Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Monday, January 31st, 2011
“The life you live trains you for the life you’re going to lead.” This is the opinion of Michael Lee Stallard and Jason Pankau, partners in E Pluribus Partners, the world’s leading experts on how rational and emotional connections can boost productivity, innovation and organizational performance in the workplace.
In a recent interview for the Alter+Care Inspire Podcasts, Stallard and Pankau cited a Gallup Poll that ranked 132 countries in terms of happiness. The United States ranked 12th, which was lower than the Scandinavian nations of Denmark and Finland and even Costa Rica. According to Stallard and Pankau, “If you look at what’s happening, people are working longer and harder days. We spend the bulk of our waking lives in certain kinds of relational environments – this has an enormous impact on our happiness and ability to connect with others.”
Using a number of systems, including humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Stallard and Pankau have created a list of six universal human needs that people want to experience in the workplace. They include:
- Respect – When we are with people who are condescending, patronizing, passive-aggressive or who look down on us in some relational way, there is a negative emotional impact. No one can thrive in that kind of environment, because humans need a basic level of respect in the workplace.
- Recognition – We rely on the interactions of people around us to recharge our internal batteries. Authentic, positive affirmation – not false – is the most effective. Otherwise, employees are drained of energy.
- Sense of belonging – Everyone needs people who have our backs and who are trustworthy. These people help us live up to the values that we aspire to, support us and are with us through the ups and downs of life.
- Autonomy – This gives us the freedom and flexibility to do our work free of bureaucratic red tape and without the presence of over-controlling personalities. Autonomy allows us to master our tasks and assists with personal growth.
- A challenging environment – When people are over challenged, they are stressed; conversely, people are bored when they are not challenged. When work provides the right degree of challenge, people are so immersed in the task at hand that time flies and it is energizing.
- Need for meaning – People typically derive meaning from work that is consistent with a mission that is important to them. Additionally, they find meaning in the relational connections they have in the workplace; this provides a connection with their personal life.
Leading hospitals across the country recognize the need to create connections between management, physicians, nurses, staff, patients and – importantly – their families, because it positively impacts the quality of care and medical outcomes. A primary proponent of fostering connections in healthcare environments is Herb Pardes, M.D., a psychiatrist who is president and CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System. Other hospitals that are proactively creating workplace connections are the Yale New Haven Health System and the Cleveland Clinic. To sign up for Michael Lee Stallard’s and Jason Pankau’s newsletter and receive a free digital download of their book, click here.
To listen to Michael Lee Stallard’s and Jason Pankau’s full interview on happiness in the workplace, click here.
Michael Lee Stallard and Jason Pankau on Happiness in the Workplace:
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Tags: Abraham Maslow, Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Herb Pardes, E Pluribus Partners, Gallup Poll, Humanistic psychologists, Jason Pankau, Michael Lee Stallard, New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Stress, Stress Hormones, Workplace Happiness, Yale New Haven Health System
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Thursday, January 27th, 2011
The renowned Cleveland Clinic has launched a Center for Personal Healthcare “for the identification, analysis, adoption and integration of select new services and technologies that will allow for personalized care of patients,” according to the clinic. One goal of the program is moving information on the patient’s family medical history – which is currently available via the Clinic’s electronic health-record system – and developing clinical decision support tools to transmit pertinent information to physicians as quickly as possible.
Kathryn Teng, M.D., a primary-care physician at the Cleveland Clinic, is heading the new center. She said “In the first year, we plan to create awareness of, and supply physicians with, additional resources that allow collection and analysis of family medical history. Ultimately, our goal is to help clinicians offer a wider range of considerations and options for patients, while also providing patients with resources that encourage proactive behavior and empower them to be active partners in their health plan. This new center will build on our efforts to create evidence-based personalized health plans for our patients by incorporating new technologies and innovations which will allow us to truly focus upon each individual,” said Dr. Teng. “There will be a greater emphasis on the physician-patient relationship as we team together to develop more accurate and personalized care plans. Our ultimate goal is to empower our patients and our community towards greater health.”
Teng is an assistant professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Case Western Reserve University. Additionally, she has been the Clinic’s director of general medicine since 2007 and the patient experience officer since 2008. Additionally, she founded the Voice of the Patient Advisory Council for the Medicine Institute.
Tags: Case Western Reserve University, Center for Personal Healthcare, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Dr. Kathryn Teng, Electronic health records, Personalized-care center, Voice of the Patient Advisory Council
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Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
As Congress debated healthcare reform, the number of Americans who lack healthcare insurance climbed approximately 9.4 percent to 50.7 million people in 2009. According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, 16.7 percent of Americans have no healthcare insurance compared with 15.4 percent — or 46.3 million people — the previous year.
During the same time period, the poverty rate in the United States rose to 14.3 percent, the highest level since 1994. The 2008 rate was just 13.2 percent. This means that 44 million Americans – one in seven people – are living in poverty, an increase of four million over the previous year. Children were especially hard hit, with one in five under the age 18 living in poverty, according to the Census Bureau.
“This is the highest number of uninsured since 1987, the first year that comparable uninsured data was collected,” said David Johnson, chief of the Census Bureau’s Household Economic Statistics Division. The report includes conclusions from the 2010 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
Census Bureau statistics reveal that the number of Americans covered by private health insurance fell from 201 million to 194.5 million in 2009 compared with the previous year. Employment-based health insurance fell from 176.3 million covered to 169.7 million. Meanwhile, Americans with government health insurance rose to 93.2 million from 87.4 million.
Tags: Congress, health insurance, Healthcare, healthcare reform, Medicaid, uninsured, US Census Bureau
Posted in General, Healthcare, Hospital Systems | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
If New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and some City Council members get their way, smoking will soon be off-limits in some of the Big Apple’s signature open spaces. The city is planning to expand its smoking ban on indoor workplaces and park playgrounds to such famous venues as Times Square, Central Park, the Coney Island boardwalk and Herald Square, among other parks, beaches, marinas and pedestrian plazas.
“In passing it, we think it would help ensure that when New Yorkers and visitors to our city go to the parks and beaches for fresh air, there will actually be fresh air for them to breath,” according to Bloomberg, who noted the dangers of second-hand smoke. Not all New Yorkers agree with their mayor. Benyamin Ratliff, a comedy-club promoter who works in Times Square disagreed, saying “It’s extreme. This is something I’m addicted to – it’s not something I can just stop doing that easily.” Echoing the sentiment is Brooklyn bus driver Scott Sottile, who said “It’s like a dictatorship. It’s not like we’re talking about smoking inside somewhere, this is outside. It’s just amazing to me.”
If the law is passed, violators will be fined $50 for each infraction. Although violators could receive summonses from the Police Department and Parks Department, city councilwoman Gail Brewer – the legislation’s lead sponsor – believes that enforcement would come primarily from New Yorkers themselves. She says that people would say, “‘Excuse me, sir, but that’s illegal. You really cannot smoke here.’ That’s the way we would enforce it. That would be my vision. I’m here to say it’s not revenue enhancing from my perspective. It’s not punitive.”
Tags: Michael Bloomberg, New York, smoking, smoking ban, Times Square
Posted in General, Healthcare | No Comments »
Monday, October 4th, 2010
Some of the nation’s largest insurers are in open rebellion against a provision contained in the new healthcare reform law that is already in effect. The shot across the White House’s bow is a decision by several insurers to stop selling child-only policies instead of complying with the law that blocks them from turning away kids with pre-existing conditions. Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Inc., and others are refusing to sell the policies in states such as California, Illinois, Florida and Connecticut – even though the law requires that insurers cover children under 19 even if they have a history of illness. Approximately 500,000 children nationally are impacted by this action.
The insurers claim that the new requirement will result in unforeseen costs related to covering eligible children. The scenario they envision is that parents might buy policies for their children only after they get sick, creating a surplus of kids who suddenly need insurance coverage. The decision by some of the big insurers to abandon this niche marketplace means that just a few firms will be forced to share what could be an enormous financial burden. The good news is that relatively few child-only policies are sold.
The Obama administration immediately denounced the action. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters “It’s obviously very unfortunate that insurance companies continue to make decisions on the backs of children and families that need their help.”
The stakes are especially high in California. Legislation awaiting Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval would ban companies that refuse to sell child-only policies from selling insurance in the profitable individual market for five years. Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), who wrote the bill, said “At a time when we are launching a national approach to ensure that all children have access to healthcare, Anthem’s actions represent a step backwards. By threatening to drop child-only policies in California, the company jeopardizes the health of families and children. I call on Anthem to reconsider its plan.”
Tags: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cigna, health insurance, healthcare reform, Medi-Cal, Obama administration, pre-existing conditions, President Barack Obama, Robert Gibbs, United Health Group, Wellpoint
Posted in Economics, General, Healthcare, Hospital Systems, Physician Recruitment, Wellness Centers | No Comments »
Thursday, September 30th, 2010
CMS administrator Donald Berwick has asked the insurance industry to work in good faith to implement healthcare reform in a timely manner. Dr. Berwick made his plea at a Medicare conference sponsored by America’s Health Insurance Plans, the health insurance industry’s trade group.
“We need your help, our nation needs your help,” Dr. Berwick said, noting that companies, CEOs, healthcare professionals and managers all play a role in achieving the objective, yet the insurance industry “can be among the keys of our success, the central part in navigating the success of healthcare reform. We have a job to do, we need to make care better for America.” Berwick told the audience that he plans to work with others at CMS to build relationships and partnerships to assure that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act works as intended. “If we steadily work together to make care what it can become, trust will resurface and the rest will follow,’ he said.
Dr. Berwick, who President Barack Obama named to his post in a recess appointment that bypassed the Senate confirmation process, is not well liked by Republicans because he once wrote an article that praised Britain’s National Health Service, raising concern that he will introduce healthcare rationing. He tried to allay those fears by saying “I urge lower costs without harming a hair on any patient’s head. It’s a clear, stark reality. Our healthcare system, in its current form, is not up to that job. We cannot, with our current system of care, give Americans the care that they need and want and deserve.”
The most pressing issue is improving patient safety and cutting deaths that result from unnecessary medical errors, a specialty that Dr. Berwick developed when he headed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. He also called for improved prevention and treatment of diseases like obesity and depression.
Tags: America's Health Insurance Plans, CMS, depression, Donald Berwick, healthcare providers, healthcare reform, insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, National Health Service, obesity, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Republicans
Posted in General, Healthcare, Hospital Systems | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
At present, seven of every 10 deaths among Americans are due to chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. These diseases also eat up 75 percent of the nation’s annual healthcare spending.
New wellness programs are getting a boost from the Affordable Care Act in the form of $31 million to help communities cut obesity, increase physical activity and improve nutrition. The funding is contained in the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program, a prevention and wellness program that is overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“As I’ve seen throughout the year in my work with Let’s Move!, prevention works when it comes to improving the health of our families,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “These critical investments will help more communities across America tackle serious challenges like childhood obesity, while promoting physical activity and healthy eating.” The funding is being awarded to communities that have resources in place to increase the availability of healthy food and beverages; enhance access to safe places to encourage physical activity; discourage smoking; and promote environments that are smoke free. Of the 11 awards announced, 10 are dedicated to anti-obesity programs and one to smoking cessation.
“To realize our goals of improving the health of Americans and lowering our nation’s healthcare costs, we must address the underlying factors that influence our families’ health – factors like the foods we eat and the conditions that exist in our homes, neighborhoods and workplaces,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “With Communities Putting Prevention to Work, we’re creating evidence-based models that we can replicate on a large scale to permanently reduce the chronic diseases plaguing so many of our communities.” Already this year, CPPW has given nearly $492 million to support community and statewide hotlines and media campaigns that promote healthy living.
Tags: Affordable Care Act, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, diabetes, First Lady, healthcare costs, Kathleen Sebelius, Michelle Obama, obesity, physical activity, Wellness Centers
Posted in General, Healthcare, Healthcare Village, Hospital Systems | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Medical research will get a boost from the Obama administration’s proposed stimulus package that creates a permanent research and experimentation (R&E) tax credit for companies that carry out research-and-development (R&D) activities in the United States. Under the proposal, R&E tax credits would total as much as 20 percent, with $100 billion allocated over 10 years to qualifying research firms. According to President Obama, he will pay for the tax breaks by ending loopholes that let companies benefit financially by moving jobs and R&D overseas.
Medical device manufacturers’ lobbyists claim it’s too early to determine how much the R&E tax credits will promote product innovation and create new jobs. The Advanced Medical Technology Association, however, applauded the move. Bret Loper, senior executive vice president government affairs, said “AdvaMed has long supported making the R&D credit permanent. We look forward to seeing the details of this new proposal and the other tax changes being discussed today to determine how they will affect America’s medical technology companies.”
The National Venture Capital Association, which recently started the Medical Innovation & Competitiveness Coalition, counters that the new initiative will primarily benefit large companies rather than start-ups. “What our experience has been is that if a company is not profitable and paying taxes, they wouldn’t be eligible” for the tax credits, said Emily Mendell, the association’s spokesman.
Tags: Advanced Medical Technology Association, Lobbyists, Medical Innovation & Competitive Coalition, medical research, President Barack Obama, Senate, stimulus, tax breaks
Posted in General, Healthcare, Healthcare Village | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Now that the H1N1 swine flu pandemic has officially come to an end, the federal government is planning to change the way it works with companies to counteract new disease threats. Proposed actions include reforming the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and creating centers that will make vaccines available more quickly than was possible previously. According to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report, the nation’s ability to respond to pandemics is too slow and that changes must be made. The report also contains a plan to help researchers and biotech firms bring new drugs and vaccines to the market in record time.
“At a moment when the greatest danger we face may be a virus we have never seen before…we don’t have the flexibility to adapt,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The report promotes clearer guidance to industry regarding the kinds of tests need to achieve regulatory approval of new drugs and vaccines, something the pharmaceutical industry has requested. The FDA plans to establish teams to expedite this process. Additionally, HHS and the Department of Defense plan to establish the Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, according to the report.
“These centers will provide assistance to industry and government by advancing state-of-the-art, disposable, modular manufacturing process technologies,” the report says. “Finally, in public health emergencies, these centers may augment existing United States manufacturing surge capacity against emerging infectious diseases or unknown threats, including pandemic influenza.”
Dr. Harold Varmus, who wrote a separate report from the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, said “Accelerated delivery of vaccines by even a few weeks can mean saving tens of thousands of lives. Sebelius noted that the government has not invested adequately in “regulatory science” – studying the optimal means to test new products. “Because of this under-investment, we are often testing and producing cutting-edge products using science that is decades old. We are also going to reach out to product developers earlier in the process so they know what to expect,” Sebelius said.
Tags: Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, Flu shots, H1N1, Influenza, Kathleen Sebelius, pandemic, Presidential Council of Advisors, public health
Posted in General, Healthcare, Hospital Systems | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Access to healthcare isn’t always convenient for Americans who live in remote rural areas. To fill the void, high-speed internet connections are being put into place to bring top-quality healthcare to patients via computer. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has pledged $400 million a year to connect approximately 10,000 rural healthcare providers under its National Broadband Plan.
A case in point is Redway, CA – a town of 1,200 located 200 miles north of San Francisco – whose Redwoods Rural Health Center and Dr. Wendi Joiner serve 4,000 patients, many of whom do not live within easy driving distance of the clinic. According to Dr. Joiner, “It’s a special challenge. I love it, but sometimes I feel like there should be two or three of me. It happens a lot where we’re asked to do things that we’re not specialists in.”
The FCC’s rural telemedicine plan will make it easier for rural people to access healthcare, according to chairman, Julius Genachowski. “If you have rural connectivity for healthcare, then patients don’t have to drive two or three or four hours for their treatments – instead, (they) can stay back where they live, consult with a medical professional remotely.” The FCC’s pilot program has been successful and expanded the reach of the University of California, Davis Medical Center’s telemedicine clinic.
According to Dr. Tom Nesbitt, who heads the UC Davis rural program, his hospital serves 3,000 patients annually who live in remote locations. “The demand would even be greater if the remote locations had equipment, bandwidth and training.” The money to make this possible is already available through the Universal Service Fund, which brings telephone service to rural areas. Genachowski is transferring the money to broadband to improve the availability of healthcare in remote locations. “One of the greatest forms of savings will come from healthcare spending that we don’t have to make because we catch problems earlier. We can treat and diagnose remotely,” he said.
Tags: Healthcare, rural areas, Rural telemedicine, technology
Posted in General, Healthcare, Healthcare Village | No Comments »
