Monday, November 24, 2008
The Uninsured Often Donate Organs, But Rarely Receive Them
http://pnhp.org/organ_donors/Transplants.pdf
International Journal of Health Services
"
People who lack health insurance are about 20 times more likely to donate their liver or a kidney for a lifesaving transplant than to receive one, a new study shows. The study is the first to assess the health insurance of organ donors nationally.
A team of Harvard University researchers, writing in the current issue of International Journal of Health Services, reports that a representative sampling of U.S. patients in 2003 shows that at least 16.9 percent of organ donors had no health insurance at the time of their hospitalization. In contrast, only 0.8 percent of the transplant recipients were similarly uninsured; in other words, almost all recipients had some kind of health coverage at the time of their procedure.
Among the transplant recipients, equal proportions (44.2 percent) were covered by private insurance and by Medicare, a public program that serves seniors and some of the disabled (including virtually all patients needing kidney transplants). Medicaid, a government program for the poor, covered another 9 percent. About 2 percent were covered under other programs.
Among organ donors, however, insurance coverage was much less extensive. Private insurance was the most common source of payment for their medical bills (44.8 percent), followed by Medicare (14.6 percent) and Medicaid (2.6 percent). One-fifth of organ donors’ insurance status was listed as “other,” a designation that may have indicated that their bills were paid by organ procurement organizations."
from Docuticker
International Journal of Health Services
"
People who lack health insurance are about 20 times more likely to donate their liver or a kidney for a lifesaving transplant than to receive one, a new study shows. The study is the first to assess the health insurance of organ donors nationally.
A team of Harvard University researchers, writing in the current issue of International Journal of Health Services, reports that a representative sampling of U.S. patients in 2003 shows that at least 16.9 percent of organ donors had no health insurance at the time of their hospitalization. In contrast, only 0.8 percent of the transplant recipients were similarly uninsured; in other words, almost all recipients had some kind of health coverage at the time of their procedure.
Among the transplant recipients, equal proportions (44.2 percent) were covered by private insurance and by Medicare, a public program that serves seniors and some of the disabled (including virtually all patients needing kidney transplants). Medicaid, a government program for the poor, covered another 9 percent. About 2 percent were covered under other programs.
Among organ donors, however, insurance coverage was much less extensive. Private insurance was the most common source of payment for their medical bills (44.8 percent), followed by Medicare (14.6 percent) and Medicaid (2.6 percent). One-fifth of organ donors’ insurance status was listed as “other,” a designation that may have indicated that their bills were paid by organ procurement organizations."
from Docuticker
Labels: transplantation, uninsured
The Impact of the Economic Downturn on Patients and Hospitals
http://www.aha.org/aha/content/2008/pdf/081119econcrisisreport.pdf
American Hospital Association
"With our nation's economic troubles, fewer patients are seeking hospital care while at the same time a growing proportion of patients need help paying for care, according to new report from the American Hospital Association (AHA). The report also noted that hospitals, which employ 5 million people nationwide, could be facing uncertain times as their financial health falters and ability to borrow funds for improving facilities and updating technology is squeezed.
The report is based on survey results from 736 hospitals and information from DATABANK, a web-based reporting system used in 30 states to track key hospital trends."
American Hospital Association
"With our nation's economic troubles, fewer patients are seeking hospital care while at the same time a growing proportion of patients need help paying for care, according to new report from the American Hospital Association (AHA). The report also noted that hospitals, which employ 5 million people nationwide, could be facing uncertain times as their financial health falters and ability to borrow funds for improving facilities and updating technology is squeezed.
The report is based on survey results from 736 hospitals and information from DATABANK, a web-based reporting system used in 30 states to track key hospital trends."
Labels: Economy, hospitals, patients
Friday, November 21, 2008
Contagion: Historical Perspectives on Epidemiology
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/
Harvard University Library
Harvard’s new “open collection” contributes to the understanding of the global, social–history, and public–policy implications of diseases and offers important historical perspectives on the science and the public policy of epidemiology today.
Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics is a digital library collection that brings a unique set of resources from Harvard’s libraries to Internet users everywhere. Offering valuable insights to students of the history of medicine and to researchers seeking an historical context for current epidemiology, the collection contributes to the understanding of the global, social–history, and public–policy implications of disease. Contagion is also a unique social-history resource for students of many ages and disciplines.
Harvard University Library
Harvard’s new “open collection” contributes to the understanding of the global, social–history, and public–policy implications of diseases and offers important historical perspectives on the science and the public policy of epidemiology today.
Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics is a digital library collection that brings a unique set of resources from Harvard’s libraries to Internet users everywhere. Offering valuable insights to students of the history of medicine and to researchers seeking an historical context for current epidemiology, the collection contributes to the understanding of the global, social–history, and public–policy implications of disease. Contagion is also a unique social-history resource for students of many ages and disciplines.
Labels: epidemiology
Unclaimed Children Revisited: The Status of Children's Mental Health Policy in the United States
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_853.pdf
National Center for Children in Poverty
National Center for Children in Poverty
Major Findings
- "Nationally, across the age span, mental health services are spotty at best.
- Only 23 states report investing in early childhood mental health and of those, there are limited statewide strategies.
- Only 24 states invest in school-based mental health services despite evidence that this is a core opportunity to both improve children’s mental health and learning.
- Too often money is spent on practices that are not evidence-based, and family supportive, despite emerging knowledge.
- Reimbursement policies impede states’ ability to deliver age-appropriate, effective care.
- Emphasis in care delivery has been on children with severe emotional issues; but little emphasis has been placed on those children who are at-risk for mental health problems, and who could benefit from early intervention.
- Only two states reported having an advanced information technology infrastructure to support children’s mental health service delivery."
Labels: Children, health policy, mental health
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Place We Live, The Health We Have
http://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/2008/RAND_RGSD238.pdf
RAND
"Although our choices and behaviors are inherently expressed at the individual level, they are often influenced and constrained by the larger social and economic context to which we are exposed. Consequently, place can play an influential role in shaping our culture, our lifestyle, our behavior, and our aspirations in life. The author investigates the relationship between metropolitan-level segregation measures and individual-level health outcomes; distinguishes between transient and persistent exposure to individual and neighborhood poverty in estimating individual and neighborhood poverty effects on health and racial health disparities; and estimates the causal impact of neighborhood disadvantage on health. Racial and economic segregation detrimentally affects the health of blacks, even after adjustment of individual socioeconomic factors, but its effects on health for whites are either neutral or beneficial. However, multiple-year measurements of individual-level and neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors lead to substantial reduction in the magnitude of the black/white health gap."
RAND
"Although our choices and behaviors are inherently expressed at the individual level, they are often influenced and constrained by the larger social and economic context to which we are exposed. Consequently, place can play an influential role in shaping our culture, our lifestyle, our behavior, and our aspirations in life. The author investigates the relationship between metropolitan-level segregation measures and individual-level health outcomes; distinguishes between transient and persistent exposure to individual and neighborhood poverty in estimating individual and neighborhood poverty effects on health and racial health disparities; and estimates the causal impact of neighborhood disadvantage on health. Racial and economic segregation detrimentally affects the health of blacks, even after adjustment of individual socioeconomic factors, but its effects on health for whites are either neutral or beneficial. However, multiple-year measurements of individual-level and neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors lead to substantial reduction in the magnitude of the black/white health gap."
Labels: health disparities, socioeconomic status
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Track the Flu with Google Flu Trends
http://www.google.org/flutrends/
"Google.org, the company's philanthropic unit, has launched a Web tool that could spot regional flu outbreaks in the U.S. as early as a week before the CDC reports them, according to the New York Times. Google Flu Trends analyzes searches on influenza (e.g., "flu symptoms") to estimate flu activity in a given area, and then uses the data to create maps of where the illness may be spreading. Google believes thesite may allow people to take precautions if influenza is in their region, the Times reports. In developing Google Flu Trends, engineers mapped 5 years of influenza-related search data to CDC reports on the flu - and found a strong correlation between the two."We know [the tool] matches very, very well in the way flu developed in the last year," Google.org's executive director told the Times."
From Physician's First Watch 11/12/08
"Google.org, the company's philanthropic unit, has launched a Web tool that could spot regional flu outbreaks in the U.S. as early as a week before the CDC reports them, according to the New York Times. Google Flu Trends analyzes searches on influenza (e.g., "flu symptoms") to estimate flu activity in a given area, and then uses the data to create maps of where the illness may be spreading. Google believes thesite may allow people to take precautions if influenza is in their region, the Times reports. In developing Google Flu Trends, engineers mapped 5 years of influenza-related search data to CDC reports on the flu - and found a strong correlation between the two."We know [the tool] matches very, very well in the way flu developed in the last year," Google.org's executive director told the Times."
From Physician's First Watch 11/12/08
Labels: google, Pandemic Flu
The Plum Book (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions)
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plumbook/
U.S. Government Printing Office
"Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly known as the Plum Book, is published, alternately, by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform. The Plum Book is used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the Federal Government."
U.S. Government Printing Office
"Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly known as the Plum Book, is published, alternately, by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform. The Plum Book is used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the Federal Government."
Labels: Plum Book
