christa, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Telemedicine and High Risk Pregnancy Management

June 13, 2013 by christa

Telemedicine is the provision of medical services across distances. The technology has been around for over 50 years and recent advancements are allowing specialists to reach a larger number of new patients. Although telemedicine had humble beginnings using audio and video technology, this field has moved from curiousity to mainstream acceptance. Last year, approximately 36 million Americans experienced telemedicine in some way.

Patients are often limited by distribution of doctors, their own disabilities, and distance. Recent telemedicine providers estimate that 80-90% of specialist care can be delivered remotely. Telemedicine works by having a physician in one location, connect to a patient at a “presenting” site. Varying types of technology allow for complex exams to take place without the “human touch”. Telemedicine as proven that it is 1) feasible 2) able to generate comparable clinical outcomes as in person and 3) of value to patients as it provides access, convenient ,and is cost effective. Challenges such as technology glitches, reimbursement and licensure issues are hindering adoption. However, health care reform is speeding up the implementation of telemedicine.

Listen to Dr. Patterson, a master’s degree engineer and double board certified physician, discuss telemedicine in general and how she applies it to her rare specialty of maternal fetal medicine. She shares achievements with numerous outcomes on high risk obstetric patients and more on how she is working to achieve some new breakthroughs in rural obstetric populations. Listeners can visit: www.americantelemed.org , www.gatelehealth.org and www.womenstelehealth.com for more information.

C. Anne Patterson, M.D.

Dr. Anne Patterson is a board-certified maternal fetal medicine specialist who received her medical training at Emory University after completing a masters engineering program at Georgia Tech. She has practiced at Northside Hospital, one of the largest OB delivering hospitals in the US for the past 25 years. Dr. Patterson is also an advisor to the Georgia OB/GYN Society. Most recently, she moved from private clinical practice to telemedicine and now is one of the nation’s top leaders in her field. She has presented at the national American Telemedicine Association, been a 2013 nominee for the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Health Care Hero awards, and been featured in numerous videos on this subject.

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Overviews to Breakthroughs

June 6, 2013 by christa

On the heels of National Arthritis month in the U.S., this segment of The Doctors Roundtable focuses on osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. These two illnesses, out of the over 100 musculoskeletal disorders, affect millions of Americans and their ability to maintain high quality physical movement throughout their lives. In the U.S., arthritis is the leading cause of disability and it is not just a disease caused by aging. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are chronic conditions with no clearly known causes. These diseases are progressive and degenerative , leading to the breakdown of cartilage, bones, muscles and membranes surrounding the joints. The effects of this breakdown include: inflammation, pain, fatigue, joint stiffness and at times joint deformity and disability. Imagine standing, sitting, lying down or coughing and all causing pain. Many patients report there is never a day they can forget they have arthritis.

The Arthritis Foundation is the nation’s largest private funder of research, public health programs and advocacy on behalf of the 50 million Americans living with this painful disease. With the aging of Baby Boomers, it has been estimated that by 2030, 67 million Americans will have some form of arthritis. Here, the Arthritis Foundation will discuss an overview of these two diseases and how they are working to fund research, change policies and educate to help arthritis patients today and tomorrow.

John H. Klippel, M.D.

John H. Klippel, M.D. is president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation, the largest voluntary health organization serving the 50 million Americans living with the nation’s number one cause of disability. Dr. Klippel has held the position since October 2003.

Prior to joining the Arthritis Foundation, Dr. Klippel served as Clinical Director of the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). During his professional career at the National Institutes of Health, he authored or co-authored 190 peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters related to arthritis. He has served as editor of the Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases and the textbook Rheumatology.

Roberta Byrum

Roberta K. Byrum, CPA, is the chief operating officer of the Arthritis Foundation – the nation’s largest national, nonprofit health agency working on behalf of the 50 million Americans living with arthritis.

As COO, Ms. Byrum is accountable for all aspects of the daily operations of the Arthritis Foundation National Office, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to her operations leadership of the national office, Ms. Byrum works closely with the Foundation’s regional CEOs to ensure strategic alignment of nationwide operating activities.

The Face Clinic: Summer Skin Care to Facelifts

May 23, 2013 by christa

Summer time is “prime time” for skin care, for seeing and being seen! We closely identify who we are with our faces. Taking care of our face and how we present ourselves in the world through our face is the topic of many discussions and actions. From skin care at any age that can improve our appearance to facelifts that appear to “peel” back the clock, this radio segment will focus on the skin care and appearance improvements that are possible for the face.

Licensed aesthetician Kim Bogash provides tips for a health glow, summer skin care and some noninvasive techniques to freshen the face. Nationally recognized Plastic Surgeon John Connors walks listeners through traditional and new techniques to improve facial appearance – from fillers to facelifts. The first facelift was performed in 1901 in Europe and the procedure shows no sign of slowing down.

Facelifts remain one of the top 5 cosmetic surgical procedures in the US, growing over 5% per year. Half of the recipients are in the 40-55 yr age group and almost 90% are female, although the number of men pursuing this procedure is growing as well. Topics covered in this segment will include skin care, minimally invasive improvements available, facelift myths, new procedures and techniques, and recovery post procedure.

For more information on this topic, listeners are encouraged to visit: www.plasticsurgery.org or www.johnconnorsmd.com.

John P. Connors III, M.D.

Being double board certified in Surgery and Plastic Surgery, Dr. Connors obtained his MD from Georgetown Medical School, conducted his Residency in General Surgery at Dartmouth and received a Fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is the only surgeon in Georgia to offer Precision Vision 4D Patient Imaging, thereby revolutionizing consultations. Having been featured on CBS, 11 Alive, and Fox News, Dr. Connors is a regular lecturer at surgical society meetings across the US. He is Founder of Emergence Surgical Gifts, Inc, a non-profit offering free reconstructive surgery to children.

Alternatives in Healing: An Overview of Alternative Medicine

May 17, 2013 by christa

Opinions may be heated about the efficacy of alternative medicine, but patients are using it and top American medical schools such as Georgetown, Duke, and the University of California are incorporating it into their programs. Recent CDC data estimates that 38% of Americans use some form of alternative medicine. These patients, collectively are spending $34B per year, mostly out of pocket, on alternative medicine treatments. This accounts for $1 in every $10 spent out of pocket for Americans. Pain is a common driver for patients seeking alternative medicine care. Alternative medicine tenents include: 1) caring for the person as a whole vs. symptom and disease management 2) empowering patients to creative lifestyle conditions for optimal health 3) use of the body’s innate healing ability and 4) prevention of disease as a safeguard to future medical expenses.

Therapies and treatments used in alternative health span medication to meditation and often include: nutrition, herbology, spinal manipulation, energy treatments, acupuncture, homeopathy, massage, relaxation and stress management and biofeedback. It is not all “touchy feely”. High tech is also included as this segment will explore breast thermography as an example. This segment will provide an overview of alternative medicine from the perspective of principles, evaluation process, treatments, costs, and success stories.

Dr. Billiot has been in private practice at Alternative Health Atlanta for many years. She completed her Doctor of Chiropractic program at Life University in 1993. She is certified in CRA and nutrition response testing. She has special interests in treating women, children and in the areas of homeopathy, herbology and clinical nutrition. Dr. Billiot has also created a unique, breakthrough program called EVETICS. She not only has one of the largest private alternative medicine practices in Atlanta, but she also trains other alternative practitioners across the nation.