Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Revitol Cellulite Cream

In Joint Statement, Industry Groups Reiterate Commitment To Reduce Health Spending Growth
The six industry groups that pledged to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over 10 years on Friday issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to work toward the goal, Roll Call reports (Murray, Roll Call, 5/15). The industry groups in a letter sent to President Obama on May 10 wrote, "We will do our part to achieve your administration"s goal of decreasing by 1.5 percentage points the annual health care spending growth rate. ... This represents more than a 20% reduction in the projected rate of growth." The letter -- which was signed by the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- did not elaborate on what specific measures the groups would take to achieve such reductions (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/12). Obama in a May 11 public announcement of the groups" pledge said the coalition"s goal was to cut the growth rate by 1.5 percentage points "each year," which would total $2 trillion over 10 years (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).However, industry leaders who attended the meeting with Obama said that they did not promise specific year-by-year savings, but instead agreed to a more incremental approach (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/15). Richard Umbdenstock, president of AHA, said, "There"s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members." AHA sent its members a bulletin stating that "the groups did not support reducing the rate of health spending by 1.5 percentage points annually," and that the pledge was to eventually reduce the growth rate by 1.5 percentage points (CQ HealthBeat, 5/15).In response to media reports that said they were backing away from their pledge, the groups on Friday in a joint statement reiterated their vow. They wrote, "Our organizations are currently engaged in an intensive process to develop proposals to reduce the rate of increase in future health care costs" (Young, The Hill, 5/15). The statement also said, "We are committed to working together to bend the health care cost curve" and "to doing our part to make reform sustainable and to make the system more affordable and effective for patients and purchasers" (Budoff Brown, Politico, 5/18). It continued that "to be successful, we must take action in public-private partnership. We look forward to offering cost-savings recommendations in the weeks ahead." The Obama administration has requested specifics on the coalition"s cost-cutting plans by June 1. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag on Friday in a blog post wrote that it is "understandable" that the groups need to "ramp up" to the 1.5 percentage point reduction in spending. According to Orszag, "The groups have committed to significant reductions in the growth rate, thereby recognizing that substantial efficiencies can be captured in the health system. Some ramp-up time also does not materially affect the long-term impact from reducing the growth rate, on either national health expenditures or the federal budget" (CQ HealthBeat, 5/15). Orszag"s blog posting is available online. Don't forget to buy zoloft online no prescription.

Poor Birth Outcomes Increased By Lower Legal Drinking Age, Study Finds
Amid renewed calls to consider reducing the legal drinking age, a new University of Georgia study finds that lower drinking ages increase unplanned pregnancies and pre-term births among young people.

generic viagra online


News of the day
Campaign Countdown For Voices Of Industry
The UK"s life sciences companies have just two days remaining to tell the Government what it can do to help them succeed, as medical and healthcare industry specialist MedilinkWM brings its Voices of Industry Campaign to fruition.
Diagnostics

The Cancer Institute Of New Jersey Network Of Hospitals At The Forefront Of Testing New Nationwide Data Reporting System

What if the quality of cancer care could be assessed and improved in "real clinical time" instead of waiting the typical two years it takes for clinical data to be analyzed and changes implemented? That is an opportunity The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Network of hospitals is exploring this summer, as it takes the lead in a national initiative to improve data collection on cancer treatment and create a new quality assessment system that can be utilized by health providers across the country. The CINJ Network of hospitals represents nearly a quarter of the 60 beta test sites from across the country that have been invited to help steer the effort. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. According to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC), which is overseeing the project, "treatment information in current data collection systems is insufficient to assess the quality of (cancer) care." That reality is among the reasons why the CoC developed the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS), which the CINJ Network and others will be pilot testing for the remainder of this year. The first phase, which tested the mechanics of the web-based data collection system, took place during the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009. Modifications based on that testing will be put into practice for this next phase, utilizing existing national 2006 and 2007 data on breast and colorectal cancers. This information will be used as a baseline against which the CoC and participating hospitals can monitor future performance rates. The CINJ Network will be responsible for entering 2008 and 2009 breast and colorectal data from patients at its respective hospitals. The goal of the RQRS is to provide hospitals and other healthcare providers at the local level with performance feedback on specific patients. One of the ways this will be accomplished is through the RQRS "alert system." Healthcare professionals will receive real time performance feedback through e-mail alerts as well as through the system itself. One example would be if a woman had a lumpectomy for early stage breast cancer. The usual standard of care would be for her also to receive radiation to the breast. RQRS monitors her case information and notifies the treating hospital and physician if radiation delivery has not been reported as started within a time frame consistent with evidence-based recommended practice. CoC project coordinators view the RQRS as a unique opportunity to use technology to ensure optimal cancer care. "Will this take the place of an oncologist or other medical professional? Absolutely not," noted Molly Gabel, MD, deputy director of extramural affairs at CINJ and associate professor of radiation oncology at UMNDJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "What the system is designed to do is provide comprehensive, up-to-date information in real time so that teams of oncologists can have a "report card" on the care their patients are receiving." The CINJ Network also will have input into this monitoring process, which Dr. Gabel says positions it as a nationwide leader in this area. "Being that CINJ has a large network of hospitals participating in the pilot, and because we already operate in a manner which promotes uniformity, the leaders at our Network institutions feel confident that as a group we can help build a quality foundation for the RQRS. We are grateful to the CoC for this opportunity." Following completion of the program"s second phase, the CoC will reevaluate the RQRS and make any necessary modifications. Ultimately, the goal is to measure the impact the system will have on promoting the quality of cancer care by assessing performance rate changes at participating hospitals. Through RQRS, local hospitals will be able to compare their performance rates to those of other facilities state and nationwide. It is the hope of the CoC that all of its 1,460 accredited cancer programs across the country will be able to utilize the system by 2011. Over the last 16 years, CINJ"s Network of hospitals has been instrumental in providing its patients with outstanding cancer programs that emphasize state-of-the-art cancer care through clinical research, prevention and education components across the state. Through affiliation with CINJ, Network hospitals are able to provide access to clinical trials for their patients, available only at NCI-designated cancer centers and their networks. CINJ also provides its Network hospitals with professional education, community education and outreach, and other services that enhance their cancer programs. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Network


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009