Physicians are required by CMS to screen seniors for fall risk by asking them if they have fallen in the last 12 months. Seems reasonable, right? No one wants to see seniors fall. Not only does it dramatically affect their quality of life after a fall but the costs associated with falls are astounding. The CDC reports that in 2013, 2.5 million nonfatal falls among adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 734,000 of these patients were hospitalized. The direct medical costs of these falls, adjusted for inflation: $34 Billion. The CDC further reports that 20-30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries
The problem for physicians though is at the point of screening. Once a senior is screened and determined to be at risk for fall, the physician is supposed to assess their risk and determine what to do from there. That takes time and time is money. Asking follow up questions to assess the fall risk is time-consuming and doesn’t reimburse the physician well for his time, if at all.
What if there was a test that could be performed by a medical assistant in the office in less than 15 minutes to quickly diagnose the problem, included a treatment plan, added 3 points toward Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reimbursed at $250. The patient gets an accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and the physician is compensated for his time and expertise- a true WIN-WIN!
The solution is the Vestibular Autorotation Test or VAT. Easy to use and non-invasive, the VAT provides invaluable diagnostic information on a patient’s vestibular ocular reflex. The VAT can determine how quickly a patient’s eyes are tracking with its environment, if they are stopping when they should and if the inner ear has proper control. Deficiencies in any of these areas represent a vestibular dysfunction and indicate that a patient is at risk for falling. Due to the fact that vestibular dysfunction is asymptomatic, physicians and patients alike will not know of the problem until the patient falls.
The good news: vestibular dysfunction is easily treatable. The VAT solution also contains a set of highly effective eye exercises that retrain the eyes to work in sync with the inner ear. The Mayo Clinic reports these exercises to be 90% effective.
Falling changes everything for seniors. With the Vestibular Autorotation Test, physicians are empowered to help prevent the catastrophic effects that come with falling.Physicians are required by CMS to screen seniors for fall risk by asking them if they have fallen in the last 12 months. Seems reasonable, right? No one wants to see seniors fall. Not only does it dramatically affect their quality of life after a fall but the costs associated with falls are astounding. The CDC reports that in 2013, 2.5 million nonfatal falls among adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 734,000 of these patients were hospitalized. The direct medical costs of these falls, adjusted for inflation: $34 Billion. The CDC further reports that 20-30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries.
The problem for physicians though is at the point of screening. Once a senior is screened and determined to be at risk for fall, the physician is supposed to assess their risk and determine what to do from there. That takes time and time is money. Asking follow up questions to assess the fall risk is time-consuming and doesn’t reimburse the physician well for his time, if at all.
What if there was a test that could be performed by a medical assistant in the office in less than 15 minutes to quickly diagnose the problem, included a treatment plan, added 3 points toward Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and reimbursed at $250. The patient gets an accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and the physician is compensated for his time and expertise- a true WIN-WIN!
The solution is the Vestibular Autorotation Test or VAT. Easy to use and non-invasive, the VAT provides invaluable diagnostic information on a patient’s vestibular ocular reflex. The VAT can determine how quickly a patient’s eyes are tracking with its environment, if they are stopping when they should and if the inner ear has proper control. Deficiencies in any of these areas represent a vestibular dysfunction and indicate that a patient is at risk for falling. Due to the fact that vestibular dysfunction is asymptomatic, physicians and patients alike will not know of the problem until the patient falls.
The good news: vestibular dysfunction is easily treatable. The VAT solution also contains a set of highly effective eye exercises that retrain the eyes to work in sync with the inner ear. The Mayo Clinic reports these exercises to be 90% effective.
Falling changes everything for seniors. With the Vestibular Autorotation Test, physicians are empowered to help prevent the catastrophic effects that come with falling.