Primary care PAs are actual medical ninjas. They know so much, do, and support so many patients. One role primary care providers often take on is that of mental health providers. And ask any mental health provider…no task is more important than preventing patient suicide. So what is the primary care PAs’ role in preventing…
Primary Care PAs: Diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder vs. Bipolar Disorder
Primary Care PAs are at an intersection between shorter, problem-focused appointments and caring for complex mental health needs. Psychiatric providers and psychological/therapy-based providers are at a premium. These specialized providers often have waitlists, only accept cash pay or any number of other factors that are barriers to accessing care. I have yet to meet a…
Physician Assistants and Billing for CPT Code 90833
Using CPT Code 90833: You’re already Doing Psychotherapy! (Whether You Know It or Not!) Let’s talk reimbursement! I know its important that the time spent with patients is reimbursed! This helps your practice, and your RVU, and you’re able to spend more QT with your patients! The time spent on psychotherapy is never wasted! What…
My New Job
Big news in the world of Cody Eccard! I got a new job, and I’m moving! I want to be open and honest about my life in this blog: so here I go. I know parts of this post come across as me bragging, but I’m excited to share how I landed this sweet new…
How to become a PA
I get asked lots of questions about being a PA, one of which is often, “So when are you going to become a real doctor?” Well, the quick answer is: Never. I am so happy being a Physician Assistant. I practice medicine and I don’t have insane malpractice insurance. I have lot of ability to…
Bi-Polar Disorder: Briefly
What happens when mood swings reach an extreme? We call this Bi-Polar Disorder. In my experience this is one of the most misunderstood diagnoses. Medical professionals also miss it a lot. That means people go undiagnosed (and thus improperly medicated) for periods of time. And there’s a terrible stigma attached to it. So let’s break…
Back to Blogging: IUDs
I bet y’all thought my blogging machine was broken. Turns out new jobs are exhausting. (Mine is amazing, though). So I took a break from blogging because something had to give. But I’m back baby! I have been undecided what to write about…should I talk about how you don’t need antibiotics for bronchitis? Or maybe…
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Ok, first of all, before we dive into the ins and outs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – I need to say something. It has to be said, and y’all have to listen. STOP SAYING “OCD” AS AN ADJECTIVE FOR ANYONE WHO IS REMOTELY CLEAN/TIDY/PARTICULAR. Just stop. Its rude to the person you’re describing, it takes away from…
Clinical Anxiety Overview
Let’s have a few minutes of real talk, shall we? Like – we all have some amount of anxiety. Otherwise we’d be reckless, we would be too risky and nothing would get done. Anxiety helps us by making us study for tests, pay our bills on time and reminds us to take our birth control pills. A little anxiety…
Sober-tember
We all have areas of our life we wish were better. Like, reality, but a better version. For example, I wish I didn’t have spider veins. My legs, but better. However I don’t have millions to spend on cosmetic procedures. So lets focus on what we can control and work on being healthyish. Which brings me to my point for…