CRESTVIEW — At 2 years old, Tristan Keown doesn’t quite understand everything he saw at the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce's Ninth Annual Community Health Fair, but he did spy something he’d like.

“No, you’re not getting a doggie,” his mom, Anna Keown, said, guiding her son past a pet adoption area at the Crestview Community Center.

Click here or below left (under Related Content) for photos from the event.

Dogs and cats and outdoor games on the commons were an introduction to the Saturday morning event, but organizers in the chamber's Health and Wellness Committee had residents’ well-being foremost in mind.

Inside were dozens of exhibitors, including North Okaloosa Medical Center, Twin Cities Hospital and Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, local medical offices and government health services.

Dozer the Therapy Dog padded around offering “free hugs,” according to a sign around his neck, while Seniors vs. Crime volunteers informed residents of the latest scams circulating in the area.

Residents loaded tote bags with complimentary literature, pens, drink koozies and bite-size candies as they perused displays, got health screenings, and examined modern and vintage surgical equipment displayed by Dr. David Herf’s office.

“It’s kind of a one-stop health center,” resident Ellie Gleason said as she and her daughter, Megan, got their cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure checked at a table staffed by local Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy students.

“Except for all the candy,” she added, popping a couple Jolly Ranchers into her tote.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview health fair draws crowds for free screenings, information (PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW — If someone is burned when his water skis burst into flames, the government has a code for the injury.

An index of more than 142,000 medical codes — many of them covering rare situations like this one — went into affect Oct. 1, and it’s causing headaches at local doctors’ offices.

‘IT’S RIDICULOUS’

Coding patients’ ailments isn’t new, said licensed practical nurse Amy Herf, Crestview’s Peoples’ Home Health representative. The World Health Organization implemented The International Classification of Diseases, or ICD, in 1979, she said.

But ICD-10, the system’s 10^th revision, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented Oct. 1, increased ICD-9’s 14,000 disease codes to around 70,000. Medical procedure codes rose from 4,000 to about 72,000, according to Tech Times' website.

“It’s like being told you have to learn a new language to do your job,” Amy Herf said.

The plethora of new codes has swamped medical practices throughout the area.

“It’s ridiculous,” said nurse Betty Jordan, who manages Crestview general practitioner Dr. Abdul Mir’s office. “It requires so much extra work. If my doctor treated someone for rheumatoid arthritis, there’s hundreds of codes. It’s got to be specific.”

“It’s really, really detailed,” Andrew Linares, an administrator at Dr. David Herf’s office, said. “Instead of just saying, ‘cyst of the arm or trunk,’ you have to get really specific.”

“If it is one digit off, it could change the diagnoses from a broken finger to a fractured toe,” Amy Herf said.

The paperwork increase is particularly burdensome for general practitioners like Mir, whose patients consult him for a wide variety of causes.

“It is horrible for a primary care doctor,” Jordan said. “For a specialist, they deal with the same things over and over. For us in family practice, we see all kinds of things. It’s overwhelming.”

FINANCIAL IMPACT

Another aspect of the new codes also affects medical offices.

“It’s directly related to revenue,” Amy Herf said. “If you bill wrong, you don’t get paid.”

“If we don’t file a claim properly, and get rejected, it affects our income,” Patti Bonta, Mir’s front office manager, said.

Large practices and medical companies, such as Peoples’ Home Health, usually have coders on staff. Their only job is to enter the numbers into billing records and insurance reimbursement forms.

For smaller offices like Dr. Herf’s and Mir’s, the increased coding tasks take away staffers’ time with patients.

“We’re an old-fashioned small office that still answers our phones, calls messages back and tries to be personable to the patients,” Jordan, who’s worked 35 years for Mir, said. “ICD-10 takes that time away from us.”

TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGE

Not all doctors’ administrators find adapting to the new codes as difficult as others.

Younger staffers, who are used to ever-evolving technology, have adapted better, Amy Herf said.

Linares, 23, said despite the influx of codes, he finds the new system going relatively smoothly. Updated office software guides him through the new codes.

“Luckily, they built in some help,” he said, demonstrating how the software brings up a selection of new codes when Linares enters the older code with which he is familiar.

Through webinars and training classes since August, some doctors’ offices find that adopting the new codes is slowly becoming less of a struggle.

 “We got some glitches out of our system. I think we’re on the right path now,” Bonta said.

“It’s like when your iPhone upgrades,” Linares said. “There’s still some bugs in it.”

So when it comes time to enter code V91.07XA — “burn due to water skis on fire" — or Z63.1 — “problems in relationship with in-laws" — local doctors’ offices are ready.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New coding regulations give Crestview doctors headaches

CRESTVIEW — Pristine Maids, LLC, a Crestview company, is partnering with Cleaning For A Reason to provide house cleaning to Okaloosa and Walton county women who are fighting breast cancer.

The company will clean at least two homes per month for four consecutive months at no charge. The only requirement is that the homes be within the company's existing service areas of Okaloosa and Walton counties.

"Pristine Maids has had numerous friends and acquaintances over the years that have struggled with cancer and its horrible effects," said owner Monique Cohen. "The company is honored to offer our services to those who are fighting life and death battles. We have been truly blessed in this life and want nothing more than to pay it forward. These patients are struggling to walk to the kitchen, let alone having to worry about cleaning their homes. Pristine Maids will keep the home clean and comfortable through some of the rougher times."

To learn more about Cleaning For A Reason and to apply for free house cleaning, To learn more about Cleaning For A Reason and to apply for free house cleaning, see www.cleaningforareason.org.

"Cleaning For A Reason is a true blessing to cancer patients everywhere and such a wonderful opportunity for cleaning services like ours to give back to the community, who has embraced us for so many years.

"All we have to do is grab our equipment and go. Thank you, Cleaning For A Reason, for giving us this opportunity," Cohen said.

Cleaning For A Reason, an nonprofit organization, assists women who are battling cancer by teaming up with professional cleaning companies across the United States and Canada. Since 2006, the partnerships have donated more than $5.2 million in free services, helping more than 18,000 women with cancer.

●To apply for free house cleaning, see www.cleaningforareason.org

●For more about Pristine Maids, visit www.pristinemaidsflorida.com

WANT TO SIGN UP?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview business donating house cleanings to women with breast cancer

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County has announced water quality test results for local parks.

Garniers Park, Fort Walton Beach was the only park that failed tests the week of Oct. 5 based on EPA-recommended enterococci standards.

Enteric bacteria’s presence indicates fecal pollution from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa health department announces water quality results

CRESTVIEW — A commemorative T-shirt from the One Blood organization is available to Northwest Florida residents who donate blood Oct. 19-31 at any donor center or bloodmobile.

To make a donation locally, visit the Crestview donor center at 2400 Ferdon Blvd. S., Suite B, Crestview as follows:

●10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, 22, 26, 29

●8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 20, 23, 27, 30

●noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25

You may also visit these Big Red Bus bloodmobile locations:

●8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28, Baker School, 1369 14th St., Baker

●noon to 3 p.m., Oct. 30, Coldwell Banker, 2514 Ferdon Blvd. S., Crestview

●12:30-4:30 p.m. Oct. 31, Hideaway Pizza, 326 Main St. N., Crestview

A One Blood spokesperson said, "This year’s 'Got Blood' T-shirt will no doubt fly off the shelves. It is one of the most highly prized blood donor T-shirts each year, and this year is no exception."

For other locations and hours or to set an appointment, visit oneblooddonor.org or call 1-888-936-6283.

Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. Photo ID is required. To learn more about the importance of blood donation and how donors can target the power of their blood type visit oneblood.org.

 Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion. Blood that is donated today will likely be transfused into a patient within two to three days.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Donate blood in Crestview, get this cool, spooky T-shirt

CRESTVIEW — Women should check their breasts at least monthly, according to Dr. Kevin McIntosh, OB/GYN for North Okaloosa Physician Group.

"There's a couple of ways to do it," McIntosh says. "There's a circular pattern … where you go from interior to exterior around the breast, or you can do a linear pattern, where you just go up and down.

"The main thing is to just make sure all the breast is covered."

Examining breasts once a month — and a week after a menstrual cycle — is one way to detect abnormalities early, McIntosh said. Waiting five days after a period helps because hormonal changes could spur temporary — and misleading — thickening in the breast, according to WebMD.

Area residents can expect to hear many more tips throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Observances kicked off Oct. 1 during North Okaloosa Medical Center's Healthy Woman program and the Main Street Crestview Association's Pink Street Party, which featured vendors, information booths and guest speakers. In addition, the group set the gazebo beside Okaloosa County's courthouse aglow with pink lights.

Events continue with Making Strides of the Emerald Coast's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, 9 a.m. Oct. 17 at Uptown Station, 99 Eglin Parkway NE, in Fort Walton Beach.

Raising awareness is important, particularly when cancer affects someone you love, Shiloh Raymond, a Northwest Florida State College student, said.

"I'm supporting my mom because she had breast cancer twice; it metastasized into bone cancer, so that's why I'm here supporting the cause," she said during the Pink Street Party. 

A simple self-examination could help women spot symptoms sooner, and early detection increases the likelihood of successful treatment, according to WebMD.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women should schedule an annual mammogram, which is an imaging test on the breasts, when they turn 40 years old.

But the woman and her physician can determine what is best for her individual case, local doctors said.

41 percent of breast cancer diagnoses originate in the breast's upper left area

34 percent of breast cancer diagnoses come from the nipple area

Source: North Okaloosa Physician Group

BY THE NUMBERS

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa residents rally for breast cancer awareness