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Stay Connected with RCMS
Scroll down to see the latest updates and click the button below to subscribe to The Pulse to get regular updates from RCMS directly to your email inbox. |
Treasurer’s Financial
Snapshot from March 27, 2024 Board Meeting Drew McCalley The RCMS Board is committed to increasing transparency and communication with the community. Each month we will share a financial snapshot. Complete financial reports are available on our webpage via the link at the end of this post. RCMS Treasurer’s Financial Snapshot by Drew McCalley As of the end of February, RCMS's financial results continue to be better than budgeted and our financial position remains strong. In February, Primary Care visits recovered somewhat from their dip in January, but remained below budget. As has been the case throughout this fiscal year, lower Primary Care visits were partly offset by higher Urgent Care visits. Overall, patient service revenue remains above budget year to date, and the bottom line is positive and significantly better than budget, largely due to expenses running below budget. However, one part of expenses, personnel expenses, is trending upward and will be over budget for the remainder of the fiscal year ending in June. Despite these financial challenges, we remain confident that we will be able to maintain our sound financial condition going forward. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing (“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra. Symptoms generally develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. People with PD may experience:
The cause remains largely unknown. Although there is no cure, treatment options vary and include medications and surgery. While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rated complications from PD as the 14th cause of death in the United States. The first step to living well with Parkinson’s disease is to understand the disease and the progression: It is possible to have a good to great quality of life with PD. Working with your doctor and following recommended therapies are essential in successfully treating symptoms by using dopaminergic medications. People with PD need this medication because they have low levels or are missing dopamine in the brain, mainly due to impairment of neurons in the substantia nigra. It is important to understand that people with PD first start experiencing symptoms later in the course of the disease because a significant amount of the substantia nigra neurons have already been lost or impaired. Lewy bodies (accumulation of abnormal alpha-synuclein) are found in substantia nigra neurons of PD patients. Scientists are exploring ways to identify biomarkers for PD that can lead to earlier diagnosis and more tailored treatments to slow down the disease process. Currently, all therapies used for PD improve symptoms without slowing or halting the disease progression. In addition to movement-related (“motor”) symptoms, Parkinson’s symptoms may be unrelated to movement (“non-motor”).People with PD are often more impacted by their non-motor symptoms than motor symptoms. Examples of non-motor symptoms include: apathy, depression, constipation, sleep behavior disorders, loss of sense of smell and cognitive impairment. In idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, progression tends to be slow and variable. Doctors often use the Hoehn and Yahr scale to gauge the progression of the disease over the years. The scale was originally implemented in 1967 and it included stages zero to five, where zero is no signs of Parkinson’s and five is advanced PD. It was later changed to become the modified Hoehn and Yahr scale. Page reviewed by Dr. Ahmad Elkouzi, Movement Disorders Fellow at the University of Florida, a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence. For more information and resources visit Parkinson's Foundation at: https://www.parkinson.org/ Stay covered! Your local Medi-Cal office will review your eligibility every year. You may be renewed automatically. They’ll reach out to you when it’s your turn. Make sure your information is up to date. Learn more at Medi-Cal.dhcs.ca.gov.
If you have questions or need assistance with your renewal paperwork, RCMS has free assistance available. For more information call: Javier Chavez 707.884.9670 ¡Mantenga su cobertra! Su oficina local de Medi-Cal revisará su elegibilidad cada año. Puede que su renovación sea automática. Se comunicarán con usted cuando le toque hacer su renovación. Revise que su información esté actualizada. Más información en Medi-Cal.dhcs.ca.gov. Si tiene preguntas o necesita ayuda con su trámite de renovación, RCMS tiene asistencia gratuita disponible. Para mas informacion llame: Javier Chavez 707.884.9670 National Doctors’ Week is March 25-31, 2024 so we are honoring our doctors today with heartfelt thanks!
Each year National Doctors’ Week is celebrated in the U.S. on March 30th. It is a week that honors doctors for the work they do for their patients, the communities they work in, and for society as a whole. Their hard work and devotion keeps all of us healthy and this acknowledgment is just a small way to say thanks to them for doing that for us and our loved ones. Thank you to our Doctors here at RCMS! Dr. Afsoon, DO | Dr. Bennett, DDS | Dr. Bertolli, MD | Dr. Leong, DDS | Dr. Thomas, DMD We are thrilled to unveil the latest addition to our healthcare services at RCMS - the long-awaited Patient Portal. After years of dedicated effort from our healthcare team, we are excited to announce that the RCMS Patient Portal is now live and accessible to all our patients. The RCMS Patient Portal serves as a centralized platform designed to revolutionize how you manage your healthcare records. With just a few clicks, you can securely access your medical information, prescriptions, and more, all in one convenient location. Say goodbye to cumbersome paperwork and hello to streamlined healthcare management. If you haven't already taken advantage of this innovative tool, creating your account is quick and simple. Just visit our login page and follow the easy steps to set up your account. Once registered, you'll gain instant access to the wealth of resources available through the Patient Portal. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated individuals who played a pivotal role in bringing the Patient Portal to fruition. From our hardworking staff and supportive board members to the invaluable feedback provided by our patients during the testing phase, this achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration and community. At RCMS, we are committed to enhancing your healthcare experience, and the launch of our Patient Portal is a significant step towards that goal. We look forward to empowering you with greater control over your health journey and providing unparalleled support every step of the way. Take charge of your healthcare today with the RCMS Patient Portal. Your health, your records, your way. We send surveys to our patients to get their feedback on our service. The feedback helps us know what we are doing right and where we can get better. The results of the survey are used by our performance improvement and quality improvement teams and are actively used to improve our delivery and provide you with the best possible service. Here are some excerpts from our survey responses: "Thank you RCMS staff! Always friendly and professional." "My nurse that took care of me was an angel. She took great care of me and was so sweet and professional and kind. As was my doctor." "Even though it was a busy day, your staff got me in at the end of the day with very little wait. The doctor came up with a solution (new inhaler with steroid) that cleared the awful cough up in one day! It was a very successful visit. Thank you all!" "I have always appreciated the prompt efficient care I receive at RCMS. All care givers are professional, caring, and very knowledgeable." "The attending nurse was excellent. She was very knowledgeable and explained the rash, itching, etc. very clearly." Treasurer’s Financial Snapshot from February 28, 2024 Board Meeting
Drew McCalley The RCMS Board is committed to increasing transparency and communication with the community. Each month we will share a financial snapshot. Complete financial reports are available on our webpage via the link at the end of this post. RCMS Treasurer’s Financial Snapshot by Drew McCalley As of the end of January, RCMS is more than halfway through its fiscal year, and at this point the financial results are better than budgeted and our financial position remains strong. In January, Primary Care visits took a dip largely due to the stormy weather heavily impacting both patients and providers during the last two days of the month. This drop was partly offset by higher Urgent Care visits. But overall, patient service revenue remains above budget year to date, and the bottom line is positive and significantly better than budget. Upward pressures and trends continue in the area of personnel expenses (which constitute more than two-thirds of our expenses), but these increases are manageable, and we feel confident that we will be able to maintain our sound financial condition going forward. CEO Report Notes from February 28, 2024 Board Meeting Ara Chakrabarti, CEO The following is an outline of comments from the CEO at the recent Redwood Coast Medical Services (RCMS) Board Meeting. Community Communication
Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. Regular screening, beginning at age 45, is the key to preventing colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum). If you’re 45 to 75 years old, get screened for colorectal cancer regularly. If you’re younger than 45 and think you may be at high risk of getting colorectal cancer, or if you’re older than 75, talk to your doctor about screening. Colorectal polyps and colorectal cancer don’t always cause symptoms, especially at first. That is why getting screened regularly for colorectal cancer is so important. Screening Test Options Several screening tests can be used to find polyps or colorectal cancer, including some that you can do at home. Each test has advantages and disadvantages. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of each test, and how often to be tested. To schedule an appointment, call RCMS 707.884.4005. For more information please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/colorectalawareness/index.htm |
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