April 2, 2014 is going to be the seventh annual World Autism Awareness Day. For the past several years, autism organizations and people around the world have come together on this day to raise both money and awareness about this disorder. Autism Speaks, a national organization which seeks to help promote awareness, research, and services for people with autism and their families, have initiated a “Light it up Blue” Campaign in honor of this day.

This week, Congress voted on a bill to delay physician Medicare reimbursement cuts under the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for another year. But the bill also included language that will delay implementation of ICD-10, a new diagnostic code set that will be used by all healthcare organizations across the country, by one year to October 1, 2015. This news has been met with mixed reactions from the healthcare industry. While all providers,

At this month’s SMArt Kids SMA, we learned how important portions are and how to keep portions appropriate for kids’ ages and nutritional needs. This is not an easy task at home or when eating out, but the answer – literally! – is right at your child’s fingertips!

Do you live or work in or around Cambridge?  Do you know someone who does and who might be looking for a doctor?  If so, our Cambridge practice has created a wonderful video introduction of their practice to help prospective patients get a look inside, meet some of their terrific staff, and learn about the services Cambridge has to offer its patients.

Please watch the video – we hope you enjoy it!

March is National Nutrition Month, and the theme for 2014 is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.”  I love this theme because I think it perfectly sums up what registered dietitians are all about.  We spend years learning about food so we can talk about it all day long.  We all love food, not only for its health benefits but also for its taste. When we educate and help people to work towards change,

If you plan to breastfeed your baby after you return to work from maternity leave, figuring out how to pump away from home may seem at first a bit daunting.  You wonder: “Where can I pump at work?”  “How do I fit it into my work schedule?”  “How can I do it efficiently?”  I’ve been there myself, so don’t worry, there are many things you can do to make pumping easier and faster for you.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly released some of the 2012 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) quality data results for 141 Medicare ACOs on the Physician Compare website. The quality measures include:

• Controlling blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes.
• Controlling blood pressure in patients with diabetes.
• Prescribing aspirin to patients with diabetes and heart disease.
• Patients with diabetes who do not use tobacco.

A mouthful though it may be, “long-acting, reversible contraception” refers to a variety of different contraception methods, both hormonal and non-hormonal, that can be reversed at any time.  Although the birth control pill remains the most widely used method in the U.S., these other options are becoming increasingly popular.  I explain to women that these methods are more convenient than the birth control pill, lasting months or even years before a woman needs to take any action,

Atrius Health recently joined with the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Medical Society and a growing number of organizations to seek a change to the current requirement under the Affordable Care Act of a face-to-face (f2f) encounter with a physician in order for home health care services to be covered.

These requirements, enacted in March 2011, prohibit a home health care provider from billing Medicare until the provider has obtained signed documentation from a certifying physician indicating that the patient had a face-to-face encounter with that physician 90 days prior to the start of home care or 30 days after the start of home care.

What’s stressing you out?  Is it your job? Family relationships? Finances? How about the weather?  Whatever’s eating away at you, chances are pretty good it’s also affecting the way you eat and your weight.  And that in turn affects your health.