing editorial by Senator Dick Durbin … Read more
As a teenager in the late 1950’s, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) watched his father suffer and die from lung cancer brought on by a “two-packs-of-Camels-a-day” smoking habit. Over the past two decades, Senator Durbin has been encouraged by anti-smoking efforts that has seen youth smoking rates drop from 28% to 8%. But the dramatic rise … Read more
Falling in the home results in millions of emergency room visits each year. And as a person ages, the risk of falling and sustaining serious injury becomes even greater. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has tips to help you reduce your risk of falling: Talk openly with your health care provider about falls. Find … Read more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the following statement regarding Hurricane Dorian: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced efforts underway to support Georgia and South Carolina in response to Hurricane Dorian. On September 2, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared public health emergencies (PHEs) in … Read more
We have heard from some members that some durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers are requesting that patients and their physicians agree to substituting liquid oxygen systems for an alternate portable supplemental oxygen system. Please be advised of the following before making a decision: According to the Code of Federal Regulations, oxygen suppliers are prohibited from … Read more
The National Rural Health Resource Center has released a new guide aimed at improving the overall care and outcomes for individuals with COPD. The document’s introduction explains the rationale for publising the guide: “The overall purpose of this guide, supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), is to provide information about Chronic … Read more