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Enrollment In Graduate Schools Increases [September 29, 2006[ American Medical Education 100 Years After The Flexner Report [September 28, 2006] Effect Of The HIPAA Privacy Rule On Health Research [September 27, 2006] Charting The Future Of U.S. Higher Education [September 26, 2006] Allied Health Personnel Vacancy Report [September 25, 2006] College And University Associations Issue "Next Steps" For Undergraduate Education [September 22, 2006] Thirty-Four Health Professions Organizations Oppose SOPP And AMA Resolution 814 [September 21, 2006] Scorecard Shows That U.S. Health Care System Needs Improvement [September 20, 2006] New Accreditation Standards Adopted For Occupational Therapy [September 19, 2006] Diversity In The Physician Workforce: Facts And Figures [September 18, 2006] Projections Of Education Statistics To 2015 [September 15, 2006] New NIH Website For Child Health And Human Development [September 14, 2006] Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Does The U.S. Measure Up? [September 13, 2006] Genes, Behavior, And The Social Environment: Moving Beyond The Nature/Nurthre Debate [September 12, 2006] Investigating Mortality Disparities Across U.S. Races, Counties, And Race Counties [September 11, 2006] Public Policy In An Older America [September 8, 2006] National Report Card On Higher Education [September 7, 2006] Health Literacy Of America's Adults [September 6, 2006] Public Views On Shaping The Future Of The U.S. Health System [September 5, 2006] How Physicians Would Disclose Harmful Medical Errors to Patients [September 1, 2006] Number of Americans Lacking Health Insurance Increases [August 31, 2006] The High Concentration Of US Health Care Expenditures [August 16, 2006] Report On How Hospitals Meet Community Needs [August 15, 2006] ACE President Withholds Signature From Final Spellings Commission Report [August 14, 2006] Commissioners Approve Report Of Secretary's Commission On The Future Of Higher Education [August 11, 2006] Achieving A High Performance Health System [August 10, 2006] Report Of The Secretary's Commission On The Future Of Higher Education [August 9, 2006] Comments Sought On Standards For The Clinical Doctorate In Clinical Laboratory Sciences [August 8, 2006] Health Care Powerhouse Database Created [August 7, 2006] Number Of Cyberchondriacs Increases [August 4, 2006] A Culture Of Evidence: Postsecondary Assessment And Learning Outcomes [August 3, 2006] Framework For A High Performance Health System For The US [August 2, 2006] New Regulations To Facilitate Adoption Of Health Information Technology [August 1, 2006] Enrollment In Graduate Schools Increases Enrollment in American graduate schools grew by two percent from 2004 to 2005, according to a new Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) report, which examines annual changes and 20-year trends in graduate enrollment, degrees, and applications . The report attributed the increase in both one-year and long-term graduate enrollment primarily to the increasing number of women pursuing graduate degrees and it also confirms previous studies that showed a recovery in international graduate student enrollment. Among the findings is that while 40 percent of international graduate students study either engineering or physical sciences, only 10 percent of American students are enrolled in these two fields. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/R_GED2005.pdf . American Medical Education 100 Years After The Flexner Report Today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contains an article entitled “American Medical Education 100 Years After The Flexner Report.” M edical education seems to be in a perpetual state of unrest . From the early 1900s to the present, more than a score of reports from foundations, educational bodies, and professional task forces have criticized medical education for emphasizing scientific knowledge over biologic understanding, clinical reasoning, practical skill, and the development of character, compassion, and integrity. How did this situation arise, and what can be done about it? In this article, which introduces a new series on medical education in the Journal, we changes in medical education over the past century are summarized and current challenges are described, using as a framework the key goals of professional education: to transmit knowledge, to impart skills, and to inculcate the values of the profession. Effect Of The HIPAA Privacy Rule On Health Research Effect of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on Health Research: Proceedings of a Workshop Presented to the National Cancer Policy Forum reports a series of presentations from officials of the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the National Institutes of Health, and other federal agencies, the pharmaceutical industry health law, and academia. These presentations described the regulations implemented in 2003 governing protection of the privacy of individually identifiable health information in health plans, providers, and clearinghouses that engage in electronic transactions. For additional information, click http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11749.html#toc . Charting The Future Of U.S. Higher Education A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education is the title of a report of the Commission appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret spelling. The Pre-Publication copy recently was made available on the Web. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/pre-pub-report.pdf . Allied Health Personnel Vacancy Report The 2006 Allied Health Vacancy Report , a collaborative effort of The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Council for Allied Health in North Carolina, and The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Program, is available. The document is one of many produced at regular intervals in a State that enjoys the reputation of being the best in the United States in tracking the allied health workforce. Allied health jobs comprised approximately 37% of total health care employment in North Carolina in 2005 and represent a large, and increasingly important, employment sector in the state. Between 1999 and 2005, allied health employment in North Carolina (NC) grew by 46%. By contrast, total health care employment grew at less than half that rate (20%) and total employment in NC just 0.2%. In this latest vacancy report, vacancies for 10 allied health professions across the state are tracked. The report may be accessed by clicking College And University Associations Issue "Next Steps" For Undergraduate Education The six major U.S. associations representing college and university presidents and chancellors yesterday released a letter being sent to higher education institutions Addressing the Challenges Facing American Undergraduate Education outlining the "next steps" on issues related to undergraduate education. The letter, , is designed to dovetail with President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative and congressional efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, as well as reform work undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, The National Academies, and the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education, among others. For additional information, click Thirty-Four Health Professions Organizations Oppose SOPP And AMA Resolution 814 The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions is one of 34 organizations belonging to the Coalition for patients' Rights that is united in declaring that the Scope of Practice Partnership (SOPP) that various physician organizations have formed, as well as American Medical Association (AMA) Resolution 814, are unnecessary actions that will impede, rather than enhance, patient access to quality care. The coalition calls on SOPP member organizations to cease their divisive efforts and, instead, work cooperatively with other health professions to advance the health and well-being of patients. Additional information may be obtained by clicking http://www.patientsrightscoalition.org/statement/joint.htm Scorecard Shows That U.S. Health Care System Needs Improvement Despite spending 16 percent of its gross domestic product on health care -- double the median for industrialized nations -- the U.S. remains the only industrialized country in the world that does not guarantee universal coverage. It is not a leader in the adoption of health information technology and it achieves neither the best outcomes nor the best quality of care when compared to other nations, according to a new article published on the Health Affairs Web site. The scorecard, “which was designed to assess and monitor all key dimensions of performance in relationship to benchmarks and over time, provides a unique whole-system view.” The total U.S. average score across all categories was 66 out of a possible 100. The article may be accessed by clicking New Accreditation Standards Adopted For Occupational Therapy After an extensive 3-year process, multiple surveys to the communities of interest, and several open hearings, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) has adopted new accreditation standards for professional master's degree occupational therapy programs and occupational therapy assistant programs. Programs will be required to comply with the new 2006 Standards by January 1, 2008. The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Standards Committee will continue its work on finalizing the accreditation standards for OTD programs and will be disseminating a call for comment on the final draft OTD Standards by early September. Feedback from all communities of interest is requested. It is anticipated that the new OTD Standards will be adopted by ACOTE at its meeting on December 1-3, 2006. The standards may be accessed by clicking Diversity In The Physician Workforce: Facts And Figures A new publication provides detailed statistical information on the demographics and practice patterns of the physician workforce that graduated from U.S. allopathic medical schools between 1950 and 2004. In addition, select data are included from the U.S. Census Bureau. It is produced to inform all those interested in diversity in academic medicine and the physician workforce, including physicians, medical students, faculty, administrators, researchers, and policy makers. The document may be accessed by clicking https://services.aamc.org/Publications/showfile.cfm?file=version71.pdf&prd_id=161&prv_id=191&pdf_id=71 . Projections Of Education Statistics To 2015 This publication provides projections for key education statistics. It includes statistics on enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary schools, and enrollment, earned degrees conferred, and current-fund expenditures of degree-granting institutions. For the Nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2015. For the 50 States and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2015. In addition, the report includes a methodology section describing models and assumptions used to develop national and state-level projections. The report may be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006084.pdf . New NIH Website For Child Health And Human Development The component of the National Institutes of Health that conducts and supports research on human development, medical rehabilitation, and the health of children, adults, families, and communities recently launched its redesigned Web site. The new National Institute of Child Health and Human Development site provides easy access to information for many groups, including researchers. The Institute's research portfolio includes development before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. Researchers coming to the NICHD Web site will find extensive information on the Institute's research components and supported projects. Through a directory that is searchable by research specialty, researchers and potential grantees will now be able to find program staff and scientists who share their research interests. Investigators seeking financial support for their own research projects or training will be able to access information tailored for their level of familiarity with the federal funding process or to the current stage of their research career. The site may be accessed by clicking http://www.nichd.nih.gov/ . Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Does The U.S. Measure Up? The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Committee on Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity report, Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? , examines the progress made by obesity prevention initiatives in the United States over the past two years. The report builds on the IOM's 2005 report, which was a congressionally mandated study that provided a blueprint to guide concerted actions for government, industry, media, communities, schools, and families to respond collectively to the growing obesity epidemic in children and youth. Copies may be read by clicking http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11722.html#toc . Genes, Behavior, And The Social Environment: Moving Beyond The Nature/Nurthre Debate Recent knowledge, including much of what has so far been gleaned from the sequencing of the human genome, is pushing scientists to look beyond single agents of health and disease. By breaking out of their disciplinary “silos” and embracing a broader systems view, based on the understanding that health outcomes are the result of multiple determinants—social, behavioral, and genetic--that work in concert through complex interactions, the best health outcomes from research may be yet to come. Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment , a new publication from the Institute of Medicine, examines a number of well-described gene-environment interactions, reviews the state of the science in researching such interactions, and recommends priorities not only on research itself but also on its workforce, resource, and infrastructural needs. The publication may be accessed by clicking http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11693.html#toc . Investigating Mortality Disparities Across U.S. Races, Counties, And Race Counties U.S residents in eight groups based on geography, income, and race have significant differences in life expectancy, according to a study published today in the journal PloS Medicine. Disparities in mortality across the eight Americas, each consisting of millions or tens of millions of Americans, are enormous by all international standards. The observed disparities in life expectancy cannot be explained by race, income, or basic health-care access and utilization alone. Because policies aimed at reducing fundamental socioeconomic inequalities are currently practically absent in the US, health disparities will have to be at least partly addressed through public health strategies that reduce risk factors for chronic diseases and injuries. The article The study may be accessed by clicking http://www.globalhealth.harvard.edu/Murrayetal-EightAmericas-PLoSMedicine2006_000.pdf.pdf . Public Policy In An Older America A publication by The Century Foundation, is aimed at providing the best available facts, figures, and projections about the coming demographic changes and the major questions they pose for public policy. The document may be accessed by clicking http://www.tcf.org/Publications/RetirementSecurity/AgingBasics.pdf . National Report Card On Higher Education The United States has fallen behind other nations in the race to educate its young adults and workers, according to Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education, a new report released Wednesday. The fourth in a series of biennial report cards issued by the nonprofit, nonpartisan National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2006 measures the performance of the nation and of each state in providing education and training beyond high school. This new report card is the first in the series to compare national and state higher education performance in the United States with other nations. The report may be accessed by clicking Health Literacy Of America's Adults The Health Literacy of America's Adults is the first release of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) health literacy results. The results are based on assessment tasks designed specifically to measure the health literacy of adults living in the United States. Health literacy was reported using four performance levels: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient. The majority of adults (53 percent) had Intermediate health literacy. About 22 percent had Basic and 14 percent had Below Basic health literacy. Relationships between health literacy and background variables (such as educational attainment, age, race/ethnicity, where adults get information about health issues, and health insurance coverage) were also examined and reported. For example, adults with Below Basic or Basic health literacy were less likely than adults with higher health literacy to get information about health issues from written sources (newspapers, magazines, books, brochures, or the Internet) and more likely than adults with higher health literacy to get a lot of information about health issues from radio and television. The report may be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483.pdf . Public Views On Shaping The Future Of The U.S. Health System On behalf of The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, Harris Interactive surveyed U.S. adults to determine the public's perspectives on ways to improve patient care and on health policy priorities facing the President and Congress. Overall, the representative sample of 1,023 adults ages 18 and older revealed strong public support for efforts to improve care coordination and access to information. A shared belief exists that expanded use of information technology, care teams, and improved delivery of preventive services could improve the quality of care. Patients reported recent experiences of wasteful, inefficient, or unsafe care. In addition, half of middle-income and lower-income families reported serious problems paying for care and insurance coverage. Three-quarters of all adults said the U.S. health care system needs either fundamental change or complete rebuilding. Expanding insurance and controlling costs, they said, should be top priorities for federal action. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.cmwf.org/usr_doc/Schoen_publicviewsfuturehltsystem_948.pdf . How Physicians Would Disclose Harmful Medical Errors to Patients A gap exists between patients' desire to be told about medical errors and present practice. Little is known about how physicians approach disclosure. The objective of study appearing in the August 14/28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine was to describe how physicians disclose errors to patients. Wide variation existed regarding what information respondents would disclose. Of the respondents, 56% chose statements that mentioned the adverse event but not the error, while 42% would explicitly state that an error occurred. Some physicians disclosed little information: 19% would not volunteer any information about the error's cause, and 63% would not provide specific information about preventing future errors. Number of Americans Lacking Health Insurance Increases A recent report from the Census Bureau indicates that real median household income increased between 2004 and 2005. Both the number of persons in poverty and the poverty rate were not statistically different between 2004 and 2005. The number of persons with health insurance coverage increased, while the percentage of those with health insurance coverage decreased between 2004 and 2005. Both the number and the percentage of individuals without health insurance coverage increased between 2004 and 2005. These results were not uniform across demographic groups. For example, the poverty rate for non-Hispanic Whites decreased, while the overall rate was statistically unchanged, The report has three main sections—income, poverty, and health insurance coverage. Each one presents estimates by characteristics such as race, Hispanic origin, nativity, and region. Other topics include earnings of yearround, full-time workers; poverty among families; and health insurance coverage of children. This report also contains data by metropolitan area status, which were not included last year due to the transition from a 1990-based sample design to a 2000-based sample design. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p60-231.pdf . The High Concentration Of US Health Care Expenditures As part of the Research in Action series of reports by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the latest issue reveals that half of the population spends little or nothing on health care, while five percent of the population spends almost half of the total amount. Examining the distribution of health care expenses among the U.S. population sheds light on areas where changes in policy might bring about the greatest savings. The document may be accessed by clicking http://www.ahcpr.gov/research/ria19/expendria.pdf . Report On How Hospitals Meet Community Needs A new report prepared by The Chartis Group and released by the American Hospital Association (AHA) highlights the vital and unique role that full-service hospitals play in caring for their communities. "Prepared to Care" explores hospitals' standby role in providing access to care for all patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of patients' ability to pay, and in ensuring that their staff and facilities are prepared to care for victims of large-scale accidents, natural disasters, epidemics and terrorist actions. The report also outlines the capacity and financing pressures hospitals face in maintaining their standby role, including workforce shortages , government under funding, and the movement of care to limited-service providers that don't serve this role. In addition, the report contains a variety of messages and statistics to help hospitals tell their story to their local leaders. Additional information and ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations may be accessed by clicking http://www.caringforcommunities.org/caringforcommunities/content/preparedtocare.pdf . ACE President Withholds Signature From Final Spellings Commission Report Eighteen of nineteen members of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education agreed last Thursday to sign and send a final report to U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings that contains recommendations in six broad areas including access, student financial aid, accountability, quality improvement, lifelong learning, and global competitiveness. David Ward, President of the American Council on Education, was the only commission member who chose not to offer his signature. "Change in higher education is needed, but we need to get it right and above all do no harm," Ward stated. "I believe I can be more effective in this continuing dialogue if I am free to contest some aspects of this report." His complete statement may be viewed by clicking http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases2&CONTENTID=17767&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm Commissioners Approve Report Of Secretary's Commission On The Future Of Higher Education The Commission on the Future of Higher Education met yesterday in Washington, DC and 18 of the 19 members approved the draft report. David Ward, President of the American Council on Education (ACE) did not vote and indicated that he would not sign it. A next step will involve editing the report and adding new material, e.g. information on good practices at colleges and universities and then submitting the final version to the Secretary in mid-September. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports/0809-draft.pdf . Achieving A High Performance Health System Despite spending more than any other country, the U.S. health care system is marked by significant shortcomings in efficiency, quality, access, safety, and affordability. The consequences are serious: widespread disparities in health based on insurance status, income, and race; patients not receiving recommended care; and thousands of Americans dying yearly from lapses in safety. In a commentary issued by The Commonwealth Fund entitled, "Achieving a High Performance Health System: High Reliability Organizations Within a Broader Agenda,” ( Health Services Research, Aug. 2006), an argument is made for a major transformation of current methods of health care financing and delivery in the United States. For additional information, click Report Of The Secretary's Commission On The Future Of Higher Education The third draft of a final report by the Secretary's Commission on the Future of Higher Education has been released. The first draft was criticized from the standpoint that it did not reflect the views of many commissioners and it was too harsh concerning higher education. The next version was considered to be more representative of the commission as a whole and it adopted a softer tone. The latest draft notes that there is a lack of clear, reliable information about the cost and quality of postsecondary institutions, along with a remarkable absence of accountability mechanisms to ensure that colleges succeed in educating students. The document may be accessed by clicking Comments Sought On Standards For The Clinical Doctorate In Clinical Laboratory Sciences Members of the Graduate Task Force of the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) believe that the Clinical Doctorate in CLS is very much needed not only to fill gaps in the health care delivery system, but also to complete the career ladder for clinical laboratory scientists. Without the Clinical Doctorate in CLS, much of the laboratory diagnosis, test interpretation, patient education, and management, will fall to individuals less qualified or untrained in the clinical laboratory sciences. Standards have been developed by the Task Force and comments on them are sought. The standards may be viewed by clicking http://www.naacls.org/docs/announcement/draft_standards_CLSdoc.pdf . Comments should be sent to NAACLS at doctorate@naacls.org before 9/15/2006. Health Care Powerhouse Database Created The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association announced the creation of a database of claims filed on behalf of 79 million enrollees—a treasure trove of information that employers working with health plans can use to extract greater value for their health care dollars. Called "Blue Health Intelligence," the database is more than twice the size of the next largest database in the United States. Officials with the Blues described various efficiency and product safety breakthroughs made possible by the massive size of the database, which they called the largest of its type in the world. One example they point to is the field of comparing treatment outcomes for the same medical condition. Health policy analysts have long touted treatment comparison as having great potential for improving U.S. health care efficiency, but getting such a program off the ground has been a struggle. Analysts will be able to do head-to-head comparisons of prescription drugs to see which work. The expanse of the database—which covers patients in every U.S. ZIP Code—means the findings of those comparisons will be far more reliable than studies based on a relatively small number of patients. Eliminating geographic variations in services—another holy grail in the drive for greater efficiency—also may be within closer reach. In addition, the database will be used to assess the value of medical devices. Number Of Cyberchondriacs Increases A Culture Of Evidence: Postsecondary Assessment And Learning Outcomes Developing a comprehensive strategy for postsecondary education that will meet the needs of America's diverse population and help ensure the ability to compete in the global economy is vital to the growth of the U.S. The bar is being raised for the nation's higher education system. Americans realize that pushing students through the system is not enough; students must graduate equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to be productive members of the workforce. Key to improving the performance of colleges and universities is measuring their performance. A paper entitled A Culture of Evidence: Postsecondary Assessment and Learning Outcomes outlines accountability models and metrics for the higher education arena. The paper may be accessed by clicking Framework For A High Performance Health System For The US Despite spending the most on health care, the United States lags behind other industrialized nations on many dimensions of health system performance. Formed in July 2005, The Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System seeks to chart a course for a U.S. health care system that provides significantly expanded access, higher quality, and greater efficiency for all Americans, especially those who are most vulnerable. In a consensus statement, the Commission defines "high performance" and outlines its vision of a uniquely American, high performance health system. It then identifies the most critical sources of our current system's failures and offers a strategic framework for addressing them through specific actions. The framework may be accessed by clicking New Regulations To Facilitate Adoption Of Health Information Technology HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced final regulations that will support physician adoption of electronic prescribing and electronic health records technology. Electronic prescribing enables a physician to transmit a prescription electronically to the patient's choice of pharmacy or ancillary provider. It can improve patient safety by decreasing prescription errors due to hard-to-read physician handwriting and communication errors, automating the process of checking for drug interactions and allergies, and eliminating duplicative laboratory and diagnostic tests. Electronic prescribing also enables physicians and pharmacies to obtain from drug plans information about the patient's eligibility and medication history. Having access to this information at the point of care makes writing, transmitting, and filling prescriptions quicker and easier, and also makes it possible for physicians to make informed decisions about the availability of lower-cost, therapeutically appropriate alternatives to the prescribed medication. The final rules displayed today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) create new exceptions and safe harbors to two key federal fraud and abuse laws for arrangements involving the donation of certain electronic health information technology and services. The final rules were displayed today at the Office of the Federal Register for publication on Aug. 8, 2006. For more information, visit the CMS Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov and the OIG Web site at www.oig.hhs.gov .
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