Well, we survived Nor’easter number four with only one and a half days lost. The good news is that we never lost power and the snow is already starting to melt. What a way to bring in Spring!
Even with only a four-day week, it’s been busy around here. As a result of the storm the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Part I Exam was delayed for a day. While I’m sure that doesn’t sound like much, for the students who were ready to take the exam, it can be distracting when it gets delayed. I'm confident the delay didn't affect our students, since they were so well prepared AND so head and shoulders above everyone else!
I had the opportunity to spend the first part of the week attending the 18th Annual Population Health Colloquium sponsored by Thomas Jefferson School of Population Health. The event was kicked off by Dr. David Schulkin, Secretary of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). He discussed some of the recent challenges the VA has had concerning access to care in certain regions as well as some of their successes which includes a significant reduction in Hepatitis C cases among veterans, noting more than 60% of veterans known to have Hepatitis C have been cured. He also discussed veteran suicide rates which was rather sobering. While suicide rates for male veterans have decreased over the past few years, suicide rates for female veterans have increased. After adjusting for differences in age, risk for suicide was 2.5 times higher among female veterans when compared to U.S. non-veteran adult women. Dr. Schulkin said that effectively addressing this has become his number one priority, noting that if a veteran gains access to VA mental health assets the incidence of suicide declines dramatically. Something for us all to be aware of, especially if we are caring for veterans in any of our clinics or have friends or family who have served.
Another interesting discussion I attended addressed data and data transparency between electronic medical records (EMRs) and users. Tommy Thompson and Michael Leavitt, both former Secretaries of Health and Human Services and state governors discussed the importance of being able to share big data between health systems and providers. They contended that data transparency will help to drive quality up and fraudulent claims down. Noting that most EMR firms tend to be extremely protective of their data for proprietary reasons. Both of these leaders are pushing hard to facilitate a more seamless exchange of information that will benefit patients and drive down costs. This is also something we need to be watching closely because any rules affecting the collection and portability of patient data can affect how we practice and communicate with our colleagues.
Last Friday, Salus faculty participated in the rescheduled Development Day which included a very insightful lecture and discussion by Salome Heyward, Esq. on the Role of Faculty in the Accommodation Process. Both the lecture and discussion were extremely thought provoking and provided some great guidance and suggestions in how best to handle student accommodations in both the academic and clinical settings. The didactic portion of the program was followed by a reception where scholarly accomplishments of several faculty members were acknowledged. As I said during the program, we are so blessed to have such a talented and motivated faculty, which was quite evident by the pages of scholarly work that this group produced in the period of a year! Well done!
This Sunday we will be hosting our annual optometric continuing education event, Dynamic Duos with lectures presented by optometrists sharing the podium with various healthcare professionals. More info can be found at salus.edu/events.
Dining with Diabetes, a series designed to help diabetics better manage their nutritional needs will begin again next week at The Eye Institute. This follows classes that were provided in November and December last year. This is a great way to get the community involved in The Eye Institute as well as the CityLife Clinic located on the second floor of the building.
This morning several of us attended Grand Rounds at The Eye Institute where Dr. Erin Kenny presented a lecture on The Past, Present and Future of Retinal Implants. It was fascinating to see the progress that has been made in helping patients who have been blind to see shapes and contrast using small devices implanted in their retinas. While there is still much more progress that needs to occur, these devices, with the aid of orientation and mobility and vision training, can be real life changers for those patients who are able to adapt to the technology. Much more to come on this front over the next few years, I’m sure!
In our College of Education and Rehabilitation, Bob Serianni, Patricia Mayro and other individuals from the Speech-Language Department will be representing Salus this weekend in Pittsburgh at the Pennsylvania Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention. Always great to have our staff out and about!
Next week Mr. John Gaal and I will be headed to Chicago for the annual Congress of the American College of Healthcare Executives. I’m hoping to learn more about some of the topics that were discussed at the Population Health Colloquium as it pertains to data exchange as well as any changes that might be coming down the pike in Medicare and Medicaid. With so many things potentially changing in healthcare it’s always educational for me to attend these meetings where we will hear the different views directly from some of the movers and shakers in healthcare on topics that directly affect how we practice the professions we train here at Salus.
It looks like it’s going to be a nice weekend. No Nor’easters on the horizon! Get out and enjoy the snow while it lasts and take some time to spend with your family and friends. Be safe and have fun!
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