Partners in Practice

Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO Guest: Joanna Petrides, PsyD Career fatigue is a staggering epidemic where not only the healthcare professionals suffer, but so do their patients and family members. Join Dr. Jennifer Caudle as she speaks with Dr. Joanna Petrides, Clinical Psychologist and Resident Research Director of Family Medicine at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, about the warning signs physicians need to be aware of and the preventative measures that can be implemented to help keep them healthy.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Joyce Ross, MSN, CRNP, CS, CLS, FNLA, FPCNA One in two adults in the United States has a total cholesterol over 200 mg/dL, while one in three has diagnosed cardiovascular disease. The ACC/AHA's recently released Lipid Guidelines have provided new recommendations for treatment of dylipidemia, but they have also created some controversies and confusion in expert circles around best practices moving forward. Helping to dissect these Guidelines and shed light on the rationales behind the new recommendations is Joyce Ross, certified registered nurse practitioner and clinical lipid specialist.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP The annual cost of chronic pain in the United States is as high as $635 billion a year, which is more than the yearly costs for cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Over 100 million Americans are affected by chronic pain, and by extension, pain is the number one diagnosis in primary care. Joining host Mimi Secor to discuss new insights on this ever-present malady is Brett Snodgrass, Family Nurse Practitioner in private practice in Bartlett, TN specializing in pain management and palliative care. She is President of the Greater Memphis Area Advanced Practice Nurses, and also hosts a popular blog called The NP Mom.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Nurse Practitioners were first introduced into healthcare systems in 1965 by Loretta C Ford, and since that time the role has expanded to include over 189,000 NP's in practice today. Joining host Mimi Secor to review the first half-century of the Nurse Practitioner profession and its ongoing priorities and challenges is the founder of the NP movement herself, Dr. Loretta Ford. Dr. Ford is past Dean and Professor Emerita at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and is an internationally known leader in the nursing field.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP There are approximately 55 million women of menopausal age in the US. In fact, about 6,000 women reach menopausal age every day. For many, the spectrum of physical changes and their associated impacts on daily life aren't always anticipated or well understood. Clinicians of all levels have unique opportunities to provide guidance and treatment options for patients experiencing more severe effects of menopause; however, they don't always know what to ask, or how to ask it. To address this knowledge gap, host Mimi Secor welcomes Barbara Dehn, popularly known as Nurse Barb, a practicing Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, award winning author, and a nationally recognized health expert, to discuss clinical approaches to helping patients through the more difficult symptoms of menopause.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Host Mimi Secor welcomes Women's Health Foundation founder and Executive Director, Missy Lavender, to talk about innovative ways to bring women into pelvic health programs across the U.S. Through her foundation, Ms. Lavender helps address issues of ignorance and intimidation that often pervade both patient and medical professional circles when it comes to gynecological and bladder health maintenence.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Helen Carcio, NP Mimi Secor is joined by Nurse practitioner Helen Carcio, Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Director of the Health and Continence Institute in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. Ms. Carcio trains doctors and advanced practice clinicians in how to set up community based continence centers.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Modern clinical practice places high value on the skill of multitasking. Yet recent date indicate that multitasking leads to increased errors and decreased productivity. To better understand how multitasking impacts patient safety and personal wellbeing, host Mimi Secor welcomes Dr. Joanne Perron, Co-Chair of ACOG's District IX Committee on Physician Work-Life Balance. Dr. Perron lectures extensively on traditional and novel mindfulness practices to mitigate burnout among the medical community.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Pratt Bennett Nurse Practitioners often put their patients' health and well being before their own. A career as an NP can be stressful, overwhelming and the pressure of juggling work and home can make life feel like it is spinning out of control. Pratt Bennett owner of Make That Leap!, a Boston, Massachusetts life coaching company focused on Nurse Practitioners joins host Mimi Secor to talk about how NP's can reduce stress to be happier on the job and at home.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Terri Warren, NP The CDC has recommendations when it comes to the treatment, testing and counseling of patients who may have sexually transmitted infections or at high risk of contracting an STI. There are a number of ways to test for diseases like gonnorhea, chlamidiya, and syphillis and that can be confusing for NPs and their patients. Nurse Practitioner Terri Warren with the Westover Clinic in Portland, Oregon explains to host Mimi Secor some of the most important changes recommended by the CDC to help reduce the number of sexually transmitted infections in the country especially among teens.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Mary Fargen, PA-C Physician assistant Mary Fargen, 2011 AAPA Humanitarian PA of the Year, fell in love with the people of Haiti when she traveled there on her first medical mission in 2004. Since then, she has been to the island more than a dozen times, volunteering her time working with medical providers to help improve medical care. Following the devestating earthquake in January 2010, she ramped up her efforts to help Haitian providers, working with the Hatian and Caribbean American Organization of Texas, based in Kileen, Texas. Ms. Fargen tells host Lisa Dandrea Lenell the personal story of her work in Haiti.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Nguyen Park, MS, PA-C Almost 4 million people in the US have high triglycerides. What can you do to help improve your patients' health? Nguyen Park, clinical assistant professor in the physician assistant studies program, at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the benefits of fish oil for treating hypertriglyceridemia. They also look at the risk factors, causes and other treatment options for this very common disease.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Luis Ramos, PA-C Legislation was introduced last year to legally authorize physician assistants to practice in Puerto Rico, the only US territory where they're not. This week's guest, PA Luis Ramos, began the push to bring PAs and other mid-level providers to Puerto Rico. He joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the obstacles and barriers to including mid-level practitioners in the island's medical community. They also talk about the first class of PAs in Puerto Rico training through Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in partnership with Universidad Metropolitana.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Patrick Killeen, PA-C As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passes its first anniversary, Patrick Killeen, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss some main legislative changes, geared toward improving patient care and outcomes, that the AAPA hopes to see implemented by the 112th United States Congress. The topics include: physician assistants' ability to continue treating patients through end-of-life hospice care; clearance to prescribe medication for opioid addiction; and eligibility for Medicaid electronic health record initiative payments.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Kirsten Wister, NP After years working in clinical practice in rural Arizona, NP Kirsten Wister had a vision for her own practice that would allow her to offer integrative medicine and treat poor and needy patients. Like some other rural states in the US, the state of Arizona allows NPs to run a practice without a physician's oversight, as well as admit patients to some acute and sub-acute facillities, and prescribe medication. She and host Mimi Secor talk about how she opened her practice in Sierra Vista, 75 miles south of Tucson, in March 2011, and the patients who were invested in having this practice in the community to the extent that they staffed it voluntarily, and the value she's found in collaborating with physicians despite the fact Arizona law does not require it.

Guest: Barbara Phillips, NP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Thousands of nurse practitioners across the country run their own practices. But for those who have never been self-employed, the challenges of starting their own business can seem daunting. Nurse practitioner Barbara Phillips, business coach, consultant and CEO of NP Choice, LLC, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to start your own business in seven steps, from the concept stage to the day you open your doors to patients.

Guest: Julia Pallentino, MSN, JD, ARNP-BC Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Family nurse practitioners frequently see patients with gastrointestinal complaints. When can the family NP treat the patient, and when does the patient need to be referred to a GI specialist? Julia Pallentino, board certified nurse practitioner at GI Associates of Tallahassee in Tallahassee, Florida, discusses with host Mimi Secor common gastroenterological problems and their diagnostics and management. What can family NPs learn from the specialist about screening and treating gastroenterological conditions? On a related note, how can NPs convince the colonoscopy-phobic patient over 50 to begin colon cancer screening?

Guest: Julia Pallentino, MSN, JD, ARNP-BC Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Though the number of malpractice suits involving nurse practitioners is extremely low compared to other medical providers, as the number of nurse practitioners increases, so does the number of malpractice suits. Nurse practitioner Julia Pallentino, a former medical malpractice attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, joins host Mimi Secor to explain what she calls the "4 C's" of reducing risk of a lawsuit— communication, caring, competance and charting.

Guest: Robert M. Blumm, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Even in times of economic recession, the job outlook for physician assistants is very good. Money Magazine recently ranked PA as the second best job in the country, and US News and World Report ranks PA as the top career in America. However, like most jobs, there is still increased competition for employment. PA Bob Blumm, surgical assistant and distinguished fellow of the AAPA, talks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about what you need to do to get prepared for your next job interview.

Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Robert M. Blumm, PA-C One of the appealing aspects of the profession for many physician assistants is flexibility in employment. Is there a "norm" in terms of employment? Many PAs have developed jobs outside the traditional clinical setting, including in TV, film, forensic medicine and academics. Bob Blumm, distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the array of jobs available to physician assistants, and where career growth opportunities may lie in the future.

Guest: Gary Falcetano, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA As the medical publishing industry evolves, and journals expand into non-print new media, it's a good time to explore the function of medical journals in the professional lives of PAs and NPs. Will the experience of receiving a journal in the mail soon be a thing of the past? What do we get out of print media that we don't get online, and vice versa? And, in addition to clinical practice information, what can the engaged reader get out of the publications they read? PA Gary Falcetano, publisher of Clinician Reviews and Emergency Medicine, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the relevance of PA/NP journals, their evolution in the 21st century, and a model for an engaged journal reader.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Norma Hannigan Laughter has been shown to lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and build endorphins. Nurse practitioner Norma Hannigan, associate professor of clinical nursing at Columbia University in New York, joins host Mimi Secor for a serious discussion of the anecdotal and evidence-based research on laughter and how to use laughter as medicine in your clinical practice.

Guest: Tom Bartol Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP As medicine takes an increasingly evidence-based approach to care, it's more important than ever for busy clinicians to be able to evaluate the benefits and risk-reduction associated with new treatments and medications. This week's guest, Tom Bartol, nurse practitioner at the Richmond Area Health Center in Richmond, Maine, discusses with host Mimi Secor how to wade through the research data and evaluate statistical significance versus clinical significance, and find the information you need in order to treat your patients more effectively.

Guest: Betsy Nicoletti Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA ICD-10, HIPPA and OIG sounds more like secret code than medical codes. What do you need to know in order to understand the ever changing world of medical coding and how can you be prepared for what's to come? Betsy Nicoletti, author of The Field Guide to Physician Coding and co-founder of codapedia.com, helps explain to host Lisa Dandrea Lenell how practices can manage changes in coding through technology and billing procedures.

Guest: Betsy Nicoletti Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Every year brings changes to Medicare and Medicaid billing, and 2011 is no exception. This year, one main difference is the addition of an annual wellness visit. Betsy Nicoletti, author of The Field Guide to Physician Coding, helps host Lisa Dandrea Lenell sort out new billing codes and rules to help your practice stay compliant, while at the same time maximizing benefits of CMS.

Guest: David Fahringer, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Saudi Arabia is a country that is quickly developing, and as part of that development, physican assistants are filling a newly emerging need in the healthcare system. Our guest is PA David Fahringer, department head and program director at the Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences in Dhahran, where students recently completed their first semester in the new 28-month "assistant physician" program. They discuss the advantages and challenges of the program's military component, and how cultural differences are being surmounted to make the program a success.

Guest: Allison Blood Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP You're already a nurse, so why take the extra step to become a Nurse Practitioner? Allison Blood, an NP student at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the mentors in her life who lead her to this next step in her education. They also talk about the highlights and challenges of being an NP student and goals for the future.

Guest: Maryana McGlasson Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Nurse practitioner Maryana McGlasson waited for months to find out if she would be selected to work with the Doctors without Borders Program. Once she was notified, she had three days to hop on a plane and get to Nigeria, where she would be one of a handful of nurses dealing with hundreds of patients with cholera. She shares her inspiring story with host Mimi Secor on why she decided to become a Doctors without Borders volunteer and what it's like to treat patients with this highly contagious cholera in a tent city lacking even reliable electricity.

Guest: Jill Jones Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Guest: Jennifer Puleo The recession has not slowed the demand for cosmetic procedures. Last year, more than 10 million surgical and non-surgical procedures were performed in the United States last year. Advanced practice clinicians are getting hired to help keep up with demand, performing lasers, botox and fillers. Jill Jones, CEO of Aesthetic Advancements, Incorporated, in Atlanta and NP Jennifer Puleo, owner of Faces of South Tampa in Florida, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the training and opportunities in this growing field.

Guest: Luppo Kuilman, MPA Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The United States is not the only country experiencing a shortage of physicians. Europeans are feeling the pinch as well. The medical community in the Netherlands began six PA programs a decade ago to make sure there were enough medical providers for their patients. Physician assistant Luppo Kuilman, a lecturer at Hanze University Groningen in the Netherlands, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain how the PA program works in his country, what constitutes the challenges, and what the future holds for PAs in this rapidly growing field worldwide.

Guest: Matt Freitas, FNP-C, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Delivering quality mental health care to patients seems to come with an overwhelming number of obstacles. How can primary care practices make it easier to provide psychiatric and psychological services? Matt Frietas, an NP/PA and vice president of Aspen Medical Group in Modesto, California, speaks with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell about how his clinic overcame billing issues, HIPPA laws and charting problems to provide quality mental healthcare to his patients at his clinic.

Guest: James Van Rhee, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The physician assistant profession is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States, and PA programs are popping up all over the country to keep up with the demand. The latest addition is the physician assistant program at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. Director. Jim Van Rhee PA-C joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to discuss the details of the program, how it differs from other PA curricula, and why Northwestern decided to add a program for PAs to their medical school.

Guest: Susan Matthews, PhD Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP In September, over 5,000 nurses and nurse practitioners were invited to participate in a conference call with First Lady Michelle Obama to discuss the latest changes in healthcare policy. Five were invited to travel to Washington to participate in a roundtable discussion at the White House with the First Lady. Included in that group was Dr. Susan Matthews, owner of Bluegrass Regional Healthcare in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Dr. Matthews joins host Mimi Secor to talk about the important issues covered in that summit and the role NPs will play in the future of healthcare.

Guest: Christine Kessler Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP What makes Americans fat? Diet isn't entirely to blame. Christine Kessler, who is a nurse practitioner in the department of endocrinology and metabolic medicine at a Washington, DC, teaching hospital, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss the many variables that are attributed to obesity in this country. They also look at what nurse practitioners can do to help their patients come up with strategies for living healthier lives.

Guest: David Goldberg, MD, JD Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Non-invasive body contouring allows physicians to tighten skin without surgery. What are the different types of non-invasive body contouring procedures, and how have these procedures evolved? Dr. David Goldberg, clinical professor of dermatology and director of laser research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, medical director of Skin, Laser and Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey, and co-director of Sanctuary Medical Center in Boca Raton, Florida, talks about the ever-increasing roles of PAs and NPs in cosmetic medicine, and updates physician extenders on the latest developments in non-invasive body contouring and aesthetic medicine. Dr. Goldberg also discusses medical-legal issues in the field, including regulations about lasers and medical spas. Hosted by Lisa Dandrea Lenell.

Guest: Jeffrey Nicholson, PhD, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA All PAs hope to never be sued. But if it happens, will malpractice coverage pay for legal costs and court awards? Is employer-provided malpractice coverage enough, and what are the differences between the types of policies? PA Jeff Nicholson, president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants in Legal Medicine, sorts out these issues and others with host Lisa Dandrea Lenell. They also look at whether additional policies are needed, depending on the PA's specialty.

Guest: Russell Dorr, PA-C Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA The virus that nearly wipes out the population in mega-popular horror writer Stephen King's novel The Stand and the physician assistant pressed into running the hospital in King's Under the Dome were created out of the author's imagination — with the technical advice of PA Russell Dorr. Mr. Dorr is a physician assistant at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Family Practice in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and has been Stephen King's medical researcher and advisor since 1975, working behind the scenes when the best-selling author brings medical issues into his fictional worlds. Host Lisa Dandrea Lenell talks with Mr. Dorr about how he began working with Stephen King, and the connections between his work as a PA his involvement in King's books, movies and television miniseries.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP Every day, we hear about the rise of chronic disease and rates of obesity. How do we persuade patients to change their behavior in order to become healthier? A new answer may lie in the field of wellness coaching. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner, wellness coach and visiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York City, talks with host Mimi Secor about the evidence-based methodology behind wellness coaching. They also cover certification requirements and how NPs and PAs interested in career opportunities in this field can set up a wellness practice.

Guest: Eileen O'Grady, PhD, RN, NP Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP How does the medical home fit into the rapidly changing healthcare model in the United States? The idea of the medical home isn't a new one. It's actually based on a concept created by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the 1960s. Dr. Eileen O'Grady, nurse practitioner and visiiting professor at the Leinhard School of Nursing at Pace University in New York, joins host Mimi Secor to explain how the medical home works, the technology needed to set it up and the opportunities the advanced practice clinician will play in this healthcare model.

Guest: Elizabeth Sheehan Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA Seven hundred women a day receive medical care inside moldy tents on the grounds of what once was the Grace Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. But their circumstances will soon improve, thanks to an innovative nonprofit organization, Containers to Clinics, launched by PA Elizabeth Sheehan. Containers to Clinics converts empty shipping containers into state-of-the-art medical facilities in rural areas where electricity, running water and quality medical care are hard to find. Lisa Dandrea Lenell talks to Sheehan about where the idea for Containers to Clinics came from, what it takes to set up a container and what the organization is doing to help the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January 2010.

Guest: Donald Sefcik, MD Host: Lisa Dandrea Lenell, PA-C, MPAS, MBA After many years of discussion, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) will offer PAs Certificates of Added Qualification in 5 specialties, beginning in 2011. Dr. Don Sefcik, chairman of the NCCPA, joins host Lisa Dandrea Lenell to explain what it takes to obtain certification, what the benefits are to PAs, and why the NCCPA decided to institute the certification now, with the nation's healthcare system in flux.

Guest: Barbara Phillips Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP Millions of people worldwide have Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. What do you need to know about today's Internet-savvy e-Patient, who uses online tools to share information with their medical providers, search for medical information, and manage and cope with their medical conditions. Nurse practitioner Barbara Phillips, founder and CEO of NP Choice, LLC, joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how to effectively connect with your patients, and how to set up online policies and online identities.