Health Information Articles

Physiotherapy management of knee injuries and knee operations requires a good way of applying cryotherapy to counter the swelling and pain involved. The Aircast Cryocuff gives physiotherapists this option as traditional ways of applying cold are clumsy and not very effective.

Physiotherapists commonly assess and treat knee injuries and post-operative knee conditions, managing them promptly for speedy recovery and return to normal function. Recreational activities and sport involve many knee injuries such as ligamentous injuries to the medial, lateral and anterior cruciate ligaments, meniscal injuries to the knee cartilages, dislocation of the kneecap and injury to the knee capsule and knee joint replacement.

The knee is the largest synovial joint in the body and when the joint is damaged it responds by becoming inflamed, increasing the metabolic rate of the tissues and secreting large amounts of synovial fluid into the joint. This can lead to a knee effusion, a large and tight swelling of the knee, at times called “water on the knee”. An effusion can be painful in itself and it inhibits normal muscle function, thereby interfering with muscle action and joint recovery.

Normal methods of applying compression and cooling have several difficulties:

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In case it has been awhile lets do a fast review: charges on your bill mostly come from an order given by a physician for your treatment. If the charge is a supply item it may appear on your bill in a variety of ways. Some facilities use stickers affixed to a “charge card” others use a scanner. Or maybe another way is used, but somehow that item shows up on your bill.

It is no surprise in this day and age to read about hospital bills gone awry. Millions upon millions of dollars mistakenly included on a medical bill. That is what Part I will address, human error.

Everyone makes mistakes and that happens when entering orders as well. Perhaps the date is wrong or the test is not exactly what the physician ordered. In short, anything could and probably does happen.

I know I have been called by the lab and radiology and even dietary asking about an order in the computer. Just the other day I was called by lab and asked if I wanted the magnesium level drawn now even though one was done earlier in the morning. Since there was no order I said no.

Each state has passed a Clean Claim Law. The level of benefit these laws provide to medical practices and facilities starts on the low end with states such as South Dakota that provide little more than a slap on the insurance company’s wrist to states such as Texas which levy substantial financial penalties on tardy payers.

Clean Claim laws can be a powerful medical billing tool because they are built upon the concept that insurance companies have a responsibility to quickly adjudicate clean claims. The typical law provides 30 days for a payer to process a clean electronic claim. To properly benefit from Clean Claim laws a medical billing company or medical practice must be capable of reliably and systematically keeping track of:

1. Which payers are subject to the clean a claim law (not all are),

2. The date the clean claim “clock” begins (i.e., the claims submission date),

3. When a request for information was received from the payer (if you receive one then it stops the 30 day clock until you respond),

4. When your practice has taken actions in response to payer requests;

Over 80 million people are affected by either Spider Veins or Varicose Veins. Spider veins specifically are small red, blue , or purple veins on the surface of the skin. These Spider veins are a result of a patient’s veins, which have one-way valves that channel blood back to the heart from the extremities, malfunctioning. When valves malfunction blood flow becomes irregular, congesting the veins and this can result in very painful, or noticeable spider veins.

While many people seek treatment for these veins because of cosmetic reasons, often patients seek treatment in an effort to relieve pain. Patients report that often they feel fatigue, burning, heaviness, swelling, aching, throbbing, itching, cramping, and restlessness in their legs.

Large, deep, distended and ropey veins are usually called varicose veins. Varicose veins affect many Americans and can be extremely painful as well as aesthetically displeasing. If varicose veins are severe enough they can lead to eczema, ulceration or inflammation of the lower leg because the nutrition of the skin is compromised.

Although genetics plays a huge role, aging, obesity, leg injury and excessive standing at work can all be factors. In addition women are much more likely than men to suffer from varicose and/or spider veins with a 50 percent chance of developing varicose veins in their lifetime.