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Next Generation Research Tools [January 31, 2008] Impact Of Increased Health Care Costs And An Aging Population [January 30, 2008] Views On Presidential Candidates' Health Reform Plans [January 29, 2008] Knowing What Works In Health Care: A Roadmap For The Nation [January 28, 2008] Policy Needed To Attract International Students [January 25, 2008] Framework To Guide Health Care System Reform [January 24, 2008] Emerging Allied Dental Workforce Models [January 23, 2008] Accounting For The Cost Of Health Care In The United States [January 22, 2008] College Endowments Post 16.9% Return [January 18, 2008] Managing Study Abroad [January 17, 2008] Evaluation Of 2008 Presidential Campaigners' Health Reform Plans [January 16, 2008] Issue Brief: Financing Medicare [January 15, 2008] New Health Services Research Website Available [January 14, 2008] Uninsured And Dying Because Of It [January 11, 2008] U.S. Has Highest Rate Of Preventable Diseases Among Industrialized Nations [January 10, 2008] Evaluation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Clinical Preventive Services [January 9, 2008] Health Reform Options [January 8, 2008] Top Academic Workplaces [January 7, 2008] Top Eight Health Industry Issues in 2008 [January 4, 2008] Health, United States, 2007 [January 3, 2008] Revenues And Sources of Revenues In Health Care In The U.S. [January 2, 2008] Higher Education And Tuition Increases [January 2, 2008] Comparative Effectiveness Of Medical Treatments [January 2, 2008] How Well Are American Students Learning? [December 14, 2007] Toolkits For Implementing Safer Health Care Practices [December 13, 2007] Guide To Higher Education [December 12, 2007] The State Of Sharing Health Information [December 11, 2007] The Dental Workforce [December 10, 2007] Reauthorization Of Higher Education Act [December 7, 2007] Health Industry's Most Challenging Paradox: Creating A Climate Of Innovation [December 6, 2007] Nursing Schools Forced To Turn Away Qualified Applicants [December 5, 2007] Representation Of Minorities In Graduate School Increases [December 4, 2007] Promoting Careers In Aging And Health Disparities Reserach [December 3, 2007] Next Generation Research Tools The creation of Facebook enables youngsters to provide up-to-the minute aspects of their lives, along with photos, for classmates and friends. Researchers and academic personnel with a bent for publishing are creating similar tools. CiteULike is a social bookmarking device that allows users to post, share, and comment on each other's links to citations for journals. It allows them to register, create profiles, and submit links that others can read, comment on, tag with relevant keywords, and in turn, share again. The site lists citations only, not the full text, and links to journals. A browser button allows researchers to flag a journal article instantly for online bookmarking, and the site automatically extracts the citation information from the Web page. The result is an online repository of citations for personal use, essentially a bibliography, as well as a larger snapshot of what colleagues are reading. Scholars also can upload PDF files of papers they have downloaded, but they are kept private, like a personal online flash drive. A related endeavor is called Zotero . It is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help collect, manage, and cite research sources. For additional information, click http://www.citeulike.org/ for CiteULike and http://www.zotero.org/ for Zotero . Impact Of Increased Health Care Costs And An Aging Population Testifying yesterday before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, Comptroller General of the U.S. David Walker indicated that as we enter 2008, what we call the long-term fiscal challenge is not in the distant future. Already the first members of the baby boom generation have filed for early Social Security retirement benefits—and will be eligible for Medicare in only three years. Simulations by the Government Accountability Office, (GAO), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and others all show that despite a 3-year decline in the budget deficit, we still face large and growing structural deficits driven primarily by rising health care costs and known demographic trends. Under any plausible scenario, the federal budget is on an imprudent and unsustainable path. Rapidly rising health care costs are not simply a federal budget problem; they are our nation's number one fiscal challenge. Growth in health-related spending is the primary driver of the fiscal challenges facing the state and local governments. Unsustainable growth in health care spending is a system wide challenge that also threatens to erode the ability of employers to provide coverage to their workers and undercut our ability to compete in a global marketplace. Addressing the unsustainability of health care costs is a societal challenge that calls for us as a nation to fundamentally rethink how we define, deliver, and finance health care in both the public and the private sectors. His statement can be accessed by clicking http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/testimony/2008/Walker012908_Final.pdf . Views On Presidential Candidates' Health Reform Plans The 13th Commonwealth Fund/ Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey asked a diverse group of experts for their perspective on the health care reform proposals of the 2008 presidential candidates. Survey participants strongly support reform proposals that applied a mixed private–public market approach. Additional favored policy strategies for reform include a requirement for individuals to obtain health insurance, new private market regulations, and a requirement for employers to provide coverage or contribute to a coverage fund. Alternatively, respondents think proposals that focus on tax incentives to purchase individual private health insurance are not an effective method for controlling the rising costs of health care or achieving universal coverage. The survey results can be accessed by clicking http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Shea_HCOLprescandidates_databrief_1098.pdf?section=4039 . Knowing What Works In Health Care: A Roadmap For The Nation Solutions to some of the nation's most pressing health policy problems hinge on the ability to identify which diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services work best for various patients and circumstances. Spending on ineffective care contributes to rising health costs and insurance premiums. Variations in how health care providers treat the same conditions reflect uncertainty and disagreement about what clinical practice standards should be. Patients and insurers cannot always be confident that health professionals are delivering the most effective care. A new Institute of Medicine report, Knowing What Works in Health Care: A Roadmap for the Nation , provides a blueprint for a national program to assess the effectiveness of clinical services and to provide credible, unbiased information about what really works in health care. The report recommends that Congress direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a program with the authority, expertise, and resources necessary to set priorities for evaluating clinical services and to conduct systematic reviews of the evidence. The program would also develop and promote rigorous standards for creating clinical practice guidelines, which could help minimize use of questionable services and target services to the patients most likely to benefit. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12038#toc . Policy Needed To Attract International Students Framework To Guide Health Care System Reform The main functions of health care systems – wherever they are in the world – is to promote health among the country's citizens. In designing and operating any system, health care leaders aim to satisfy three leading requirements: ensuring that all individuals have adequate access to the benefits of health care, making certain that the system delivers care of consistently high quality, and achieving all this at a sustainable level of cost. These three objectives raise a host of complex questions. What constitutes adequate access and quality care? What is sustainable cost? To what extent should market forces be allowed to play a role in managing health care costs, quality, and service? Going back a step, shouldn't health care systems shift their current focus on caring for the sick to a more holistic effort to maintain citizen's health? The answers to all those questions vary widely, depending on the historical, political and social context of each national system. But sufficient commonality may exist to construct a universal analytical framework that can help leaders identify reform priorities then design and implement them effectively. By focusing on seven key principles that healthcare intermediaries can use to affect demand and supply of health care goods and services, McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) offers such a framework. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/reports/pdfs/healthcare/MGI_HC_framework.pdf . Emerging Allied Dental Workforce Models The American Dental Education Association recently developed an association report, "Emerging Allied Dental Workforce Models: Considerations for Academic Dental Institutions" which was published in the November issue of the Journal of Dental Education. The report describes the various workforce models being developed including the Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC), the Oral Preventive Assistant (OPA), the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP), and the Dental Health Aide Therapist (DHAT) and their stage of development. The report specifically states that the the current oral healthcare system is insufficient "to meet the needs of disadvantaged groups and is disproportionately available depending upon certain racial, ethnic and socioeconomic factors within the U.S. population." "ADEA recognizes the need for the extended employment of allied dental professionals, as it is one way to improve access to oral health care," said ADEA President James Q. Swift, DDS. The ADEA Association Report published in the November 2007 Journal of Dental Education can be obtained by contacting ADEA by phone at 202-289-7201. Accounting For The Cost Of Health Care In The United States The United States spends more of its income on health care than other developed countries and that share is rising. It is an arresting statistic that the U.S. now spends more on health care than it does on food. In this new report McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) finds that the United States spends approximately $480 billion ($1,600 per capita) more on health care than other OECD countries and that additional spending is not explained by a higher disease burden; the research shows that the U.S. population is not significantly sicker than the other countries studied. Given the less than optimal access for all U.S. citizens (relative to peer countries), MGI concludes that major opportunities for cost improvement —even if not the full $480 billion—are as possible as they are necessary although no single reform is likely to succeed in achieving the needed rebalancing. To be effective, reform in health care will need to apply sound principles on both the demand and supply side of the system. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/reports/pdfs/healthcare/MGI_US_HC_fullreport.pdf . College Endowments Post 16.9% Return An article by John Hechinger in yesterday's edition of The Wall Street Journal indicates that college endowments, benefiting from soaring U.S. and international stock markets, posted an average investment return of 16.9% in their most recent fiscal year, according to a study by nonprofit Commonfund, a Wilton, Conn., firm that manages money for colleges. But the increase lagged behind the broader U.S. stock market. Including reinvested dividends, the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index returned 20.6% during the same period, the year ended June 30, 2007. Bonds rose about 6%. In recent years, many colleges have been pouring money into so-called alternative investments, such as hedge funds and venture-capital funds, which are typically private partnerships generally available only to wealthy individuals and institutions. In the process, college investment officers have de-emphasized their traditional mix of stocks, bond and cash. Colleges have an average of 42% of their assets in alternative investments, about twice the percentage eight years ago, according to Commonfund, which examined the returns of 767 U.S. institutions, without specifying college names. The study also found that, despite strong investment returns, colleges spent only 4.4% of their endowments in their most recent fiscal year, slightly less than the previous year. The growth of study abroad—an integral part of any campus internationalization effort—brings with it new challenges for presidents, senior administrators, and study abroad professionals. Like any other rapidly expanding activity, study abroad needs the attention of top campus leaders to ensure that it is integrated into the academic program; operates in a fashion that is consistent with sound business practices related to contracting, risk management, and accountability; and serves the needs of students. This balance was the subject of a NAFSA task force composed of 12 college and university presidents and senior administrators who met in late 2007. The task force issued its report in January 2008, outlining 14 criteria for effective institutional management of study abroad. The report, entitled Strengthening Study Abroad: Recommendations for Effective Institutional Management , is intended to prompt discussion and reflection at the highest levels on university and college campuses about how each institution can effectively integrate, sustain, and strengthen study abroad. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/final_imsa_taskforce.pdf . Evaluation Of 2008 Presidential Campaigners' Health Reform Plans Four-fifths of Americans agree that to achieve universal health insurance coverage, employers should either provide health benefits to their workers or contribute to the cost of their coverage, according to new Commonwealth Fund survey data reported in "The Public's Views on Health Care Reform in the 2008 Presidential Election." Are the presidential candidates listening? A new report, Envisioning the Future: The 2008 Presidential Candidates' Health Reform Proposals, evaluates the 2008 presidential candidates' health reform plans. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Collins_envisioningfuture2008candplans_1092.pdf?section=4039 . Issue Brief: Financing Medicare New Health Services Research Website Available Uninsured And Dying Because Of It [January 11, 2008] A new study by the Urban Institute estimates 137,000 Americans died between 2000 and 2006 because they lacked health insurance. The study uses the latest Census Bureau data on insurance coverage to update findings from a 2002 Institute of Medicine report, which estimated 18,000 Americans died in 2000 because they were uninsured. The new report uses the same methodology as the IOM report , which found working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to receive too little medical care and receive it too late, be sicker, and die sooner. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411588_uninsured_dying.pdf . U.S. Has Highest Rate Of Preventable Diseases Among Industrialized Nations The United States places last among 19 countries when it comes to deaths that could have been prevented by access to timely and effective health care, according to new research supported by The Commonwealth Fund and published in the January/February issue of Health Affairs. While other nations dramatically improved these rates between 1997-98 and 2002-03, the U.S. improved only slightly. If the U.S. had performed as well as the top three countries out of the19 industrialized countries in the study there would have been 101,000 fewer deaths in the U.S. per year by the end of the study period. The top performers were France, Japan, and Australia. The article can be accessed by clicking http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/27/1/58 . Evaluation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Clinical Preventive Services The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) provides clinicians with a valuable service, gathering and analyzing the available literature on preventive medicine and transforming it into sound evidence-based recommendations. Yet, despite the value and ease of attaining the USPSTF recommendations, patients are not receiving the recommended amount of preventive services. The literature shows that while physician time and the inability to prioritize recommendations are perhaps the greatest challenges to the delivery of clinical preventive services, additional factors such as implementation systems, quality improvement strategies, and the type of system in which patients seek care may also affect the rates of service delivery. Although there is existing research regarding implementation and use of USPSTF recommendations at the individual clinician and group practice levels, there has been little research at the health plan level. The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) contracted with NORC at the University of Chicago to study the implementation USPSTF and a report was produced. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.ahrq.gov/about/evaluations/uspstf/uspstfeval.pdf . U.S. health spending is projected to increase from 16 percent of GDP in 2006 to 20 percent in 2016—from $2 trillion to $4 trillion. Meanwhile, the number of uninsured Americans continues to rise. In a new report prepared for The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, the authors examine 15 federal policy options that have the potential to lower health spending relative to projected trends. They include policies that would: produce and use better information for health care decision-making, promote health and enhance disease prevention, align financial incentives with quality and efficiency, and correct price signals in health care markets. Combining policies would capture the synergistic benefits of individual changes. If implemented along with universal health insurance, a combination of selected options could save $1.5 trillion in national health expenditures over 10 years while also improving value in access, quality, and health care outcomes. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Schoen_bendingthecurve_1080.pdf?section=4039 . While the majority of junior faculty at America's colleges and universities are satisfied at work, some institutions are doing particularly well in this regard. The Tenure-Track Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey, administered by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) in 2005 and 2006, determined that some colleges and universities are "exemplary" on certain key dimensions of faculty work/life. The COACHE Survey considered the following categories in its assessment: tenure practices, clarity, and reasonableness; effectiveness of key policies (e.g., mentoring, childcare, and leaves); nature of work: teaching, research and support services; work and family balance; satisfaction with compensation; climate, culture, and collegiality; and global satisfaction. The report can be accessed by clicking http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~coache/downloads/COACHE_Report_20071205.pdf . Top Eight Health Industry Issues in 2008 For the first time since President Clinton was elected in 1992, the topic of healthcare is the most important domestic issue facing the U.S. population. Consumers are taking more responsibility for decisions about their health insurance, drugs, and providers. More government regulations are requiring public disclosure of quality, safety and costs. The coming year will be a pivotal one for the health industry, with new market competitors, financial pressures, and regulatory requirements. To help health executives and policy makers anticipate and prepare for what's ahead, PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute has identified the Top Eight Health Industry Issues in 2008 . The report highlights impending changes — ranging from major changes in provider reimbursement, to new drug safety reporting requirements, to a potentially burgeoning market for individual health insurance — and how they could have an impact on health organizations. The report can be accessed by clicking http://pwchealth.com/cgi-ocal/hregister.cgi?link=reg/top8issues.pdf . Health, United States, 2007, is the 31st annual report on the health status of the Nation prepared by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for the President and Congress. In a chartbook and 151 detailed tables, it provides an annual picture of the health of the entire Nation. Trends are presented on health status and health care utilization, resources, and expenditures. This year's report includes a focus on access to needed or recommended health care services. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf . Revenues And Sources of Revenues In Health Care In The U.S.
The report can be accessed by clicking Higher Education And Tuition Increases Comparative Effectiveness Of Medical Treatments Rising costs for health care represent a central challenge both for the federal government and the private sector, but opportunities may exist to constrain costs in both sectors without adverse health consequences. Perhaps the most compelling evidence of those opportunities involves the significant geographic differences in spending on health care within the United States, which do not, on average, translate into higher life expectancy or substantial improvements in other health statistics in the higher-spending regions. At the same time, only a limited amount of evidence is available about which treatments work best for which patients and whether the added benefits of more-effective but more-expensive services are sufficient to warrant their added costs. A recent paper from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)--prepared at the request of the Chairmen of the Senate Budget and Finance Committee--examines options for expanding federal support for research on comparative effectiveness. It reviews the current state of such research in both the public and private sectors and discusses several mechanisms for organizing and funding additional research efforts. It also discusses the different types of research that could be pursued and their likely benefits and costs. Finally, it considers the potential effects that such research could have on health care spending and the difficult steps that public and private insurers would probably have to take to achieve substantial savings on the basis of that research-in particular, changing the financial incentives for doctors and patients to reflect that information. How Well Are American Students Learning? The 2007 Brown Center Report on American Education examines how well American students are learning in math and reading, the enrollment patterns in private and public schools, and whether more time spent learning math increases achievement. This iteration is the seventh edition. The report consists of three sections. The first section examines the latest test score data on math and reading achievement. This year the analysis focuses primarily on results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), including a discussion of NAEP achievement levels. The second section investigates a general theme or trend in education. This year the second section scrutinizes enrollment patterns in private and public schools. Section three looks at an issue of policy relevance. International test data are examined to see whether a relationship exists between national math scores and the amount of time students spend learning mathematics in different countries. The report can be accessed by clicking Toolkits For Implementing Safer Health Care Practices An array of toolkits designed to help doctors, nurses, hospital managers, patients, and others reduce medical errors was released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The 17 toolkits, developed by AHRQ-funded experts who specialize in patient safety research are free, publicly available, and can be adapted to most health care settings. The toolkits range from checklists to help reconcile medications when patients are discharged from the hospital to processes to enhance effective communication among caregivers and with patients to toolkits to help patients taking medications. The toolkits can be accessed by clicking http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pips/ . The 2007 edition of A Brief Guide to Higher Education is available from the American Council on Education (ACE). It provides an overview of U.S. higher education, including the role of government, institutional finance and administration, and accreditation. Other highlights include chapters on students, faculty, and public policy issues. For additional information, click http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pubInfo.cfm?pubID=386 . The State Of Sharing Health Information Published online today in the journal Health Affairs is an article that indicates that electronic clinical data exchange promises substantial financial and societal benefits, but it is unclear whether and when it will become widespread. In early 2007, a survey of 145 regional health information organizations (RHIOs), the U.S. entities working to establish data exchange, was conducted. Nearly one in four was likely defunct. Only twenty efforts were of at least modest size and exchanging clinical data. Most early successes involved the exchange of test results. To support themselves, thirteen RHIOs received regular fees from participating organizations and eight were heavily dependent on grants. The findings raise concerns about the ability of the current approach to achieve widespread electronic clinical data exchange. The article can be accessed by clicking http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.27.1.w60/DC1 . The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) recently developed an association report, "Emerging Allied Dental Workforce Models: Considerations for Academic Dental Institutions" which was published in the November issue of the Journal of Dental Education. The report describes the various workforce models being developed including the Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC), the Oral Preventive Assistant (OPA), the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP), and the Dental Health Aide Therapist (DHAT) and their stage of development. The report specifically states that the current oral healthcare system is insufficient "to meet the needs of disadvantaged groups and is disproportionately available depending upon certain racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors within the U.S. population." Published in the November 2007 of the Journal, the report can be obtained by contacting ADEA by phone at 202-289-7201 or by visiting the website at: www.adea.org or www.jdentaled.org . Reauthorization Of Higher Education Act On November 15, 2007, the Committee on Education and Labor in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "College Opportunity and Affordability Act" (H.R. 4137), reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). The House committee bill accompanies the reauthorization bill passed by the Senate (S. 1642) in July 2007. While dates have not yet been established, Congressional staff members indicate that the committee bill may go to the full House sometime in December with a House-Senate conference on both bills, perhaps in January 2008. The House bill addresses all accreditation-related topics contained in the Senate bill and adds new provisions in a number of areas. It also includes provisions that are not directly related to accreditation, but have an impact. A chart developed by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) compares current law, the Senate bill, and the House committee bill as these relate to accreditation and related issues. Health Industry's Most Challenging Paradox: Creating A Climate Of Innovation In its global research report, HealthCast 2020: Creating a Sustainable Health System , The results of the discussion can be accessed by clicking Nursing Schools Forced To Turn Away Qualified Applicants Representation Of Minorities In Graduate School Increases The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reports that the proportion of students in American graduate schools who were members of a racial/ethnic minority group rose to 28% in 2006, from 26% in 2005. The survey report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 1996-2006 , reveals that enrollment of every racial/ethnic minority group was up by at least 3% in 2006, compared to no growth among non-minority students. Health sciences continued to be the fastest growing field, increasing by 7% in 2006, and the growth has been accelerating since 1996. Promoting Careers In Aging And Health Disparities Reserach The goals of NIH-supported career development programs are to help ensure that diverse pools of highly trained scientists are available in adequate numbers and in appropriate research areas to address the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. The focus of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is limited to health disparities related to aging. Eligible individuals are applicants who have been determined by the grantee institution to be committed to a career in health disparities research related to aging and who are members of or knowledgeable about health disparity population groups. Nationally, health disparity population groups include but are not limited to African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, the medically underserved, low socioeconomic populations and rural populations. This FOA is related to the NIA Health Disparities Strategic Plan and will help to build capacity in aging and health disparity research. Applications will be supported through the NIH Mentored Research Scientists Development Award Mechanism (K01): http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-001.html. The K01 application may be submitted on behalf of the candidate (principal investigator) by any domestic for-profit or non-profit institution/organization, or public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply. The National Institute on Aging intends to commit up to $500,000 in FY 2008 for awards in response to this FOA. An applicant may request a project period of 3-5 years and a budget for direct costs of up to $150,000 per year. The total amount to be awarded and the number of anticipated awards will depend upon the quality, duration, and costs of the applications received as determined by peer review process, available funds and program priorities.
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