Mealtime Partners, Inc.

Specializing in Assistive Dining and Drinking Equipment

March 2021 Independent Eating and Drinking Newsletter

	March Topics: What We Should Know About HIPAA? New Information about the Importance of Using a Chin-Tuck
		Mealtime Partners Home Page Send a Comment or Suggestion

Subscribe to Newsletters, or Unsubscribe from Newsletters

What We Should Know About HIPAA

When we go to see a doctor we are asked to fill in and sign a “HIPAA release form”.  A lot of people sign it without really understanding what it is and why we are asked to sign it. The HIPAA release form simply allows a patient to define if their protected health information (PHI) can be given to anyone else. That includes other doctors, hospitals, other health providers, and other people including family members. The doctor can only disclose your health information to those people you list on your HIPAA release form. HIPAA release forms were introduced when The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was enacted. This act is commonly known by its acronym HIPAA.

The HIPAA Act covers a wide range of health related topics and is made up of five titles:

Title 1 covers Health Care Access, Portability, and Renewability. This title protects Health Insurance coverage. It safeguards individuals and families health insurance coverage when someone changes or loses their job.

Title II prevents healthcare fraud and abuse, guides administrative simplification and medical liability reform. Title II is the Administrative Simplification Provision which established national standards for electronic health care transactions and records.

Title III covers Medical Saving Plans and established guidelines for pre-tax medical spending accounts.

Title IV provides guidelines for group health plans, and

Title V governs company-owned life-insurance policies.

Since the enactment of HIPAA almost all health records are stored electronically. Everything from X-Rays to test results, are available to anyone who is authorized to have access to them. This movement from “paper” records has facilitated doctors very easily sharing information about a patient and it has been responsible for eliminating the need for repeating tests.

When a HIPAA release form is signed in a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital, it not only defines what family members or friends can have access to medical information about a patient, it can also authorize other doctors, and medical facilities to have access to the information. Also, a HIPAA release form is necessary if a health insurance company is going to be paying bills for the treatment that is being provided. Authorization for access to all medical information, or a limited amount of information, can be specified on a HIPAA release form.  

 

The Mealtime Partner Dining System

Serving a Variety of Textures and Volumes of Food and the Pace of Eating is User Controlled

For those individuals who have chewing and swallowing difficulties, the Mealtime Partner Dining System can serve foods of a wide-range of textures. The device can serve regular table food that have been cut up, or it can serve chopped, minced, or pureed foods. The amount of food presented for each bite can be controlled from a level spoonful to a rounded or heaped spoonful. Thus small bites can be provided for those who should eat a small amount at a time. Food volume is controlled by the unique Bowl Covers that are attached to the bowls.

Additionally, because the user controls when they take a bite of food from the spoon, they can pace how quickly or slowly they eat each bite of food.

The Mealtime Partner Dining Device Presenting a Bite of Food

Because the Mealtime Partner is such a flexible device, it can meet the dining needs of a diverse group of individuals! For complete information about the Mealtime Partner Dining System, click here.

New Information about the Importance of Using a Chin-Tuck

For many years, people with swallowing problems have been encouraged to eat and drink with their head in a chin-tuck position. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate whether or not this position decreases the risk of choking or aspiration for those who have dysphagia. Results have consistently indicated that eating and drinking with one’s head in a downward position reduces the risk of aspirating. However, a definitive description of how to execute a chin-tuck has not been established. This article will discuss findings from a study that evaluated the movement of the structures in the throat during a swallow with the chin in three discrete positions: neutral; chin-down; and, chin-tucked. The findings provide insight into chin positioning for safe swallowing for those with dysphagia.

The Influence of the Chin-Down and Chin-Tuck Maneuver on the Swallowing Kinematics of Healthy Adults study was conducted by researchers at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. The study was conducted to evaluate the impact upon swallowing of a chin-tuck position and to develop instructions on the specific position that should be assumed for those who are at risk of aspirating. The study is unique in that it identified the location of the major anatomical structures of the head and neck throughout a swallow and recorded their location and movement during swallowing.

The study was undertaken while the head was in the three different positions. Videofluoroscopic recordings were made of study participants while they swallowed a barium laced solution. Each participant was recorded swallowing with their head in a neutral position, which would be typical of how the majority of people hold their head while taking a drink. The Participants were simply instructed to hold their heads in a “normal and comfortable” position. Secondly, they swallowed with their chin down. The instructions that were provided were to “move your chin down”. Lastly, participants swallowed with their chin pulled as close to their chest as possible, in what is called a chin-tuck position. Instructions provided were “intentionally bring or touch your chin to your chest”. The last position is not typically assumed while eating or drinking. It is not a natural position to assume because it requires muscle tension to maintain it; and, secondly, it does not allow you to see what is going on around you during the swallow.

Findings revealed that the neutral and chin-down positions had no significant impact upon movement, tilt or angle, of the various anatomical components of the throat which impact how swallowing occurs. However, in comparison, the chin-tuck position provided meaningful airway protection, and greater tongue base retraction than the other two positions. The chin-tuck position limited the horizontal movement of the hyoid bone, epiglottic base and larynx. The study concluded that patients with severe swallowing difficulties should be instructed how to precisely position their head and chin to protect their airway by using the chin-tuck position that was used during the conduct of the study.

For anyone who has a condition that puts them at significant risk of aspirating during intake of solids or liquids, these findings provide direction as to the safest position in which consumption should be undertaken.