HealthSciences News Archive

2010  2009   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003

---

US HHS Awards $27 Million for Disease Self-Management Programs for US Seniors

State aging units and area agencies on aging will be playing a more active role in supporting disease self-management with the US Health & Human Services (HHS) Department's award of $27 million for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Chronic Disease Self-Management (CDSM) Program. CDSM is an evidence-based community program that helps people gain self-confidence in their ability to control chronic disease-related symptoms and manage the impact of health problems on daily lives. The grants will allow 45 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to provide CDSM programs to older adults with chronic diseases. The grants were provided to state units on aging, health departments and state Medicaid agencies--in partnership with regional Area Agencies on Aging. The CDSM program features small-group workshops over six weeks, meeting once a week for about two hours. The groups are led by a two lay leaders with chronic conditions. The meetings are highly interactive and focus on building skills, sharing experiences and support. Area Agencies on Aging, including SeniorsPlus of Maine, are supporting better senior chronic disease management and self-care through Chronic Care Professional (CCP) staff accreditation.
Read More>>

New England Journal of Medicine Article Cites Adherence Support as a Key Priority for Health Care Reform

While gaps in the delivery of evidence-based medical therapies are common, increasing attention is being devoted to what many experts regard as an equally important, yet unrecognized problem: poor medication adherence. A recent article by Harvard's David Cutler and Wendy Everett titled "Thinking Outside of the Pillbox--Medication Adherence as a Priority for Health Care Reform" notes that as many as half of all patients fail to adhere to prescription medication regimes, leading to more than $100 billion in avoidable hospitalizations and 89,000 premature deaths in the US.
Read More>>

Obesity Alliance Surveys Find Primary Care Practices Not Prepared to Help Patients Manage Weight

The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance recently released a white paper on innovative approaches for obesity management in primary care. The paper noted that while primary care physicians recognize their role in addressing obesity, they report that they lack the necessary weight management resources. In a national survey of 290 primary care physicians conducted by Harris Interactive, 89% believed that it is their responsibility to help overweight or obese patients lose weight, though 72% noted that no one in their practice has been trained to deal with weight-related issues. While time constraints to providing weight management assistance were cited by survey respondents, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, former US Surgeon General and STOP chairman, noted that "Even if they had those precious extra minutes, many would still be missing the needed information about weight-loss tools and existing programs."
Read More>>

HealthSciences Partners With Pennsylvania Homecare Association in Chronic Care Initiative

The Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PAHA) and HealthSciences Institute are collaborating to deliver the Chronic Care Professional (CCP) certification and staff accreditation program to Pennsylvania's home health care agencies.
Read More>>

Maine Area Agency on Aging Program Completes Chronic Care Professional (CCP) Staff Accreditation

Elder Independence of Maine (EIM)--a division of SeniorsPlus, the Area Agency on Aging for western Maine--recently achieved Chronic Care Professional (CCP) staff accreditation, demonstrating the preparation of their staff in person-centered, evidence-based chronic care support.
Read More>>

BCBS of Illinois Hosts Third CCP Conference

Planning is underway for a third Chronic Care Professional (CCP) conference for population health improvement staff at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL).
Read More>>

CCP Online Video Library Expanded:
Motivational Interviewing in Health Care Series Planned

HealthSciences Institute currently offers the largest available online motivational interviewing (MI) video library to all participants enrolled in the Chronic Care Professional (CCP) certification program.
Learn more >

LinkedIn Community Launched for Population Health Improvement Professionals

Looking for a place to network with your colleagues working on the front-line in wellness, chronic care improvement and care management programs in health plans, health systems and medical homes?
Learn more >

Resistance is Not a Patient Problem: Practical Skills for Better Adherence

Join us on May 7th for the fifth free Population Health Improvement Learning Community event: "Resistance is not a Patient Problem: Practical Skills for Better Adherence" with NIH-funded motivational interviewing expert Dr. Susan Butterworth View the press release and register now

Workplace Wellness Programs Save $3.27 in Health Care Costs for Each Dollar Invested

More companies are offering workplace disease prevention and wellness programs. In 2006, 19 percent of companies with 500 or more workers reported offering wellness programs. A 2008 survey of large manufacturing employers reported that 77 percent offered some kind of formal health and wellness program. Despite the popularity of these programs, many employers are uncertain regarding the impact on employee health and health care costs. However, a new meta-analysis of the literature on costs and savings associated with these programs found that medical costs fall about $3.27 for each dollar invested in wellness programs. Additionally, employee absenteeism costs fall approximately $2.73 for every dollar spent. This analysis, published online in the journal Health Affairs, examined 32 studies of wellness programs in an array of industries and settings including schools and universities.
Read more >

US Preventative Services Task Force Releases Guidelines for Obesity Screening and Intervention in Children & Adolescents

Since the 1970s, obesity in children and adolescents has increased three- to six-fold. Today, 12% to 18% of children and teens aged 2 to 19 years of age are obese based on body mass index (BMI) ratings. Obesity in children and adolescents increases risk for a number of chronic diseases such as diabetes in later, or in some cases, early life. While BMI has been found to be an effective strategy for measuring obesity in children and adults, it is not routinely used in physician practices. A January 18th guidelines statement posted online by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that clinicians screen children ages 6 to 18 years for obesity during routine health screening visits and refer as appropriate to programs to improve their weight status. All children and adolescents who are in the top 15% of body mass are considered overweight or obese and should be treated.
Read more >

ADA Releases 2010 Diabetes Care Guidelines

On December 29th, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) released the 2010 updated guidelines for diabetes. One of the major changes is that the ADA is now advocating the use of A1C testing for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. The ADA believes that by providing a faster, easier diagnostic test for diabetes, the number of undiagnosed patients will be reduced and it will be possible to better identify patients with prediabetes. The A1C blood test measures average blood sugar levels for the previous two to three months and has long been used in the management of diabetes. The new guidelines specify a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at A1C levels exceeding 6.5%, and prediabetes for patients with A1C levels between 5.7 and 6.4 percent. According to Dr. Richard Bergenstal, president-elect of medicine and science for the ADA, "We believe that use of the A1c, because it doesn't require fasting, will encourage more people to get tested for type 2 diabetes and help further reduce the number of people who are undiagnosed but living with this chronic and potentially life-threatening disease.” He added “Additionally, early detection can make an enormous difference in a person's quality of life. Unlike many chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes actually can be prevented, as long as lifestyle changes are made while blood glucose levels are still in the pre-diabetes range."
Read more >

Improve HF 24 Month Progress Report:
Improvement on Six of Seven Heart Failure Performance Measures

Results from the HealthSciences Institute-supported IMPROVE HF study (The Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting) were announced at the Heart Failure Society meeting in late 2009.
Read more >

New InFocus Series:
Evidence-Based Health Coaching

Is health coaching “pop psychology” or an effective approach for addressing the behavioral factors that are responsible for most chronic disease-related risks and consequences?
Read more >

Dr. Rick Botelho Appointed to Advisory Board:
Initiative to Focus on Self-Health of Health Care Professionals

HealthSciences Institute welcomes Rick Botelho, MD, Professor of Family Medicine and Assistant Dean of Faculty and Student Development at the new College of Medicine (Florida International University, Miami), to the HealthSciences Institute advisory board.
Read more >

CCP Online Video Library Expanded:
Motivational Interviewing in Health Care Series Planned

HealthSciences Institute currently offers the largest available online motivational interviewing (MI) video library to all participants enrolled in the Chronic Care Professional (CCP) certification program.
Learn more >

LinkedIn Community Launched for Population Health Improvement Professionals

Looking for a place to network with your colleagues working on the front-line in wellness, chronic care improvement and care management programs in health plans, health systems and medical homes?
Learn more >

 

 

 

For Email Newsletters you can trust