Archive for the ‘Wellness Centers’ Category
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Healthy San Francisco, the innovative program that provides affordable healthcare services to an estimated 53,000 uninsured, was given the green light when the Supreme Court turned down a business group’s challenge. The Supreme Court decision “is a victory for the 53,0000 San Franciscans who have healthcare today through our groundbreaking universal healthcare program,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom, who spearheaded the program. “The high court’s decision…ensures we can continue providing healthcare coverage to thousands who otherwise would go without.”
Healthy San Francisco won unanimous approval from the city’s Board of Supervisors in 2006 and went into effect on January 1, 2008. The law requires businesses with 20 or more workers to provide a certain degree of healthcare coverage for their employees. Alternatively, they can pay a fixed amount into a city healthcare pool for every hour the uninsured employee works. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association sued to overturn the law, claiming that the city could not legally force businesses to provide health benefits to its workers or participate in the city pool. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument, as did the Supreme Court.
Healthy San Francisco provides a safety net to the city’s adults who have lacked healthcare insurance for 90 days. It provides access to a network of hospitals and public and private clinics that provide low- or no-cost-care. Tangerine Brigham, the program’s director, notes that “So far, about 1,100 employers have selected Healthy San Francisco as their option.” Because participants are given a personal physician, expensive ER visits to San Francisco General Hospital fell 27 percent in the first years of the program. A 2009 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that 94 percent of participants were satisfied with Healthy San Francisco.
Tags: Board of Supervisors, Healthy San Francisco, Kaiser Family Foundation, medical home, San Francisco, United States Supreme Court
Posted in Economics, Healthcare, Hospital Systems, Wellness Centers | No Comments »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Healthcare coverage for uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions won’t come cheaply. Premiums in the new “high-risk” pool could average $300 to $600 a month in certain states, according to a new government website. The Department of Health and Human Services says that the premiums could range from $140 to as much as $900 a month.
According to Richard Popper, deputy director of the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, “There are going to be meaningful premiums that are going to be required to stay in this plan…in the hundreds of dollars.” HealthCare.gov estimates show that monthly premiums for a 50-year-old Floridian would be $552 to $675; for a New Yorker, the average cost would be $400 to $600; $491 to $600 for a Texan; and only $283 for a Pennsylvanian. Coverage under the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan begins on August 1.
Consumer advocates are advising the uninsured who have health problems to sign up quickly – despite the cost – because they cannot be turned down for coverage. The high-risk pool is a temporary solution for at-risk individuals who cannot get healthcare insurance because of a medical condition. The pool will be available until 2014 when healthcare reform takes full effect. At that point, insurance companies will not be allowed to turn down people in poor health. Low- and middle-income individuals will receive subsidized coverage.
Tags: Department of Health and Human Services, healthcare reform, HealthCare.gov, high-risk pools, insurance premiums, pre-existing conditions, President Barack Obama, primary medicine, private insurance
Posted in Healthcare, Healthcare Village, Hospital Systems, Wellness Centers | No Comments »
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
A suburban Chicago teenager had her healthcare coverage rescinded when her parents’ insurance company learned that she had been diagnosed with an overbite at age eight. An orthodontist and braces cured the overbite, but the insurer cancelled the girl’s coverage by claiming it was a pre-existing condition. The girl’s parents fought back and – thanks to strong support from Illinois insurance regulators – the coverage has now been reinstated.
Thanks to healthcare reform legislation, this practice – known as rescission – will no longer be allowed as of late September except in cases where fraud is involved. Illinois has one of the nation’s highest rescission rates with 12.9 for every 1,000 policies written. The girl’s father, an attorney employed at a small firm, buys individual coverage for his family. Insurance regulators say that rescission is most common in these circumstances. People who are covered by company-sponsored programs rarely face rescission. According to the girl’s father, “We didn’t try to hide anything. Our orthodontist told us her mandibular hypoplasia was routine, and it was nothing the insurance company even asked us about on our application. From our perspective, they didn’t even ask for the names of any of our children’s dentists or orthodontists.”
“There’s now a defined legal standard for when a rescission is appropriate,” said Michael McRaith, Illinois Insurance Director. “In Illinois, our law was ambiguous, vague and left wide latitude and discretion with the insurance industry.” The insurance industry defends rescissions as a necessary business practice when people misrepresented or lied about their medical histories on their applications. Rescissions affect approximately seven percent of the population with private insurance who purchase individual policies. Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a lobbying group, said “Rescissions are very rare. They are only used as a last resort.”
Congressional Democrats take another view. “It was viewed by Congress as the tip of the spear,” said Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). “It typifies the practices of the insurance industry to maximize their profits that were so clearly anti-consumer and harmful to people who were counting on their health insurance at the moment they needed it the most.”
Tags: Congressional Democrats, healthcare reform, Jan Schakowsky, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, pre-existing conditions, pre-existing medical conditions
Posted in Economics, General, Healthcare, Hospital Systems, Physician Recruitment, Wellness Centers | No Comments »
Monday, June 7th, 2010
It’s not only mothers of newborns who sometimes grapple with postpartum depression after childbirth. Fathers of new babies also can suffer from the condition, according to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association. In fact, JAMA notes, approximately 10 percent of new fathers experience the condition.
“Other fathers felt happy and joyous,” said Joel Schwartzberg, who suffered postpartum depression after the birth of his son 10 years ago. “Inside, I felt like my world had collapsed, and along with that, I felt a great and incredible sense of responsibility. I thought I was the only person in the world who was a bad dad. I thought I was deficient, that I was handicapped. What I learned was that I was not alone by any stretch. It helped me relax; it helped me not be so hard on myself.” Eventually, Schwartzberg sought medical treatment for his postpartum depression.
The study, performed by researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, analyzed 43 studies involving 28,004 men and found that just 4.8 percent of men fit the diagnosis of depression under normal circumstances. That number climbed to 10.4 percent in fathers of new babies; three months following birth, the study found that approximately one fourth of the men studied were depressed. Sleep deprivation could be a root cause, says William Courtenay, a researcher, psychotherapist and founder of www.saddaddy.com, who noted that men often act out through anger and irritability. “A man who’s depressed can look like someone who’s stressed, angry, irritable and getting into conflict with others, or being withdrawn or drinking,” Courtenay said. “We can also see classic signs of depression, a sense of worthlessness and helplessness and sad mood.”
“Also, he may be grieving because he no longer has his wife to himself,” said Jean Cirillo, PhD. “He has to share her with the baby, and the baby’s needs get taken care of first. This can be hard for a man.”
Tags: Eastern Virginia Medical Association, fathers, Harvard Medical School, Jean Cirillo, Joel Schwartzberg, Journal of American Medical Association, McLean Hospital, postpartum depression, saddaddy.com, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
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Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
President Barack Obama recently instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to write rules requiring that hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid payments must grant all patients the right to determine who can visit them and discuss their medical care – including their gay or lesbian partners. The move was seen as a major step toward fairness for same-sex couples and impacts virtually all of the nation’s hospitals, which may not deny visitation and consultation rights on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said “This is a critical step in ending discrimination against LGBT families and ensuring that, in the event of a hospital stay, all Americans have the right to see their loved ones.”
In the words of President Obama, “Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides – whether in a sudden medical emergency or a prolonged hospital stay.” The move “guarantees that all patients’ advanced directives, such as durable powers of attorney and healthcare proxies are respected. Also uniquely affected are gay and lesbian Americans who are often barred from the bedsides of the partners with whom they may have spent decades of their lives – unable to be there for the person they love, and unable to act as a legal surrogate if their partner is incapacitated.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) described President Obama’s executive order as an “important action. Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness,” said Joe Solmonese, HRC president.
Posted in General, Healthcare, Hospital Systems, Wellness Centers | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
By 2010 – that’s next year – 37 percent of the American population will be older than 55. More than three million of these individuals already belong to medically based wellness centers, which are a proactive response by healthcare providers to help an aging population stay healthy longer.
In a recent interview for the Alter+Care Podcasts on Healthcare, Jeff Newkirk, Alter+Care Vice President, says that while wellness centers have certain similarities to health clubs, the primary difference is that all programming is medically based. What’s more, wellness centers are an enormous driver for a hospital’s revenue.
In a typical wellness center, between 15 and 25 percent of the members have had previous exposure to the affiliated hospital – that’s a relatively low number. Considering that the wellness center may attract 1,000 daily visitors, members become better acquainted and more comfortable with the healthcare system. The chances are excellent that these wellness center members will then visit the hospital they have come to know when they need medical attention.
The wellness experience assures an uninterrupted continuum of care after a patient has undergone surgery, suffered an injury or been hospitalized for a medical condition to assure full recovery.
An Aging Population Drives the Wellness Revolution :
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Tags: aquatic centers, cardio rehab, diabetes management, gymnasiums, health clubs, Healthcare systems, medical fitness associations, rehabilitation, Wellness Centers
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
I once asked legendary healthcare publisher and speaker Chuck Lauer who the most inspiring figure he met in healthcare was. He answered Eddie Eckenhoff. It’s easy to see why.
Eckenhoff is founder and president of the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Washington, D.C. A paraplegic since a 1963 auto accident, Eckenhoff is at the forefront of efforts to enhance the quality of care provided to patients undergoing rehabilitation. He led the creation of the New Value Process, a loyalty program that draws inspiration from Disney’s model customer relations efforts. By creating a culture of excellence at the NRH, Eckenhoff and his team members are cutting the average length of stay, making the rehabilitation process seamless for patients and their families and delivering optimal outcomes at discharge.
Consider this: The average length of stay in a rehabilitation hospital has changed from as long as four months to an average of 30 days. A lot of activity is now packed into that short time period, including three to 4 ½ hours of intensive therapy every day. Within 24 hours of arrival, the patient’s team – including the physician, rehab nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech/language pathologist when needed, rehabilitation engineer and neuropsychologist – is in place and a discharge date established. That is the culture of patient care he has created.
In a recent interview for the Alter+Care Podcasts on Healthcare, Edward Eckenhoff says that a patient arriving at the NRH likely will have been assured by the staff of the acute-care hospital that “everything will be fine”. The rehabilitation hospital staff’s job is to break the reality to the patient from day one by assuring the patient that they will teach him to live with reasonable independence and functionality – especially when a spinal injury is involved.
Since opening in 1986, the NRH has grown into the NRH Medical Rehabilitation Network, which operates in 34 locations, and serves thousands of patients with disabilities ranging from spinal cord injuries to traumatic brain injury, stroke, arthritis, amputation and other neurological and orthopedic conditions. Recognized as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report, the NRH has more than 1,500 staff members, including over 200 physicians.
Edward Eckenhoff on Improving a Major Healthcare System:
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Tags: Disney, global financial crisis, healthcare reform, hospital, House of Representatives, language pathologist, Medicare, National Rehabilitation Hospital, neuropsychologist, New Value Process, paraplegics, rehabilitation, Senate, speech pathologist, tetraplegics, Washington DC
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Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
A political paradox in the healthcare debate lies in the fact that some members of Congress – whose constituents will benefit the most from reform legislation – oppose the bill. A study by the Urban Institute found there are 20 congressional districts where more than 30 percent of the residents lack even the most basic form of healthcare coverage. California, Florida and Texas are home to 18 of those districts.
In three Florida districts where the uninsured comprise one-third of the population, the Republican representatives are solid in their opposition to healthcare reform. Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, whose south Florida district has 31 percent uninsured residents, bases his opposition on the belief that none of the Democrats’ proposals will cover all of his constituents. “My constituents, they also understand that they are the ones that get stuck with the bills,” he said.
On the opposite side of the aisle, Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar, whose district is in 10th place on the uninsured list, fears that cuts in Medicare will be used to pay for the expanded coverage. Cuellar’s district includes a significant senior citizen population.
By contrast, Southern California’s districts with the most uninsured residents are Los Angeles and Orange County, home to many immigrants and low-income groups. These areas are represented by Democrats who support healthcare reform, which would provide significant benefits to their constituents.
Tags: Congress, Democrat, healthcare coverage, healthcare debate, healthcare reform, immigrants, Medicare, Republican, uninsured
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Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Amidst all the commotion at town hall meetings and attacks on President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform guidelines, the question arises: where is the Republican Party’s plan? The answer is that Republican Congressional leaders chose not to draft a bill encapsulating their own vision.
Some Republicans are challenging this “party of no” moniker. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who has 2012 presidential aspirations, said it’s time for the GOP “to pivot and say, in addition to emphasizing what we oppose, here are our proposals” for healthcare reform. Responding to Jindal, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) sees an opportunity to counter Republican attacks on Obama’s proposals, noting that “The Grand Old Party’s coffers are empty when it comes to healthcare reform.”
A “Republican Solutions Handbook” created by the House Republican Conference possibly has the most comprehensive summary of GOP healthcare proposals. The single-page document offers plans to limit medical malpractice lawsuits and dedicate more resources to stopping “waste, fraud and abuse” in Medicare and Medicaid. Proposed tax cuts would go to workers without employer-provided health plans and to low-income people to help them buy private insurance.
Representative Roy Blunt (R-MO) has been of two minds on the issue. On June 17, he said “I guarantee you, we will bring you a bill that costs far less, far less than the Democrats’ and will provide better results for the American people.” A month later, Blunt wrote on his blog: “Our bill is never going to get to the floor, so why confuse the focus? We clearly have principles; we could have the language, but why start diverting attention from this really bad piece of work they’ve got to whatever we’re offering right now.”
Tags: health insurance, healthcare reform, malpractice lawsuits, Medicaid, Medicare, President Barack Obama, Republican, tax cuts
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Thursday, September 17th, 2009
The prestigious Cleveland Clinic has taken a proactive stance on preventative healthcare by creating a Chief Wellness Officer position and putting Dr. Michael Roizen in the job. Dr. Roizen is well known for his appearances on the “Oprah” show and as the co-author of health and lifestyle books with Dr. Mehmet Oz. His impressive resume lists the position as the past chair of the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee.
Dr. Roizen has taken on the cause of preventive wellness through the Cleveland Clinic’s Lifestyle 180 program. Lifestyle 180 provides patients with chronic diseases with a proactive approach to improving their health. Patients are closely monitored and coached to improve their health and well-being through diet, exercise and stress management. Interestingly, the program has a dedicated space in an old corporate headquarters building in Lyndhurst, OH.
By all indications, Lifestyle 180 appears to be an excellent approach to educating patients so they can attain improved health. This raises a question. Once patients complete the program, where do they go to maintain and continue to put into action the valuable information and lifestyle tools they have received? Although patients are encouraged to come in for follow-up appointments – which are important – where do they go?
This is exactly where a medically based wellness and fitness center fills this void. Patients need a comfortable, unintimidating medically directed facility that provides them with the information, tools and resources they need to continue their journey to improved health.
We all could use a chief wellness officer to pave the way to improved health, no question. We also need a medically directed facility to put into action and maintain the life lessons that we have learned. Kudos to the Cleveland Clinic for recognizing the need to improve health through comprehensive wellness strategies. Now, let’s take it a step further and apply this proactive strategy to a comprehensive medically directed wellness and fitness center so we can live this healthy lifestyle forever.
Tags: chronic diseases, Cleveland Clinic, diet, exercise, fitness center, Healthcare, Lifestyle 180, patient, preventive wellness, stress management, wellness center
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