FUNCTIONAL MED HEALTH SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

A physician who provides long-term, comprehensive care in the office and the hospital, managing both common and complex illness of adolescents, adults and the elderly. Internists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infections and diseases affecting the heart, blood, kidneys, joints and digestive, respiratory and vascular systems. They are also trained in the essentials of primary care internal medicine, which incorporates an understanding of disease prevention, wellness, substance abuse, mental health and effective treatment of common problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system and reproductive organs.

Health educators work in a variety of settings providing education to individuals or groups of individuals on healthy behaviors, wellness, and health-related topics with the goal of preventing diseases and health problems. Health educators generally require a bachelor's degree and may receive additional training, such as through mentoring, internships, or volunteer work.

A person who provides case management services and assists an individual in gaining access to needed medical, social, educational, and/or other services. The person has the ability to provide an assessment and review of completed plan of care on a periodic basis. This person is also able to take collaborative action to coordinate the services with other providers and monitor the enrollee's progress toward the cost-effective achievement of objectives specified in the plan of care. Credentials may vary from an experience in the fields of psychology, social work, rehabilitation, nursing or a closely related human service field, to a related Assoc of Arts Degree or to nursing credentials. Some states may require certification in case management.

A provider qualified by a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), licensed by the State and who practices chiropractic medicine -that discipline within the healing arts which deals with the nervous system and its relationship to the spinal column and its interrelationship with other body systems.

A sports chiropractor is uniquely trained to provide care and treatment of injuries or illness resulting from sports and physical fitness activities. Doctors of Chiropractic with the Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP) or the Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP), sport specialty certifications from the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, have advanced training in the assessment, management and rehabilitation of sports related injuries. Extremity care, rehabilitation and soft tissue procedures are common skills utilized by these doctors. The specialty training covers a broad spectrum from the pediatric athlete to professional and Olympic athletes, and everything in between, using a variety of techniques and modalities.

An acupuncturist is a person who performs ancient therapy for alleviation of pain, anesthesia and treatment of some diseases. Acupuncturists use long, fine needles inserted into specific points in order to treat painful conditions or produce anesthesia.

(1) A skilled nursing facility is a facility or distinct part of an institution whose primary function is to provide medical, continuous nursing, and other health and social services to patients who are not in an acute phase of illness requiring services in a hospital, but who require primary restorative or skilled nursing services on an inpatient basis above the level of intermediate or custodial care in order to reach a degree of body functioning to permit self care in essential daily living. It meets any licensing or certification standards et forth by the jurisdiction where it is located. A skilled nursing facility may be a freestanding facility or part of a hospital that has been certified by Medicare to admit patients requiring subacute care and rehabilitation; (2) Provides non-acute medical and skilled nursing care services, therapy and social services under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse on a 24-hour basis.

Chiropractic Nutrition is that specialty within the chiropractic profession that deals with the overall factors that affect the patient's ability to maintain the manipulative correction and thus sustain better neurological integrity. The Chiropractic Nutrition Specialist will perform extensive research on the patient's previous health history, ethnicity, and any family history related to what the patient is being treated for. Patients fill out questionnaires concerning dietary and sleep patterns and previous or present symptomology. A nutrition examination would be performed to assess areas such as absorption rates, adrenal function, kidney health, lung health etc. The patient is often instructed on how to check the pH of their saliva and urine, test for the presence of Candida Albicans, etc., at home. Outside laboratory testing includes blood, urine, hair analysis, food allergy testing etc. The patient's prescription and over the counter medications are recorded and analyzed.

A Nursing Care Agency is an entity that provides skilled nursing care through the services of a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), by employees, contracted individuals, or via a registry, in a variety of settings. The agency may engage in providing private duty nursing and/or staffing services.

A Registered Dietitian (RD)/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is an individual uniquely trained in the science of nutrition and practice of dietetics to design and provide medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and other evidence-based applications of the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) that exemplify the profession's systematic approach to providing high quality nutrition care. Registered dietitians provide MNT for the purpose of disease prevention or management, or to treat or rehabilitate an illness, injury, or condition, with the use of specific, indicated physical and cognitive nutrition care services comprised of one or more of the following aspects of the NCP: nutrition assessment/reassessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention (e.g., nutrition counseling, therapeutic diet ordering, and nutrition education) and nutrition monitoring and evaluation.

A public agency or private organization, or a subdivision of such an agency or organization, that is primarily engaged in providing skilled nursing services and other therapeutic services, such as physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, or occupational therapy, medical social services, and home health aide services. It has policies established by a professional group associated with the agency or organization (including at least one physician and one registered nurse) to govern the services and provides for supervision of such services by a physician or a registered nurse; maintains clinical records on all patients; is licensed in accordance with State or local law or is approved by the State or local licensing agency as meeting the licensing standards, where applicable; and meets other conditions found by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be necessary for health and safety.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also referred to as rehabilitation medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and treating patients with physical disabilities. These disabilities may arise from conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system such as neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as spinal cord injury, head injury or stroke. A physician certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation is often called a physiatrist. The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation. Pain management is often an important part of the role of the physiatrist. For diagnosis and evaluation, a physiatrist may include the techniques of electromyography to supplement the standard history, physical, x-ray and laboratory examinations. The physiatrist has expertise in the appropriate use of therapeutic exercise, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics and mechanical and electrical devices.

Source: NUCC, CMS