Newsweek recently named the 80 Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers for 2022 in America. Oregon had four on the list and the Grants Pass Surgery Center was included! They chose the 25 states with the most ambulatory surgery centers. The official name of the GPSC is Surgical Care Affiliates-Grants Pass Surgery Center. Look for it in the section for the state of Oregon within the article. Both Dr. Van Horne and Dr. Bents at Paragon Orthopedic Center perform surgeries at the Grants Pass Surgery Center for many reasons, but at the top of the list is this: it provides a surgical option for the patient that is more personalized, efficient, and usually much less expensive than the hospital. Newsweek validates that the GPSC is an outstanding facility and it is wonderful that we have this option here in Southern Oregon. Check out the article here:
America’s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers 2022 (newsweek.com)
You might have read not to take ibuprofen if you’re getting the COVID vaccine because there is a risk of harm, or maybe your healthcare provider cautioned against you taking it after you were diagnosed COVID positive because it can worsen your symptoms. This is false, but the misinformation is still circulating. Some medical professionals have even been taken in by the low-quality evidence that spread this misinformation. Medical journals initially published these risks based on theories. No research has produced results to back up the advice. Again, there is no evidence that ibuprofen increases the risk of harm if you have COVID or if you get the vaccine. Here is an article that summarizes the events that led to the presumption of harm and then to the reviews of the literature that debunked any links to harm. It also has links to all of the research analysis. Paragon Orthopedic Center wants you to know the facts. It should be noted that ibuprofen, when taken before a vaccine, can mask an allergic reaction, so for this reason you might be told to avoid taking it. Always consult your healthcare professional before taking any medication.
Ibuprofen and COVID-19: Risks, vaccine, and more (medicalnewstoday.com)
Paragon Orthopedic Center works every month to bring you something that makes you a little healthier and a little smarter. Read, learn, and pass it on. Enjoy!
Paragon Press, October 2021
To follow up our blog yesterday, we are continuing the important conversation about “non-profit” hospitals. The moniker “non-profit” can sound confusing for some hospitals because you pay bills for their income and it is not relying mainly on donations as other non-profits, like charities, do. We now have groups who are keeping tabs on the income of the CEO’s of many charities, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, so you know how your donated money is spent. Hopefully, hospitals will be made more transparent as well, so you can make your healthcare decisions with full disclosure about how your money is used. They aren’t always as innocent as non-profit charities, whose goal is to give back as much as possible. The Trump Administration passed a rule that went into effect Jan. 1, 2021 that hospitals must have price transparency. More information about where money at these non-profit hospitals is spent is needed. The Paragon Orthopedic Center blog has discussed how you can often save a lot of your hard earned money by using the surgery center instead of a hospital. When you have a choice about your healthcare, take the time to know for what you are paying.
Non-Profit Hospitals Are Making a Killing – Foundation for Economic Education (fee.org)
In this day and age, hospitals are dealing with millions of healthcare dollars and they hardly seem like what one would think of as non-profit. Many think of a church or philanthropic organization when they think of non-profit because theoretically, through their untaxed status, they are able to give back more. How does a non-profit hospital give back and does it differ much from a for-profit hospital? There is a volume-driven component to non-profit hospitals that helps keep them afloat. Your care could be guided by what the hospital needs you to have done. An article by the Orlando Sentinel gives examples of how this happens and details the decisions of the non-profit in an understandable way. Medicare rates hospitals based on patient satisfaction, so the hospital that has the more modern look and patient amenities might win better ratings, and non-profits, while trying to gain dominance over a for-profit hospital, know this. They buy up small clinics and medical practices that lessen the provider options in your area. This article does an excellent job of exposing some of the underbelly of hospital income/motivations. Paragon Orthopedics will follow up with another article on this subject tomorrow. The information is eye-opening.
Are nonprofit hospitals truly not for profit? – Orlando Sentinel
Southern Oregon weather is colder and pharmacies are telling you they have the seasonal flu vaccine in stock. Have you wondered how to tell the difference between the seasonal flu symptoms and those of the COVID-19 virus? The Mayo Clinic has a brilliant article that goes over not only the differences, but also details the similarities. Another topic in this article is how COVID might affect this year’s flu season. Take a few moments to read up on this, so that when symptoms hit you or a loved one, you’ll have a better idea about what the body is fighting. It will also help you break down the symptoms better for your healthcare provider, if you need professional help. Educate yourself Southern Oregon and then help others!
COVID-19 vs. flu: Similarities and differences – Mayo Clinic
Paragon Orthopedic Center sends its condolences out to the family of Gen. Colin Powell. We are ever grateful for his dedication to making this country a better place and for the years of service he spent doing just that. He will be remembered as a very great American.
Remembering Colin Powell upon his death: Former President Bush calls him ‘a great public servant’ | Fox News
Here we have the modern, more empowered words for “patient” in the year 2021: healthcare consumer. Patients are now in an era of making decisions to direct their healthcare instead of the doctor always knowing what is best. For some, this is a bewildering thought because a doctor’s authority can be comforting. After all, they spent the years in medical school and read the scientific literature. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal explores this concept and the psychological principals on which we make our decisions. Do you choose your doctor based on likeability, or do you go by the number of successful outcomes they have? It is a worthy read to help you understand your expectations of the healthcare visit before you get there and think about your own desires to be an active participant in the decisions that might need to be made. You will find all of our staff at Paragon Orthopedics ready to help you with questions as you go. Dr. Bents and Dr. Van Horne believe your visit is a partnership to give you the best outcome. Click here to read the full article:
Can Patients Decide Their Own Care? – WSJ
Southern Oregon is seeing the weather take a dramatic turn toward cooler fall temperatures and wetter forecasts. Dr. Bents at Paragon Orthopedics has many patients who claim the colder weather makes their arthritis worse, or even that they can predict the weather based on how their joints feel in the morning. Does research back this up? The short answer based on the research is no, and it is an astounding amount of data, but keep your mind open. More than 11 million medical visits that happened on more than 2 million rainy days and 9 million dry days say there is no link between weather and achy joints. So, does research matter when your personal experience tells you the opposite? Harvard Medicine has an article with an intriguing answer to this question and helps you understand our memory better. The article points out how facts aren’t always the end of the story. Read more here:
Does weather affect arthritis pain? – Harvard Health
