Coding issues in critical care patients with an emphasis on encephalopathy.

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This section of CONTINUUM, contributed by members of the AAN Medical Economics and Management Committee, includes helpful coding information and examples related to the issue topic. This section may include diagnosis coding, evaluation and management coding, procedure coding, or a combination, depending on which is most useful for the subject area of the issue.

Payment reform and the changing landscape in medical practice: Implications for neurologists.

The growth in health care spending in the United States, though slowed in the last few years, remains unsustainable. Since higher health care spending does not correlate with most measures of improved patient outcome, there are new attempts to define "value" in health care as the ratio of quality to cost. This article reviews newer proposed models for provider payment and organization and their possible effects on neurologic practice.

Coding issues current procedural terminology evaluation and management coding for neurologic consultations.

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This section of CONTINUUM, contributed by members of the AAN Medical Economics and Management Committee, includes helpful coding information and examples related to the issue topic. This section may include diagnosis coding, evaluation and management coding, procedure coding, or a combination, depending on which is most useful for the subject area of the issue.

Coding issues: coding for stroke prevention.

Accurate coding is an important function of neurologic practice. This section of CONTINUUM, contributed by members of the AAN Medical Economics and Management Committee, includes helpful coding information and examples related to the issue topic. This section may include diagnosis coding, evaluation and management coding, procedure coding, or a combination, depending on which is most useful for the subject area of the issue.

Effects of human trampling on populations of soil fauna in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

Antarctic ecosystems are often considered nearly pristine because levels of anthropogenic disturbance are extremely low there. Nevertheless, over recent decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of people, researchers and tourists, visiting Antarctica. We evaluated, over 10 years, the direct impact of foot traffic on the abundance of soil animals and soil properties in Taylor Valley within the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. We compared soils from minimally disturbed areas with soils from nearby paths that received intermediate and high levels of human foot traffic (i.e., up to approximately 80 passes per year). The nematodes Scottnema lindsayae and Eudorylaimus sp. were the most commonly found animal species, whereas rotifers and tardigrades were found only occasionally. On the highly trampled footpaths, abundance of S. lindsayae and Eudorylaimus sp. was up to 52 and 76% lower, respectively, than in untrampled areas. Moreover, reduction in S. lindsayae abundance was more pronounced after 10 years than 2 years and in the surface soil than in the deeper soil, presumably because of the longer period of disturbance and the greater level of physical disturbance experienced by the surface soil. The ratio of living to dead Eudorylaimus sp. also declined with increased trampling intensity, which is indicative of increased mortality or reduced fecundity. At one site there was evidence that high levels of trampling reduced soil CO(2) fluxes, which is related to total biological activity in the soil. Our results show that even low levels of human traffic can significantly affect soil biota in this ecosystem and may alter ecosystem processes, such as carbon cycling. Consequently, management and conservation plans for Antarctic soils should consider the high sensitivity of soil fauna to physical disturbance as human presence in this ecosystem increases.