The concepts of quality improvement (QI) and performance improvement (PI) in healthcare are not new and have been around in some form for many years. Implementing best practices and establishing quality and safety standards ensures that a hyperbaric department attains a high level of safe patient care.
Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is a medical emergency that presents with the abrupt onset of an unexpected sudden sensory deficit that is often underappreciated by patients, and at times by clinicians. Approximately 88% of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) has no identifiable etiology and is termed ISSHL. Otolaryngologists have intensely investigated ISSHL since the 1970s. Over the past 30 years, more than 800 articles, or 1 every 2 weeks, have been published in the English medical literature.(89) Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is the abrupt onset of hearing loss, typically present upon wakening, usually unilateral, and involving a hearing loss of at least 30 decibels (dB) occurring within 3 days over at least 3 contiguous frequencies. As most patients do not present with premorbid audiograms, the degree of hearing loss is usually defined by the presentation thresholds of the unaffected ear. Other associated symptoms include tinnitus, aural fullness, dizziness, and vertigo.
With disease, oxygen delivery is compromised. The inflammatory response following infection is characterized by capillary leak and vasogenic edema that increases the diffusion distance between the vascular supply of dissolved and bound oxygen and adjacent tissues. Tissue edema also leads to variable degrees of tamponade and venous thrombosis, further compromising perfusion and oxygen delivery. Infection leads to microcirculatory shunting (reducing oxygen extraction) and mitochondrial uncoupling.
Have you heard of the Hyperbaric Certified - Safety (HC-S©) designation?
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Do you find yourself performing tasks in hyperbaric safety or as a Hyperbaric Program Director or Business Manager?
Are seeking advancement in the field of hyperbaric medicine? If so, this is an important weekend for you. Please read.
We receive a number of phone calls each week from folks inquiring how to become a Hyperbaric Technician, which is an added qualification to certain baseline credentials.
This article provides an update on the tragic death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper in a hyperbaric chamber fire on January 31, 2025, in Troy, Michigan; and an important call to action to all providers of hyperbaric medicine from the Executive Director of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.
Calling out to all Clinic managers, administrators, billers/coders, and medical directors:
Are You Ready To Increase Patient Load, Revenues, and Reimbursements For Your Wound Care or Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic Business?
Did you know there are ways to:
Manage revenue cycle to meet (and exceed) budget goals
Discover patient revenue left on the table due to incorrect medical coding
Increase patient load Become a profit center for the hospital
Five years ago Wound Care Education Partners wrote a blog "How to Become Certified in Hyperbaric Medicine". In those years since the original post the field Hyperbaric Medicine has grown significantly. According to hyperbaric oxygen therapy market insights the CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) for hperbaric medicine s expected to increase by 5.8% over the next four years. (TechNavo; Jan 2025, "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Market Size 2025-2029" )
Aerospace Medical Association &
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society:
