by medicaltechont | Jan 3, 2025 | Medical News, Virus, World
Metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a common respiratory virus that can infect people of all ages, but it’s most common in infants and young children. It can cause a range of illnesses, from mild cold-like symptoms to severe pneumonia.
Symptoms of Metapneumovirus
Symptoms of hMPV infection can vary widely, but may include:
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Fever
- Wheezing
- Difficulty breathing
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
In severe cases, hMPV can cause:
- Bronchiolitis: Inflammation of the small airways in the lungs
- Pneumonia: Infection of the lungs
Who is at risk for Metapneumovirus?
- Infants and young children
- Premature infants
- Children with weakened immune systems
- Older adults
- People with chronic health conditions such as asthma, heart disease, or lung disease
How is Metapneumovirus spread?
hMPV spreads through:
- Respiratory droplets: When an infected person coughs or sneezes, they release tiny droplets containing the virus into the air.
- Direct contact: Touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Prevention of Metapneumovirus
There is no vaccine to prevent hMPV infection. However, you can take steps to reduce your risk of infection, such as:
- Frequent handwashing: Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after being in public places and before eating or preparing food.
- Covering coughs and sneezes: Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and then dispose of the tissue properly.
- Avoiding close contact: Stay away from people who are sick.
Treatment of Metapneumovirus
Most people with hMPV infection will recover on their own within a week or two. However, there are treatments available for severe cases, such as:
- Antiviral medications: In some cases, antiviral medications may be prescribed to shorten the duration of illness.
- Supportive care: This may include fluids, fever reducers, and pain relievers.
When to see a doctor
You should see a doctor if you or your child experiences any of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid breathing
- Bluish color to the skin
- Fever that lasts longer than a few days
- Signs of dehydration
Conclusion
Metapneumovirus is a common respiratory virus that can cause a range of illnesses. While there is no vaccine to prevent hMPV infection, you can take steps to reduce your risk of infection and seek medical attention if you or your child experiences severe symptoms.
Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult with a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions.
by medicaltechont | Feb 8, 2017 | Canada, Doctors, Healthcare
Sharing his full story is a start: making an effort to explain how someone trained to recognize and fix the medical problems of strangers couldn’t diagnose or heal himself. Gebien knew all about the dangers of fentanyl yet that didn’t stop him from becoming an addict and destroying his life. And the health care system he worked in seemed unable to halt or help him.
Read more online at http://www.macleans.ca/society/how-fentanyl-turned-an-er-doctor-into-an-addict/
by medicaltechont | Oct 25, 2015 | OHIP Billing, Ontario
Toronto dermatologist Ben Barankin is adamant that the cuts by Kathleen Wynne’s government to doctors’ service fees will create a huge impact on patients in the coming months.
Barankin, who has been in practice for 10 years, said staff will have to be let go, there will be longer wait times for OHIP-funded treatments and insisted the government’s moves are “pushing” specialists — like him — who also operate private clinics, closer towards a two-tiered system.
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/18/doc-warns-of-longer-waits-for-ohip-funded-procedures
by medicaltechont | Feb 14, 2015 | United States
Modernizing Medicine, creator of the Electronic Medical Assistant (EMA), a cloud-based, specialty-specific electronic medical record (EMR) system, on January 29 responded to recent announcements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and leading health insurers, regarding the concerted push away from fee-for-service healthcare models in favor of outcome-based reimbursements.
CMS has announced that 85 percent of Medicare payments in 2016 could be based on quality of care, and that number could grow to 90 percent in 2018. Additionally, a UnitedHealth Group executive was reported to have said that the company plans to increase value- based payments to doctors and hospitals by 20 percent this year, forecasting over $40 billion in payments tied to value or quality of care.
“This major shift in payment models requires the right tools and reporting systems if physicians and provider organizations want to safeguard against penalties from volume-based medicine and benefit from related incentives,” said Modernizing Medicine’s CEO and Co- founder Dan Cane in a statement issued following the recent announcements from CMS and HHS. “Modernizing Medicine is deeply committed to the physicians and healthcare professionals we serve, and we believe that health information technology vendors share a large part of the responsibility to ease the impending transition toward quality reporting and outcomes-based reimbursements.”
Unlike EMRs using templates or macros, EMA was designed with unique structured data technology that handles the Value-based Payment Modifier and enables quality reporting including Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) program reporting. Cane believes Modernizing Medicine is in a market leading position in providing a system that addresses this burden for physicians, enabling them to focus on practicing medicine without fear of the upcoming changes.
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by medicaltechont | Mar 15, 2010 | Healthcare
The folks at Medsphere, which licenses hospital software based on the VA’s open source VistA system, has launched aStimulus ROI Calculator, a handy way for evaluating its software based on that sweet, sweet stimulus cash, and of getting your hospital on its radar.
It’s a good thing.
But if you’re looking at health IT, especially if you’re a clinic, a stimulus calculator is not the first place you should be looking.
During the HIMSS show I got this clue in the Kryptiq booth, from Thomas Landholt (right), who runs a family clinic in Missouri and has been through the automation wars.
His advice? First write a business plan.
Whether you can afford an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system is one thing. But if government money is going to be your sole motivator, your automation effort is going to fail.
Instead, he suggested, treat your EMR investment just as you would an investment in a new imaging system, or lab system, or any other major purchase you are making for your business. That’s what your clinic is, a business.
Doctors resist thinking of themselves as businessmen, but unless you’re drawing a paycheck that’s what you are. And the biggest mistake many doctors make is spending all their time working in their business, rather than on their business.
Writing a business plan is working on your business. Figure out how you’re going to profit from this investment. Add up all the costs, list all the benefits. Put numbers on them. Do research to make certain the numbers are accurate.
What Landholt found, in building out his own EMR system, was that it helped him re-engineer his business. He put his nursing station in sight of the reception desk. He put in secure messaging to reduce the cost of connecting with patients, and increase communication. He changed workflows.
These are some of the things EMR software is designed to enable, under the stimulus. But what the software really does is provide you the opportunity to get inside your business and make it work better, more efficiently. You can lower costs and provide better care once you have access to your own data.
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