September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month – an opportunity for reps to ensure their accounts are equipped with the best solutions for tracking patients’ weight and BMI.
Obesity among low-income preschoolers has decreased in many states. Still, childhood obesity continues to be a health problem, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of U.S. children and adolescents between two and 19 years of age fall into this category, and overweight or obese preschoolers are more likely than normal weight children to be overweight or obese adults. Good nutrition and a healthy amount of exercise is key to addressing childhood obesity. So are regular preventive health checkups.
Distributor sales reps can provide value to their physician customers this month by reminding them of this opportunity to discuss healthy lifestyles with their younger patients and their parents, as well as ensuring their accounts are aware of the most up-to-date solutions for monitoring weight and body mass index (BMI). For starters, they should help their customers select scales that will continue to meet their needs in years to come.
When selling scales, there is much more to consider than patient weight. The technology physicians acquire today could impact the decisions they make tomorrow. Particularly as the country moves closer to “meaningful use” of electronic medical record systems, physicians should think about adding scale solutions that enable them to connect the scale to the office electronic medical record.
Digital vs. mechanical
As more physicians automate their practices, digital scales are becoming increasingly important for a couple of reasons. First, some doctors feel digital scales can do more than their mechanical predecessors, and do it more accurately, with the capacity to enhance office efficiency and workflow. Additionally, scales that are connected to EMR systems can transmit such information as time, date, patient ID, height, weight and body mass index (BMI). Digital height rods, which enable the scale to automatically calculate BMI, also are becoming popular. All of this information is then stored in the patient’s electronic chart. Eliminating any manual input reduces the possibility of transcription errors. This is especially important when recording weight, as doctors use weight to formulate the proper dosage of medications. Incorrectly inputting a patient’s weight can lead to over- or under-dosing of medication, as well as incorrectly diagnosing someone as obese or underweight.
Second, federal regulations are pushing physicians to digital scales. Physicians caring for Medicare patients can collect as much as $44,000 over five years provided they are meaningful users of an electronic health record, per the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (nicknamed the HITECH Act) of 2009, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the “stimulus act.” Those who fail to do so will start to experience cuts to their Medicare reimbursement beginning in 2015. (Medicaid providers stand to collect as much as $63,750 over six years if they are meaningful users of EHRs.) As such, physicians and hospitals will be required to incorporate information on their patients’ body mass index (BMI) in their EMR/EHR systems, making it essential to have a digital scale with these capabilities.
That said, some physicians still prefer traditional mechanical scales, because they are not affected by power surges or faulty batteries, and they rarely require service. In fact, many mechanical scales sold in the 1960s continue to be used in practices today. Nevertheless, compared to mechanical scales, digital scales have no moving parts to troubleshoot or mechanically re-calibrate. Repairs usually are done at a modular level, and calibration is accomplished through the scale software. And, digital scales are becoming more affordable. Typically, they retail for $499 to $850, compared with $250 to $450 for mechanical scales. And while it’s true that digital scales need to be replaced every seven to 10 years, given how rapidly the technology changes, some physicians prefer to replace them even sooner.
The more information physicians have, the better the decision they can make. Scales are no exception. Sales reps help their customers navigate the various options at their disposal and make the selection that best serves their practice.
Editor’s note: Repertoire would like to acknowledge the assistance of Health o meter Professional Scales.
Scale sales
Distributor reps should ask their physician customers some pointed questions to gauge their need for new scales, including the following:
- “What are the primary types of patients you see? Do you see many wheelchair-bound patients?”
- “Has your patient base changed within the last few years? Do you work with different age and weight requirements and therefore require different scales?”
- “How often do you use your office scales? How long do you expect them to last before replacing them?”
- “In addition to basic weigh-ins, do you need to analyze your patients’ body composition?”
- “Do you plan to implement EMR in the next six to 18 months? If so, perhaps you should consider purchasing a digital scale rather than a mechanical unit.”
- “How old are your current scales? Are they accurate?”
Lifelong health risks
About one in eight preschoolers in the United States is obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and overweight preschoolers are five times as likely to be overweight or obese in adulthood, leading to lifelong physical and mental health problems. Even at a young age, obesity can take a harmful toll on one’s body, notes the CDC. Obese children are more likely to have:
- High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
- Increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea and asthma.
- Joint problems and musculoskeletal discomfort.
- Fatty liver disease, gallstones and gastro-esophageal reflux.
- Increased risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem, which can continue into adulthood.
For more information visit http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/basics.html.
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