News Archive
Role Of Public Health In Addressing Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Mental Health And Mental Illness [January 29, 2010]
Regional Variation In Medicare Service Use [January 28, 2010]
Looking Into The Crystal Ball of Future Health Care Delivery [January 27, 2010]
The New Science Of Personalized Medicine [January 26, 2010]
Promoting Access And Diversity In Higher Education [January 25, 2010]
Improving America’s Hospitals [January 22, 2010]
Insights For U.S. Health Reform From Germany And The Netherlands [January 21, 2010]
The Healthcare Imperative: Lowering Costs And Improving Outcomes [January 20, 2010]
Organized Medicine Pushes Back On Expansions Of Scope-of-Practice [January 19, 2010]
New And Developing Medical Schools [January 15, 2010]
The Genomic Landscape Circa 2010 [January 14, 2010]
Spaces Between Numbers: International Data On Higher Education [January 13, 2010]
New Health Literacy Tool Available [January 12, 2010]
Improving Access To Health Care: Testing New Roles For Providers [January 11, 2010]
Educating Nurses: A Call For Radical Transformation [January 8, 2010]
The Global Health System: Actors, Norms, And Expectations In Transition [January 7, 2010]
Video Series On Distilled Demographics [January 6, 2010]
Health Technology Assessment On The Net [January 5, 2010]
Health At A Glance 2009: OECD Indicators [January 4, 2010]
Papers Available On Higher Education Learning Outcomes [December 23, 2009]
Bending The Productivity Curve: Why America Leads The World In Medical Innovation [December 22, 2009]
Protecting The Public’s Health From Disease, Disasters, And Bioterrorism [December 21, 2009]
Improving Health Care For Individuals With Limited English Proficiency [December 18, 2009]
Bureau Of Labor Statistics Employment Projections [December 17, 2009]
Training New Dental Health Providers In The U.S. [December 16, 2009]
Update On The Economic Case For Health Care Reform [December 15, 2009]
Exploring The Science Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine [December 14, 2009]
Redesigning Continuing Education In The Health Professions [December 11, 2009]
2009 Education Survey [December 10, 2009]
Analysis Of Provisions In Senate And House Health Reform Bills [December 9, 2009]
Measuring Regional Variation In Medicare Service Use [December 8, 2009]
Why Have College Completion Rates Declined? [December 7, 2009]
Health Information And Privacy [December 4, 2009]
Academia And Beyond: Supporting The Biomedical Workforce Of The Future [December 3, 2009]
Changes in Postsecondary Awards Below The Bachelor’s Degree: 1997-2007 [December 2, 2009]
U.S. Oral Health Workforce In The Coming Decade [December 1, 2009]
Role Of Public Health In Addressing Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Mental Health And Mental Illness
In the current issue of Preventing Chronic Disease Journal, an article states that racial/ethnic minority populations are underserved in the American mental health care system. Disparity in treatment between whites and African Americans has increased substantially since the 1990s. Racial/ethnic minorities may be disproportionately affected by limited English proficiency, remote geographic settings, stigma, fragmented services, cost, comorbidity of mental illness and chronic diseases, cultural understanding of health care services, and incarceration. A model is presented that illustrates how social determinants of health, interventions, and outcomes interact to affect mental health and mental illness.
The article can be accessed by clicking http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/jan/09_0125.htm.
Regional Variation In Medicare Service Use
A report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) presents data on the difference between regional variation in Medicare spending and regional variation in the use of Medicare-covered services. Regional variation in Medicare spending per beneficiary reflects many factors, including differences in beneficiaries’ health status, Medicare payment rates, service volume (number of services), and service intensity (e.g., MRI versus simple X-ray). In contrast, regional variation in the use of Medicare services reflects only differences in the volume and intensity of services that beneficiaries with comparable health status receive. Although service use varies less than spending, the amount of services provided to beneficiaries with similar resource needs still varies substantially.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.medpac.gov/documents/Dec09_RegionalVariation_report.pdf.
Looking Into The Crystal Ball of Future Health Care Delivery
Residents of rural areas in the U.S. are at a disadvantage from the standpoint of lacking access to a wide range of health care services. A new approach to mitigating that disadvantage can be found in the field of dermatology. On average, a dermatologist sees up to 36 patients per day in the office, but if that same physician used the Internet to assess images of patients' skin conditions, he or she could review up to 50 cases per day. Such is the premise behind store-and-forward (S&F) teledermatology, which enables clinicians to evaluate cases without regard to schedule, appointment time, or clinic location. A new report summarizes criteria for evaluating store-and-forward applications and compares four major, commercially available programs.
The report can be accessed by clicking
http://www.chcf.org/documents/healthit/StoreForwardTeledermatologyApplications.pdf.
The New Science Of Personalized Medicine
A report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers entitled, The New Science Of Personalized Medicine: Targeting the Promise Into Practice posits that the advent of personalized medicine, which targets individualized treatment and care based on personal and genetic variation, is creating a booming market that is bigger than most may realize. It is a disruptive innovation that will create both opportunities and challenges for traditional healthcare and emerging new market participants. The promise of personalized medicine has been predicated upon advances in genomics and proteomics, completion of the human genome map, and development of "targeted" diagnostics and therapeutics.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://pwchealth.com/cgi-local/hregister.cgi?link=reg/personalized-medicine.pdf.
Promoting Access And Diversity In Higher Education
In September 2008, the American Council on Education and the College Board hosted a Presidential Roundtable entitled, "The Educational Imperative of Diversity: Key Issues for Higher Education Leaders" in Washington, DC. College presidents, chief diversity officers, and general counsel from nearly two dozen campuses participated in the roundtable. The discussion resulted in the release of a Policy Paper—A 21st Century Imperative: Promoting Access and Diversity in Higher Education. In conjunction with the policy paper, the College Board developed and released an Access and Diversity Toolkit for higher education professionals.
The paper can be accessed by clicking http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CAREE&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=35302.
The tool kit can be accessed by clicking http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CAREE&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=35303.
Hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission continue to improve quality of patient care, according to Improving America’s Hospitals: The Joint Commission’s Annual Report on Quality and Safety 2009. The fourth annual report shows continual improvement over a seven-year period (2002-2008) on 12 quality measures reflecting the best evidence-based treatments – practices
demonstrated by scientific evidence to lead to the best outcomes. The magnitude of national improvement on these measures ranged from 4.9 percent to 58.8 percent. Hospital performance also improved on 13 other measures.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/22D58F1F-14FF-4B72-A870-378DAF26189E/0/2009_Annual_Report.pdf.
Insights For U.S. Health Reform From Germany And The Netherlands
As the United States moves toward health reform, it can glean important insights from other countries. Germany and the Netherlands, in particular, offer rich examples of approaches that could be applied to U.S. institutions. Both provide universal coverage within health systems that rely on competing insurance plans and largely private delivery systems. Both have used similar strategies to address issues and concerns, including insurance boards and exchanges to handle risk, set standards, and facilitate meaningful choice; all-payer payment mechanisms that ensure coherence and prevent undue use of market power; and information systems that inform payment and provide benchmarks to improve overall system performance. Using analysis from experts, as well as visits to both countries to study the systems, this report examines the system oversight and governance mechanisms in both countries to bring insights to the U.S. health reform debate.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.academyhealth.org/files/publications/AH_CMWFInternationalLessons.pdf.pdf.
The Healthcare Imperative: Lowering Costs And Improving Outcomes
The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, with the support of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, hosted the three-part workshop series The Healthcare Imperative: Lowering Costs and Improving Outcomes.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12750.
Organized Medicine Pushes Back On Expansions Of Scope-of-Practice
According to an article posted in amednews yesterday, physicians are requesting legislatures to establish scope-of-practice review committees. Organized medicine defeated attempts by naturopaths to seek licensure, prevented chiropractors from being able to perform invasive procedures, and achieved further regulation of lay midwives. The efforts were among more than 300 scope-related bills the American Medical Association tracked last year. In 2010, physicians, with the help of AMA model legislation, plan to push lawmakers to establish state scope-of-practice review panels to evaluate plans by nonphysician health professionals who wish to expand their practice realm.
The article can be accessed by clicking http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/01/18/prl20118.htm.
New And Developing Medical Schools
The first expansion of medical schools in this country in more than 20 years represents an important moment for medical education nationally. The Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation took advantage of this moment to sponsor a conference in October 2008 entitled, “Revisiting the Medical School Education Mission at a Time of Expansion.” A conclusion of the conference, directed at new schools and existing schools, was: “This period of expansion in enrollment must not result in ‘more of the same.’ Failing to take full advantage of the opportunity afforded by this natural experiment to advance the mission of medical education for the benefit of the public would be tragic.” A report was prepared that explores the motivations, challenges, and responses of ten emerging new schools.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.josiahmacyfoundation.org/documents/jmf_whitcomb_medschools_web.pdf.
The Genomic Landscape Circa 2010
A course on genome analysis that covers all the major themes is being offered once each week from January 12 to March 23 by the National Institutes of Health via videocast. A comprehensive webite has been developed in conjunction with the course as a way of furnishing handout material.
The videocast can be accessed by clicking http://videocast.nih.gov/PastEvents.asp. Refer to the item for January 12.
Spaces Between Numbers: International Data On Higher Education
A report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy entitled, The Spaces Between Numbers: Getting International Data on Higher Education Straight, reveals that U.S. graduation rates remain comparable to those of other developed countries despite news stories about our nation losing its global competitiveness because of slipping college graduation rates. The only major difference—the data most commonly highlighted, but rarely understood—is the categorization of graduation rate data. The United States measures its attainment rates by “institution” while other developed nations measure their graduation rates by “system.”
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/s-z/(Report)_The_Spaces_Between_Numbers-Getting_International_Data_on_Higher_Education_Straight.pdf.
New Health Literacy Tool Available
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Item Set for Addressing Health Literacy in English and Spanish. The primary purpose of the CAHPS Item Set for Addressing Health Literacy is to measure, from the patients’ perspective, how well health care professionals communicate with their patients. Only 12 percent of U.S. adults have proficient health literacy. Over one-third of U.S. adults—77 million people—could have difficulty with common health tasks, such as following directions on a prescription drug label or adhering to a childhood immunization schedule using a standard chart. The Item Set for Addressing Health Literacy offers:
- Ability to identify specific topic areas for quality improvement (e.g. communication about test results, medications, and forms);
- Measure of health care professionals’ health literacy practices;
- Ability to recognize behavior that inhibits effective communication (e.g. talking too fast);
- Assistance in designing a safer, shame-free environment where patients feel comfortable discussing their health concerns (e.g., showing interest in questions);
The tool can be accessed by clicking . https://www.cahps.ahrq.gov/content/products/HL/PROD_HL_Intro.asp?p=1021&s=215.
Improving Access To Health Care: Testing New Roles For Providers
The American health care system is witnessing an explosion of interest in finding new and better ways to deliver care -- particularly those innovations that promise to improve access while advancing quality and controlling costs. In addition to an overview of workforce innovation initiatives taking place in California and elsewhere, a new Issue Brief from the California HealthCare Foundation provides a detailed look at the California Health Workforce Pilot Project (HWPP) administered by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The project offers the opportunity to safely assess new approaches to the delivery of care, including programs that allow health care workers to develop new skills, teach new roles to individuals with no health care training, and develop new health care job categories or speed training in existing ones. The authors propose possible avenues to further California’s explorations of workforce innovation by drawing on HWPP’s three decades of experience and spotlight a particular project involving dental hygienists.
The Issue Brief can be accessed by clicking http://www.chcf.org/documents/policy/ImprovingAccessHealthCareCA-TestingNewRoles.pdf.
Educating Nurses: A Call For Radical Transformation
A new study by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recommends that the bachelor of science in nursing be required of all those seeking to work in the field. Currently, many enter the profession with an associate degree in nursing. Instead of considering these community college graduates a part of the solution to the nursing shortage, the Carnegie study states they should not practice without first moving on to further study. Given its call to boost the minimum educational level for entry into the field, the study calls for those in the nursing profession to agree on how to transform the current diverse pathways into a unified whole.
The study can be accessed by clicking http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/elibrary/educating-nurses-highlights.
The Global Health System: Actors, Norms, And Expectations In Transition
A recent addition to the list of articles published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a paper entitled, The Global Health System: Actors, Norms, and Expectations In Transition. The global health system that evolved through the latter half of the 20th century achieved extraordinary success in controlling infectious diseases and reducing child mortality. Life expectancy in low- and middle-income countries increased at a rate of about five years every decade for the past 40 years. Today, however, that system is in a state of profound transition. The need has rarely been greater to rethink how to endeavor to meet global health needs. A series of four papers is presented on one dimension of the global health transition: its changing institutional arrangements.
The article can be accessed by clicking http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000183.
Video Series On Distilled Demographics
Demography has a tremendous impact on the health status of the population and on the ability of a nation to provide health care. “Distilled Demographics," the Population Reference Bureau’s video series, highlights key demographic concepts such as fertility, mortality, and migration. These videos not only show that demography can be exciting, but also highlight how population trends and issues affect well-being.
The series can be accessed by clicking http://www.prb.org/Journalists/Webcasts/2009/distilleddemographics2.aspx.
Health Technology Assessment On The Net
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the Net provides an annotated list of information sources and websites that the Institute of Health Economics information specialists search when producing HTA reports.
The list of sources and websites can be accessed by clicking http://www.ihe.ca/documents/HTA%20Info%20%20Guide%202009%20FINAL.pdf.
Health At A Glance 2009: OECD Indicators
This fifth edition of Health at a Glance provides the latest comparable data on different aspects of the performance of health systems across the 30 OECD member countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in the costs, activities and results of health systems. Key indicators provide information on health status, the determinants of health, health care activities and health expenditure and financing in OECD countries. This edition also contains new chapters on the health workforce and on access to care, an important policy objective in all OECD countries. The chapter on quality of care has been extended to include a set of indicators on the quality of care for chronic conditions.
The document can be accessed by clicking http://www.oecdilibrary.org/oecd/sites/health_glance-2009-en/00/01/index.html;jsessionid=157kuugjofglj.delta?contentType=/ns/StatisticalPublication,/ns/Book&itemId=/content/serial/19991312.
Papers Available On Higher Education Learning Outcomes
The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) has recently issued two papers on assessing higher education learning outcomes. NILOA, co-located at Indiana University and the University of Illinois, was created to assist institutions in discovering and adopting promising practices in student assessment. The first paper, by Peter Ewell, analyzes how accountability and assessment have changed over the past two decades and offers suggestions for how institutions can manage the tension between the twin purposes of improvement and assessment in the current higher education environment. In the second paper, assessment experts Trudy Banta, Merilee Griffin, Teresa Flateby and Susan Kahn describe the development of several promising authentic assessment approaches. The contributors draw on their experience to illustrate how portfolios, common analytic rubrics, and online communities can more effectively link assessment practices to pedagogy.
The first paper can be accessed by clicking http://learningoutcomesassessment.org/documents/PeterEwell.pdf. The second paper can be accessed http://learningoutcomesassessment.org/documents/Alternatives_001.pdf.
Bending The Productivity Curve: Why America Leads The World In Medical Innovation
According to a new Policy Analysis paper from the libertarian Cato Institute, health care issues commonly considered most important today—controlling costs and covering the uninsured—arguably should be regarded as secondary to innovation, inasmuch as a medical treatment must first be invented before its costs can be reduced and its use extended to everyone. To date, however, none of the most influential international comparisons has examined the contributions of various countries to the many advances that have improved the productivity of medicine over time. This paper aims to fill that void.
The document can be accessed by clicking http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa654.pdf.
Protecting The Public’s Health From Disease, Disasters, And Bioterrorism
Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the seventh annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, which finds that the H1N1 flu outbreak has exposed serious underlying gaps in the nation's ability to respond to public health emergencies and that the economic crisis is straining an already fragile public health system. The report contains state-by-state health preparedness scores based on 10 key indicators to assess health emergency preparedness capabilities.
The document can be accessed by clicking http://healthyamericans.org/reports/bioterror09/pdf/TFAHReadyorNot200906.pdf.
Improving Health Care For Individuals With Limited English Proficiency
Evidence shows that effective communication between patients, clinicians, and other health care professionals is a critical component of providing high quality care. Providing individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) the means to communicate effectively with their health care providers is critical to improving their experience in the health care setting, the quality of care they receive, and their health outcomes. A report from the Health Research and Educational Trust examines facilitators and barriers to providing language services in California public hospitals.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.hret.org/hret/programs/content/Language-Services-Report.pdf.
Bureau Of Labor Statistics Employment Projections
The 2010-11 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook was released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Considered the Government's premier source of career information, the Handbook profiles hundreds of occupations. The publication reflects the Bureau's latest employment projections, which cover the 2008-18 decade. The 10-year projections of industry and occupational employment are revised every two years.
The Handbook can be accessed by clicking http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.toc.htm
Training New Dental Health Providers In The U.S.
Searching for ways to ensure dental care for millions living in dentist-shortage areas, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation today released a wide-ranging assessment of international and U.S. experiences training and deploying new types of dental health care providers who could be used to help fill gaps in care. In particular, the report suggests that dental therapists, who perform preventive and basic dental services, could provide sorely needed care to millions of underserved Americans, working in collaboration with dentists while expanding their reach. Similar to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in the medical field, dental therapists are envisioned as members of the dental team that is led by the dentist or dental specialist. Internationally, dental therapists have been used successfully for decades to address inadequate access to dental care.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.wkkf.org/DesktopModules/WKF.00_DmaSupport/ViewDoc.aspx?fld=PDFFile&CID=0&ListID=28&ItemID=5000638&LanguageID=0.
Update On The Economic Case For Health Care Reform
Over the past several months, the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) has released a series of reports analyzing the impact of reform-induced expansions in health insurance coverage and reductions in the growth of health care spending. In a new update to the June report on the Economic Case for Health Care Reform, the CEA reviews the case for reform that genuinely reduces the growth rate of health care costs and presents new findings on the economic impact of recent Congressional proposals.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/091213-economic-case-health-care-reform.pdf.
Exploring The Science Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) conducted its 10th anniversary research symposium. The event is available on videocast.
The December 8 videocast can be accessed by clicking http://videocast.nih.gov/PastEvents.asp.
Redesigning Continuing Education In The Health Professions
A workforce of knowledgeable health professionals is critical to the discovery and application of health care practices to prevent disease and promote wellbeing. Yet, today’s professional health workforce is not consistently prepared to provide high quality health care and assure patient safety. One contributing factor to this problem is the absence of a comprehensive and well-integrated system of continuing education in the health professions. At the request of the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a committee to consider the establishment of a national interprofessional continuing education institute dedicated to the improvement of continuing education for the health care workforce. The committee’s report, Redesigning Continuing Education in the Health Professions, examines continuing education for all health professionals, explores development of a national continuing education institute, and offers guidance on the establishment and operation of an institute to develop a coordinated continuing professional development system.
A Report Brief can be accessed by clicking http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2009/Redesigning-Continuing-Education-in-the-Health-Professions/RedesigningCEreportbrief.ashx
The competitiveness of the U.S. economy in part depends on increasing the college-educated workforce, but too few low-income students are attending college. It is with this reality in mind that Deloitte LLP commissioned the 2009 Education Survey to explore attitudes among teachers, low-income parents, and low-income students about college, student preparedness, and creating a college-going culture. The results revealed a major disconnect on the role of high school and that the current education system does not do enough to encourage teachers and administrators to take a long-term view of student achievement. When asked to identify the most important mission of high school, only nine percent of teachers chose preparing students for college, but low-income parents and students overwhelmingly rank preparing students for college as the most important purpose of high school.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/us_leadership_EducationSurvey120109.pdf.
Analysis Of Provisions In Senate And House Health Reform Bills
In a new report, The Commonwealth Fund has produced an analysis of health reform legislation developed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Fund%20Report/2009/Nov/Starting%20on%20the%20Path/Dec%20Update/1350_Davis_starting_on_path_system_reform_cong_bills_v2.pdf.
Measuring Regional Variation In Medicare Service Use
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has released a report to Congress entitled "Measuring Regional Variation in Service Use." In response to interest from lawmakers, the report analyzes the differences between regional variation in Medicare spending and regional variation in the use of services.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.medpac.gov/documents/Dec09_RegionalVariation_report.pdf.
Why Have College Completion Rates Declined?
The higher education world often attributes the last few decades' decline in the U.S. college completion rate on high schools, arguing that students are unable to make it through college because they’re inadequately prepared to set foot on campus as freshmen. A new study, though, pins the bulk of the decline on the change in the types of institutions students are attending. In “Why Have College Completion Rates Declined? An Analysis of Changing Student Preparation and Collegiate Resources,” published today by the National Bureau of Economic Research, three economists outline findings suggesting that the shift of a greater proportion of first-time college students to community colleges and non-flagship publics, as well as the declining per-student resources of those institutions, have driven down completion rates.
The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.nber.org/tmp/82313-w15566.pdf.
Health Information And Privacy
A policy paper from the American College of Physicians discusses health information and the notion of privacy. As U.S. health care moves from paper to an electronic world, a new national debate over the privacy of individually identifiable health information (IIHI) has emerged. The patient–doctor relationship depends on trust, which extends to personal information shared as part of that relationship. Patients need to feel confident that they can receive needed health care without the risk that their private information will be inappropriately disclosed, which might result in withholding of information and lead to potentially negative clinical consequences. Patients benefit when information pertinent to their care, concerns, and preferences is shared among those rendering health care services to them.
The paper can be accessed by clicking http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/health_information_technology/acphit.pdf.
Academia And Beyond: Supporting The Biomedical Workforce Of The Future
A Special Issue on the topic of cancer research training appears in the December 2009 issue of the NCI Cancer Bulletin.
The issue can be accessed by clicking http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/120109/page4.
Changes in Postsecondary Awards Below The Bachelor’s Degree: 1997-2007
A Statistics In Brief from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) describes changes in the number and types of postsecondary awards below the bachelor’s degree (certificates and associate's degrees) conferred over the decade between 1997 and 2007. About 47 percent of all undergraduates were enrolled in subbaccalaureate programs in 2007–08, and in the previous year, subbaccalaureate awards accounted for almost 40 percent of all undergraduate credentials awarded. Between 1997 and 2007, the total number of subbaccalaureate awards conferred increased by 28 percent to a total of 1.5 million. While community colleges still confer the largest number of subbaccalaureate awards, the rate of increase in awards conferred by private for-profit institutions was greater, especially in four-year for-profit institutions, which more than tripled the number of awards conferred between 1997 and 2007. Health care is the predominant field in subbaccalaureate postsecondary education. It accounted for 31 percent of all awards in 2007 and increased by 63 percent between 1997 and 2007.
The Brief can be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010167.pdf.
U.S. Oral Health Workforce In The Coming Decade
Access to oral health services is a problem for all segments of the U.S. population and especially problematic for vulnerable populations such as rural and underserved populations. The many challenges to improving access to oral health services include the lack of coordination and integration among the oral health, public health, and medical health care systems; misaligned payment and education systems that focus on the treatment of dental disease rather than prevention; lack of a robust evidence base for many dental procedures and workforce models; and regulatory barriers that prevent the exploration of alternative models of care. A new publication from The National Academies provides a summary of a three-day workshop and evaluates the sufficiency of the U.S. oral health workforce to consider three key questions:
- What is the current status of access to oral health services for the U.S. population?
- What workforce strategies hold promise to improve access to oral health services?
- How can policy makers, state and federal governments, and oral health care providers and practitioners improve the regulations and structure of the oral health care system to improve access to oral health services?
The publication can be accessed by clicking http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12669&utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=National%20Academies%20Press&utm_campaign=NAP+mail+new+12.01.09&utm_content=Downloader&utm_term=#description.