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S J Gates

Publications and source records attributed to S J Gates.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Imaging of the orthopaedic patient: implications for primary care.

Pain in the skeleton is the foundation on which this article is based. Patients with musculoskeletal pain are frequently seen in primary care. There are many diagnostic imaging studies available to aid the practitioner in formulating and confirming a working diagnosis. This article offers specific guidelines for ordering imaging studies for common orthopaedic problems. The authors take into consideration costs and reliability of tests with each recommendation. The trend in many cases is to order magnetic resonance imaging scans rather than traditional radiographs. The indications for the commonly requested studies are reviewed.

Bone Diseases↗
PubMed1976

Lowering appointment failures in a neighborhood health center.

Failure to keep appointments constitutes a barrier to the delivery of continuous care in many comprehensive health care facilities. At a neighborhood health center in Pittsburgh, Pa., 336 appointments were studied to determine whether reminder letters or reminder calls could improve compliance with appointments scheduled more than three weeks in advance. The failure rate in the control group was 38 per cent compared with 10 per cent for the letter reminder group and 9 per cent for the telephone reminder group. The differences in kept, cancelled, and failed rates between letter and telephone groups were not statistically significant (p greater than .05). The kept rate increased with patient's age in all three groups. Complicance was not affected by sex of the patient, length of time that appointment was scheduled in advance, or day of the week. Compliance was greatest among appointments scheduled for chronic illness follow-up and physical examinations, and least among appointments scheduled for "screening."

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Direct third-party reimbursement for nursing.

Research data gathered during the last 10 years indicates that nurses and nurse practitioners practice in a safe, cost-effective manner. However, due to the lack of direct third-party reimbursement, nurses have been unable to directly impact the marketplace and demonstrate their fiscal credibility. Increasing client access to affordable health care is the primary reason that nurses and nurse practitioners seek direct third-party reimbursement. This article presents an overview of reimbursement for nurses, emphasizing the importance of obtaining direct third-party reimbursement, while explaining traditional insurance programs, current reimbursement policies, obstacles that must be overcome, and the out-look for the future.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Continuity of care: the orthopaedic nurse practitioner in tertiary care.

Since 1965 registered nurses have been educated to perform expanded functions in primary health care. The nurse provider role evolved from a shortage of primary health care providers. "Nurse practitioners" were needed to increase access to health care in urban and rural areas of the country that lacked the necessary number of providers to give quality patient care. Until recently, the majority of nurse practitioners have continued in the traditional primary care role, practicing in clinics, private physician offices, and on an independent basis. However, many factors now provide the impetus to have nurse practitioners develop tertiary care practices within the nation's acute care hospitals. This article describes the development and implementation of an orthopaedic collaborative practice in tertiary care.

Adult↗