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Richard Scrupp has written an excellent article in TherapyTimes about how OTs help determine which devices will best help patients achieve independence. We are happy to note that Total Medical Solutions' Vice President, Rehabilitation Technology and Complex Care is included in the article. Here's an excerpt:

With the increasing speed at which technology advances nowadays, it is no surprise that devices used in therapy have evolved quite a bit from what they were 20, even 10 years ago. Brand-new gadgets and new models of existing gadgets are constantly being introduced to the market. While most of these advances are geared toward patient comfort and convenience, sometimes it takes a little bit of education and training to make these seemingly autonomously-functioning tools work for the patient instead of against him.

The sheer number of items that can fall under the assistive technology category is astonishing. Anything from wheelchairs and canes to verbal communicators and speech-recognition devices can be considered assistive technology. Despite whatever form the item happens to take, be it the latest high-tech gadgetry or something as basic as a walking cane, each device requires a certain amount of training to be able to use it correctly and effectively. Depending on the individual, sometimes a motorized wheelchair requires just as much training to operate as a speech device.

Click here to read the full article at TherapyTimes

Total Medical Solution's (TMS') Vice President of Clinical Services Kevin T. Glennon, RN, BSN, CDMS, QRP and the company's Vice President of Rehabilitation Technology and Complex Care, Zack Craft, ATS, ATP, CAPS, RRTS are featured speakers at the Region III Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) Annual Conference, hosted by the Florida State Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (FSARN).

Glennon, along with Lisa Pervin, RN, CRRN, PhD, clinical manager for Sarasota Memorial Hospital and president of Best Business Practices Consulting, Inc., will present a two-hour seminar on "Domestic Violence and Lateral/Workplace Violence" on Wednesday evening, May 5, starting at 6 p.m.  Open to all registrants, this session provides two Nursing Contact Hours and its cost is covered by the conference registration.

Craft will present with Carolyn F. Sithong, MS, OTR/L, CAPS, on the topic of "Advanced Technology in Rehabilitation to Promote Functional Independence."  This session is scheduled for 11 a.m., Friday, May 7.

The Region III and FSARN 33nd Annual Conference "2010...A Rehabilitation Odyssey" will be held from May 5 through 7 at the Regal Sun Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  Attendees can earn 12 Nursing Contact Hours that meet the requirement for mandatory relicensing education.  For more information on the conference, including registration information, contact Kevin Glennon at 407-448-5879 or ktgrnnewtms@yahoo.com or click here.

By Zack Craft, ATS, ATP, CAPS, RRTS

Mattress selection is an aspect of complex medical care that few workers' compensation payers -- or providers, for that matter -- take seriously enough. Rehab mattresses provide positioning, support, comfort, and protection against wounds. Their pressure controls, inflation/deflation rates, rotation, bellow designs and materials (foam, gel, layered foam, sand, fluid, and combinations of these) are the details that make the difference.

There are hundreds of rehabilitative mattresses on the market, all addressing specific issues. However, most workers' compensation mattress scripts are limited to a couple of manufacturers and models. This is partly due to physicians' familiarity only with brands used in hospitals and partly to durable medical equipment (DME) companies' limited access to manufacturers and distributors.

 With long-term disability claims comprising more than 11 percent of the workers' compensation medical dollar, mattresses are important cost considerations.

Continue reading "Resting Easy: Mattresses Make a Difference in Complex Comp Care"