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Health Crisis Index Rose 37%, 1987-2003 [March 25, 2005] Majority Of Americans Would Trade Choice Of Doctors, Hospitals For Lower Out-Of-Pocket Costs [March 24, 2005] Americans Reassess Health Care Choice-Cost Trade-Offs [March 23, 2005] Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research [March 22, 2005] Study Shows Limited Use Of Electronic Medical Records [March 21, 2005] Demography Is Not Destiny [March 18, 2005] National Resident Matching Program Results Announced [March 17, 2005] Competition, Cooperation, And The Public Good In Independent And Public Higher Education [March 16, 2005 ] Governance And Asset Management In Foundations Formed From Health Care Conversions [March 15, 2005] Profile of the American High School Sophomore [March 11, 2005] Does Neighborhood Deterioration Lead To Poor Health? [March 9, 2005] Enrollments Increase in Nursing Programs [March 8, 2005] Experts' Beliefs About Reducing The Ranks Of The Uninsured [March 7, 2005] Medicaid Spending Exceeds Medicare Spending [March 4, 2005] Quality Of And Disparities In Health Care [March 3, 2005] AHA Lauds Bill Targeting Shortage Of Allied Health Professionals [March 2, 2005] Allied Health Legislation Introduced In Senate [March 1, 2005] Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions [February 28, 2005] ODPHP Visiting Scholars Program Opportunities [February 25, 2005] Legislation Reintroduced To Repeal Cap On Therapy Services [February 24, 2005] Increase In Medical School Enrollment Recommended [February 23, 2005] Computer-Based MCAT Planned For 2007 [February 22, 2005] Toolkit For Collecting Race, Ethnicity, And Primary Language Information From Patients [February 17, 2005] The Economic Costs Of Long-Term Federal Obligations [February 16, 2005] Electronic Medical Systems [February 16, 2005] Update On Reauthorization Of The Higher Education Act [February 15, 2005] Report On Creating Flexibility In Tenure-Track Faculty Careers [February 14, 2005] Recommendations For Improving Federal Health Data Collection [February 11, 2005] State Education Data Profiles [February 10, 2005] Administration Budget Proposes To Eliminate Health Professions Education Programs [February 9, 2005] NCCAM Releases New 5-Year Strategic Plan [February 8, 2005] AHRQ Summer Intern Program [FEBRUARY 7, 2005] GOP Leadership Introduces HEA Reauthorization Bill [February 4, 2005] Disparities And Discrimination In Health Care And Health Outcomes [February 3, 2005] ADA Study On Dental Hygiene Practice And ADHA's Response [February 2, 2005] Hospitals Report Increase In Obese Patients And Related Worker Injuries [February 1, 2005] Health Crisis Index Rose 37%, 1987-2003 A new report from the Boston University School of Public Health constructs a Health Crisis Index by adding health care's share of the U.S. gross domestic product to the percentage of U.S. residents without health insurance. According to the report, the index increased from 22.5% in 1987 to 30.9% in 2003 and economic recessions were associated with significant increases in health care's share of the economy and the percentage of uninsured. The report's authors say that the data show the United States has been spending more to cover fewer people and in a future recession the index likely will hit a ceiling where the United States is politically and economically unable to handle additional increases. The report may be accessed by clicking Majority Of Americans Would Trade Choice Of Doctors, Hospitals For Lower Out-Of-Pocket Costs More than 60 percent of American consumers have searched for information to help them make treatment decisions in the last 12 months with about one-third saying the information they found affected their treatment choices or their choice of a healthcare facility, according to a new RAND Corporation report released today by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The report may be accessed by clicking http://bcbshealthissues.com/events/rand/RAND_032405.pdf . Americans Reassess Health Care Choice-Cost Trade-Offs More Americans are willing to limit their choice of physicians and hospitals to save on out-of-pocket medical costs. Between 2001 and 2003, the proportion of working-age Americans with employer health coverage willing to trade broad choice of providers for lower out-of-pocket costs increased from 55 percent to 59 percent—after the rate had been stable since 1997, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The study may be obtained by clicking http://www.hschange.org/CONTENT/735/ . Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research The National Research Council released a report suggesting that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) promote independence among new biomedical researchers by improving their training and giving them more resources to pursue their own projects. The report, Bridges to Independence: Fostering the Independence of New Investigators in Biomedical Research also addresses concerns about the increasing age at which new investigators establish independent research careers. Recommendations for NIH to improve postdoctoral training include: enforce a five-year time limit on all postdoctoral funding, including research grants; reallocate resources for postdoctoral researchers away from R01-supported research and toward individual awards and training grants; and provide a new research award for postdoctoral researchers to conduct independent research under the mentorship of a senior investigator. The report also recommends that foreign students be permitted to apply for training grants that currently have U.S. citizenship requirements or to make equivalent avenues of support available. The document may be accessed by clicking http://www.nap.edu/books/030909626X/html/ Study Shows Limited Use Of Electronic Medical Records Less than a third of the nation's hospital emergency and outpatient departments use electronic medical records, and even fewer doctors' offices do, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently. About 31 percent of hospital emergency departments, 29 percent of outpatient departments, and 17 percent of doctors' offices have electronic medical records to support patient care, as reported in CDC's ambulatory medical care surveys, conducted from 2001 to 2003. The study found younger physicians, those under 50 years of age, were twice as likely as physicians age 50 or over to use this computerized system for ordering prescriptions. About 40 percent of hospital emergency departments use automated drug dispensing systems (ADD), compared to about 18 percent of outpatient departments. Other studies have shown that automated drug dispensing systems, that operate like vending machines where the order is written and the machine dispenses the correct drug and dosage for patients, can reduce medical errors. The report can be obtained by clicking http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad353.pdf A new report from the Commonwealth Fund provides a framework and some basic data necessary to understand why the future of the United States will not be determined solely by anticipated changes in the size and age distribution of the population. Choices made through the political process and through market forces, in conjunction with demographic changes, will determine the future, the authors say. The critical challenge of an aging society is not so much how to accommodate the older population, but how to ensure the productivity of future workers, regardless of age. Public policies that encourage and facilitate education, basic research, and the application of promising technologies can enhance the well-being of current and future generations of older persons. Greater economic growth can make policy choices easier, but deciding how much of the proceeds of economic growth to use collectively and how to distribute costs and benefits will require political and policy choices. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.cmwf.org/usr_doc/789_friedland_demographynotdestinyII.pdf National Resident Matching Program Results Announced More than 14,700 U.S. medical school seniors applied for residency positions through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) this year, the highest number in almost 20 years. The Match, conducted annually by the NRMP, uses a computer algorithm to match the preferences of applicants with the preferences of residency programs, in order to fill the available training positions at U.S. teaching hospitals. U..S. medical school seniors constituted 58 percent of all applicants in the 2005 Match. The NRMP also receives applications from graduates of foreign medical schools, students from osteopathic (D.O. degree) schools, and others. This year more than 25,300 total applicants participated in the Match. The 2005 Match broke records this year for the number of residency positions offered and filled-a total of 24,012 positions were available and 22,221 of them were filled. The number of successful matches made continued to be high, with 78 percent of all applicants matched to a first-year residency program. Nearly 83 percent of all matched applicants were paired with one of their top three residency program choices. As in previous years, U.S. medical school seniors enjoyed a higher success rate than other applicants, with 93.7 percent matching and more than 86 percent of those students assigned to one of their top three choices. Competition, Cooperation, And The Public Good In Independent And Public Higher Education A new essay from the American Council on Education (ACE) explores the implications of privatization of public institutions, competition among all types of institutions, the potential pitfalls of market-based policies on the capacity of higher education to serve the social good and strategies to preserve that social good, within a market-defined policy environment. Bridging Troubled Waters: Competition , Cooperation , And The Public Good In Independent And Public Higher Education is the third in a series of essays based on roundtable discussions among college and university presidents about what the changing relationship between states and their institutions means for the future of American higher education. Although public and independent colleges and universities traditionally have played by somewhat different rules, the changing policy arena inevitably alters the playing field for both types of institutions. Contributors to this roundtable included college and university leaders from both the nonprofit independent and public sectors. The essay may be obtained by clicking http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/2005_BridgingWaters.pdf . Governance And Asset Management In Foundations Formed From Health Care Conversions Since 1996, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) has monitored the development and operations of foundations formed from health care conversions. These foundations, which now number more than 170 nationwide and hold assets totaling $18.3 billion, are an important part of the philanthropic sector. Although some of these foundations have been in existence for decades, many were formed in the mid-1990s or later, bringing new and valuable philanthropic resources to the states and communities they serve. This year's report breaks new ground in the areas of foundation governance and asset management, and also updates basic information on assets and grantmaking. It presents information from several foundations not included in previous reports, either because they were too new to respond to previous surveys or because they were unknown to GIH. The report may be accessed by clicking http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Conversion_Report_2005.pdf Profile of the American High School Sophomore A report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides descriptive information about the experiences and characteristics of a nationally representative sample of 10th-graders who were studied in the spring term of the 2001-02 school year. It examines the cohort's sociodemographic characteristics, school experiences, participation in extracurricular activities, time use, tested achievement in reading and mathematics, and educational expectations and plans. This group is among those who represent the health workforce of the future. The report may be obtained by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005338.pdf . Does Neighborhood Deterioration Lead To Poor Health? Traditional thinking about health in America has been that individuals alone decide whether to engage in unhealthy behaviors. However, the conditions in which individuals live may also contribute to their health and longevity. More information on this topic is available in the form of a research brief by the Rand Corporation that may be obtained by clicking http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB9074/RAND_RB9074.pdf . Enrollments Increase in Nursing Programs According to new survey data released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollments in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing increased by 14.1 percent in fall 2004 over the previous year. This enrollment increase is even greater than AACN's preliminary data released on December 15, 2004 which showed a 10.6 percent increase. Despite this significant gain, more than 32,000 qualified applications were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs last year, including almost 3,000 students who could potentially fill faculty roles. AACN's findings are based on responses from 590 nursing schools (85.9 percent) in the U.S. and its territories that grant baccalaureate and/or graduate degrees. AACN data reflects actual counts reported in fall 2004 by nursing schools, not projections or estimates based on past reporting. The survey found that total enrollment in all nursing programs leading to the baccalaureate degree was 147,170, up from 126,954 in 2003. Within this universe, 112,180 students were enrolled in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs. Experts' Beliefs About Reducing The Ranks Of The Uninsured The proportion of Americans without health insurance can and should be reduced to eight percent in ten years, less than half the current rate, according to the Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey, an online survey of widely-recognized experts in health care practice and policy. The survey, representing a range of health care sectors and diverse perspectives, is the second in a bimonthly series conducted by Harris Interactive for the Commonwealth Fund. It was delivered between February 3 and 15, 2005 to a panel of 1,251 experts nominated by their peers and 255 responded. The survey focused on health insurance issues and options for coverage. Respondents indicated that that employer-sponsored health plans can and should continue to cover about two-thirds of the U.S. non-elderly population over the next 10 years, while 84% said that a program similar to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan would be the most effective way to provide coverage to employees of small businesses and those who are self-employed. In addition, 22% of the experts said they support health savings accounts as a way to expand coverage Medicaid Spending Exceeds Medicare Spending For fiscal 2005, Medicaid spending is expected to total $329 billion, compared with $309 billion for Medicare. Of the $329 billion in projected Medicaid spending, 60 percent, or $197 billion, consists of federal spending, and 40 percent, or $132 billion, is made up of state and local funds. Fifty–three million persons are covered by Medicaid while 42 million are enrolled in Medicare. Medicaid is also the largest single source of grant funds received by the states and pays for more than half of publicly financed mental health care. According to a Kaiser Commission analysis of U.S. Census data, Medicaid covers 40 percent of Americans below the federal poverty line. Employers cover another 15 percent, while 5.9 percent have individual or other private coverage, other public entities cover 3.3 percent, and 36 percent are uninsured. For more information, click the Commonwealth Fund website and go to “Amazing Medicaid Facts” at http://www.cmwf.org/healthpolicyweek/healthpolicyweek_show.htm?doc_id=264285#doc264294 . Quality Of And Disparities In Health Care The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released its second annual reports on the quality of and disparities in health care in America. The 2004 National Healthcare Quality Report finds both evidence of improving quality as well as specific areas in which major improvements can be made. The 2004 National Healthcare Disparities Report indicates that there are disparities related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in the American health care system. Both reports extend the baseline data on quality and disparities within health care delivery provided in AHRQ's 2003 reports. The reports measure quality and disparities in four key areas of health care: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, and patient centeredness. They also present data on the quality of and differences in access to services for clinical conditions, including cancer, diabetes, end-stage renal disease, heart disease, and respiratory diseases; and for nursing home and home health care. The documents may be accessed by clicking http://www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov/ . AHA Lauds Bill Targeting Shortage Of Allied Health Professionals The American Hospital Association (AHA) expressed its support March 1 for the Allied Health Reinvestment Act (S. 473), which would address the growing national shortage of allied health professionals such as occupational and physical therapists, clinical laboratory technologists, imaging technicians, pharmacy technicians, and radiologist technologists. The bill would provide incentives for young persons to enter and complete allied health care training, including recruitment grants; provisions to strengthen recruitment, retention and practice; and incentives to promote racial and ethnic diversity in allied health professions. “Helping alleviate the critical shortage of allied health care professionals is of vital importance to health care providers and the patients they serve,” said AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack in a letter to bill sponsor Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA. “We hope Congress will recognize the significance of investing in this critical area of need.” Allied Health Legislation Introduced In Senate S. 473, the Allied Health Reinvestment Act, was introduced in the U.S. Senate on February 28. A rationale for the proposed legislation and the text of the bill appear in the February 28, 2005 issue of the Congressional Record, which may be accessed by clicking http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S1805&dbname=2005_record. Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions The Commission on Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions has released a national strategy for closing the gap between the promise of health professional schools as community-engaged institutions and the reality of how faculty members typically are judged and rewarded. The Commission's report, “Linking Scholarship and Communities,” contains detailed recommendations for action by health professional schools and their national associations that can support community-engaged scholarship and cites promising practices that illustrate their implementation. Convened by Community-Campus Partnerships for Health with funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation, the Commission has taken a leadership role in creating a more supportive culture and reward system for health professional faculty involved in community-based participatory research, service-learning, and other forms of community-engaged scholarship in which faculty members connect their scholarship with community needs and concerns. The report can be accessed by clicking: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/kellogg3.html. ODPHP Visiting Scholars Program Opportunities Experience in public health and healthcare policy development is essential in the training of future public health leaders and medical professionals. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion(ODPHP), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provides an outstanding opportunity to gain experience in the formation of public health and healthcare policy at the federal level. ODPHP does this by offering rotations to college and medical students, preventive medicine and primary care residents, HHS Emerging Leaders, and other scholars. all assignments are unpaid. While at ODPHP, these visiting scholars will have opportunities to be involved in activities such as: assist in the implementation of Presidential and Secretarial initiatives, Healthy People 2010, and ODPHP-specific projects; experience first-hand the basis for national policy decisions; and assist in coordinating initiatives and policy documents among the various agencies within HHS. For additional information, click http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/scholar/default.htm . Legislation Reintroduced To Repeal Cap On Therapy Services S. 438 and H.R. 916 recently were introduced in the 109 th Congress to repeal on outpatient therapy services the cap permanently under Medicare. A congressionally approved moratorium on the annual cap on occupational, physical, and speech therapy services is set to expire at the end of this year, at which time a Balanced Budget Act provision would impose an annual limit of about $1,700 per beneficiary on the services. During the 108 th Congress, similar legislation (S. 569 and H.R. 1125) attracted 51 co-sponsors in the Senate and 244 co-sponsors in the House. IIncrease In Medical School Enrollment Recommended Concerned that the nation may experience a physician shortage in the next few decades, the Association of American Medical Colleges on recommends that enrollment in medical schools in the U.S. be increased 15% by 2015, which amounts to approximately 2,500 graduates per year. The association recommended targeting the increases in part to areas of the country that have seen a rapid rise in population and removing the current restriction on the number of residency and fellowship positions funded by Medicare. Factors contributing to the Association's new position on the physician workforce include U.S. population growth, the demand for more medical care by aging baby boomers, the retirement of practicing physicians, and younger doctors working fewer hours. Computer-Based MCAT Planned For 2007 Aspiring medical students soon will take the Medical College Admission Test while sitting in front of a computer. Through April 2006, a computer-based test will be available in more than a dozen sites in the United States and internationally. Implementation of the computerized version is scheduled to be complete by 2007 and the written version will be eliminated. Upcoming changes are designed to make the test more convenient. Implementing the computer-based test also will lead to reduced test length and test time. Examinees will have more opportunities to take the MCAT exam as well. Instead of choosing a test date from only one weekend in the spring and fall, potential students could choose from possibly 20 testing days per year. In addition, receiving MCAT scores throughout the year, rather than in two busy reporting periods, will help the admissions staff process more applications in a timely manner each year. Toolkit For Collecting Race, Ethnicity, And Primary Language Information From Patients The Health Research and Educational Trust, with its partners, has developed a toolkit for collecting race, ethnicity, and primary language information in health care organizations. It is designed to help hospitals, health systems, community health centers, health plans, and other potential users in understanding the importance of accurate data collection, assessing organizational capacity to do so, and implementing a framework designed specifically for obtaining information from patients/enrollees about their race, ethnicity, and primary (preferred) language efficiently, effectively, and respectfully. Once component of the kit is aimed at clinicians. The toolkit may be accessed by clicking http://www.hretdisparities.org/hretdisparities/index.jsp . The Economic Costs Of Long-Term Federal Obligations Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director of the congressional Budget Office, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the budget today. He indicated that since 1970, annual costs per Medicare enrollee have risen about 3.0 percent faster than per capita gross domestic product (GDP), on average—a difference referred to as “excess cost growth.” If that rowth remained high—at 2.5 percent, for example—the federal government's spending for Medicare and for its share of the joint federal/state Medicaid program would together exceed 21 percent of GDP by 2050 (compared with 4.1 percent in 2004), and total spending would be about 33 percent of GDP. A copy of the testimony may be accessed by clicking http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/60xx/doc6094/02-16-CBO_Testimony.pdf .
Nearly two-thirds of hospital information technology executives surveyed expect their organization to implement an electronic medical record system within two years, while nearly one in five said their organization already has an EMR system, according to a survey by the Health Information and Management Systems Society . Respondents identified lack of adequate financial support for IT as the most significant barrier to successful implementation of IT at their organization, followed by vendor inability to deliver products and services satisfactorily, lack of staffing resources, difficulty proving return on investment, and lack of clinical leadership. The survey results may be accessed by clicking: http://www.himssconferencenews.org/deliver_file.php?sid=S200502141622017XZBH5&omk=1007&file=1057&image=0 Update On Reauthorization Of The Higher Education Act HR 507 was introduced in the House on February 2 to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. A modified version, HR 609, was introduced on February 8 to correct a drafting error involving the Pell Grant Program. The proposed legislation focuses on issues such as: federal rules on institutional credit transfer, expanded accreditor scrutiny of distance education, increased attention to student learning outcomes, and more information for the public about accreditation results. Federal assistance programs currently amount to $75 billion. Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, believes that the first mission of the Higher Education Act is to improve college access for low and middle-income Report On Creating Flexibility In Tenure-Track Faculty Careers Higher education leaders urgently need to examine and proactively address the institutional climate that governs the entire career cycle of faculty-from entry-level to tenure-track positions to retirement, according to the findings of a new report from a national panel of university presidents and chancellors and the American Council on Education (ACE). In An Agenda for Excellence: Creating Flexibility in Tenure-Track Faculty Careers, ACE and a national panel of presidents and chancellors outline an ambitious agenda to reform and enhance the academic career path for tenured and tenure-track faculty. ACE and the national panel are striving to: raise awareness of faculty work-life issues, spark a national dialogue to encourage change in the career cycles of tenured and tenure-track faculty, and to generate thoughtful, tested approaches to assist campuses in adapting promising practices to address faculty work-life issues. An Executive Summary can be accessed by clicking http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/2005_tenure_flex_summary.pdf . Recommendations For Improving Federal Health Data Collection AcademyHealth, a Washington, DC-based organization, has compiled recommendations for improving federal health data collection in a report that recently was released. The document may be accessed by clicking http://www.academyhealth.org/publications/federalhealthdata.pdf The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has made available statewide information in elementary/secondary education, postsecondary education and selected demographics for all states in the U.S. The data may be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/programs/stateprofiles/ . Administration Budget Proposes To Eliminate Health Professions Education Programs The Bush Administration's budget proposal that was submitted to Congress for FY 2006 resembles its predecessors in the area of funding for health professions education programs. Once again, it proposes eliminating all Title VII programs under the Public Health Service Act except for $11 million and $10 million of that amount would go for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program (a decrease of $37 million compared to the FY 2005 appropriation level). The Section 755 Allied Health Grants Program is included among the programs that would be eliminated. NCCAM Releases New 5-Year Strategic Plan The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) released its new 5-year strategic plan, Expanding Horizons of Health Care: Strategic Plan 2005-2009 . The plan presents a series of goals and objectives to guide NCCAM in prioritizing its investments in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research, training, and outreach. Four key areas are addressed: investing in research, training CAM investigators, expanding outreach, and advancing the organization-and sets ambitious goals for the coming years. The plan my be accessed by clicking http://nccam.nih.gov/about/plans/2005/ . The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ) is offering a limited number of volunteer internship opportunities this summer at its Rockville, Maryland, location. Volunteer positions are available for undergraduate, graduate-level students and doctoral candidates interested in health services research and/or policy. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, resident aliens, or non-resident aliens with valid employment-authorized visas. These positions are without compensation but are highly sought after because of the responsibility and experience they offer. Applicants are requested to commit to a minimum of a 2-month full-time appointment as a volunteer. Students will work with a mentor on specific projects which may include report writing, literature reviews, synthesis of research and/or policy findings. Students will have the opportunity to gain valuable, fundamental experience in conducting health services research, work with databases and enhance analytic skills.
The deadline for applications is March 4, 2005. GOP Leadership Introduces HEA Reauthorization Bill Republican leaders on the House Education and the Workforce Committee introduced a bill earlier this week that would reauthorize key components of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The College Access and Opportunity Act (H.R. 507) would, among other provisions, hold colleges and universities accountable for their tuition increases; keep the maximum authorized Pell Grant award at current levels for the next six years; and move the interest rate on consolidated student loans from a fixed to a variable rate. The bill is similar to a previous version introduced last year that became the subject of much debate and eventually died in subcommittee. The bill's provisions may be examined by clicking: http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press109/first/02feb/hea020205.htm . Disparities And Discrimination In Health Care And Health Outcomes The Winter 2005 Supplement of the journal “Perspectives in Biology and Medicine” is devoted to the topic of Disparities and Discrimination in Health Care and Health Outcomes. An electronic version of the journal is available. Individuals who have access to online periodicals at university libraries may be able to view the material in that way. ADA Study On Dental Hygiene Practice And ADHA's Response A study by the American Dental Association (ADA) entitled “T he Economic Impact of Unsupervised Dental Hygiene Practice and its Impact on Access to Care in the State of Colorado ” has prompted a response from the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA). The study analyzed the economic aspects of unsupervised private hygiene practice and its impact on access to care. It may be accessed by clicking http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/report_hygiene.pdf Hospitals Report Increase In Obese Patients And Related Worker Injuries A nationwide survey of VHA Inc. hospitals shows that caring for obese patients is an increasing challenge as providers continue to experience spiraling costs, increases in worker injuries and a significant number of patients who are obese, even in pediatrics. Hospitals have seen the need for new equipment, supplies and training to properly care for this population. Conducted by Novation, the VHA member survey queried 584 directors of materials management and directors of surgical services across the country to determine the influence that treating severely obese patients (more than 100 pounds overweight) had on hospitals in 2004. The cost of treating the severely obese patient shot up 24 percent in just one year. In addition to increased hospital spending, obese patients have affected health care worker safety. Twenty-eight percent of respondents reported an increase in workplace injuries related to lifting obese patients, with back injuries being most common. Survey results may be accessed by clicking https://www.vha.com/research/public/obestpatientcare.pdf .
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