Health Care Access in the News

From: Subject: Health Care Access in the News Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:01:36 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01C75AB2.77EB3410" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C75AB2.77EB3410 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://hcan.burntcoffeemedia.com/view.php =EF=BB=BF Health Care Access in the News

Healthcare=20 Quality

Public = Health/=20 Healthy Communities

Health = care Access=20 and Market Place

Access = for=20 People with Disabilities

Health=20 Care Access in the News: February 19 - February 25, 2007
Consumer Health Coalition (CHC) has highlighted = major news=20 headlines and studies related to health care access from the = past=20 week. We hope you find this information INTERESTING AND = useful!=20 =20

HEALTH=20 CARE QUALITY

NCQA=20 SEEKS TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ON HEALTH PLAN QUALITY
Tuesday, = February=20 20, 2007
By Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

"The = National=20 Committee for Quality Assurance on Thursday announced = proposals to=20 increase the amount of information available to consumers on = the=20 quality of health plans, CQ HealthBeat reports. NCQA = proposed to=20 require PPOs to report the same quality of care information = that=20 HMOs currently must report to receive accreditation from the = group.=20 In addition, NCQA proposed to make quality of care and = patient=20 satisfaction scores a larger factor in decisions about = whether=20 health plans should receive accreditation from the group. = Under the=20 proposal, quality of care and patient satisfaction scores = would=20 account for half, rather one-third, of the total score = health plans=20 must receive to obtain accreditation from NCQA. NCQA until = March 30=20 will take public comments on the proposals and in June will = finalize=20 the proposals, which would take effect in July = 2008."

For full Story Click=20 Here

FORMS=20 GIVE PATIENTS STRONGER SAY ON CHOICES AT END OF LIFE
Wednesday, = February=20 21, 2007
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The = 8-by-11=20 sheets, colored so as to stand out, detail whether patients, = as=20 their conditions decline, would want cardiopulmonary = resuscitation,=20 feeding tubes, antibiotics, ventilators and other special = means to=20 sustain life. A doctor or nurse practitioner fills out the = form=20 jointly with the patient. The forms give doctors, nurses, = paramedics=20 and other health professionals across different settings a = quick,=20 standardized way to see whether they should refrain from = certain=20 life-saving techniques at modern medicine's disposal. It's a = way of=20 acknowledging that some terminally ill or otherwise frail=20 individuals prefer dying comfortably rather than fighting it = to the=20 last breath. Hospital personnel pursue the latter option, = after all,=20 unless they receive instructions otherwise."

For full Story Cli= ck=20 Here

BARGAINING DOWN THAT CT SCAN IS SUDDENLY=20 POSSIBLE
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
By Michael Mason, = The New=20 York Times

"The average provider =E2=80=94 doctors or hospitals =E2=80=94 has = between 5 and 100=20 reimbursement rates for the exact same procedure,=E2=80=9D = said Timothy=20 Cahill, president of My Medical Control = (mymedicalcontrol.com). =E2=80=9CA=20 hospital chain with multiple locations may have 150 rates = for the=20 same procedure. Consumers don=E2=80=99t know this.=E2=80=9D = The varying=20 reimbursement schedules, negotiated between the = nation=E2=80=99s 850,000=20 providers and more than 6,000 health plans, have been kept = all but=20 secret. Consumers almost never get information on prices = before=20 treatment. Even insurers do not know what other health plans = are=20 paying. Despite the complexity, the Internet has begun to = open a=20 window on this surreal world, allowing consumers to compare = costs=20 and, occasionally, to discover affordable alternatives. This = kind of=20 comparison shopping can be deceiving, some experts warn, = because=20 consumers cannot judge the quality of care from fees alone, = and=20 different patients require different treatments. Still, even = rough=20 approximations can be useful, particularly for the = increasing=20 numbers of patients with high-deductible plans or no = insurance at=20 all.'"

For full Story = Click=20 Here
=20

ACCESS=20 TO HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

NEW=20 STUDY LOOKING AT AUTISM TO FIND THE GUILTY GENES
Monday, = February=20 19, 2007
By Anita Srikameswaran, Pittsburgh = Post-Gazette

"The = largest=20 genetic study to date of families with autism has revealed = new=20 places to look for genes that might contribute to the = development of=20 the neurodevelopmental disorder. A consortium called the = Autism=20 Genome Project, consisting of 120 scientists from 50 = research=20 centers in 19 countries, gathered information from nearly = 1,500=20 families for the study, which was published online yesterday = in=20 Nature Genetics. Nancy Minshew, director of Pitt's = collaborative=20 programs of excellence in autism, called the project "quite = a feat."=20 And, with the help of families affected by autism who = participate in=20 research, the potential for finding new treatments = grows."

For full Story http://www.p= ost-gazette.com/pg/07050/763238-114.stm

A MIX=20 OF MEDICINES THAT CAN BE LETHAL
Tuesday, February 27, = 2007
By=20 Jane E. Brody, The New York Times

"Now, = with the=20 enormous rise in the use of serotonin-enhancing = antidepressants,=20 often taken in combination with other drugs that also raise=20 serotonin levels, emergency medicine specialists are trying = to=20 educate doctors and patients about this not-so-rare and = potentially=20 life-threatening disorder. In March 2005, two such = specialists, Dr.=20 Edward W. Boyer and Dr. Michael Shannon of = Children=E2=80=99s Hospital=20 Boston, noted that more than 85 percent of doctors were = =E2=80=9Cunaware of=20 the serotonin syndrome as a clinical diagnosis.=E2=80=9D The = experts fear=20 that failure to recognize serotonin syndrome in its mild or = early=20 stages can result in improper treatment and an abrupt = worsening of=20 the condition, leading to severe illness or death. Even more = important, in hopes of preventing it, they want doctors = =E2=80=94 and=20 patients =E2=80=94 to know just what drugs and drug = combinations can cause=20 serotonin poisoning."

For full=20 Story Click=20 Here
=20

PUBLIC=20 HEALTH/HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

MOST=20 U.S. WOMEN FACE HEART DISEASE, STROKE RISK
Thursday, = February 22,=20 2007
By The New Pittsburgh Courier, The Associated = PresS

"Nearly = all=20 American women are in danger of heart disease or stroke and = should=20 be more aggressive about lowering their = risk=E2=80=94including asking their=20 doctors about daily aspirin use, the American Heart = Association said=20 Monday in new guidelines. In general, the guidelines aim to = get=20 women and doctors to focus on the long-term risk of high = blood=20 pressure, smoking, lack of exercise or being = overweight=E2=80=94even if a=20 woman=E2=80=99s current health seems fine. Even a single = risk factor at age=20 50 greatly raises the chance of heart disease or stroke = later, and=20 only about 10 percent of American women are free of these = problems.=20 The evidence shows that many more women than thought are at = risk of=20 heart disease and stroke=E2=80=94even those whose only = weakness was failure=20 to exercise every day. Heart disease is the leading killer = of men=20 and women worldwide."

For full=20 Story Click=20 Here

JUNKING THE JUNK FOOD
Thursday, February 22, = 2007
By=20 Daveen Rae Kurutz, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"When=20 Pennsylvania made it mandatory for all school districts to = establish=20 a wellness program by July 2006, lunch programs everywhere = were=20 overhauled. Food service managers are deeming the changes a = success,=20 as students are saying goodbye to trans fats and hello to = healthier=20 eating habits. As a result of changes made within recent = months,=20 candy and potato chips have been replaced by leafy greens = and baked=20 snacks, and water increasingly is the beverage of choice. = "The=20 earlier you get them, the better," said Joe Consolmango, = district=20 manager with Metz and Associates, a food service provider = that=20 serves 45 school districts and private schools throughout = the state.=20 'We hear a lot from parents, saying that their kids are = coming home,=20 wanting to eat new, healthier things.'"

For full Story Click=20 Here

WE'RE=20 STILL FIGHTING THE GREASE WARS
Sunday, February 25, = 2007
By=20 Cristina Rouvalis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Invented in=20 the early 1900s, trans fat or partially hydrogenated = vegetable oil=20 was initially believed to be a healthy substitute for = natural fats,=20 such as butter or lard. But recent studies have shown it is = even=20 less healthy than butter or saturated fats. Madelyn = Fernstrom,=20 director of the UPMC Weight Management Center, agrees that = taking=20 trans fats off the menu is a good first step because they = raise the=20 bad cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol. But she is = concerned=20 that people will have a false sense of healthiness and eat = even more=20 fried foods."

For full=20 Story Cli= ck=20 Here

ALLEGHENY'S FOOD SAFETY PROGRAM GETS BAD=20 REVIEWS
Monday, February 26, 2007
By Mike Cronin, = Pittsburgh=20 Tribune-Review

"Nearly = three=20 out of four Allegheny County restaurants and food sellers = are=20 inspected only once every two or three years, according to = county=20 health department data. "The situation is not good," said = Glenda=20 Christy, chief of the county's food safety program. She and = other=20 public health and consumer group officials warn that the = lack of=20 inspections could result in a major outbreak of food-borne = illness.=20 Staff and budget cuts in the past 13 years have decimated a = county=20 inspection force that won a national award for its food = safety=20 program in 1993. A 2003 audit by the county comptroller's = office and=20 a task force formed in its wake recommended an increase in=20 inspections. Four years later, Allegheny County doesn't = inspect=20 restaurants as often as in areas monitored by the state = Department=20 of Agriculture or local municipalities."

For full Story Click=20 Here
HEALTH=20 CARE POLICY & MARKETPLACE

STATES SEEK HELP FROM CONGRESS
Monday, February = 26,=20 2007
By USA Today, The Associated Press

"Governors from=20 both parties are opposing President Bush's budget for a = health care=20 program that insures millions of children of the working = poor,=20 warning that failure to meet its spending needs will inflate = the=20 already high number of uninsured. The budget dispute = dominated=20 discussions among governors Sunday, who promised to bring = the matter=20 to Bush and his Cabinet officials at private meetings = Monday. At=20 stake is coverage for 6 million people, overwhelmingly = children, as=20 well as the hopes of many governors in tackling the larger = challenge=20 of the uninsured. All governors rely on the State Children's = Health=20 Insurance Program, intended to aid uninsured working = families. Many=20 governors said the administration's efforts to scale back = the=20 program would undermine state efforts to craft universal = health care=20 plans. Many of these have started with a target of insuring = all=20 children. California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have = developed=20 some of the most ambitious proposals to try to get to = universal=20 health care coverage. Most states have just tried to = strengthen=20 their health care system to cover more people."

For full Story Click=20 Here

'HEALTH COURTS' AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PATIENT SAFETY
February 2007
By Mello, Studdert, Kachalia, Brennan, The Commonwealth Fund

"There = is ample=20 evidence that the current medical malpractice system does = not work=20 well for physicians or patients. Along with other = organizations, the=20 Institute of Medicine has made recommendations for reform, = with=20 proposals that focus on moving away from the current tort = system to=20 an alternative, known as administrative compensation. In = addition to=20 improving accuracy and efficiency, an administrative system = could=20 promote efforts to monitor and improve patient safety. Two = bills=20 have been introduced in Congress to offer grants and = technical=20 assistance to states wishing to try demonstrations of these = special=20 "health courts.'"

For full=20 Story Click=20 Here

U.S.=20 APPROVES STATE'S COVER ALL KIDS PROGRAM
Friday, February = 23,=20 2007
By Joe Fahy and Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Federal=20 officials have cleared the way for Pennsylvania to implement = its=20 Cover All Kids program, which aims to make affordable health = insurance more available to the state's uninsured young = people. The=20 expanded program will provide federally-subsidized coverage = for=20 families that are at up to 300 percent of the poverty level, = meaning=20 income of about $61,950 for a family of four. Those families = would=20 pay sliding scale fees for the coverage based on their = incomes.=20 Families with incomes above 300 percent of the poverty level = would=20 pay about $150 a month per child. Enrollment in the program = will=20 begin next month, Mr. Hoover said. Young people from birth = to age 19=20 are eligible."

For full=20 Story Cli= ck=20 Here
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