American Medical Association

Advanced disaster life support; course manual, version 3.0.

This is a course manual incorporating 28 disaster medicine and public health competencies for the Advanced Disaster Life Support course (ADLS v3.0). The course builds on the combined framework of the Predisaster Paradigm, the Disaster Program from the Core Disaster Life Support course, and the guidelines for all-hazards clinical management of disaster casualties from the Basic Disaster Life Support course. The course manual presents a framework for mass casualty management and population based response, then presents material on triage for disasters and public health emergencies, health system surge capacity, and community health emergency operations. Other subjects covered are legal and ethical issues, personal protective equipment, casualty decontamination, and mass casualty management. Chapters include bullet points, checklists, summaries, and websites. A glossary, a chart of competencies, and a list of acronyms and abbreviations are also included. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

AMA guides to the evaluation of work ability and return to work, 2d ed.

The second edition of this handbook contains a new chapter on international perspectives and work from 20 new contributors. The book is written mainly by practicing physicians, with information from the healthcare provider's perspective, but there is also one chapter written by attorneys. In addition to physicians, the book is also accessible to injured and ill workers, insurers, attorneys, employers, and workers' compensation managers. The book begins by outlining three major concepts for thinking about work ability and work restrictions: risk, capacity, and tolerance. It gives advice on functional capacity evaluation, medical and legal aspects of decisions about returning to work, disability determinations, and the primary care physician's role in the return to work. Chapters on specific problems, body regions, and body systems cover risk assessment, capacity, tolerance, and consensus criteria. In addition to physical conditions, there is also a chapter on psychiatric problems and a chapter on functional syndromes such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. The book includes case studies and examples, plus tables and charts from the current edition of the Medical Disability Advisor. Information on the editor is not given. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Death in large numbers; the science, policy, and management of mass fatality events.

This work for planners and managers details methods for handling human and animal remains in a mass fatality event and covers policy and management issues when dealing with mass fatalities which overwhelm civilian resources. The first section treats the science of mass fatality, with materials on chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives events and risks. There is also information on DNA identification of mass disaster victims, the use of forensic anthropology and forensic odontology, and new radiological imaging techniques. Section 2 examines policy issues such as civil-military integration, legal issues, and financial aspects of compensation. The third section of the book addresses management aspects, including state and local planning, crisis communication, and the role of the disaster mortuary operational response team. The book includes two real-life case studies of mass fatalities. It is illustrated with b&w photos and diagnostic images. Gusky is a biodefense and global health security consultant. Fierro is retired as chief medical examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Fundamentals of coding, payment, and documentation; understanding their role and impact in health care.

Garrison, a specialist in documentation, coding, billing, litigation support, professional communications, and other areas, helps healthcare professionals who are noncoders, such as practice administrators, clinicians, business office managers, and CFOs, or those wanting a primer on coding, understand the different aspects of medical coding, payment, and documentation. She does not teach how to code, but instead provides a foundation for understanding its elements, impact, and importance in health care. She focuses on how coding affects payment and documentation, and discusses insurance elements such as claim forms and payment systems; Medicare payment systems and physician and hospital payment; medical record documentation; systems like Current Procedural Terminology codes and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification Codes, as well as changes for the Tenth Revision; electronic health records; and fraud and abuse issues. Sample forms, documentation templates, and logic and decision trees are included. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Health-care careers directory, 2011-2012, 39th ed.

This directory gives information on approximately 80 health care occupations and provides details on 8,400 educational programs at 2,600 institutions. Section 1 outlines the daily activities, licensure and certification requirements, employment outlook, and salary ranges of health care careers, encompassing traditional fields such as human and veterinary medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and medical imaging, as well as emerging areas such as complementary and alternative medicine, creative arts therapies, and health information and communication. In addition to outlining careers, these chapters list specific educational programs state by state and give contacts for professional associations, accrediting bodies, and certifying agencies. Each chapter also includes a chart which lists specific educational programs around the country for that career, with notes on class capacity, beginning dates, length, degree or certificate given, tuition, and stipends offered. Section 2 is a directory of institutions sponsoring accredited educational programs. Programs are listed alphabetically by state and city and include colleges, universities, hospitals, and academic medical centers. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Introduction to CPT coding; basic principles to learning, understanding, and applying the CPT code set.

Since 1966, the American Medical Association has maintained Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) as a coded set that clearly and comprehensively describes the clinically recognized and generally accepted services provided by health care professionals to individual patients and populations. This introduction is designed for use in courses for future coders, medical students, medical assistants, medical insurance specialists, and other health care providers. It should be used with a copy of the code itself. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)