ASHDON JOBS BLOG

White House Launches $1 Billion Health Care Innovation Challenge

The Obama administration has launched a $1 billion Health Care Innovation Challenge. Health care providers across the nation will be able to compete for funding for projects that “use health care dollars more wisely, help create jobs, and help professionals improve the work they do for patients.”  The White House has asked health care workers to send their innovative ideas and solutions in the form of a written proposal by December 19th, 2011. They will look through the proposals and will award approximately $1 million to $30 million for a three-year period to those projects they feel will provide the greatest benefit to the health care system.

The White House said they plan to, “work with a wide variety of public and private organizations, including providers, payers, local governments, community and faith-based organizations, and other innovators whose compelling ideas can improve health care for patients. We are also looking for projects that help patients with the greatest health care needs, projects that can be up and running soon, and projects that rapidly hire, train, and deploy health care workers.”

Applications are open to those who work in nearly every area of the health care field. Winners will be selected in March of 2012 and once the money is awarded every project will be closely monitored and evaluated for their impact on the quality of care and savings generated.  

"We've taken incredible steps to reduce health care costs and improve care, but we can't wait to do more," Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services told USAToday. "Both public and private community organizations around the country are finding innovative solutions to improve our health care system and the Health Care Innovation Challenge will help jump start these efforts."

To learn more about the Challenge and for complete details on how to submit a proposal, visit http://innovations.cms.gov/.

Mandatory Paid Sick Days Could Save the Nation More Than $1 Billion Annually

A new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has found that access to paid sick days could save Americans $1 billion in medical costs annually.  More than 44 million American workers are not provided with paid sick days and many end up in the emergency department because of preventable illnesses. IWPR found that if workers were able to take time off to visit a doctor’s office or clinic then they would save $1.1 billion annually.   

"Taking time off work to see a primary care doctor is common sense, but over 40 million Americans cannot do so without losing pay or their job," Kevin Miller, Senior Research Associate with IWPR, and an author of the report told PRNewswire. "Americans are paying over $1 billion each year in preventable emergency department costs because hard-working people without paid sick days are unable to get the preventative and early treatment they and their children need."

Nearly half ($500 million) of these preventable costs are being covered by taxpayer-funded public health care including Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Veterans Affairs services according to the study’s findings. The federal government and many states have considered legislation that would ensure workers are able to earn paid sick time to take care of themselves and their families but so far the passage of such laws has been rare.

 It is estimated that two-fifths of private sector employees, including three out of four food service workers, three out of five personal health care workers and three in four child care workers, do not have access to paid sick days. Previous IWPR analysis has found that Hispanics and Blacks are the least likely to have access to paid sick days while Asian Americans and Whites overall have the highest rates of access at 67 and 60 percent respectively.

For more information on the study’s findings visit http://www.iwpr.org

Gallup Poll Finds a Decrease in Employer-Based Health Insurance and an Increase in Uninsured Americans

The percentage of American adults covered by employer-based health insurance continues to decline. A new Gallup poll found that only 44.5% of Americans are getting their health insurance from an employer compared to 49.8% in 2008.  “Initially, the percentage reporting they have employer-based health insurance seemed to be decreasing as unemployment and underemployment increased,” the report reads. “However, it is likely that other factors -- including fewer employers offering health insurance -- are also contributing to this trend.”

At the same time, the percentage of adults who are not covered by health insurance continues to rise. Gallup found that 17.3% of American adults are now living without health insurance which is the highest rate on record. As more employers stop offering health insurance and the cost of purchasing insurance continues to rise, the rate of uninsured Americans is expected to accelerate at least until additional parts of the 2010 healthcare legislation take effect.

The health insurance system in the U.S. is undergoing major changes there is a lot of debate right now about whether it will be for the better or the worse. We are in tough economic times and it’s no wonder that the overall increase in uninsured rates is matched by a decline in employer-based health insurance coverage. Businesses are cutting back and as more employers choose to hire people part time and cut employee benefits, many Americans have no choice but to simply go without insurance and hope for the best. New legislation is looking to address these issues but so far it has been an uphill battle and it’s the average American who is feeling the full brunt of the matter. As uninsured rates continue to rise the rate of Americans who die from preventable conditions is also expected to increase.

New NIH Guidelines Encourage Children to be Screened for High Cholesterol

New guidelines from the U.S. National Institutes of Health are advising doctors to routinely screen children between the ages of 9 and 11 for high cholesterol. The guidelines which have been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics aim to identify those at risk for heart disease early and take pre-emptive action.

"Convincing parents and kids to change their lifestyle is hard," Dr. Daphne Hsu, chief of pediatric cardiology at Children's Hospital at Montefiore hospital in New York told Reuters. "If you find high cholesterol, it will give you extra ammunition to talk to the family and talk to the children about the need for changes in diet and exercise."

Obesity is a major problem not only for adults but for children across the U.S. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than a third of American adults and 17 percent of children struggle with obesity. Obesity is associated with many health problems including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and a plethora of other health issues so it’s understandable that the NIH is taking extra steps to ensure the health of America’s children.

"The more we learn about heart disease and stroke in adults, the more we know that the process begins in childhood and progresses over time," said Dr. Stephen Daniels, chair of the expert panel appointed by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) which issued the new guidelines. "We as pediatricians really need to get kids started on the right track and keep them in as low a risk category as possible."

Other recommendations included in the guidelines are emphasizing a diet low in saturated fat starting at age 1, avoiding tobacco smoke, and encouraging regular physical activity.

Celebrate Veterans Day With These Veterans Day Quotes

Today is Veteran’s Day and in honor of all those who have fought and died for our country we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Veteran’s Day quotes to celebrate this under-publicized holiday and salute our former heroes in arms. It is our hope that as you read these words you will think of those who have made immense sacrifices for our country and appreciate all the freedoms they have fought to protect.

"On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free."  ~ Dan Lipinski

“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”  ~José Narosky

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" ~Maya Angelou

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” ~Joseph Campbell

"America's veterans have served their country with the belief that democracy and freedom are ideals to be upheld around the world." ~John Doolittle

“It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag…” ~ Zell Miller.

"The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude."  ~Jeff Miller

"My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place--police, firefighters, and members of our armed forces." ~ Sidney Sheldon

 “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” ~Thomas Paine, The American Crisis

 “It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.” ~ Dick Cheney

"If there is anything our veterans teach it is there no threat we cannot meet, no challenge we cannot overcome. Our veterans, fight so our children won't have to.” ~Barack Obama

Health Care Works See A Rise in Occupational Injuries and Illness

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has found an increase in nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for health care workers. Rates of injuries and illnesses amongst health care workers increased 6 percent overall. Health care workers now report 283 cases per 10,000 full-time workers which is nearly 2.5 times the rate of all other private and public sector workers. Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants saw the biggest increase reporting a 7 percent increase in incidents (489 per 10,000 workers) and the rate of musculoskeletal disorder cases that caused days away from work for nursing aides, orderlies and attendants increased a whopping 10 percent to a rate of 249 cases per 10,000 workers.

Assistant Secretary for the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Dr. David Michaels responded to the study by stating, "It is unacceptable that the workers who have dedicated their lives to caring for our loved ones when they are sick are the very same workers who face the highest risk of work-related injury and illness…While workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities take an enormous toll on this nation's economy – the toll on injured workers and their families is intolerable.”

In response to the study OSHA will be launching a National Emphasis Program on Nursing Home and Residential Care Facilities initiative over the next few months. “Through this initiative, we will increase our inspections of these facilities, focusing on back injuries from resident handling or lifting patients; exposure to blood borne pathogens and other infectious diseases; workplace violence; and slips, trips and falls,” Michaels continued. "The workers that care for our loved ones deserve a safe workplace and OSHA is diligently working to make this happen."

Those who are interested in learning more about the study can find further details online at http://www.dol.gov/

Low Sodium Diets May Not Be As Beneficial As Once Thought

Reducing the sodium in your diet may not be as beneficial as previously thought according to new research published this week in the American Journal of Hypertension. While consuming less sodium has been shown to lower blood pressure it can actually increase cholesterol and triglycerides which up your risk of developing heart disease and heart attacks.

"We know that a decrease in blood pressure would probably improve or decrease the risk of cardiovascular death but, on the other hand, an increase in [cholesterol] would increase the risk of cardiovascular death," Niels A. Graudal, M.D., a researcher at Copenhagen University Hospital, in Denmark told CNN. "It's likely that these two antagonistic effects will out-balance each other, so there will be no net effect of sodium reduction on people with normal blood pressure."

Skeptics of the study such as Lawrence Appel, M.D., a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, in Baltimore, argue that the duration of the study (which was less than 30 days) is not giving a clear picture of the effects. Appel argued that it takes time for the body to acclimate to a new diet and argued that increases in cholesterol would most likely diminish over time.  He questioned the true heart risk posed by small increases in cholesterol by stating that if that was the case one could expect to see spikes in heart-attack rates in people who start low-sodium diets which has not been shown in studies.

Federal health officials currently recommend limiting daily sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams but U.S. citizens consume an average of more than 3,400 milligrams per day. Based on the study’s results, researchers recommend that those who consume a “reasonable” amount of sodium (between 2,400-3,500 milligrams per day) focus on reducing other major risk factors such as excess alcohol consumption, smoking, and obesity instead of putting so much emphasis on sodium consumption.

Pediatricians Prescribe Over 10 Million Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescriptions Each Year

New research suggests that pediatricians are overprescribing antibiotics. Researchers estimate that pediatricians write an estimated 10 million unnecessary prescriptions each year for bronchitis, the flu, asthma, allergies, and other conditions that are not caused by bacteria and do not respond to antibiotic treatment. The study which took a nationally representative sample of almost 65,000 children under 18 found that doctors prescribed an antibiotic during one in every five visits and that nearly 25 percent of all antibiotic prescriptions did nothing to help their patients. To make matters worse, half of all the antibiotics that were prescribed were "broad-spectrum" drugs that actually kill good bacteria and increase the risk of children developing antibiotic resistant “superbugs,” asthma, and obesity down the road.

 "We think of antibiotics as being wholly beneficial, but they are not very specific, they hit everything in your body," Betsy Foxman, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor told Reuter’s Health. "By making our microbes that are supposed to be with us disappear, we can be causing other health problems we don't know about."

"It's been known for a very long time... that people are prescribing antibiotics for upper respiratory infections where they have no benefit," she continued. "To me this wasn't a big surprise, though it's certainly disturbing."

One of the study’s researchers, Dr. Adam Hersh of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City explained the study’s findings by saying, "One reason overuse occurs is because the diagnosis is often unclear -- this is common with ear infections. The decision is made to prescribe an antibiotic even though the diagnosis isn't certain, just 'to be on the safe side.” He suggested that,  "If your doctor suggests an antibiotic prescription, for instance for an ear infection, ask how certain the diagnosis is. If the diagnosis is still a little unclear, ask if it would be safe to wait a day or two with close follow up rather than starting the antibiotic right away."

New Study Finds Depressed Fathers Have a Major Impact The Mental Health of their Children

Depressed fathers put their children at an increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems according to a new population-based study by New York University School of Medicine. Researchers analyzed a nationally-representative sample of 21,993 children, ages 5 to 17 who lived in a two parent household and found that children were 72% more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems if their fathers were suffering with depression and 33% to 48% more likely to have issues if their father's mental health scores fell below average, regardless of the mental health of the child’s mother. While the effect of maternal mental health on children has been well documented in the past, the study is the first to show that fathers also have a major impact on the mental health of U.S. children. While a Mother’s mental health still seems to have a larger impact on a child’s overall mental health (since they usually spend more time with the children) the study does prove that a father's mental health matters too and that they should seek treatment if suffering with mental and emotional health issues. "We learn how to adapt to situations by looking at our parents as models," Michael Brody, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Child Psychiatry and a visiting professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, told CNN. "So if either parent is depressed, a kid is going to be influenced by this." "Women are more likely to seek medical treatment in general, and psychiatric health, specifically," he said. "This is just another reason for men who are feeling down or know they're experiencing depression...to seek help."

New Study Finds Pregnancy is Safe for Most Women With Lupus

A new study has found that pregnancy is safe for most women with lupus. The chronic inflammatory disease can affect many organs of the body and it has been known to cause some complications for pregnant women. The study was able to identify a few predictors of lupus-related pregnancy complications and surprisingly found that the majority of women with stable lupus had successful pregnancies.

Researchers followed 333 women with lupus throughout their first trimester until three months after they gave birth. They found that 80 percent of women in the study had successful pregnancies, while most of the 20 percent who experienced pregnancy complications had certain risk factors such as higher levels of lupus activity, increased risk for blood clots, and poor overall health.

"This very large study including racial and ethnic minorities, provided evidence that women who conceived while their disease was stable or only mildly active had relatively infrequent flares during their pregnancies and delivered healthy babies," study authors Dr. Jill P. Buyonand Dr. Jane E. Salmon said in a college news release.

"This held true regardless of past disease severity or past kidney disease [a frequent consequence of lupus]. These findings inform women with lupus on how to best plan when to conceive to assure the most favorable outcome for themselves and their babies."

The findings were presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Chicago. All of the data is being considered preliminary until it is presented in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information lupus and pregnancy can be found online on the Lupus Foundation of America website.