What's known as the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (or EKRA) has flipped the world of pain management and laboratory testing. Though the verbiage targets treatment centers, recovery centers, and clinical laboratories, the repercussions have shaken the health diagnostics industry. This is the reality of ghosts of healthcare's past and their crossover into the present. 

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Though somewhat small, the thyroid gland performs a major role in the body. It effects many of the body’s most significant organs, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and skin. The thyroid can potentially be either overactive or underactive and both conditions can lead to serious health problems. Maintaining the health and proper function of the thyroid gland is significant to the overall health of the body.

The holidays are a time for family, friends, food, and... hospital visits? Emergency room check-ins have a noticeable upswing during the winter season. Check out a few reasons how the most wonderful time of the year can take a tragic turn. 

Summertime Sadness is more than just a song by crooner Lana del Rey, and more people experience a Blue Christmas than just Elvis Presley. Seasonal Affective Disorder (appropriately abbreviated as SAD) occurs when people in good mental health experience depression during certain seasons of the year. We can say this, too, shall pass, but what causes this short-term sorrow and how can it be overcome?

You may have heard donating one pint of blood saves up to three lives, but there's another life that may be saved in addition to that: Your own. Not only are you helping those in need, you're also helping yourself. Here are some ways how the health outcomes in giving blood can B+. 

Diet and exercise, diet and exercise, diet and exercise – This piece is not a repeat of what's likely been heard a thousand times. Yes, eating healthy and staying active helps, but sometimes the answer goes beyond skin deep – into the blood. Here are a few blood test panels and their significance to identifying the source of weight issues. 

What is a joint?

For once, we're not talking about drug testing for THC. A joint is where two or more bones are joined together. Joints could either be rigid between the bones of your skull, or more mobile, like in the knees, hips, and shoulders. Healthy cartilage also helps you move by allowing bones to move over one another and protects bones by preventing friction caused by rubbing against each other.

We are back for another round of common drug testing questions we can answer from a clinical lab perspective! This time, we're building on the topics addressed in our last drug testing myths FAQ, specifically focusing on tactics used to manipulate urine drug test results.

Since the late 1990's, Big Pharma had us thinking the only way to deal with chronic pain was through prescription painkillers. Fast forward to now where the death toll inches it's way toward one million American lives claimed by drug overdose over the last 20 years. We see now money lies in the treatment and not the cure, but there is a better way! Here are a few pain management alternatives that don't rely on the addictive nature of opioid pills.

Pain can have many causes and because of this, it can be very difficult to treat. A common cause of pain is inflammation. Inflammation describes a bodily condition when white blood cells, along with the chemicals they release, attempt to protect the body from foreign substances. Some of these chemicals cause a leak of fluid into the tissue, which can then stimulate nerves and cause pain.

Inflammation also restricts blood flow, preventing inflammatory bodies from being drained, and therefore exacerbates inflammation. The increased number of cells can also cause swelling of the joint lining and accelerated wearing down of the cartilage – eventually leading to more pain! So, while acute inflammation around an injury or site of infection is protective and beneficial, long-term inflammation is something to be avoided.

The following are guidelines and pointers, and are not guaranteed or suggested for everyone. Please consult with your doctor before starting any treatments and develop a plan that will help you. To drain inflammation, we need to manipulate our body’s vascular and lymphatic systems. This can be done in a number of ways:

September 2018 - As Pain Awareness Month kicks off, there's another trend to be made aware of and that is drugs of abuse among high school students. The stranger-in-the-alleyway stereotype is not necessarily who they're getting it from either as 2 out of 3 teens who have abused prescription medications claimed they received drugs from family and/or friends. Students are making their way back to school, but they may be bringing a lot more than just notepads and pencils. 

Athletic training programs force physiological adaptations, which means it is not uncommon to see abnormal results in athletes. Athletes push themselves to become bigger, faster, and stronger – a process which breaks the body down and can cause biochemical chaos. I recently had a blood test done at our lab with some unexpected results...

Whether you're a small doctor's office or a regional hospital, revenue cycle management is a huge issue healthcare providers have to take on. Let's put the stethoscope to the financial heart of your business.

Imagine this: "We don't know if you're allergic to any of these elements so let's give your skin a dose of everything and just see what happens." Take a step back and listen to how archaic this sounds. The pain induced during skin prick testing, the risk of severe reaction to the patient, the time wasted with each individual scratch - and it's still utilized today!

Skin prick testing for allergies is painful, time-consuming, and somehow still considered the traditional method for doctors across the nation. Here's why IgE (Immunoglobulin E) blood testing for allergies is diagnostics' way of saying, "Out with the old and in with the new!" 

Testosterone is possibly the ultimate feel-good hormone. Higher testosterone levels provide you more physical and mental energy, help burn fat and build muscle, improve your sleep quality, enhance sex drive and fertility, and promote a general sense of well-being. Testosterone isn’t just for men either. Women can experience all the benefits of testosterone with a small, natural increase too.

As an athlete myself, the performance-enhancing qualities of testosterone have led me to research how I can achieve a natural increase in the hormone however I can. The results of this are detailed here in my ultimate natural testosterone guide, so let’s get started!

As a healthcare provider, it can be tough determining when to urine drug test patients. With the opioid epidemic in full swing and state medical boards shutting down clinics who fail to adequately monitor patients on controlled medication, the burden of drug testing loyal patients can put you between a rock and a hard place. Here are some recommended practices for medication monitoring based on prescribed regimen. 

Some key things to know before reading: Height, weight, diet, exercise, genetics - all of these play a role in the rate at which drugs are metabolized through the body. If Person A and Person B stop smoking marijuana at the same time and take a drug test one month later, it is possible that Person A tests positive and Person B tests negative. The answers to these questions are as close to fact as possible, taking into account differences in metabolism. 

Screening test: Only shows positive or negative for the presence of drugs. No quantities are provided.

Confirmatory test: Determines specifically how much of a drug is in the body. Typically performed after a screening, especially in a clinical setting, and clears up false positives in by showing presence of drug is insignificant.

Now let's get to it!

A state of emergency declared: The Opioid Crisis. Sparked by Big Pharma in the late 1990's, the opioid epidemic has turned into a wildfire that, since 1999, has claimed over 750,000 American lives - more than World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War combined. Even with all these gruesome wars, drug overdoses still exceed the death toll by over 100,000 people. Here are a few contributing factors to the opioid crisis that may surprise you.

Healthcare providers, you work hard - we know you do. But a new "merit-based performance program" may have you feeling a little nervous. This new system is like a bonus plan set by your employer but in this case, your employer is the federal government. Let's break down each category of the new era of healthcare.

The opioid epidemic claimed 52,000 lives across the nation in 2015. We are holding the magnifying glass up to our backyard - Texas - and breaking it down by county, cities within that county, and number of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people based on CDC data between 2014 and 2016. Even with these numbers listed, overdose cases are typically underreported. Some counties may seem obvious as they house one or two major cities, however other counties on this list may come as a surprise. Let's take a look. 

The average clinic has 1 physician, 2 midlevel practitioners, and 4 to 7 office staff. With payroll, utilities, and malpractice insurance all considered, the average clinic overhead costs come to around $800,000 a year. If your clinic is at or over this daunting number, don't fret! Here are a few easy ways to save your practice money. If you apply at least one of these solutions into your clinic, you could see your bottom line increase by 10% or more!