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Deloitte Survey Of Health Care Consumers [March 31, 2009] Effect Of Medicare Fee Payments On Physicians' Services [March 30, 2009] Health Professions Education Organizations Provide An Outline Of Health Reform Principles [March 27, 2009] What Is Health Care Quality And Who Decides? [March 26, 2009] Comparative Indicators Of Education in the U.S. And Other G-8 Countries: 2009 [March 25, 2009] Massachusetts Not The Model For National Health Reform [March 24, 2009] Fraud And Abuse Contribute To Increase In Medicare Spending [March 13, 2009] State-By-State Look At How Federal Public Health Dollars Are Spent [March 11, 2009] Options For Controlling The Cost And Increasing The Efficiency Of Health Care [March 10, 2009] Scope Of Practice Expansions Fuel Legal Battles [March 9, 2009] Digest Of Education Statistics [March 6, 2009] Hispanics Become More Prevalent On College Campuses [March 5, 2009] Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement. Workshop Summary [March 4, 2009] CHEA Federal Update Created [March 3, 2009] President Obama Submits Federal Budget To Congress [February 27, 2009] The Path To A U.S. High Performance Health System [February 26, 2009] Regional Variations In Medicare Spending [February 25, 2009] Health Care Spending Projected To Be 20% Of GDP By 2018 [February 24, 2009] Comparative Effectiveness Research Generates Concerns About Access To Health Care [February 23, 2009] Veterinarian Workforce [February 20, 2009] One-Stop Shopping For Health Policy Information [February 19, 2009] CHEA Initiative: First Six Months [February 18, 2009] Presentations At AHRQ Annual Conference Available [February 17, 2009] Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults And Children [February 13, 2009] Expanding Health Insurance Coverage And Controlling Costs For Health Care [February 12, 2009] Budget Shortfalls Threaten Ability Of States To Provide Health Care Coverage [February 11, 2009] Overcoming Language Barriers To Health Care [February 10, 2009] African-American Parents More Distrustful Of Medical Research Than White Parents [February 9, 2009] Impact Of The Economy On Health Behaviors [February 6, 2009] Consumer-Driven Health Care: Promise And Performance [February 5, 2009] Protecting The Public's Health From Diseases, Disasters, And Bioterrorism [February 4, 2009] Top Nine Health Industry Issues in 2009 [February 3, 2009] Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research [February 2, 2009]
Deloitte Survey Of Health Care Consumers The 2009 Survey of Health Care Consumers , conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, is Deloitte's second annual study of health care consumers' attitudes, behaviors, and unmet needs. It offers health care industry leaders and policymakers a timely look at how health care consumerism is evolving and a comprehensive perspective about how Americans approach their health, health care, and health insurance. The study's framework reflects a broad-based view of consumerism in six zones: (1) wellness and healthy living, including self-care and health management; (2) information sources helpful in consumer decision making; (3) traditional health services provided by medical professionals, hospitals, and retail clinics, as well as prescription medications and medical devices; (4) alternative health services sometimes described as complementary medicine; (5) insurance coverage and other financial considerations; and (6) opinions about health care reform. Survey results can be accessed by clicking http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_chs_2009SurveyHealthConsumers_March2009.pdf . Effect Of Medicare Fee Payments On Physicians' Services Representative John M. Spratt, Jr., Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget, requested the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to assess the potential effects of substantial across-the-board reductions in Medicare's payment rates for physicians that are called for under current law. The CBO response can be accessed by clicking http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/100xx/doc10052/03-27-SGR.pdf . Health Professions Education Organizations Provide An Outline Of Health Reform Principles The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) in combination with more than one dozen health professions education organizations produced a statement on health professions education in health reform. The statement, coordinated by the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP), outlines the group's recommendations for six principles that should be included in Congress's and the Obama administration's efforts on health care reform. Acknowledging that the group's members "will implement innovative approaches to educate the next generation of providers who will offer this team-based, patient-centered care," the statement recommends:
A copy of the statement can be accessed by clicking http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/workforce/corres/2009/032709.pdf . What Is Health Care Quality And Who Decides? Carolyn Clancy, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care on the topic of health care quality. Her remarks can be accessed by clicking http://www.ahrq.gov/news/test031809.htm . Comparative Indicators Of Education in the U.S. And Other G-8 Countries: 2009 A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other G-8 countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom. Twenty-seven indicators are organized in five sections: (1) population and school enrollment; (2) academic performance (including subsections for reading, mathematics, and science); (3) context for learning; (4) expenditure for education; and (5) education returns: educational attainment and income. This report draws on the most current information about education from four primary sources: the Indicators of National Education Systems (INES) at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The report can be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009039.pdf .
Massachusetts Not The Model For National Health Reform Fraud And Abuse Contribute To Increase In Medicare Spending Fraud and abuse by some home health care providers contributed to a 44% rise in Medicare spending on home health care services over five years, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today. The report reviewed home care payments between 2002 and 2006. The number of Medicare beneficiaries using in-home services increased by 17% to 2.8 million during that period and spending on home health care services reached $13 billion in 2006. According to the report, some home care providers exaggerated beneficiaries' medical conditions, while others billed the government for unnecessary services or care they did not provide. The study recommended that CMS consider performing criminal background checks on home care providers and developing new rules that make removing problem providers easier. A copy of the report can be accessed by clicking http://www.gao.gov/ . State-By-State Look At How Federal Public Health Dollars Are Spent Currently, serious gaps exist in the nation's ability to safeguard health. With the current state of the economy, these gaps will only grow worse, placing our families, communities, states and nation at risk. A new report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) examines how much the federal government spends to try to keep the country well. A state-by-state review of fiscal year 2008 spending reveals that federal funding (through U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for public health varies, often significantly, with a per capita low of $12.74 to a per capita high of $52.78. The national average is $17.60 per person, a fraction of what is spent on health care costs. The report also examines state funding for public health. This analysis looks at ways to begin comparing budgets across states and how increased transparency and accountability could help create an understanding of how spending on public health programs can have a positive impact on individuals' health. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/39789.tfah.shortchanging2009.pdf . Options For Controlling The Cost And Increasing The Efficiency Of Health Care Douglas W. Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), presented testimony to the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today. The topic of his presentation was “Options for Controlling the Cost and Increasing the Efficiency of Health Care.” His statement can be accessed by clicking http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/100xx/doc10016/03-10-Health_Care.pdf . Scope Of Practice Expansions Fuel Legal Battles A recent article in American Medical News describes various scope-of-practice disputes occurring around the nation involving medicine and several different health professions. These other groups are lumped under the heading “allied health professions.” Clearly, many of them, such as nursing and podiatry, do not fit that broad classification. The article can be accessed by clicking http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/03/09/prl20309.htm Digest of Education Statistics A new publication from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is a pocket-sized compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The statistical highlights are excerpts from the Digest of Education of Statistics, 2008. Information is included about bachelor's degrees and degrees conferred in higher education. The report can be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009021.pdf . Hispanics Become More Prevalent On College Campuses Hispanic students comprised 12 percent of full-time college students (both undergraduate and graduate students) in 2007, up from 10 percent in 2006, according to U.S. Census Bureau tables released earlier this week. Hispanics comprise 15 percent of the nation's total population. The report entitled “School Enrollment in the United States: 2007”contains eight detailed tables based on statistics collected in the October School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey. The national-level data are shown by characteristics such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, family income, type of college, employment status, and vocational course enrollment. Women continue their majority status, comprising 55 percent of undergraduates and 60 percent of graduate students. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html . Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement. Workshop Summary To receive the greatest value for health care, it is important to focus on issues of quality and disparity, and the ability of individuals to make appropriate decisions based on basic health knowledge and services, or health literacy. As health care practitioners often see patients from diverse cultures who speak different languages and have a wide range of individual needs, practitioners must ensure all patients receive the same quality of care. Three Institute of Medicine (IOM) bodies the Forum on the Science of Health Care Quality Improvement and Implementation, the Roundtable on Health Disparities, and the Roundtable on Health Literacy jointly convened a workshop to discuss these concerns. The workshop, “Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement,” was held on May 12, 2008. During this workshop, speakers and participants explored how equity in care delivered and a focus on patients could be improved through concentration on eliminating health disparities and addressing issues of health literacy. The workshop summary can be accessed by clicking http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12502#toc . The new CHEA Federal Update will provide information on federal policy developments affecting accreditation, self-regulation and peer review. As with the earlier HEA Update used throughout the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the Federal Update will keep CHEA institutional members, CHEA-recognized accreditors and the public informed about significant actions by the federal government as these relate to accreditation. The early Update issues will focus on the negotiated rulemaking process for accreditation that begins March 4, 2009. The Update can be accessed by clicking http://www.chea.org/Government/FedUpdate/CHEA_FU01.html . President Obama Submits Federal Budget To Congress The federal budget proposal submitted by President Obama contains the following highlights that involve the Department of Health and Human Services: (1) Accelerates the adoption of health information technology and utilization of electronic health records. (2) Expands research comparing the effectiveness of medical treatments to give patients and physicians better information on what works best. (3) Invests over $6 billion for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health as part of the Administration's multi-year commitment to double cancer research funding. (4) Strengthens the Indian health system with sustained investments in health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives to address persistent health disparities and foster healthy Indian communities. (5) Invests $330 million to increase the number of doctors, nurses, and dentists practicing in areas of the country experiencing shortages of health professionals. (6) Supports families by providing additional funding for affordable, high-quality child care, expanding Early Head Start and Head Start, and creating the Nurse Home Visitation program to support first-time mothers. (7) Strengthens the Medicare program by encouraging high quality and efficient care, and improving program integrity. (8) Invests over $1 billion for Food and Drug Administration food safety efforts to increase and improve inspections, domestic surveillance, laboratory capacity, and domestic response to prevent and control food borne illness. Additional information about the budget can be accessed by clicking http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/fy10-newera.pdf . The Path To A U.S. High Performance Health System A comprehensive set of insurance, payment, and system reforms could guarantee affordable health insurance coverage, improve health outcomes, and slow the growth of health spending by $3 trillion by the end of the next decade, according to a new report released by the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System. The report details the Commission's recommendations for an integrated set of policies and assesses the impacts of specific policy actions from 2010 to 2020 compared to the status quo. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Fund%20Report/2009/Feb/The%20Path%20to%20a%20High%20Performance%20US%20Health%20System/1237_Commission_path_high_perform_US_hlt_sys_WEB.pdf Regional Variations In Medicare Spending The February 25 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine contains an analysis on regional variations in Medicare spending. The expansion of health insurance coverage in the United States is likely to be on the front burner of health care reform efforts in the new presidential administration. Boiling on the back burner, however, is perhaps the most serious threat to Americans' access to care: rapid growth in health care costs. Three regions— Boston, San Francisco, and East Long Island, New York — started out with nearly identical per capita spending, but their expenditures grew at markedly different annual rates: 2.4% in San Francisco, 3.0% in Boston, and 4.0% in East Long Island. Although such differences may appear modest, compounding leads to enormous differences in spending levels over time. By 2006, per capita spending in East Long Island was $2,500 more than in San Francisco — which translates into about $1 billion in additional annual Medicare spending from this region alone. What's going on? It is highly unlikely that these differences in growth could be explained by differences in health. Marked regional differences in spending remain after careful adjustment for health and there is no evidence that health is decaying more rapidly in Miami than in Salem. Health Care Spending Projected To Be 20% Of GDP By 2018 Overall U.S. health care spending will reach $2.5 trillion in 2009, a 5.5% increase from 2008, when health care spending increased by 6.1%, according to a CMS report published Tuesday in the journal Health Affairs . Total health care spending will account for 17.6% of the gross domestic product in 2009, a full percentage point higher than 2008, marking the largest one-year increase since CMS began tracking health care spending in 1960. The report can be accessed by clicking http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.28.2.w346/DC1 . Comparative Effectiveness Research Generates Concerns About Access To Health Care A recent article on the website of The Commonwealth Fund indicates the kinds of concerns that have been generated by initiatives such as using funds from the recent economic stimulus package that was enacted into law as a means of promoting comparative effectiveness research. Additional information can be obtained by clicking http://www.cmwf.org/Content/Newsletters/Washington-Health-Policy-in-Review/2009/Feb/Washington-Health-Policy-Week-in-Review-February-23-2009/Comparative-Effectiveness-Research-Sparks-Concerns-Over-Access-To-Health-Care.aspx . Veterinarians are essential for controlling zoonotic diseases--which spread between animals and humans--such as avian influenza. Most federal veterinarians work in the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), and Health and Human Services (HHS). However, there is a growing national shortage of veterinarians. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined the extent to which (1) the federal government has assessed the sufficiency of its veterinarian workforce for routine activities, (2) the federal government has identified the veterinarian workforce needed during a catastrophic event, and (3) federal and state agencies encountered veterinarian workforce challenges during four recent zoonotic outbreaks. The GAO report to Congress can be accessed by clicking http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09178.pdf . One-Stop Shopping For Health Policy Information Like the U.S. health care system itself, efforts to improve the system are complex. Every policy prescription to solve one problem ripples through the system in ways that are not easily identified or understood. RAND Health created COMPARE (Comprehensive Assessment of Reform Efforts) in recognition of these complexities and the need for objective information to inform health policy decision-making. COMPARE is a first-of-its kind online resource that provides one-stop shopping for objective analysis of health policy issues. Features of COMPARE's innovative Web site include (1) facts and figures about the current state of the U.S. health care system, focusing on key dimensions of health system performance; (2) descriptions of policy options for changing the health care system; and (3) inventory and status of prominent federal, state, and private health care reform proposals. COMPARE can be accessed by clicking http://www.randcompare.org/ . CHEA Initiative: First Six Months The Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has developed the CHEA Initiative , a national, multi-year discussion on the future of accreditation that is centered around two goals: (1) further enhancing the strength and credibility of this important peer review and self-regulation model to assure academic quality and (2) rethinking the federal government-accreditation relationship such that higher education accountability to the public is sustained while institutions retain primary responsibility for judgments about academic quality. The CHEA Initiative can be accessed by clicking http://www.chea.org/ia/IA_2009.02.18.html . Presentations At AHRQ Annual Conference Available To help advance its goal of improving health care for all Americans, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) held its second annual conference on September 7-10, 2008, in Bethesda, MD. This conference was designed to showcase the best of the Agency's research and provide examples of how that research is being implemented at all levels in health care delivery. Entitled "Promoting Quality... Partnering for Change," the conference featured presentations in five major themes: Health Information Technology (Health IT), Prevention/Care Management, Effective Healthcare, Patient Safety, and Value/Innovations/Emerging Issues. The presentations can be accessed by clicking http://www.ahrq.gov/about/annualmtg08/#TH5 . Complementary And Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults And Children Approximately 38 percent of adults in the United States aged 18 years and over and nearly 12 percent of U.S. children aged 17 years and under use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a new nationwide government survey. This study marks the first time questions were included on children's use of CAM, which is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. The survey, conducted as part of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual study in which tens of thousands of Americans are interviewed about their health- and illness-related experiences, was developed by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey included questions on 36 types of CAM therapies commonly used in the United States—10 types of provider-based therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic and 26 other therapies that do not require a provider such as herbal supplements and meditation. The report can be accessed by clicking http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2008/nhsr12.pdf . Expanding Health Insurance Coverage And Controlling Costs For Health Care Douglas Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) testified on February 10 before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget about the opportunities and challenges that the Congress faces in pursuing two major policy goals: (1) expanding health insurance coverage, so that more Americans receive appropriate health care without undue financial burden, and (2) making the health care system more efficient, so that it can continue to improve Americans' health but at a lower cost in both the public and private sectors. Both are complex endeavors in their own right, and interactions and trade-offs between them may arise. The testimony can be accessed by clicking http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9982/02-10-HealthVolumes_Testimony.pdf . Budget Shortfalls Threaten Ability Of States To Provide Health Care Coverage Nearly half of states proposed expanding coverage for the uninsured in their fiscal year 2009 budgets, but many of those efforts may have to be scaled back or abandoned due to mounting budget shortfalls, according to a new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Last year, 41 states and the District of Columbia reported a combined budget shortfall of $43 billion, a number that is expected to grow as state revenues continue to decrease, according to the report. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.statecoverage.org/files/State%20of%20the%20States-2009.pdf . Overcoming Language Barriers To Health Care A publication from The California Endowment describes policy efforts at state and federal levels to overcome language barriers to health care faced by non-English speaking patients. Importantly, this case study demonstrates the critical role that the administrative and regulatory process plays in establishing and implementing public policy. It also describes the inter-relationship between state and federal policy. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.calendow.org/Collection_Publications.aspx?coll_id=22&ItemID=312# . African-American Parents More Distrustful Of Medical Research Than White Parents Distrust toward medicine and research plays a significant role in African-Americans' lack of participation in clinical trials, according to a study by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. A recent study published in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine addresses the racial differences in the role of parental trust toward medicine and research, and their implications for the enrollment of children into clinical research. African-Americans are significantly underrepresented in clinical research. The researchers found that enrollment of children into clinical research studies depends on parental attitudes, beliefs, and expectations. “Higher levels of distrust among African-American parents can mean that they are less likely to enroll their children in clinical trials, which can have profound implications for eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities, as it impacts the extent to which research findings can be applied to the general population including minorities," said Dr. Rajakumar, also an assistant professor of pediatrics in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Impact Of The Economy On Health Behaviors In October 2008, AARP conducted a survey among a sample of adults ages 45 and older to learn more about the potential impact of the economic downturn on their ability to afford medical care and prescription drugs. The results can be accessed by clicking http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/health/healthcosts_08.pdf . Consumer-Driven Health Care: Promise And Performance An article in the Web Exclusive section of the journal Health Affairs by James Robinson and Paul Ginsberg analyzes the evolution of consumer-driven health care in its original vision, its subsequent implementation, and the transformations it has endured as it moves into its second decade. The market is generating product designs that combine elements of consumerism with elements of managed care, but the trend is always toward a stronger role for consumer choice and a weaker role for management of those choices by physicians, insurers, employers, and regulators. The article can be accessed by clicking http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.28.2.w272v1 . Protecting The Public's Health From Diseases, Disasters, And Bioterrorism Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the sixth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, which finds that progress made to better protect the country from disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and bioterrorism is now at risk due to budget cuts and the economic crisis. In addition, the report concludes that major gaps remain in many critical areas of preparedness, including surge capacity, rapid disease detection, and food safety. The report can be accessed by clicking http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/bioterror-report-2008.pdf . Top Nine Health Industry Issues in 2009 Innovators in the health industry may be able to profit and grow their business in 2009 despite adverse economic realities and a prediction that the economy will continue to slow. To do this, however, business leaders also will have to face additional external forces, including new financial realities, regulations, technology, and a new president and Congress. The PricewaterhouseCoopers report from the Health Research Institute (HRI) identifies nine significant issues that will have an impact on the health industry in 2009. The report also addresses the implications of these issues for businesses and the industry-at-large. A description of the nine issues can be obtained by clicking Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research The modern electronic world has many benefits and conveniences, but the free flow of information also creates privacy concerns. In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent harms such as discrimination, but such protections can also have unintended consequences for health care and the health research that is vital for making medical advances. More than 10 years ago Congress called for a set of federal standards, now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule, to protect the privacy of personally identifiable health information while still allowing the flow of information needed to promote high-quality health care. In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research , the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should. As currently implemented, it impedes important health research. The committee recommends an entirely new approach to protecting privacy in health research. The publication will be released on February 4. More information in the form of a Brie can be accessed by clicking http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/61/836/HIPAA%20report%20brief%20FINAL.pdf
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