Author: Brett Aldrich

What Science Says about Healing a Leg Ulcer

September 10, 2020

The most common cause of a leg ulcer is a faulty vein(s) that allows blood to leak or travel the wrong way in your lower extremity. A useful analogy to how of these leg ulcers form is to think of your vein as a leaking pipe and your skin is dry wall. Now imagine the leaking pipe is causing the dry wall to get wet and eventually rot. The damaged dry wall will crumble and maybe even develop an open hole.  This open hole is the venous ulcer.

While patching the dry wall may make your wall look okay, with time the wall will get wet again and you will be left with another hole! So before patching the wall, it’s really important to fix the leaking pipe. Similarly, if you want your leg ulcer to heal, you need to have the underlying “pipe” or vein, treated.

Excerpts from a testimonial of one of our patients, Marlene, who suffered from a non-healing leg ulcer sums up the experience of many people:

My personal experience with Miller Vein was finally my journey to healing. I had a venous leg ulcer. (Prior to Miller Vein) I probably had close to 40 visits altogether. The (prior) wound care clinic treated the ulcer with topicals, debriding and wraps… My lucky day (was when my) doctor handed me a Miller Vein card. My husband and I contacted them immediately. I had two office procedures. The wound proceeded to heal…

Notice that prior to definitive treatment, Marlene visited her wound care clinic up to 40 times. We hear stories like this all of the time. Instead of fixing the pipe, they had their dry wall worked on. But does science agree with this concept? I would say YES

In a trial conducted at 20 centers in the United Kingdom, 450 patients with venous leg ulcers were randomly assigned to either undergo early endovenous ablation of superficial venous reflux (closing down an unhealthy vein) or not. Both groups received compression treatment as part of their care. The results? Early endovenous ablation of superficial venous reflux resulted in faster healing of venous leg ulcers and more time free from ulcers.

The take home message is that veins are the most common cause of leg ulcers and when this is the case, early treatment will result in faster/longer lasting healing.

Ref: A Randomized Trial of Early Endovenous Ablation in Venous Ulceration  

The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE 

Manjit S. Gohel, M.D. et al. published on April 24, 2018, at NEJM.org.

Another Reason to Appreciate Health Care Workers: Vein Disease

September 01, 2020

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the public in general has appreciated health care workers more than ever. Yard signs are still scattered about thanking these frontline caregivers. A recent study demonstrated that chronic vein disease is very common in these workers. This is in spite of the fact that they don’t have other cardiovascular comorbidities (i.e. heart or vascular conditions).

A large screening study of health care workers found that most hospital employees (a whopping 69%!) had signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). This means that they complained of leg swelling and also potentially had pain, aching, heaviness, or skin changes of their lower extremities.

CVI accounts for a loss of approximately 2 million workdays per year and almost 12% of healthcare workers seek early retirement because of symptoms.

Left untreated, CVI can progress to a leg ulcer. The annual cost of venous ulcer care is estimated to be $3 billion.

Ultrasound screening on these employees revealed that 82% had venous reflux (blood going the wrong direction in their legs). Also, up to 14% were noted to have increased risk for blood clot!

Long story short…We really need to take care of our frontline health care workers and institute appropriate preventative strategies.

Miller Vein First to Perform FDA-Approved VenaSeal™ Treatment in Southeast Michigan, A Nonsurgical Solution to Treat Varicose Veins

February 11, 2016

venasealMiller Vein, Metro-Detroit’s primary vein clinic, now offers patients VenaSeal™ as a treatment option for varicose veins. Jeffrey H. Miller, MD and his staff performed the first treatment in Southeast Michigan on Thursday, February 11, 2016. The VenaSeal™ closure system uses a “medical-superglue” to close diseased veins in patients with venous reflux disease.

VenaSeal™ is a variation of procedures already performed at Miller Vein. The benefits of VenaSeal™ is there is only one numbing injection, no compression stockings are needed after the procedure, and patients are able to exercise immediately.

While the underlying cause of varicose veins, venous insufficiency is considered medical; this new form of treatment is currently not covered by insurance.

The VenaSeal™ closure system is the only non-tumescent, non-thermal, non-sclerosant procedure that uses an exclusive medical adhesive delivered endovenously to close the vein. This unique approach eliminates the risk of nerve injury when treating the diseased vein, which is a risk sometimes associated with certain thermal-based procedures. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the procedure is safe and effective. The procedure is administered without the use of local anesthesia, avoiding patient discomfort associated with multiple needle sticks.

Click here to see VenaSeal™ featured on “The Dr. Oz Show”.

Miller Vein Billing Team Achieves ICD-10 Certification

August 18, 2015

August 18, 2015 – The AAPC (American Academy for Professional Coders) will require all those with a certified professional coder (CPC) credential to pass an ICD-10 proficiency exam to keep their certification by October 1, 2015.

The Miller Vein billing team successfully implemented the code set in the practice, tested with the carriers and are ready for the switch to ICD-10.

ICD-10 is the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), a medical classification list by the World Health Organization (WHO). It contains codes for diseases, signs and symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances, and external causes of injury or diseases. ICD-10-CM will replace International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes in all health care settings for diagnosis reporting with dates of service, or dates of discharge for inpatients, that occur on or
after October 1, 2015.

The AAPC requires all those with a CPC credential (Certified Professional Coder) to take an ICD-10 proficiency exam to keep their certification. Miller Vein’s billers, Carrie Fillar, CPC and Sharon Tierney, CPC have both passed the exam and obtained their ICD-10 certification.

See more at: http://blogs.hcpro.com/icd-10/2009/04/aapc-icd-10-proficiency-exam/#sthash.50pYRDGo.dpuf

Miller Vein Receives Vascular Testing Reaccreditation by the IAC

August 05, 2015

August 5, 2015 – Miller Vein has been granted a three-year term of reaccreditation in Vascular Testing in the areas of Peripheral Venous Testing by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). Miller Vein has proudly remained an accredited vein clinic since 2012.

Health care organizations are held to high levels of accountability. Patients should remain cautious in making sure that their procedures are performed within accredited facilities, because for many facilities it remains a voluntary process. The IAC is widely respected within the medical community and ensures patients receive quality care.

Accreditation by the IAC means that Miller Vein has undergone a thorough review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study review. Through the accreditation process, facilities assess every aspect of daily operation and its impact on the quality of health care provided to patients.

IAC accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on as an indication that the facility has been carefully critiqued on all aspects of its operations considered relevant by medical experts in the field of Vascular Testing. When scheduled for a Vascular Testing procedure, patients are encouraged to inquire as to the accreditation status of the facility where their examination will be performed and can learn more by visiting www.intersocietal.org/vascular/main/patients.htm

Miller Vein Sponsors Relay for Life in Monroe

June 10, 2015

June 6, 2015- Miller Vein sponsored Relay For Life of Monroe on June 6th & 7th, 2015. The event was at the Monroe County Fair Grounds, where the community came together to raise awareness and funds to end cancer.

Relay For Life helps the American Cancer Society fund cancer research, provide free information and support to patients, survivors, and caregivers, when and where they need it; and help people take steps to reduce the risk of cancer or find it early, when it is most treatable.

According to the Relay for Life Monroe website, the 2015 event hosted 74 teams, 799 participants and raised $231,759.75.

Relay for Life Miller Vein

Relay for Life Monroe Sponsor

Relay for Life Monroe Crowd

The Novi Chamber Awards Miller Vein with Customer Service Excellence Award

February 27, 2015

February 27, 2015 – The Novi Chamber of Commerce awards Miller Vein the Customer Service Excellence Award for 2015. The award is given to businesses that demonstrate superior service to its customers and community in a cost-effective manner, with a can-do attitude and delivers on promise, while also demonstrating a commitment to high standards of customer service through staff and customer relationships and service to the community.

The award states, “Miller Vein is Michigan’s premier varicose and spider vein treatment center and continues to grow thanks to its excellence in customer service. Miller Vein owes a great deal of its success to the many positive referrals its patients give, as the patients are so frequently impressed with the customer service and compassion they receive within Miller Vein’s medical environment. From the moment a patient calls to after their procedure, the medical team guides the patient throughout the entire experience. The Miller Vein team ensures every patient is treated like family, and their genuine acts of kindness and positive energy assure patients they are in the best hands when choosing a medical facility for their vein procedure.”

The award was presented at the Novi Chamber of Commerce “Toast of the Town” gala at The Hotel Baronette on February 27, 2015. Former WDIV-TV Meteorologist Chuck Gaidica presented the award.

Miller Vein wins Novi Chamber Customer Excellence Award