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Convenient Care And Telemedicine [November 30, 2007] Career Development (K) Grants On Comparativeness Effectiveness Research [November 29, 2007] The Economic Burden Of Chronic Disease [November 28, 2007] Health Care 20 Years From Now [November 27, 2007] The Quality Conundrum: Practical Approaches For Enhancing Patient Care [November 26, 2007] 2006 Doctoral Awards In Science, Engineering, And Health Continue Upward Trend [November 21, 2007] Estimating The Global Health Impact Of Improved Diagnostic Tools For The Developing World [November 20, 2007] To Read Or Not To Read: A Question Of National Consequence [November 19, 2007] Health Care Innovations Exchange Web Conference [November 16, 2007] Accessing Grey Literature [November 15, 2007] The Long-Term For Health Care Spending [November 14, 2007] Hospitals Show Progress In Quality And Patient Safety [November 13, 2007] Blueprint For Quality Education In Health Information Management [November 9, 2007] Medical Education Leaders Urged To Focus On Culture Change [November 8, 2007] 2007 America's Health Rankings [November 7, 2007] Plan Unveiled to Increase Nursing School Enrollment [November 6, 2007] Changing Population Age-Mix Affects Health Care Costs Only Modestly [November 5, 2007] Medical Errors And Skipped Care Are More Common In The U.S. [November 2, 2007] Critical Prognosis For The Health Care Workforce [November 1, 2007] Economic Impact Of The Medical Technology Industry [October 31, 2007] Women In The Labor Force [October 30, 2007] Patient-Centered Care: What Does It Take [October 29, 2007] U.S. Health Care Spending Compared To Other OECD Countries [October 26, 2007] College Admissions: What Are Students Learning? [October 25, 2007] Education Longitudinal Study Of Initial Postsecondary Experiences [October 24, 2007] Tuition Prices Continue To Rise [October 23, 2007] Strategies For Reducing Racial And Ethnic Health Disparities [October 22, 2007] Higher Education Access [October 19, 2007] Health and Aging Trends [October 18, 2007] Improving Language Access In Hospitals [October 12, 2007] U.S. Investment In Health Research [October 11, 2007] Advances In Comparative Effectiveness Research [October 10, 2007] Informing The Future: Critical Issues In Health [October 9, 2007] Website Developed For Public To Store Health Records [October 5, 2007] Guide To Clinical Preventive Services, 2007 [October 4, 2007] Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Access To And Quality Of Health Care [October 3, 2007] Roles For College Leaders In Advancing Innovation [October 2, 2007] HHS Launches Personalized Health Care Initiative [October 1, 2007] Convenient Care And Telemedicine Recent advances in information technology — the hardware and software systems used to record, store, process and transmit data — have created new opportunities for patients and doctors to interact in ways that were impractical only a few years ago. The use of information technology to diagnose, treat and monitor patients' medical conditions remotely is called telemedicine . A new study from the National Center for Policy Analysis examines how telemedicine and other information technology are contributing innovative solutions to some problems patients and health care providers encounter under the traditional model of health care delivery. It also examines some of the obstacles to progress and the public policy changes needed to remove them. The study can be accessed by clicking http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st305/st305.pdf . Career Development (K) Grants On Comparativeness Effectiveness Research In FY 2008, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ intends to support research career development grants focusing on comparative effectiveness of different treatment and practices, as authorized in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) Section 1013. The intent of these grants is to support the career development of clinical and research doctorates focusing their research on the generation and translation of new scientific evidence and analytic tools in an accelerated format. In particular, the emphasis is on developing and enhancing the research and methodological capacities for conducting comparative clinical effectiveness research and for the integration of evidence into practice and decision-making in the health care system. Applicants are encouraged to partner with institutions well versed in systematic review methodologies or with research centers capable of performing accelerated clinical effectiveness and outcomes research and the translation and dissemination of evidentiary information for health care decision-making. Information about the grant application process, including e-grant applications and the funding mechanisms noted above, can be found at http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/ . The Economic Burden Of Chronic Disease More than half of all Americans suffer from one or more chronic diseases. Each year millions of individuals are diagnosed with chronic disease and millions more die from their condition. Despite dramatic improvements in therapies and treatment, disease rates have risen dramatically. The rising rate of chronic disease is a crucial but frequently ignored contributor to rising medical expenditures. The health of Americans and the economy depend on the ability to focus efforts to reduce the burden of disease. In the absence of concerted efforts to prevent, diagnose, and better manage and treat chronic disease, the U.S. will bear higher socioeconomic costs over time needlessly. While studies have sought to estimate the economic costs of illness, there has not been a significant focus on estimating costs that could be avoided through efforts to reduce the prevalence and burden of chronic disease. A study by The Milken Institute attempts to quantify the economic and business costs of chronic disease: the potential impact on employers, the government, and the nation's economy. This study documents what the country stands to lose in economic growth if changes are not made. This 252-page study can be accessed by clicking http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/chronic_disease_report.pdf . A forum on health care convened by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the congressional watchdog agency, involved discussions on health care spending, health insurance coverage, performance measures, and policy challenges. Forum attendees included health policy experts, business leaders, and public officials selected for their subject matter expertise and representation of various perspectives. The forum's report can be accessed by clicking http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071155sp.pdf . The Quality Conundrum: Practical Approaches For Enhancing Patient Care More than a year in development, The Quality Conundrum is a compilation of essays by PriceWaterhouseCoopers subject matter specialists, discussions with selected clients, and insights from interviews with health industry leaders in the United States and around the world. It explores the barriers that have made healthcare quality improvements difficult to achieve, and outlines a clear path to progress. It includes a discussion of quality from the patient's perspective in the journey across the health care system. This book will be of interest to employers seeking more value for their money and interested in helping their employees make better healthcare and lifestyle decisions. Chapters 1-4 can be accessed by clicking http://pwchealth.com/cgi-local/hregister.cgi?link=reg/conundrum_ch1_ch4.pdf . Chapters 5-8 can be accessed by clicking http://pwchealth.com/cgi-local/hregister.cgi?link=reg/conundrum_ch5_ch8.pdf . 2006 Doctoral Awards In Science, Engineering, And HealthContinue Upward Trend U.S. institutions awarded 29,854 science and engineering (S&E) doctorates in 2006, a record high. The 2006 rise in S&E doctoral awards, 6.7% over 2005, is the fourth consecutive increase. S&E fields reaching all-time high counts in 2006 were biological sciences, computer sciences, mathematics, chemistry, social sciences, and engineering. Awards in health fields increased to their highest point in the last 10 years (1,906), whereas the count in education was at an all-time low in the same period (6,124). In 2006, 15,947 doctorates were awarded to non-U.S. citizens, including 1,829 to individuals who were permanent residents and 14,118 who were in the United States on a temporary visa. Awards to non-U.S. citizens constituted 37.2% of awards to all doctorate recipients in 2006 who reported citizenship status and 45.2% of awards to those in S&E fields who reported citizenship status. Non-U.S. citizens accounted for more than half of all doctorate recipients in each of the engineering fields and in computer sciences (64.8%), mathematics (57.2%), and physics (58.0%). The proportion of awards to non-U.S citizens was largest in engineering (67.7%), particularly in electrical engineering (77.3%), civil engineering (73.5%), and industrial/manufacturing engineering (72.4%). Citizens of China constituted 26.6% of all engineering doctorate recipients with known citizenship status; citizens of India and Korea represented 10.4% and 7.4%, respectively. The share of awards to U.S. citizens was largest in non-S&E fields, particularly in education. Additional information can be accessed by clicking http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08301/nsf08301.pdf . Estimating The Global Health Impact Of Improved Diagnostic Tools For The Developing World A research brief from Rand summarizes research assessing how higher-quality and more-accessible clinical diagnostic tests could improve health outcomes in the developing world for a number of common diseases. The document can be accessed by clicking To Read Or Not To Read: A Question Of National Consequence A new report from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) entitled To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence gathers and collates the best national data available to provide a reliable and comprehensive overview of American reading today. All the data combine to tell the same story. Although there has been measurable progress in recent years in reading ability at the elementary school level, all progress appears to halt as children enter their teenage years. A general decline has occurred in reading among teenage and adult Americans. Both reading ability and the habit of regular reading have greatly declined among college graduates. These negative trends have more than literary importance. As this report makes clear, the declines have demonstrable social, economic, cultural, and civic implications. As Americans, especially younger Americans, read less, they read less well. Because they read less well, they have lower levels of academic achievement. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.nea.gov/research/ToRead.pdf . Health Care Innovations Exchange Web Conference The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange is a Web-based information and social learning hub for sharing health care service innovations among health care providers, health plans, integrated delivery systems, purchasers, and the public. In this virtual space, agents of change in health care delivery can exchange ideas, stories, and information. Together, change agents can collaborate on cross-disciplinary solutions that will lead to adopting health practices that improve health care quality and reduce health care disparities. Interested parties should register for this Web conference to: become familiar with the Exchange, gain insight into what AHRQ considers a service innovation, meet the AHRQ Director and staff leading and supporting this resource, obtain a glimpse into plans for the Innovations Exchange Learning Network, and receive instructions on how to share novel approaches to delivering health care. The Exchange will occur on December 5, 2007 at 2:00 PM (EST) and the registration deadline is December 4. For more information, click Grey Literature consists of a wide body of printed material that is not available through traditional commercial publishing pathways. It is characterized by a paucity of categorization, indexing, or Web harvesting by popular search engines. Much of this information is in the form of publications issued by governmental agencies, academia, business, and industry. Examples are newsletters, reports, and conference proceedings. The Internet is a major source of dissemination. Because of a lack of indexing of these materials, search engines are of little help in identifying the contents of such documents. An effort is underway to create a capability for retrieving information that is useful for the public health community, which also means that other professionals also stand to benefit. A presentation on the aims of the project and how it is unfolding can be obtained from a videocast at the National Institutes of Health on November 5, 2007, which can be accessed by clicking http://videocast.nih.gov/PastEvents.asp?c=998 . The Long-Term For Health Care Spending S pending on health care has been growing faster than the economy for many years, representing a challenge both for the government's two major health insurance programs, Medicare and Medicaid, and for the private sector. A prologue to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) upcoming long-term budget outlook, to be released next month, a new study presents the agency's projections of federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid and national spending on health care over the next 75 years. The goal of the projections is to examine the implications of a continuation of current federal law, rather than to make a prediction of the future. In reality, federal law will change. Nevertheless, the projections provide a useful measure of the scope of the problem facing the nation under current law. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/87xx/doc8758/11-13-LT-Health.pdf . Hospitals Show Progress In Quality And Patient Safety The performance of accredited hospitals on quality measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care continues to improve, but gaps in overall performance remain, according to the Joint Commission's second annual report on hospital quality. For example, Commission-accredited hospitals provided smoking cessation advice to 89.4% of patients admitted with pneumonia in 2006, up from 37.2% in 2002. They also demonstrated 90% or more compliance with 10 of 16 national patient safety goal requirements that address issues such as medication safety, caregiver communication and preventing patient falls. Scores in other areas suggest need for improvement, the Commission added. The report, which examines 22 national quality measures and seven patient safety goals, also found significant variability by state and between hospitals. Copies of the report can be obtained by clicking http://www.jointcommissionreport.org/ . Blueprint For Quality Education In Health Information Management The transition of the healthcare industry to become more patient-centric and evidence-based has given rapid momentum to improvements in adoption of electronic health records and health information exchanges. The industry is in the process of dramatically changing the way it creates, uses, manages, and disperses health information. A new vision is proposed for quality education in HIM, such that the profession would be able to further sustain and lead amidst a rapidly changing healthcare delivery system. A blueprint for moving in the desired way appears in a report of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The report can be accessed by clicking Medical Education Leaders Urged To Focus On Culture Change At the 2007 AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) annual meeting in Washington, DC, Darrell G. Kirch, president and chief executive officer of that organization, urged the leadership of the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals to change the culture of academic medicine by emphasizing "collaboration, shared accountability, and team performance." Recognizing that this culture change will require courage, he also stressed the potential for this shift to create "a much more meaningful and gratifying culture for our faculty, staff, learners, and especially the patients they have committed to serve." While medical schools and teaching hospitals have expended considerable effort on growth strategies because of constraints in state and federal support over the past 10 years, a "failure to put at least as much energy into improving our culture as we put into advancing our strategy, has led to a fundamental imbalance within our institutions." His presentation can be accessed by clicking 2007 America's Health Rankings The overall health of the nation declined over the past year, despite progress made in several key health indicators, according to a report launched by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association (APHA), and Partnership for Prevention ™ . The 18 th annual edition of America's Health Rankings™: A Call to Action for People & Their Communities measures the overall healthiness of states and the nation using a comprehensive and longitudinal set of related health determinants and health outcomes. The report indicates that the overall health of the nation declined by a rate of 0.3 percent since last year. A copy of the report can be ordered by clicking Plan Unveiled to Increase Nursing School Enrollment To avert an anticipated shortage of 10,000 registered nurses by 2016, Maryland hospital and nurse education leaders today announced a plan to increase annual enrollment in the state's nursing schools by 1,800 beginning in 2009. The plan calls for a total of $59 million in public and private funding in 2009 and 2010 to add 360 nursing faculty, as well as classrooms and clinical sites, and raise faculty salaries to reflect market conditions. In addition to the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA), supporters of the plan include the University System of Maryland, Maryland Association of Community Colleges, Maryland Organization of Nurse Executives, state Board of Nursing and Maryland Nursing Workforce Commission. More information can be accessed by clicking http://www.mdhospitals.org/mha/News_Publications/Press_Releases/2007/Who.Will.Care.Press.Release.11.04.2007.pdf .
Changing Population Age-Mix Affects Health Care Costs Only Modestly The changing age-mix of the U.S. population has had only a modest effect on the growth of health care spending. That trend is expected to continue even as the nation ages dramatically over the next four decades, experts at the federal government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report in a Health Affairs Web Exclusive. Per person personal health care spending for the population age 65 and older was $14,797 in 2004 -- 5.6 times higher than spending per child ($2,650 in 2004) and 3.3 times spending per working-age person ($4,511 in 2004). Consistent with other studies, the authors found that per capita health spending grew faster for those under age 65 than for those age 65 and older, although the difference -- 0.2 percent annually between 1987 and 1999 -- was much less than previously reported. The article can be accessed by clicking http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.27.1.w1v1 . Medical Errors And Skipped Care Are More Common In The U.S. U.S. adults are more likely than adults in six other countries to: say they experienced medical errors, report they went without care because of the cost, and feel the health care system needs to be rebuilt completely, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey.. The results of the survey can be accessed by clicking http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/26/6/w717 Critical Prognosis For The Health Care Workforce An article by Daniel Rahn and Steven Wartman in the November 2 printed edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education indicates that the United States faces a looming shortage of many types of health-care professionals, including nurses, physicians, dentists, pharmacists, allied-health workers, and public-health workers. The results will be felt acutely within the next 10 years. Colleges and health-science programs will all be affected by the demographic, technological, and bureaucratic trends driving the pending crisis, but they can also be part of the solution. The growth of the American population and the aging of the baby-boomer generation will continue to increase the demand for health-care services and providers. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics also projects that over the next decade, the U.S. will need 3.5 million more workers to meet the increasing demand, in addition to replacements for the two million health-care workers who will leave their positions. Economic Impact Of The Medical Technology Industry The medical technology industry (MTI) has a strong and positive impact on the economies of states through employment, payrolls, and sales. The total economic benefits are a multiple of the direct impacts. In the “median” state (half of the states have larger and smaller impacts, respectively): each medical technology job generates an additional 2.0 jobs in that state, each medical technology payroll dollar generates an additional $1.12 in payroll in that state, and each dollar of medical technology sales generates an additional $0.90 in sales in that state. A report by The Lewin Group presents estimates of the economic contributions of the MTI to each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This includes 2006 estimates for each state of MTI employment, payrolls, and sales/shipments and of the multiplier economic effects on these same measures. In 2006, the industry: employed 357,700 workers, paid $21.5 billion in salaries, and shipped $123 billion worth of products. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.advamed.org/NR/rdonlyres/EE11D3FF-3FCF-4AA8-A4D8-C0B4992A5950/0/StateImpactsoftheMedicalTechnologyIndustry_Lewin436092_3_.pdf . According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the past several decades have been marked by notable changes in women's labor force activities compared to men's, including increased labor force participation, employment growth in higher paying occupations, and gains in real earnings. In 1970, about 43 percent of women aged 16 and older were in the labor force; by the late 1990s, the labor force participation rate of women had risen to 60 percent. The participation rate for women has receded slightly since 1999, to 59.4 percent in 2006. As women's labor force participation has increased, so has their employment in higher paying occupations. In 2006, half of all workers in management, professional, and related occupations were women. By industry, women accounted for more than half of all workers within financial activities, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality in 2006. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2007.pdf. Patient-Centered Care: What Does It Take Patient-centered care has become a central aim for the nation's health system, yet patient experience surveys indicate that the system is far from achieving it. Based on interviews with leaders of patient-centered organizations and initiatives, a new report identifies seven key factors for achieving patient-centered care at the organization level and illustrates how these factors can be successfully implemented through case examples of two organizations. U.S. Health Care Spending Compared To Other OECD Countries According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, the United States spends more money on health care than any other country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD consists of 30 democracies, most of which are considered the most economically advanced countries in the world. According to OECD data, the United States spent $6,102 per capita on health care in 2004 — more than double the OECD average and 19.9% more than Luxembourg, the second-highest spending country. In 2004, 15.3% of the U.S. economy was devoted to health care, compared with 8.9% in the average OECD country and 11.6% in second-placed Switzerland. The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34175%5F20070917.pdf . College Admissions: What Are Students Learning? The college admissions environment has changed significantly during the past twenty years: more marketing, more applications, more money, more emphasis, more testing, more activity, and more confusion. Amid this new landscape, there is growing concern that individual institutional actions, activities of parents, schools, students, and other actors, may not be serving the values and purposes traditionally associated with higher education. The college admissions process has been studied extensively from a marketing perspective-how students choose the colleges to which they apply and eventually enroll. Some attention has been given to the psychological aspects of the process-especially the accompanying stress and confusion experienced during the decision making process. For additional information on the results, click http://www.educationconservancy.org/research.html . Education Longitudinal Study Of Initial Postsecondary Experiences A new report provides selected, nationally representative information about the transition of 2002 high school sophomores to college, the selectivity and other characteristics of the institutions in which they enrolled, their choice of major, and other characteristics of their enrollment to illustrate the wealth of data that is available from the Second Follow-up of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. Among spring 2002 high school sophomores who had attended a postsecondary institution, 15 percent entered college intending to study business, 17 percent entered college intending to study health, and 15 percent entered college intending to study engineering/computer science/natural sciences/mathematics. The report can be accessed by clicking http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008308.pdf. Tuition Prices Continue To Rise Increases in published prices for two-year and four-year public institutions in 2007-08 were slightly larger than in 2006, but lower than the average rates of growth over the past five years. Nearly half a million students received awards in 2006 under two new federal student grant programs. Though higher than the previous year, total federal grant funding to undergraduates was still lower in 2006-07 than it was three years earlier, after adjusting for inflation. The College Board released higher education pricing statistics yesterday in its annual “Trends in College Pricing 2007.” The report can be accessed by clicking http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/trends_pricing_07.pdf . Strategies For Reducing Racial And Ethnic Health Disparities The Founding Answers Intervention Research (FAIR) Database contains 206 journal article summaries from a systematic review of racial and ethnic health disparities interventions published as a Special Supplement to the October 2007 issue of Medical Care Research and Review . Systematic literature reviews were conducted for the following health topics and intervention strategies: cardiovascular disease (CVD), depression, diabetes mellitus, breast cancer, cultural leverage, and pay-for-performance incentives. Diseases examined in this database were chosen because they: have a known high prevalence, cause significant morbidity and mortality, have clear standards of care, and have large documented disparities in care. Diseases outside the scope of the supplement (e.g., HIV/AIDS, asthma) are not included in this database. The FAIR Database was designed to provide a customized list of interventions that match a user's interest in the following areas: health topic, racial/ethnic population, organizational setting, and intervention strategy. The database can be accessed by clicking http://www.solvingdisparities.org/fair_database . According to the Pathways to College Network, too few low-income and minority students are prepared to enroll and succeed in college. Not only do they enter colleges and universities at lower rates than their higher income peers, but they also are significantly less likely to complete their degree. In addition, financial aid has not kept pace with increasing college costs: The maximum Pell Grant award of $4,050—the primary source of federal financial aid for low-income students—pays for only one-third of the cost of attending a four-year public institution. Only 47 percent of high school graduates from the bottom U.S. income quartile enter higher education institutions, compared with 85 percent of high school graduates from the top income quartile. In 2002, only 41 percent of African-American students and 38 percent of Hispanic students completed high school with necessary math and reading skills to continue on to college. While 80 percent of high-income students entering college in 1992 finished a degree by 2000, only 43 percent of low-income students finished a degree program in a similar amount of time. Additional information can be accessed by clicking http://www.pathwaystocollege.net/pdf/FactSheet.pdf .Up-to-date information on trends in the health of the older U.S. population is available on the Web from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A major part of the website consists of tables on important topics in health and aging. The data come from a variety of sources in the Federal Government and are in easy-to-use Beyond 20/20 tables. The site can be accessed by clicking http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/aging/first_aging_.htm. IImproving Language Access In Hospitals Whether prompted by changing demographic profiles, laws and regulations, business strategies or consumer requests, California hospitals are faced with the need to evaluate and improve their efforts to deliver care in languages that are understandable to their patients. The purpose of this study will be to identify, examine and share best practices and promising models from California hospitals that are working to ensure their patients receive language-appropriate care. This study is a project of the Health Workforce Tracking Collaborative, which is funded by The California Wellness Foundation, The California Endowment and the California HealthCare Foundation and administered at the UCSF Center for the Health Professions. Additional information can be accessed by clicking by clicking U.S. Investment In Health Research Research!America has been tracking and analyzing the various streams of funding that make up the total U.S. investment in health research for a decade. Trends indicate that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction. In 2006, an estimated $116 billion was spent on research to improve health. While spending on health overall in 2006 grew by 6.8% to more than $2 trillion, the investment in health-related research grew by a modest 4.2%. For every dollar spent on health overall, 5.5 cents went to research in 2006, the smallest portion since 2001.This decline continues a trend that started in 2005, following a flattening in federal research spending that began in 2004. The report can be accessed by clicking Advances In Comparative Effectiveness Research A series of articles on new approaches and advances in comparative effectiveness research are compiled in a special edition of Medical Care sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The supplement, “Emerging Methods in Comparative Effectiveness and Safety,” contains 23 articles authored by AHRQ-funded researchers nationwide. Articles in the new supplement address practical issues confronting researchers, including methodological challenges to studying patient safety, analyzing observational data, and how to study prescription drug use with Medicaid claims data. The new Medical Care supplement does not endorse specific research methods, but represents experts' current thinking on how science can utilize growing sources of electronic health information to improve health care. The articles can be accessed by clicking http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/reports/med-care-report.cfm Informing The Future: Critical Issues In Health Informing the Future: Critical Issues in Health , Fourth Edition highlights the groundbreaking reports released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) over the past two years and explores the policy areas that will be critical to the nation's well-being in years to come. This booklet illustrates the work that IOM committees have done in several topic areas, describes IOM's convening and collaborative activities, and provides a comprehensive bibliography of all IOM reports published since 2005. In addition, it contains a CD-ROM featuring executive summaries of recent reports. A complimentary copy of the report may be obtained by sending an e-mail message to the IOM's Office of Reports and Communication at ORAC@nas.edu or call Tel: 202-334-2659. Website Developed For Public To Store Health Records Guide To Clinical Preventive Services, 2007 The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services includes U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening, counseling, and preventive medication topics and includes clinical considerations for each topic. This new pocket guide provides an authoritative source for making decisions about preventive services. The Guide can be accessed by clicking http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/pocketgd07/pocketgd07.pdf . Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Access To And Quality Of Health Care A new policy brief examines the prevalence and causes of racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and quality. According to the brief, racial and ethnic disparities are pervasive but not universal, with Hispanics facing the largest access disparities. Although insurance coverage, income and other factors contribute to some health disparities, racial and ethnic gaps in access and quality remain after accounting for these factors. The brief can be accessed by clicking http://www.rwjf.org/pr/synthesis/reports_and_briefs/pdf/no12_researchreport.pdf . Roles For College Leaders In Advancing Innovation Amid calls for enhanced innovation from business, government and advocacy organizations, a new publication from the Center for Effective Leadership at the American Council on Education (ACE) explores the challenges and opportunities of innovation in higher education. The report, The Times Demand Innovation: Responding to Declining Resources and Heightened Accountability , finds that as policy shapers and opinion leaders have made innovation a national priority, colleges and universities are also being asked to increase innovation—both in their own managerial effectiveness and by producing more innovative knowledge through research and development. Summarizing a roundtable conversation on innovation held earlier this year by eight college and university presidents, The Times Demand Innovation reviews the current environment for innovation in higher education and proposes ideas to help college and university leaders advance innovation on their campuses. For additional information on how to acquire a copy of the report, click HHS Launches Personalized Health Care Initiative The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its first report on personalized health care, including an inventory of Public Health Service programs and resources, which may herald an age when standards of care will be tailored to individual patients. As described by HHS, "the report, 'Personalized Health Care: Opportunities, Pathways, Resources,' presents a long-range plan for achieving much more individualized treatment for patients, especially by using genetic information and health information technology."
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