When you think of being old, I am sure certain visions come to
mind: less and/or grey hair, false
teeth, eyeglasses, a cane or a walker, hearing aids. Maybe you are an aging optimist “You are only
as old as you feel.” Well I guarantee,
if you don’t pay attention to the things you do now, you will feel as old as you are someday, maybe
even older.
The main focus of Healthy
Aging® Month this September is to inspire and educate adults
ages 50 and above to focus on the health of their physical, mental, social and
financial lives. That is a valuable
goal; but why should we wait until 50? A
lot of damage could certainly be done by then. So, I say, start now, no matter
what age, taking care of yourself today, is the best insurance for great
tomorrows (and lots of them).
Ways to stay healthy fill store shelves and consume countless television
commercial air time hours. The keys to
healthy aging can be very simple:
1.
Alcohol use:
Keep it at a minimum. Be aware that the recommended maximum consumption for:
Healthy men: 1 to 2 14 g servings per day, not to exceed
14 servings per week
Healthy (non-pregnant or breastfeeding) women: 1 14
g serving per day, not to exceed 7 servings per week.
2.
Diet: Consume a healthy daily diet of
fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with limits on foods with high calories,
sugar, salt and fat. Follow recommended serving and calorie guidelines, find them here.
3.
Emotional bonding:
Love another living being and be loved.
This does not have to be a spouse/partner. Friends, family, and pets are all important
in nurturing our emotional side, and caring for others provides fulfillment as
well.
4.
Exercise: Find something you like
to do and as Nike says “Just Do It”. Participate in regular physical
activity for a minimum of 2 and ½ hours per week (see recommended
guidelines.) Walk your
dog; he will love you even more. Take a
swim, ride your bike in the park. Do it
with someone else (see #3). Whatever it
is, get moving, both your body and your mind will thank you for it.
5.
Intellect:
Read a book, start a new hobby, visit new places, see a foreign
film. Stimulate your brain; it makes you
more interesting to friends and family (see #3).
6.
Joy: Sounds
easy right, but how many folks do you see every day walking around looking “mad
at the world”. Joy can be found in the
sound, sights, smells, tastes and touch of each and everything around us. You just have to stop and take the time to
notice. It also goes hand in hand with
#’s 3, 4, and 5.
7.
Medical care:
Prevention, prevention, prevention.
See you doctor when you should, have the screening tests that are
recommended, and follow prescribed treatments.
Those folks from #3 want to keep you around a long time.
8.
Sleep: The current
recommendation for adequate sleep for adults is 7 to 9 hours a day. Follow it so you can have energy for #4, a
clear head for #’s 5 and 6, and studies show help with #11. For more sleep related information, click here.
9.
Sun exposure:
Sun exposure does help a vital nutrient Vitamin D, so some is good. It is important to be smart with sun exposure
as current estimates are that one in five Americans will be diagnosed
with skin cancer in their lifetime. This link
offers information on lowering you skin cancer risk.
10.
Tobacco use:
NONE, ZERO, NAUGHT, NIL, ZILCH is how much tobacco you should use.
11.
Weight:
Follow your physician recommendations on a healthy weight. I bet if you follow #’s 1, 2, and 4, this one
will be a breeze.
Hopefully, you can take this list and start today with one or two of
these healthy lifestyle tips. Once you
get going, no one can stop you from aging healthy!
As part of Healthy Aging Month, CMS is encouraging healthcare
professionals to utilize Medicare-covered preventive services when addressing
the health and quality of life of their patients.
Some of the preventive services covered under Medicare Part B include:
Alcohol Misuse Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in
Primary Care
Annual Wellness Visit (Providing Personalized Prevention Plan Services)
Cardiovascular Disease Screening
Depression Screening in Adults
Diabetes Screening
Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE) (also commonly referred
to as the “Welcome to Medicare” Preventive Visit)
Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease
Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity
Tobacco-Use Cessation Counseling
For More Information:
It’s obvious, fall is approaching, and with it…. cold and flu season, UGH! 
Things to know about flu (and colds):
Flu and Pneumonia Stats:
So let’s refresh our memories on the coding and reimbursement guidelines for Influenza Virus and Pneumococcal vaccinations.
If you are not submitting the correct diagnosis and procedure codes you will not receive the proper claim reimbursement. 
The vaccine procedure code should be chosen based on the description of the drug and the age of the patient.
Coding Hint: Based on CCI edits, when performing an unrelated E/M service on
the same date as the vaccination, append a “25” modifier to your E/M
service procedure code to prevent denials of your immunizations.
If you are not administering flu shots, recommend this free tool, 
Each year, approximately 250,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer resulting in 140,000 deaths.
Each year, more than 22,000 women in the US get ovarian cancer; that translates to a one in 100. The American Cancer Society
estimates 15,000 deaths from ovarian cancer in the United States
annually, a rate that has changed little in the last 50 years. 
Even
though there are no definitive causes, it is known that the chances of
developing the disease are greatly influenced by family history:
Besides genetic influences, other factors thought to increase ovarian cancer risk include:
Follow this link to the American Cancer Society dedicated web page for Ovarian Cancer Information: 
Besides
helping your patients, share this information with colleagues, family
and friends. You never know whose life it may save!