Going Global for Back Pain Treatment

Of the millions of Americans suffering from back pain, there are an equal number of possible treatments and technologies that we, as physical therapists, need to explore and administer.

from Physical Therapy Products

As widespread and pervasive as back pain is, physical therapists cannot treat it with a broad brush. There is no one-size-fits-all approach therapists can take to help patients find relief. Whether it’s chronic or acute pain, no two conditions are the same—and even if they were physiologically similar, the solutions could be widely different because the patients, themselves, are different.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

3 Lessons from Retail to Enhance Consumer-Centered Healthcare

Hospitals can adopt billing strategies from retail stores to improve the patient experience and support consumer-centered healthcare.

from PatientEngagementHIT.com

In the wake of increased out-of-pocket patient spending and value-based care initiatives, the medical industry is embracing the importance of consumer-centered healthcare. Patients are being viewed as key stakeholders in their own care because they have newly recognized purchasing power that will determine where patients receive their care.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

5 Tips for Hiring Trustworthy Medical Professionals

Quality medical staff can be difficult to find. However, following these suggestions can make it easier to find and recruit caregivers you can rely on.

by Dixie Somers

Quality medical staff can be difficult to find. Scouring resumes for good employees, interviewing, and checking references is also a time-consuming process. You want to be certain you’re hiring dedicated professionals. The following suggestions can make it easier to find and recruit caregivers you can rely on.

1. Write Effective Job Descriptions

Craft job descriptions carefully. This is important from both a legal and employee retention perspective. Be certain you’re clear on duties and credentials. To get quality employees, you want both those that meet your standards and those that are willing to go the extra mile. Setting higher expectations will tend to weed out applicants at the lower end of the scale.

2. Find a Recruiter

You can also partner with respected staffing agencies that specialize in medical professionals. They do all the hard work of finding and vetting candidates. This can save you some time and money over handling the entire process yourself. Just be clear about your criteria. For these staffing agencies their own professional reputation is dependent on finding you the employees you’re looking for.

3. Ask the Right Questions

Make the most of the job interview to learn about the candidate. Let them know honestly what your work environment is like. Emphasize how important your own reputation is to you. Come up with in-depth questions about how the candidate reacted in past situations to challenges like pressure, long hours, demanding patients, emergencies, and other things that give you real insight into applicant character and commitment.

4. Create a Recruitment Strategy

In addition to exacting job descriptions, you might consider a software system that allows you to track aspects of recruiting, rate applicants, and organize files to make searches and reporting easier. Put together a list of alternative resources like job fairs and jobs websites, such as HealthJobsNationwide.com and HealthJobs.com. Network with medical schools, and visit healthcare blogs or forums to identify top talent. Use social media to find and connect with prime candidates.

5. Background and License Checks

Medical background checks are often performed by outside services to ensure you’re getting employees who are properly credentialed. You want to avoid high-risk candidates like those with criminal records and licenses that have expired or been suspended or revoked for misbehavior. Verifying the medical practitioners’ licensing status of your candidates allows you to have more confidence in your new hires and the reputation of your practice.

In a demanding field, high-quality candidates can be hard to find and retain. But finding the best employees is worth the effort for you and your patients.


Dixie Somers is a freelance writer and blogger for business, home, and family niches. Dixie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the proud mother of three beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful husband.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Nurse, The Martyr and The Oxygen Mask

Many of us are nurses because we’re caring people, and when someone asks why we became a nurse, we might say something like, “Oh, I like to help people”. And that sounds nice. But we know there’s more to it than that, don’t we?

From Nurse Keith’s Digital Doorway

Over the years, I’ve known a lot of different nurses. I’ve known new nurses, seasoned nurses, frightened nurses, burned out nurses, and nurses who were so jaded they couldn’t even see their patients if they were right in front of their noses. I’ve known nurses who clocked out at the end of their shift and never looked back, and I’ve known others who consistently clocked out two hours late and then were up all night hoping their patients were OK. It takes all kinds.

Many of us are nurses because we’re caring people, and when someone asks why we became a nurse, we might say something like, “Oh, I like to help people”. And that sounds nice. But we know there’s more to it than that, don’t we?

Now, when we like to help people, that can truly be a double-edged sword, can’t it? We care, we care some more, and then we find that we’re caring so much that we can’t—or don’t–care about anything else. We eat poorly, we sleep even worse than we eat, and maybe we drink, smoke, or we don’t exercise because we’re too busy caring. Maybe, because we’re so caring, everyone around us at home and in our neighborhoods feels free to ask us to care some more. And we do. Again and again.

And then, one day, we wake up after all of this time caring for others so well, and we realize that we haven’t been caring for ourselves. We’re tired, we’re depressed, we’re overweight, and our relationships have actually suffered (perhaps because we were busy caring so much about everyone but ourselves).

Take “Nurse Jackie”, for instance. Maybe you’ve seen it and maybe you haven’t. I know I castigated the show here on Digital Doorway back in its first season, but it turns out that the series has made some very good points about nursing and healthcare, as unrealistic as it may often be.

Having said that, Nurse Jackie cares a lot. She goes the extra mile, stealing meds for patients, giving them money, visiting them at home, and otherwise doing what she feels is right. Meanwhile, she lies to everyone in her personal and professional lives, and more or less continues to “nurse” a pretty hefty addiction.

So, what addictions do you nurse? Is it an addiction to caring? An addiction to being needed? Or is it an addiction to being so busy that your thoughts, emotions, needs and desires are completely sublimated to your identity as a nurse and a caring person?

I’m speaking from experience, here, folks. I’ve been there. I’ve been burnt out. I’ve ignored my body, eschewed my spiritual growth and otherwise thrown a wrench into my life in the service of being a caring, compassionate nurse.

In the end, it all comes down to that same old “oxygen mask theory”. Remember? When you get on a plane and the flight attendant demonstrates how to put on your oxygen mask in case of a sudden change in cabin pressure, they always say to put your own mask on first before you try to help anyone else. And why? Because you’re useless to those who depend on you if you’re not caring for yourself.

So, if some of us are prone to embody the archetype of the nurse as hero or martyr, we’re always free to do that, but we can also rise above the caricatures and stereotypes and do something radical by honoring ourselves along the way.

Yes, we can choose to be the walking wounded, or we can choose to be the walking well, living our lives with integrity, and making our own self-care and wellness of equal importance to all of those others whom we serve and care for.

It’s nice to be needed, and it’s nice to be loved and appreciated. But if we’re getting so-called “secondary gain” out of being a nurse martyr, then at some point we need to wake up, smell the coffee, and put our own well-being back on the front burner.

In the course of my career, I’ve been all over this particular map, and my personal mission is now about creating a life that’s balanced, sane, healthy, and focused on my own well-being as much as anyone else’s. Sure, I still catch myself trying to be the “uber-nurse”, helping everyone and doing everything and more. But that’s the point: I catch myself, redirect my energy, and make sure that I’m not burning my wick at three ends with no thought of the ‘morrow, as they say.

So, my friends, choose health. Choose your own well-being. Choose to do enough, but not too much. And choose to be the kind of nurse who cares for his- or herself in order to care for others better. It’s the right thing to do, and that proverbial oxygen mask will serve you—and others—for years to come.


Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, is the Board Certified Nurse Coach behind NurseKeith.com and the well-known nursing blog, Digital Doorway. Please visit his online platforms and reach out for his support when you need it most.

Keith is co-host of RNFMRadio.com, a wildly popular nursing podcast; he also hosts The Nurse Keith Show, his own podcast focused on career advice and inspiration for nurses.

A widely published nurse writer, Keith is the author of “Savvy Networking For Nurses: Getting Connected and Staying Connected in the 21st Century,” and has contributed chapters to a number of books related to the nursing profession. Keith has written for Nurse.com, Nurse.org, MultiViews News Service, LPNtoBSNOnline, StaffGarden, AusMed, American Sentinel University, the ANA blog, Working Nurse Magazine, and other online publications.

Mr. Carlson brings a plethora of experience as a nurse thought leader, online nurse personality, podcaster, holistic career coach, writer, and well-known successful nurse entrepreneur. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely and talented wife, Mary Rives.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

How Nurses Can Help in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey

As a nurse, a healer at heart, you may have watched with wide eyes as people were pulled from the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey on the news, and felt just a little bit helpless, itched to be on the “front lines.” There are ways you can help.

Over the weekend, Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm at the time of landfall, began to wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast of the United States—particularly the Greater Houston, Texas area—dropping monumental amounts of rain, and displacing, trapping, injuring, and, sadly, claiming the lives of the people in its path. As a nurse, you may have sat there, watching with wide eyes as people of all ages were pulled from the floodwaters on the news, and felt just a little bit helpless, itching to be on the “front lines.” After all, it is in your nature to help people. You wouldn’t be a nurse, otherwise.

There are ways for you to help, if you want to.

While in most cases, it may be too late to volunteer in the face of this particular natural disaster, as a medical professional with invaluable skills and expertise, your help will be needed in the future. There are multiple organizations you can register with to volunteer to support medical preparedness and response for future public health emergencies or disasters.

Emergency System for Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals

The Emergency System for Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) is a federal program that was created to support states in establishing volunteer programs for disasters and public health and medical emergencies. By registering with ESAR-VHP, your credentials and qualifications will be verified in advance, so you will be cleared to serve at a moment’s notice, wherever the next catastrophe strikes. Registration is free, and by registering, you are by no means obligated to help in any disaster—it solely gives you the ability to do so quickly, if you so choose. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.phe.gov/esarvhp/Pages/about.aspx.

The American Red Cross

In the event of a domestic or international disaster, the American Red Cross is quick to the scene, providing health and mental health support, as well as food and shelter, to those affected. On average, they respond to 64,000 disasters per year, and 90% of their humanitarian efforts are done by volunteers, including 15,000 nurses and nursing students. Licensed RNs, LPNs, LVNs, PAs, NPs, and APRNs are all in demand and are encouraged to volunteer. To learn more about the relief efforts of the American Red Cross, as well as their eligibility requirements, please visit http://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.

Medical Reserve Corps

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is comprised of volunteer medical and public health professionals, such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, and more, who assist with emergency medical response and public health initiatives. The MRC was formed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when it became clear that medical professionals had no organized way to volunteer for emergency relief efforts and many were turned away, as a result. The MRC now exists due to the willingness of volunteer medical and public health professionals to serve their communities in times of need. To learn more and sign up to volunteer, please visit: https://mrc.hhs.gov/HomePage.

No matter which organization you choose to volunteer with, be it listed above or another, be sure to do your research to ensure sure you will be partnering with an organization that is a good fit for you. The American College of Emergency Physicians has compiled a list of questions all health professionals should ask and/or consider when joining a disaster relief agency, which can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Startup Harnesses VR to Help Train Surgeons

Dr. Shafi Ahmed, M.D. saw the potential of Google Glass to help teach surgeons in locations where they may not have as much exposure to more complex or novel medical procedures.

from R&D

Google Glass received a polarizing response when it was launched in May 2013.

Issues related to privacy, and other factors hindered widespread adoption of the device amongst the general population, but interest in its possible niche applications, particularly within the healthcare space have grown over the past few years.

Cancer specialist and surgeon Dr. Shafi Ahmed, M.D. recognized the potential Google Glass could have in medical training.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Doctors Warm To Single-Payer Health Care

56% of doctors registered either strong support or were somewhat supportive of a single-payer health system, according to a recent survey.

By Rachel Bluth, Kaiser Health News

Single-payer health care is still a controversial idea in the U.S., but a majority of physicians are moving to support it, a new survey finds.

Fifty-six percent of doctors registered either strong support or were somewhat supportive of a single-payer health system, according to the survey by Merritt Hawkins, a physician recruitment firm. In its 2008 survey, opinions ran the opposite way — 58 percent opposed single-payer. What’s changed?

Red tape, doctors tell Merritt Hawkins. Phillip Miller, the firm’s vice president of communications, said that in the thousands of conversations its employees have with doctors each year, physicians often say they are tired of dealing with billing and paperwork, which takes time away from patients.

“Physicians long for the relative clarity and simplicity of single-payer. In their minds, it would create less distractions, taking care of patients — not reimbursement,” Miller said.

In a single-paye system, a public entity, such as the government, would pay all the medical bills for a certain population, rather than insurance companies doing that work.

A long-term trend away from physicians owning their practices may be another reason that single-payer is winning some over. Last year was the first in which fewer than half of practicing physicians owned their practice — 47.1 percent — according to the American Medical Association’s surveys in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Many doctors are today employed by hospitals or health care institutions, rather than working for themselves in traditional solo or small-group private practices. Those doctors might be less invested in who pays the invoices, Miller said.

There’s also a growing sense of inevitability, Miller said, as more doctors assume single-payer is on the horizon.

“I would say there is a sense of frustration, a sense of maybe resignation that we’re moving in that direction, let’s go there and get it over with,” he said.

Merritt Hawkins emailed its survey Aug. 3 and received responses from 1,003 doctors. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The Affordable Care Act established the principle that everyone deserves health coverage, said Shawn Martin, senior vice president for advocacy at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Inside the medical profession, the conversation has changed to how best to provide universal coverage, he said.

“That’s the debate we’re moving into, that’s why you’re seeing a renewed interest in single-payer,” Martin said.

Dr. Steven Schroeder, who chaired a national commission in 2013 that studied how physicians are paid, said the attitude of medical students is also shifting.

Schroeder has taught medicine at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center since 1971 and has noticed students’ increasing support for a single-payer system, an attitude they likely carry into their professional careers.

“Most of the medical students here don’t understand why the rest of the country doesn’t support it,” said Schroeder.

The Merritt Hawkins’ findings follow two similar surveys this year.

In February, a LinkedIn survey of 500 doctors found that 48 percent supported a “Medicare for all” type of system, and 32 percent opposed the idea.

The second, released by the Chicago Medical Society in June, reported that 56 percent of doctors in that area picked single-payer as the “best care to the greatest number of people.” More than 1,000 doctors were surveyed.

Since June 2016, more than 2,500 doctors have endorsed a proposal published in the American Journal of Public Health calling for a single-payer to replace the Affordable Care Act. The plan was drafted by the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), which says it represents 21,600 doctors, medical students and health professionals who support single-payer.

Clare Fauke, a communications specialist for the organization, said the group added 1,065 members in the past year and membership is now the highest since PNHP began in 1987.


Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health newsroom whose stories appear in news outlets nationwide, is an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Both Political Parties Can Agree on Working to Solve the Looming Nurse Shortage

Without an effort from both sides of the aisle, America’s health system may be pushed past the breaking point.

from The Hill

The largest component of the healthcare workforce, nurses play an indispensable role in the provision of healthcare. But in the years to come, the demand for nursing services will dramatically outstrip the supply — all the more so because of the 20-plus million people who gained access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. In this new healthcare environment, the skills of nurses — and specifically, advanced practice nurses — will be especially valuable.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

APRNs Prove Vital to Improving SNF Care

New research has shown hiring APRNs to lead nursing home care teams can improve the way facilities handle “basic” needs such as mobility, hydration, medication management, and communication.

A new study conducted by researchers at the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri has found that training APRNs to lead health care teams and coordinate care in nursing homes can lead to a decrease in hospitalizations for nursing home patients related to falls, dehydration, and other health issues. Given that the 65+ population is projected to double in size by the year 2050, according to the U.S. Census, this find is promising not only for elderly patients, but for APRNs themselves, as they fight for full practice authority, as well as for the healthcare industry, which continues to struggle against a shortage of providers.

The MU nursing research team, now in its fifth year of the Missouri Quality Initiative for Nursing Homes, had APRNs routinely document the actions they took to improve care in nursing homes, related to problem areas in “basic” care needs such as mobility, hydration, medication management, and communication.

Some of actions taken by APRNs that proved successful included:

  • Identifying fall risks and solutions to them through fall huddles with nursing home staff.
  • Implementing hydration stations throughout the nursing home to encourage family, friends, and staff to assist in keeping patients hydrated.
  • Monitoring blood pressure and adjusting medications as needed.
  • Working with licensed social workers to coordinate care procedures and discussions on end-of-life goals.

In total, 12 of the 16 facilities participating in the program reported reductions in hospitalization rates after hiring an APRN.

More on the researchers’ findings can be found in the July/September issue of the Journal of Nursing Care Quality.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Implications of the Opioid Lawsuits

Opioid manufacturers, drug distributors, and pharmacy chains continue to get hit with lawsuits alleging they fueled the nation’s opioid crisis through deceptive marketing and negligence.

from Axios

It’s not at all clear municipalities will win, but the lawsuits represent something larger — policymakers want more scrutiny and oversight for companies that make and deliver painkillers instead of heaping blame on people who suffer from addiction.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.