We are very happy to bring you this month’s edition of the CRH Medical “Banding Bulletin!”
CRH was well-represented at this year’s DDW in New Orleans, as we were present on the Exhibition Floor as well as in the Learning Center! It was great catching up with so many of you that are already involved with our GI Partnership Program, as well as meeting so many people new to our Program. We were thrilled to hear how well this portion of our Partners’ practices was going, and we loved seeing the various tee-shirts and other items that were developed by you locally to aid in your practices’ marketing efforts!
We also hope that everyone had an opportunity to meet Dr. Andy Gorchynsky, our Associate Medical Director, as well as Shaun Gerrits and Dean Linden from our Business Development Team. Each of us stands ready to assist those already trained and utilizing our Technology, as well as those of you that are interested in being trained — please let us know if we can help in any way.
Inaugural meeting of the “SIG” on anorectal care held at DDW!
Many of you have heard of the development of a “Special Interest Group” (SIG) by the ASGE involving the area of ano-rectal care. Dr. Bob Ganz of Minnesota Gastro has helped to form this group, and is its chair. The inaugural meeting of the SIG included presentations involving the integration of these services into a GI practice by Dr. David Johnson, a past president of the ACG, the initial “CRH Experience” presented by Dr. Neal Osborn of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, and I had the pleasure of presenting a talk on the care of hemorrhoids, fissures, and other ano-rectal disorders.
It is clear that the care of ano-rectal conditions is squarely within the mainstream of the GI practice, in addition to that of our general and colorectal surgical colleagues, and this SIG should be able to be a valuable resource to all interested physicians in the future. Thanks to those of you that attended, and to those that have joined the SIG. We certainly hope that this forum will be valuable to anyone interested in providing the best care for their patients’ anorectal problems, and we are happy to help these efforts moving forward.
Upcoming Events
The next major event we will be attending is ASGE GI Outlook in Chicago next month. Please come by and learn more about what we have been up to lately. You can find our most up to date schedule of events on our Event Calendar.
Online Ordering of Product and Marketing Materials:
Did you know that online ordering, is easy, fast and free? If you haven’t already signed up for a username and password for www.crhmedicalproducts.com please contact Deborah Cotter (800.660.2153 x1011) – she will have you on your way to increased efficiency immediately!
Helpful Hints
How do I deal with patients on anticoagulants?
Patients on anticoagulants obviously have an increased risk of bleeding in the post-banding period. The patients should have their Coumadin or Plavix stopped five days or so before the banding session, in order to minimize that risk. Aspirin products are
accompanied by a caution, as there can be bleeding issues arise, but these are not
terribly common. We do NOT recommend banding a patient with portal hypertension.
Know someone who would be interested in the CRH O’Regan System Partnership Program?
Use the “Share with a colleague” function on the right, or send me an email. We are happy to introduce your colleagues to the benefits of the program.
Training and Support Resources
If you or your practice have any clinical questions/concerns, are ready to expand your practice by having additional doctors trained, or simply want a follow-up training session for yourself, please do not hesitate to contact me. If your practice needs help with any other resources, below is a quick reference to the departments that are here to support you:
Marketing:
Make sure patients looking for treatment can find you! If you have not already done so, please contact Alicia Johnson (800.660.2153 x1029) today so that she can coordinate your addition to our website, and help you build your practice using our printed materials.
Product Ordering:
Don’t be caught empty-handed. Make sure you keep plenty of product on-hand to help reduce expenses incurred by Express Shipping. If you ever have questions about your orders, please do not hesitate to contact Deborah Cotter (800.660.2153 x1011).
Front Office Staff Training:
In addition to our on-site training, front office phone training is available to help your receptionists and/or appointment schedulers understand the CRH O’Regan System and be prepared to answer patient questions. Training is typically less than 30 minutes and is conducted via teleconference. Sessions can be scheduled by contacting Kelley Mamelson (800.660.2153 x029)
Contracting and Billing:
Our contracting and billing department is available to provide assistance dealing with third party payers as it pertains to the CRH treatment protocols, obtaining maximum reimbursement and to help your staff with any coding and billing issues that may arise. Please contact Sarah Standley (800.660.2153 x1029).
Please let us know how we can help to support you and your practices moving forward – whether it be for training, consultation, operational, billing/coding or marketing support – we are here to help in any way we can!
Best regards,
Mitch
Mitchel Guttenplan, MD, FACS
Medical Director
CRH Medical Products Corporation
T: 800.660.2153 x1022 | C: 770.363.0125 | F: 770.475.9953
