Medical Billing & Coding Specialists are in Growing Demand

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin

Medical Billing & Coding jobs are suppose to increase by 20 percent over the next 7 to 10 years, quicker than average for all occupations. The need for properly trained Medical Billing Specialists in the health services industry is expected to increase as the general population gets older. A mostly older age group will need more medical care, treatments, and health services than ever before. This will also mean more claims for reimbursement from insurance companies. Increased records and growing use of electronic health records by all types of healthcare providers, will lead to an increased need for Medical Billing Specialists to organize and manage the related information in all aspects of the healthcare industry.

Today’s Career Colleges are on the cutting edge of training new Medical Billing Specialists to help fill the demand in the job market. Along with financial aid opportunities, most schools will provide job placement assistance for those looking to change their career path.

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20 Thrilling Near Death Escapes

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Jennifer Bell

Sometimes pedestrians are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two people nearly die in this wreck:

This man is nearly splattered as he scoots across an intersection:

Another man is nearly killed when a car careens onto the sidewalk:

It’s should be pretty clear that messing around near train tracks isn’t good for your health, but some people apparently don’t get it. This drunk woman almost dies when she falls onto the tracks:

A 13-year-old Australian boy decides it’s a good idea to skip across the tracks with a train on the way:

This guy had the same idea:

Some people seem hell bent on killing themselves. This woman lies down on the tracks with a train approaching:

While these Columbian teens entertain themselves by laying down on the tracks while trains pass over them:

This guy is lucky to survive a collision between a train and a semi-truck:

Another man is lucky to escape after he heroically pushes a stalled car from the tracks:

Mountain climbing can also be dangerous. This guy nearly falls off a cliff:

While the camera man in this video is nearly crushed by a giant boulder:

It’s important to remember that extreme sports are considered dangerous for a reason. Although in this video, rollerbladers make it even more dangerous by skating over a skylight:

This skateboarder nearly falls to his death:

A surfer thinks it’s a good idea to catch a wave during a hurricance:

Two skydivers nearly die after one crashes through the other’s parachute:

Another skydiver freefalls 5000 feet when his chute malfunctions:

One lucky man manages to survive a 47 story fall:

It’s also important to remember gun safety when operating firearms:

These firefighters are just far enough away when a burning building explodes:

And, just for fun, be careful when showing off the old Mentos in Diet Coke trick:

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20 Shocking and Powerful Photos of the Invisible Children – Stop Kony 2012

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Jennifer Bell


By now, you’ve likely heard of the awful things occurring in Uganda surrounding the Invisible Children and the effort to capture Joseph Kony in 2012. These images really convey the despair and need for awareness. Helping children in poor health is one of my main motivations to be involved in healthcare, here are 20 powerful images that make me want to do something, and a way that you can, too:

If you’re also touched by these photos and you’d like to help raise awareness for the Invisible Children and aid in the effort to capture Joseph Kony, visit the Kony 2012 website and sign the petition. Or share these photos with your friends on Facebook:

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The History and Future of Pandemics

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Jennifer Bell

The Danger of Pandemics

Without a doubt, a pandemic is a serious – and usually deadly – disease outbreak at a global level.  In fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that “another influenza pandemic is highly likely, if not inevitable”. The word pandemic, itself, comes from the Latin word Pan which means across or all, and the Greek word Demos which refers to a population or people.  Thus, pandemic refers to a disease that spreads across to many people in a region, continent or even the world.

Pandemic Phases

A pandemic usually goes through a number of different phases.  However, the time span for these different phases can vary from months to years. The World Health Organization (or WHO) keeps a careful record of viruses and their various phases – and the WHO pandemic stages include:

Phase 1: The virus is only circulating in animals, and no humans have yet been infected.

Phase 2: In this stage, the animal virus has infected a human; at this time, there is a basic pandemic level threat since the virus has mutated and become active in humans.

Phase 3: In a single community, small groups of humans become infected with this virus.  While the disease may be an epidemic in this single community, the illness has not yet evolved into a pandemic. However, if others from outside this community contact the infected individuals, there is definite possibility that the virus can spread.

Phase 4: As both animal-to-human transmission and human-to-human virus transmission increases, more illness outbreaks occur in many different communities.  At this juncture, a pandemic may be more likely to occur.

Phase 5: At this point, most countries are not directly affected by a pandemic; however, a pandemic is considered to be imminent.  More specifically, human-to-human virus transmission is occurring in at least two countries in one World Health Organization region. This phase is the signal that governments and health officials must be ready to implement their pandemic mitigation plans.

Phase 6: At this time, the disease is widespread and an international pandemic is in progress. Further, both health experts and governments are working hard to end the spread of the illness through preventative and related methods.

Post-pandemic stage:  During this time, the spread of illness will decrease.  In addition, an effort is made to help prevent a second pandemic wave.

Plagues and Pandemics Throughout History

Bubonic Plague

Also known as: ‘The black death’
When:  14th to 17th century
Deaths: Approximately 25 million people
Symptoms of the illness: Can include chills, general malaise, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, respiratory distress, and swollen lymph glands. Other symptoms included labored breathing, blood in vomit, red/black skin spotting, and pain caused by decaying skin.
How the illness spread: Caused by the bacteria Yersinia pesti, the disease is spread through infected lice, rodents, and fleas. A pneumonic plague or plague lung infection can also be spread from person-to-person.
Effects:  While the disease originated in Asia, reports state that approximately fifty percent of Europe’s population was affected by the illness. Today, there are approximately 1000 to 3000 cases of bubonic plague reported on an annual basis; however, if caught within the first twenty-four hours, antibiotics can effectively treat the illness.

Russian Flu Pandemic

When: 1889
Deaths: About 1 million
Symptoms of the illness: Flu symptoms include fever, typical flu symptoms, and pneumonia
How the illness spread: While the ‘Russian flu’ may have originated in China, this flu spread through Europe and also infiltrated North America, Latin America and Japan.
Effects:  The pandemic appeared in the United States just four months after the first cases were discovered.

The Spanish Flu Pandemic

When: 1918
Deaths: Over 20 million people
Symptoms of the illness: As infected individuals were hemorrhaging from the stomach, nose, intestine or ears, most of the initial flu cases were misdiagnosed as typhoid, cholera, or dengue. That said, most people died due to the bacterial pneumonia caused by the flu.
How the illness spread: Researchers believe that this flu may have originated in Tibet and eventually transported to Europe via shipping or trade routes.
Effects: Researchers noted that this flu virus strain was particularly virulent with a 2.5% mortality rate whereas previous flu epidemics have a mortality rate of less than 0.1%. Moreover, India has an especially high mortality rate of around 50 deaths per 1000 infected people while about forty percent of the globe’s population contracted the virus, young adults between the ages of twenty-five and thirty suffered from the most deaths from this flu.

The Asian Flu Pandemic

When: 1957-1958
Deaths: Approximately two million
Symptoms of the illness: Fever Prolonged fever, fatigue, and aches.
How the illness spread: This flu is spread via person-to-person contact.
Effects:  Identified in Asia in February of 1957, this particular flu virus was present in wild ducks in Southern China before the virus mutated into the human flu virus. Unlike the 1918 pandemic, due to advances in science, this virus was quickly identified.  Blamed for about 70, 000 deaths in the United States, this flu virus was first discovered in this country during the summer of 1957.  Elderly people suffered from the highest death rates while pregnant women and children had the highest virus infection rate.  While the illness appeared to decrease in numbers in December of 1957, a second wave of the pandemic started again in January/February of 1958.

Hong Kong Influenza

When:  1968-1969
Deaths: Approximately one million
Symptoms of the illness: Mistaken for the common cold, Hong Kong influenza’s symptoms usually lasted longer and worsened over time.  More specifically, some of the symptoms include joint pain, a high fever, and a general lack of energy.  Not surprisingly then, an infected person becomes bedridden for up to two weeks in duration.
How the illness spread: This virus spread through person-to-person contact such as sneezing and coughing.
Effects:  First recognized in 1968 in Hong Kong, the flu again made an appearance in both 1970 and two years later in 1972.  However, in December of 1968 and January 1969, deaths due to this virus peaked; in addition, individuals over the age of 65 were most likely to die., elderly people were affected the most by this illness.  That said, in the United States alone, 34,000 people contracted this flu between Fall of 1968 and Spring of 1969.

Avian Flu

When:  1997 to ?
Deaths: Over 250
Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms that include a cough, fever, sore throat, and muscle aches
How the illness spread: As person-to-person virus transmission is rare, this avian flu is typically transmitted via contact with infected poultry or contact with surfaces that are contaminated with excretions/secretions of infected birds.  In an effort to prevent the virus spread, 1.5 million chickens were slaughtered in Hong Kong in 1997.
Effects: In 1997, the first serious outbreak of avian flu occurred in Hong Kong with eighteen flu cases.  Of the affected individuals, six of these people died.  Then in 2004 another avian flu outbreak occurred.  On average, the avian flu has killed over sixty percent of all people that contacted this type of flu.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

When: 2002-2003
Deaths: Over 750
Symptoms of Illness: Sufferers experienced a high fever, a headache and an overall discomfort. In addition, many of the people developed pneumonia while some of the afflicted individuals faced a dry cough and mild respiratory symptoms.
How the illness spread: A member of the corona virus family, SARS spread through person-to-person contact such as through coughing and sneezing.  In addition, the disease could also be transmitted when an individual touched a contaminated surface and then touched his or her eyes, mouth, or nose.
Effects: A serious form of pneumonia, the illness is believed to have started when the virus spread from small animals to humans.  In the Guangdong province of China, the disease was initially listed as “atypical pneumonia”.   However, later, a doctor working in Vietnam – who later unfortunately died of SARS – reported the disease to the WHO.  Within a few months, the illness spread to over thirty countries and infected approximately 8000 people.

What Viruses are Likely to Cause a Future Pandemic?

According to the WHO, the avian flu and H1N1 flu (A strain) are the most likely illnesses to become a pandemic threat in the future.

Avian (Bird) flu – first identified in Vietnam in 2004, this virus is also specifically referred to as the H5N1 virus strain.   Since late 2003, outbreaks from this pathogenic flu virus have occurred in East Asia.  In addition, deaths from this virus have occurred in Thailand, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su5501a2.htm

H1N1 Influenza A Strain – Also referred to as the swine flu, this virus began spreading in Mexico in April of 2009. Just a few months later in June of 2009, this type of flu was declared a pandemic by the WHO. As most of the deaths and illness occurred primarily in young people, this virus does not follow the pattern seen in most other flu viruses.  Pregnant women, young children, and people with chronic lung or other health issues were most likely to suffer complications.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5817a1.htm

Why Should We Be Concerned About Pandemics?

Worldwide health professionals are particularly concerned about the rapid rate in which viruses can spread nowadays for several reasons:

  1. As international travel becomes easier and more frequent, viruses can also more rapidly move between countries.  For instance, if a businessman travels to another country, there is a possibility that he may come into contact with a person who is harbouring a new type of virus without him ever knowing.  Thus, when he returns, he can readily infect people at the airport, on the airplane, and in his home country.
  2. The time window open to track the cause of a virus and how the virus is initially spread is decreasing.
  3. As vaccines generally take six months or more to develop, the right vaccine may not be available when needed.
  4. That said, as modern communication has also increased, the ability to spread information about a possible pandemic is much easier as well.  However, just as easily, misinformation about the virus can also be spread in a rapid fashion.

In addition, viruses that cause pandemics often originate in areas of the world where there are low levels of public health services.  For instance, in South Africa, there are only four nurses available per 1000 people. In turn, it is not so surprising then that these diseases spread at a rapid rate to populations in other countries.

Thus, a future pandemic is without a doubt an extremely serious concern.  To further elaborate on the vaccine issue, it is important to keep in mind that a virus can mutate faster than a new vaccine can be created.  Since pandemics often arise because a new strain of a virus forms, a new vaccine would be needed as well.

Further, no one can predict with any accuracy where and how a future pandemic will arise. Moreover, since the year 1977, both H3N2 and H1N1 flu viruses caused seasonal epidemics around the world – resulting in about 36,000 deaths in the United States annually.  In addition, as the vast majority of the global population has no immunity to viruses such as the H2 subtype flu viruses that circulated during the 1957-1958 time period, this situation is definitely a cause for concern.

Without a doubt then, both predicting and understanding pandemic emergence patterns is an extremely difficult process.  As such, in order to prepare for these types of events, governments must consider a wide net of possibilities and of course, prepare for the unpredictable.  Further, since vaccines cannot be prepared in a rapid enough fashion to combat these types of pandemics, these types of situations are extremely grave indeed.  Thus, in lieu of timely and effective medical treatments, governments and health officials must continue to rely on efficient public health delivery to effectively deal with pandemics in the near future.

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Tips for Choosing the Best Health Career For You

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Jennifer Bell

With literally of dozens of different career paths to choose from in the health care industry, it’s only natural that you might be confused when trying to decide which one might be best for you. Here are some important things to consider while making this all important decision:

  • How much training will you need? Different careers can vary from as little as 6 months of training to as much as several years. This comes along with a wide range of costs, from a few hundred to many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Before you jump into something you should understand how long it will take and how much it will cost you before you can get started at your new job.
  • The nature of the work. Different health careers involve different levels of patient interaction in different environments. Some jobs are purely administrative and focus on an office setting, while others are hands on and involve working in the field. Some careers have a much higher “gross out” level than others. Some people can handle this while others can’t, so it’s important to think about you own preferences when choosing your career.
  • Job opportunities. The number of jobs available for certain employees in a certain area can vary widely. In the best case, you’d want to start a career that has a shortage of qualified workers in your area. The worst case is picking a career that is already way over staffed, making it difficult to find employment.
  • Salary level. Just as some health careers require far more training that others, some pay a much higher salary. This usually correlates with the level of training required, but not entirely. If making a good wage is important to you, you should research the average salaries of different career options.

Where can you get this information? Well, unfortunately it’s not always easy to answer these questions by searching the internet. You can find general information on salaries, duties, and training requirements on HealthTrainingGuide.com, but we also recommend you broaden your search to get a complete picture of the careers you’re interested in. Here are some more ideas for learning about health careers:

  • Check local job boards and hospital websites. These sources can give you truly local information about the career opportunities in your area. If there are a significant number of job postings you can feel confident that those skills are in high demand. In some cases you’ll even be able to find exact salary figures, which are always more accurate than the averages you’ll find online.
  • Talk to real healthcare workers. Nothing beats the experience of having worked in a job, so healthcare workers are your best source of information on what a career is really like. If you meet someone who already has the career you’re considering, it’s a great opportunity to ask questions about their job satisfaction, duties, and employment opportunities. If you work in an area with a large medical facility, it shouldn’t be terribly hard to get an introduction to a person who has the job you want.

To make it easier for prospective healthcare employees to get this type of inside information, HealthTrainingGuide.com will be conducting an extensive interview series with workers in various healthcare fields. We hope that by getting this kind of in depth information we’ll be able to help you make the ideal career choice.

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Father’s Day Ideas That Will Help Keep Dad Healthy

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jennifer Bell

It’s that time of year again. Summer is just kicking off and Father’s Day is right around the corner. If you haven’t gotten your loved one a gift yet, why not make it something that will keep him happy and healthy well into old age?

Here are some ideas to consider:

  • Red Wine – Who doesn’t like to relax with a nice glass of red wine? It tastes great, gives you a nice buzz, and best of all it’s the healthiest way to drink alcohol. With practically zero carbs or sugars and plenty of antioxidants, red wine is the best way to celebrate without sacrificing health.
  • Active Accessories – Many dads like to pursue a variety of healthy outdoor hobbies like golfing, fishing, or working around the house. Whatever you dad likes to do, encourage him to stay active by giving a gift that will encourage him to stay active. It might be a new golf club, fishing pole, or power tool, depending on what your dad enjoys most.
  • Cancer Screening – OK, so this technically isn’t a gift, and might not be the most enjoyable experience, but would show your dad you love him more and want him to live to a ripe old age than encouraging him to get screened for prostate cancer? It’s one of the top causes of death for older men and early detection is the key to stopping it.
  • TrackYourPlaque.com Membership – If your dad has issues with heart health, or you think he might be at risk of heart disease, get him a membership at TrackYourPlaque.com, where he can learn about getting a heart scan to assess his plaque situation and learn from a dedicated team of cardiologists about the best steps for improving it.
  • A Healthy Diet - If your dad needs to lose some weight, you can try to help him by encouraging him to try a healthier diet. I personally believe in the low carb approach, while others think that low fat is the way to go, but the most important thing is to get him off the junk.
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The USNews Diet Rankings are Ignorant and Harmful

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Jennifer Bell

US News and World Report just released their rankings of the best diets. I was curious to see what they would come up with, but after scanning a few pages it became clear that the “study” does nothing more than parrot the disaster that is conventional wisdom.

I guess this what you would expect, given that the panel of experts is stuffed with PhDs, dietitians, and nutritionists who’ve been groomed in the school of “healthy whole grains” and the extreme dangers of dietary fat. Their professional reputations depend on propagating the status quo.

The only 2 diets that I would consider using myself (the low carbs ones, Paleo and Atkins) are ranked dead last. It was noted that dieters could put themselves at risk of missing out on nutrients by shunning grains. This makes absolutely no sense, given that the Paleo diet includes plenty of vegetables which are far more nutrient rich.

The rankings do nothing more than reiterate the dietary guidelines offered by the government, which is what I would expect from such a news outlet, but it really upsets me that millions of people are going to read this and come away with the belief that low carb diets are unhealthy because they leave out grains and pump you full of deadly fat.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with basing your reviews on guidelines provided by the USDA or other government body, but when those guidelines have created a nation with alarmingly high levels of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, you are only adding to the problem.

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What Are the Advantages of a Career in Health?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Jennifer Bell

Most of the visitors to this website are, for one reason or another, considering a career in health care. Our goal is to help them get the information they need to decide if a career in health is right for them, and if so, which field they should pursue.

Like any field, careers in health come with advantages and disadvantages. Here some of the most important advantages to working in health:

  1. Stability – Health is an ongoing concern for every person on earth, which makes health related goods and services remain in demand regardless of the economic situation. While some industries are cyclical and tend to boom and bust, the health industry is consistent, reducing the odds of prolonged unemployment for qualified workers.
  2. Making a difference – Health workers get the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the people they work with by providing much needed comfort and relief. There really isn’t any other industry that touches the lives of its customers so intimately.
  3. Variety – The breadth of the health industry provides are great variety of opportunities to professionals. Depending on your skills and preferences, you could work directly with patients, master the use of complex equipment, or use your knowledge to teach people to live a healthier lifestyle.
  4. Growth – The U.S., like most other developed nations, faces the prospect of a demographic shift over the coming years that will lead to a greater percentage of older people in the population. As older people require more health care, it follows that demand for health related services will continue to grow.
  5. Excellent Compensation – Health care jobs usually require specialized skills and experience, making health workers hard to replace. To keep these workers happy, most health careers offer excellent pay and benefits relative to other industries. Although few health care workers become wealthy, nearly all make a good living.
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10 Foods to Avoid If You Want to Lose Weight

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Jennifer Bell

One of the most common health oriented goals is weight loss. Dropping excess weight can give you more energy, make you look and feel more attractive, and significantly reduce the risk of numerous health problems like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Despite all these benefits, an alarming number of people continue to be overweight and in many cases, obese. There are a wide range of potential reasons for this problem, including a sedentary lifestyle, but the greatest factor is diet. People are eating too many foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. They are also eating portions that are far in excess of what is necessary to fulfill their energy needs.

If you want to lose weight, the first step is improving your diet in a way that is enjoyable and sustainable. It’s easy to go on a crash diet for a few weeks and drop some pounds, but if you want to maintain your weight loss, you’ll need to create a healthy diet that you can live with.

Here are the foods that you need to cut out first in your quest for a healthy weight. These foods do you little good and can cause a great deal of harm if consumed on a regular basis:

  1. Candy – Basically pure sugar with zero nutritional value
  2. Pastries – Sugar and carbohydrates
  3. Breads – Although most people can’t imagine life without bread, it contains large amounts of calories and little nutritional benefit
  4. Fried foods – Fried foods are high in fat and usually have a high level of calories from the batter they are fried in
  5. Highly processed foods – Processed foods like you might buy from a gas station lose most of their nutrients and are usually high in fat and sodium
  6. Soft drinks – A large source of sugar and empty calories
  7. Beer – Another source of empty calories and nutrition-less carbohydrates
  8. Bacon – Pretty much pure fat
  9. Ice cream – High in fat and sugar
  10. Pasta – Similar to bread and bad for the same reasons

Now, you are probably thinking that the above list basically includes every decent tasting food in the world, and to a certain point you are right. Losing weight and staying healthy involves significant sacrifice, but in my opinion the benefits are far greater. Would you rather indulge an unhealthy food addiction or remain healthy and active into old age?

In future posts I’ll provide more guidance on the foods you should eat along with some meal ideas that can actually be pretty tasty in their own right.

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