Veritas, Vol. 37, No. 03, October 1994

              For the Faculty and Staff of the University of Miami
October 1994 Volume 37 Number 3
Dizzy? Doctors probe the hidden mysteries of a common problem
Vertigo can be scarier than an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
It can strike without warning, leaving a person shaken and dreading the next attack. But dizziness is really a symptom, and as common as the term is broad.
It s the most frequent reason the elderly visit a doctor after the age of 75 and is the third leading cause for emergency room visits by people of all ages. It may be traced to infection, injury, migraines (headache optional), poor circulation, and psychological factors.
If one of our spatial systems fails— including the inner ears, eyes, muscle and nerve sensors—the delicate balancing act goes awry.
The Dizziness and Balance Center at the University of Miami Ear Institute is setting the pace in patient treatment for even the most elusive maladies.
“We have the clinical experience and the testing available to assess all patients,” says Ronald J. Tusa, director of the Dizziness and Balance Center and professor of otolaryngology,
opthalmology and neurology at the School of Medicine.
One of the most common causes of vertigo is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), occuring as brief, violent attacks. “You can roll over in bed one morning and just start spinning,” says Susan Herdman, associate professor and the director of vestibular rehabilitation.
“One patient had this problem for 36 years without a correct diagnosis,” she remembers. It wasn't until 1980 that physicians began to have treatments for the ailment, which was traced to the inner ear, where calcium carbonate crystals can break loose inside the canals and lodge in sensitive areas. Specific motions, like reaching up, can trigger an attack.
Treatment is deceptively simple: Using a series of head-turning maneuvers, debris may be shifted into a harmless canal. According to Herdman, a physical therapist, the first treatment alone results in a success rate of 80 percent.
Behind the door of Room 342 at the
Ear Institute is the neurosphere, a ten-and-a-half-foot-diameter, round chamber resembling a bathysphere, and the only one of its kind used clinically in the United States. But instead of probing the ocean depths, doctors plumb the inner ear's vestibular system.
Stepping inside the chamber, the environment is more akin to a planetarium.
Outside the chamber, technician Ricky Borges adjusts the star pattern orbiting around the walls to be horizontal or vertical, and at what velocity (feeling dizzy yet?). At the center is the rotary chair, set to turn at
Ronald J. Tusa (left) examines test results with technician Ricky Borges. To their left is the neurosphere, the only one of its type used clinically in the U.S.
the rate of 60 (medium speed) or 240 (fast speed) degrees per second. All the while an infrared television camera records close-up eye movements—key to the diagnosis.
continued on page 5
Annual open enrollment fair advertises benefits options
University faculty and staff will have their chance to be smart shoppers at the annual open enrollment fair, when health, dental, and life insurance companies vie for their business. The fair, scheduled for October 31 through November 4, sets the stage for open enrollment October 31 through November 15.
Here are some highlights of what changes are in store.
For those interested in increasing life insurance benefits, this open enrollment period offers “a quantum difference,” says William Walsh, director of employee benefits. A revised Voluntary Excess Life Insurance plan signified by reduced premiums and enhanced benefits headlines the changes.
For the first time, spouses and dependents will be eligible for this coverage. Because of a new method of premium calculation this term life insurance promises to cost less for the majority of University faculty and staff. Instead of falling into five year “age bands,” i.e. from ages 45-49 or 50-54, premiums now will be based on single age rates. This promises to soften the impact of crossing the threshold from ages 45-49 to 50-54, when rates suddenly jump.
Walsh notes that prices are competitive with the insurance marketplace. Coverage will be provided by the Travelers Insurance Company.
“We want to be on the leading edge of this kind of policy,” he says.
Because of these new factors even veteran faculty and staff are now
eligible to enroll. “There is only one window of opportunity,” cautions Walsh. Past November 15, only new hires may sign on.
The changes do not affect the basic life insurance provided to all faculty and staff free of charge by the University.
UM Care
For 1995-96 UM Care set goals for three measures of
wellness. A top priority is pediatric care. This year’s pediatric network promises to be broader, with an emphasis on immunization. Family health, including new family planning benefits as well as mammogram screening, also will be stressed. And third, “to try to help and support smoking members in any effort they may use to try to quit, ” says Roberta Parillo, administrative director of UM Care.
*We’ve listened to all different arenas” to determine benefits, she says. Other areas featuring enhanced benefits are cardiac rehabilitation and physical and speech therapy.
A recent survey of UM Care customers revealed a high degree of satisfaction among users, she notes.
Mark your calendar with these fair dates, times, and places:
October 31- November 1 Coral Gables campus, siudent lounge, Whitten University Center 10 a. m.-3 p.m.
November 2-3 Medical campus, breezeway outside Ambulatory Care Center 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
November 4 RSMAS, RSMAS breezeway 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Meet with representatives from Employee Benefits, UM Care, Av-Med, The Travelers, University Behavioral Health, Employee Assistance Plan, Oral Health Services, Jefferson Pitot, First Benefits of Miami, Campus Sports and Recreation, the Wellness Program, and Daka Food Service (except on medical campus) who wit! be present at the fair to answer your questions. In addition, blood pressure and cholesterol testing will be available.
For those considering the High Deductible health insurance plan, take heed of several benefits cuts. Because of past losses, “the plan will drive its own rates,” Walsh explains. Expect an increase in premiums and a reduction of in-network and out-of-network reimbursement, along with other revisions.
UM Care, the choice of 55 percent of University faculty and staff, features several added benefits at last year's rates, according to Roberta Parillo, administrative director of UM Care.
The most outward change is a new membership card featuring the primary care center’s name and telephone number. And a new* member’s manual “no longer in insurance lingo” will attempt to clarify benefits.
Of particular interest, UM Care broadened its pre-existing conditions policy to embrace those converting from previous group coverage. The waiting time for eligibility for those with pre-existing conditions now will be reduced by the number of months the employee had continuous coverage prior to enrollment with UM Care, says Parillo.
Rates for Av-Med will remain constant; the plan has added oral contraceptives to its covered services.
John ZHIIoux