What You Should Know About Color-Coded Uniforms

For sure you have noticed that medical personnel's uniforms are color-coded nowadays. Have you tried to ask yourself what these colors connote? Gone were the days that you only see white as the only color of uniforms off medical personnel because medical uniforms evolved with time and you can see different colors uniforms of medical professionals nowadays.

Medicine is an important profession because it connotes unselfish service to the people. For years, medical personnel like doctors, nurses and dentists wore uniforms which are distinct from other professions in the industry. These uniforms not only signify their noble service to the people, but also enhance their honor and dignity.

History of medical uniforms

Even though medicine existed since the earliest time, it was only at the start of the 19th century that doctors performed surgical procedures. However, even such important task, they performed surgery with their street clothes on. Because surgery is a bloody process, they would often ruin their clothes with blood and other fluids. To protect their clothes, they started to wear butcher's apron during surgery and soon replaced with the white uniform. Like their street uniform, the white uniforms easily get dirt and the sight of blood on their uniform is not only untidy but unsanitary and risky for other patients as well. In response to the problem, their uniforms are changed to green during surgery.

Not only doctor's uniform evolved along with time, but nurses and other medical professionals as well. Previously, nurses used to wear aprons, caps and their standard white uniform. In 1990s their uniforms are changed to medical scrubs to provide convenience and comfort while performing their tedious tasks. This trend started in the United States and emulated by other countries worldwide.

The growing trend of medical scrubs is attributed to the ease, convenience, comfort and availability of these uniforms. Moreover, medical scrubs allow medical professionals to protect their personal clothing from the dirt and infection while performing their duties in hospitals and other health facilities.

These uniforms are not only required in their medical profession but it also serve as a tracking symbol for hospital administrators to monitor and to identify medical personnel. They are worn to protect their patients and to prevent the accumulation and onset of bacteria, germs and other dangerous substances in the facility.

At present, you can find different types, designs and colors of medical scrubs worn in the medical society. These uniforms are convenient and comfortable to wear because they are made from the finest and high-grade cotton material. They come in jacket style, fitted laboratory coats and gown-like coats.

Medical experts believed that colors affect the mood and attitude of the wearer and the patients who see them. In this connection, you can find specific colors of scrubs in medical facilities. For children's clinic, doctors and nurses wear happy and attractive uniforms with friendly prints to get the attention of children and to make them at ease while they are waiting for their turn.

Health Care Innovation Challenge Grant Program

The Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services, more usually referred to as CMS, is a federal government agency operating in the United States Department of Health and Human Services that is basically responsible for administering medicare programs and collaborating with state governments to administer medicaid services.

The grants and initiatives of the CMS are all aimed towards the achievement of its primary agency mission which is to guarantee health care security to all its beneficiaries.

In keeping with this mission, the Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services has recently established the Health Care Innovation Challenge in an effort to solicit proposals to establish interesting new models of service delivery that can potentially deliver the three-part aim of better health, better health care, and finally, lower costs through the improved quality of Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program.

The projects that'll be financed under this program should be able to pave the way towards the achievement of the following objectives:

a) Inspiring a broad set of creativity partners that would help in the process of determining and evaluating new care delivery and payments models that are all primarily based on areas that concentrate on producing better care, better health, and the reduction of costs through substantial improvements for the benefit of the identified target populations.

b) Identifying new models of work-force development, deployment, and related training and education programs and initiatives which will support new models either directly or through the utilization of new infrastructure activities.

c) Supporting able innovators who can swiftly deploy care improvement models within six months into the award period, through the creation of new ventures or the expansion of current initiatives to new populations of patients and health care centers.

Additionally, the CMS has also specified that the proposals to be submitted under this grant significantly concentrate on high cost/high-risk groups such as those communities with multiple chronic diseases and/or mental health or substance abuse issues, poor health status resulting from numerous socio-economic and environmental factors, multiple medical conditions, high cost individuals, or old age.

The Centers for Medicare and & Medicaid Services is set to administer a total amount of $900,000,000 to financially support the activities comprised in the program.

The types of establishments and organizations who are conshdered able to submit an application under this program are those of provider groups, health systems, private sector organizations, faith-based organizations, city and township governments, local governments, public-private firms, and for-profit setups.

Reasons to Visit Mexico for Medical Treatment

Medical Tourism in Mexico is on the rise. Every year, a sizable number of Americans head south for various kinds of medical treatments. Among the most popular medical treatments being availed in Mexico are weight loss surgery, dental treatment and plastic surgery. With the skyrocketing costs of healthcare in the U.S, it is not surprising that many Americans have started looking for affordable medical treatments overseas. Most medical procedures in Mexico cost only about a third of what the same medical procedures would cost in the U.S.

However, is it only the lure of huge savings that has made Mexico one of the busiest Medical Tourism destinations in the world? A closer look at the Medical Tourism industry of Mexico reveals that there are several other benefits, besides the affordability of the medical treatments, which have made Mexico a pioneer in Medical Tourism arena.

The World Health Organization's rankings of the world's health systems in the year 2000 placed Mexico at rank 61 among 190 countries of the world. The internationally accredited hospitals at Mexico use state of the art technology for the medical treatments. The high quality healthcare at Mexico is available at a fraction of the cost of medical procedures in the U.S and in European nations. A number of consumer surveys of medical tourists indicate that almost 90% of the medical tourists who visited Mexico for healthcare were satisfied with the treatment that they received and found the health standards to be comparable with those maintained in the U.S.

Unlike the long queues formed for availing medical treatment in the U.S, Mexico health care system provides immediate medical care to the medical tourists. This is a blessing for those who wish to escape the extensive waiting lists for medical treatment in their home countries. At Mexico, the medical tourists get quick access to healthcare that fits in well in their schedule.

Many of the doctors at Mexico have received their training in Western countries and are also affiliated with International medical boards. The medical staff at the hospitals speaks fluent English making it convenient for the medical tourists to converse freely with the staff.

The low-cost of rail, air and road travel to Mexico, coupled with the low costs of lodging make Mexico a great destination for combining a holiday with the medical treatment. The exotic nation, with its beautiful beaches and fascinating Mayan pyramids, has much to offer to the medical tourist who is scouting for an affordable medical treatment coupled with a rejuvenating holiday.

Wearing Lead Aprons For X-Ray Protection

Medical diagnosis and the treatment of patients often require the use of equipment that emits X-rays to produce radiographs of areas of the patient's body otherwise only accessible through surgery. X-rays and radiographs can be used to look into recesses of the lungs, the heart and the bowels, to examine soft tissues for the presence of foreign materials or to determine if a bone is fractured. Dentists use these films to judge the health of teeth. They sometimes must be taken before other diagnostic procedures, such as surgical biopsies or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests, can proceed.

Frequent or prolonged exposure to the radiological materials that produce X-rays is a risk both for patients and for medical professionals. Radiation exposure can cause damage to the cells of the body, especially the reproductive organs, if used incorrectly. Side-effects can continue years after exposure. One solution to this problem is the use of lead aprons, often referred to as X-ray aprons.

Lead stops radiation, and the traditional X-ray apron contains layers of lead mixed with other prohibitive metals and is separated by layers of sewn nylon and other synthetic fabrics. An apron containing lead must ensure there is no contact between human skin and the lead, because lead exposure itself can be a health hazard. There are many varied styles, but the most common aprons drape the front of the body from the shoulders on down, protecting the abdomen, chest and the reproductive areas from harm. Some aprons are smaller, intended to cover only a specific part of the body. Often for chest X-rays, the patient will be covered by a small apron that shields only the reproductive regions.

In addition to the patient, medical professionals should also wear lead aprons when performing radiological procedures. Sometimes patients may require physical support in order to properly place the body part to be X-rayed. X-raying children may also require staff to be near the child to assist and comfort. The staff doing so in both situations should be covered with an X-ray apron.

Some medical professionals whose entire day is spent near radiological sources may decide to wear radiation protection continually, a good idea because of the health danger from prolonged exposure even to minimal doses of radiation. There are different styles and materials available for radiation protection. Alternative garment technologies offer lighter-weight composite materials that block radiation just as well as pure lead.