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NEW PORT RICHEY, FL (PRWEB) January 14, 2013

Florida residents may be relieved to know that the powerful crackdown on pill mills (facilities illegally prescribing and selling narcotic prescription drugs) is working. Nearly half of the pill mills in the Sunshine State have been shut down, but Novus Medical Detox, a drug detoxification facility with a 90% patient completion rate, warns people that while the illegal drug providers may be vanishing from the area, the repercussions for Floridians may come in the form of painful withdrawals.

Statistics reported by the Wall Street Journal revealed that more than 16,500 people die every year in the U.S. due to overdosing on opioid painkillers (those sold via the illicit pill mills), currently making them the nation?s deadliest drugs, outpacing heroin and cocaine combined (1). With that many people taking drugs, the disappearance of pill mills is only one step to solving the epidemic that is now spreading to other states.

Since Florida?s efforts began against the unlawful sales of prescription drugs, Georgia now has 125 such clinics compared to fewer than 10 in 2010, according to the Georgia?s Drug and Narcotics Agency (1). Novus? Director, Kirk Burness, says that not all Floridians who had access to the local pill mills will be able to travel to Georgia. While that may seem like a good thing, Burness warns that withdrawal from opioids is an extremely dangerous process and should not be done ?coldturkey?.

?Residents in Florida who once used those pill mills to aid their addictions will experience dangerous and sometimes deadly withdrawal symptoms if they cannot obtain their meds,? Burness commented. ?I only hope that the declining number of pill mills kick-starts people?s decisions to enter into a healthier, drug-free life ?and that?s where we can help.?

For those individuals who are looking to detox safely and comfortably, Novus Medical Detox has individualized treatment plans which are tailored to their patient?s needs. Novus uses state-of-the-art medical protocols in combination with natural supplements, nutritious meals and extensive use of nutrient-enriched IV treatments, all of which together enable the detox process to be as painless as possible. Novus? proprietary vitamin cocktail is an advanced medical discovery that allows Novus to handle the toughest of prescription drug cases ? those that other drug detox facilities will not accept.

Novus? detox programs have a high success rate due to their medical team being skilled in keeping patients from getting sick during the withdrawal process ? a dread worse than death to most addicts. Novus? branded detox process leads to many completing detox in under two weeks. Patients have 24/7 access to nursing care and withdrawal specialist assistance.

?Our facility assists people from all over the United States to get their lives back? not just Floridians. I feel for Georgia residents who are being threatened with the same pill mills that ravaged [Florida] individuals,? Burness added. ?Even so, we can help.?

To learn more about the Novus Medical Detox Center and its drug and addiction detox programs, visit http://www.NovusDetox.com.

About the Novus Medical Detox Center

The Novus Medical Detox Center offers safe, effective alcohol and drug treatment programs in a home-like residential setting. Located on 3.25 tree-lined acres in New Port Richey, Fla., Novus is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families as an in-patient medical detox facility. Novus is known for minimizing the discomfort of withdrawal from prescription medication, drugs and alcohol by creating a customized detox program for each patient, incorporating medication, natural supplements and fluid replenishment?putting dignity and humanity back into drug detoxification. Patients have 24/7 medical supervision, including round-the-clock nursing care and access to a withdrawal specialist, and enjoy comfortable private or shared rooms with a telephone, television, DVD player and high-speed Internet access. For more information on Novus Medical Detox Center, visit http://www.NovusDetox.com.

(1) Bizjournals.com. December 26, 2012. ?Pill mills flee Florida for Georgia.? bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/morning-edition/2012/12/pill-mills-flee-florida-for-georgia.html

Boca Raton, FL (PRWEB) August 22, 2012

Florida Atlantic University has announced the introduction of a joint initiative with PointClickCare, the long-term care industry?s most widely used Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform, to develop a fully integrated, electronic version of its INTERACT quality improvement program ? eINTERACT?. Interventions to Reduce Unnecessary Hospitalizations of Nursing Home Residents or INTERACT is a quality improvement program designed to facilitate the early identification, evaluation, documentation and communication about changes in the status of residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNF), and provide the necessary tools to manage conditions before they become serious enough to necessitate a hospital transfer. The primary goal of the initiative is to bring the significant quality improvements of the INTERACT program to EHR software platforms through an industry-standard certification program.

?We are extremely pleased to be working with PointClickCare to provide ease-of-use and electronic decision support tools based on our INTERACT program,? said Dr. Joseph Ouslander, M.D., senior associate dean of geriatric programs at FAU?s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. ?We knew this initiative required input and expertise from both the provider and EHR vendor perspectives. Given their market leadership position, along with the breadth and depth of experience in developing and delivering EHR solutions to the long-term care and post-acute care industry, collaborating with PointClickCare is the obvious choice for us for this initiative.?

The eINTERACT program will leverage the fundamentals of the INTERACT clinical tools and build those into an EHR. By embedding standard nomenclature and proven clinical protocols (including methods for identification, evaluation, documentation, and inter-provider communication) for specific health events directly within the electronic workflow framework of an EHR system, many acute care transfers can be avoided without the need for providers to manage these efforts through multiple applications.

?Re-hospitalization is one of the most pressing issues facing hospitals and skilled nursing facilities today and we are keen to play a key role in working toward an industry-standard solution in the form of eINTERACT,? said Mike Wessinger, CEO of PointClickCare. ?We are proud to have been selected by Dr. Ouslander and his team to participate in this initiative and look forward to the positive impact this program will have on helping to reduce the estimated $ 4.34 billion problem to Medicare for unnecessary re-hospitalizations in long-term care settings.?

Ouslander and Ruth Tappen, Ed.D., R.N., Christine E. Lynn Eminent Scholar, FAU?s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing are co-directors of INTERACT and are collaborating on this project to help address the national imperative for innovative strategies to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries and reduce healthcare costs.

Starting Monday, October 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and some Medicare Advantage plans will implement severe reimbursement penalties for a 30-day re-hospitalization, beginning with 1 percent of a hospital?s entire Medicare billings — climbing to 2 percent in 2013, and 3 percent by 2014.

Once the research and development of the program is complete, eINTERACT certification will be made available to EHR software vendors seeking to certify their platforms.

More Information:

Florida Atlantic University and PointClickCare will be hosting two educational webinars on the topics of INTERACT and eINTERACT. To register for one of these events, or for more information on eINTERACT, please visit http://www.einteract.info. For more information on the INTERACT quality improvement program, please visit http://www.interact2.net.

? FAU ?

About PointClickCare

PointClickCare is the most widely-used EHR platform for the long-term care industry. The combination of PointClickCare?s intuitive web-based software and value-driven implementation model enables long-term care providers of all sizes, from single independent homes to the largest multi-facility providers, to deliver a higher standard of health care while experiencing superior financial performance. Over 7,000 long-term care providers throughout North America, including 8 of the top 10 largest US chains, have chosen to trust their business to PointClickCare. For more information on PointClickCare, visit http://www.pointclickcare.com.

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $ 6.3 billion, serves more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU?s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes ? marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges ? which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU?s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu.

Largo, FL (PRWEB) July 03, 2012

In light of the effects of Tropical Storm Debby, which contributed to flooding in several areas along the gulf coast during the last week of June, Florida insurance agency Patrons Insurance Agency, Inc. urges Floridians to recognize the need for flood insurance.

Rainfall exceeded 12 inches in Gainsville and Jacksonville, and Tampa set a new record for June rainfall totaling 18.66 inches. Hundreds of homes and businesses experienced flooding, including homes in areas where homeowners were told they didn?t need to purchase flood insurance.

Several Pasco County residents told a local news station they were told they didn?t need to purchase flood insurance when they bought their homes, even though their homes were situated in a ?Zone A? flood zone.

Patrons Insurance Agency would have advised these residents otherwise. As a local Florida agency that?s been serving the state since 1991, Patrons has a thorough understanding of how flood insurance works and who needs it. The agents at Patrons believe now is as good a time as any to educate Florida residents about the importance of flood insurance, especially in areas that are at or below sea level.

In fact, everyone lives in a flood zone and most homeowners insurance policies don?t cover damage brought on by flooding. Most people think flood insurance is way too expensive, but the facts are there are several discounts available.

People living in moderate to low risk areas can get a Preferred Risk Policy, with flood insurance premiums as low as $ 129 per year, according to the National Flood Insurance Program. Even residents who are hoping to skip the flood insurance and rely on federal disaster assistance, should a flooding effect their property, should be aware that those are loans that must be paid back with interest. The cost of those loans can be about $ 240 per month, whereas a flood insurance premium could be around $ 33 per month.

These are all reasons Florida residents should consider purchasing flood insurance from a Florida insurance agency they trust. And Patrons Insurance Agency would like to be that agency. With several years of experience and a commitment to finding clients the best coverage at competitive rates, Patrons prides itself on being able to deliver what it promises. Call 888.721.1949 for more details.

About Patrons Insurance Agency, Inc.:

Patrons Insurance Agency, Inc. is a family owned and operated Florida insurance agency. The agency has been protecting families and businesses since 1991, and it works with each client to get the best coverage for his or her unique situation at the lowest possible cost. The fact that it is an independent insurance agency means that Patrons Insurance Agency, Inc. works for you, not the insurance companies. You?re more than a number to us. Our clients are our friends and neighbors. They?re real people who need real solutions to their insurance concerns. At Patrons Insurance Agency, Inc. we?re proud to offer the more effective home, auto, business and health insurance solutions ? and so much more!