November 29, 2007 at 4:16 am
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As we reflect on the close of another year we cannot help but be affected by the many generous expressions of sharing and goodwill that have been shown to the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center and its patients. It has been an extraordinary time in which we saw 26 years of dreaming and planning for an expanded downtown campus fulfilled. It would not have been possible without the support of public and private funding and individual donations - it would not have been possible without you.
This is the time for not only looking back but to looking ahead to the dreams and plans as yet unfulfilled. There are always those in our community who face an insecure future regarding their health. This means we must remain committed to building and developing our health care services to the community. We turn to you to help us make sure that those who need help, get help. I urge you to share with the least fortunate and most vulnerable members of our community in a tangible way with a generous donation during this holiday season.
We wish each and every one of you a holiday filled with happiness, good cheer, and, above all, peace. May you enjoy a prosperous, healthy and happy New Year.
Sincerely on behalf of the health center family,
Peter Georgeopoulos
Acting President &
CEO/CFO
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November 26, 2007 at 8:57 pm
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According to the American Heart Association, theres lots of room for improvement when it comes to physical activity and students. Data from 2005 showed that only 43.8 percent of males and 27.8 percent of females in grades 9-12 met the recommended levels of physical activity.
That same year, more than 21 percent of high school students reportedly played video games or used a computer for something other than schoolwork for three or more hours per day.
And more than 37 percent of all students watched television three or more hours on an average school day.
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November 26, 2007 at 1:55 pm
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Just weeks after it was signed, Cigna's agreement in New York to modify its physician ranking tool is set to have a ripple effect across the country.
Aetna and Empire BlueCross BlueShield, a WellPoint company, have signed similar agreements with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office. Aetna signed its deal on Nov. 13, while Empire followed the next day.
Aetna immediately pledged to apply the terms of its New York agreement to all of its tiered networks nationwide. Cigna made a similar pledge the same day Aetna did. WellPoint said it is not ready to make such a promise.
Under their separate deals, all three plans have agreed to make the basis of their physician ranking programs transparent to members, base those rankings on nationally recognized quality standards and submit their programs to outside evaluation.
Cuomo began looking into health plan physician-ranking programs this summer, based on concern that consumers would be directed to certain physicians based solely on cost, not quality.
"Attorney General Cuomo's model ensures transparency for both patients and doctors -- patients will now understand the criteria upon which doctors are ranked, and doctors will be able to provide input into the ranking system," said Robert Goldberg, DO, president of the Medical Society of the State of New York. Dr. Goldberg is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist in New York.
The Cigna Care Network designation for the plan's tiered networks is used in 58 markets from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. At the time it signed its deal with Cuomo, Cigna said it was likely the parties would expand the reach of the agreement to cover its tiered networks nationwide, though it didn't make that announcement immediately.
[...] Copyright 2007 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
RELATED CONTENT You may also be interested in reading:Putting the quality in rankings - Editorial Dec. 3
New York agreement refines doctor-rating criteria Nov. 19
Resistance builds against insurers' tiered networks Sept. 17
New York warns of lawsuit over physician rankings by United Aug. 6
Coping with rankings: Still time for challenges June 18
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November 26, 2007 at 1:55 pm
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One doesn't have to look hard to find a personal health record system. A 2006 study by the Markle Foundation found that more than 200 PHR systems are available, and new products are continually being announced. But studies also show that availability is not translating into use, with only about 5% of all patients using PHRs. Vendors have had a hard time selling the idea of a personal medical diary to healthy consumers who see their doctors maybe once or twice a year. In addition to privacy and security concerns, patients are staying away because the PHRs on the market aren't doing much to entice them, analysts say. The industry also has failed to come up with a convincing argument for why doctors should encourage their use.
But the technology is changing, along with the scope, to make PHRs more attractive. Vendors are reaching out to health plans and employers in hopes of encouraging PHR use through incentives. And expanded data sets make the records more useful to physicians. PHRs have been welcomed by their original target audience: patients in active treatment and their caregivers, said Peter Waegemann, executive director of the Medical Records Institute, which researches electronic medical record usage and adoption. But even among early adopters, privacy and security were major concerns, said Cynthia Solomon, founder of Sonoma-Calif.-based FollowMe. One of the first known Internet-based PHRs, FollowMe was launched in 2000 by Solomon, who was caring for her chronically ill son. [...] Copyright 2007 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. RELATED CONTENT You may also be interested in reading:Microsoft's HealthVault is the latest entrant in the PHR arena Oct. 22/29 Personal health record venture gets new life Oct. 8 Insurers collaborate on standards for PHRs Jan. 1/8 An uphill climb for personal health records Column June 19, 2006 |
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November 26, 2007 at 1:55 pm
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Physicians are trying to set up meetings with United Auto Workers officials to find out how the union's coming takeover of retiree health benefits from Ford, Chrysler and General Motors might affect them. But if previous transfers from companies to unions are any indication, physicians should not expect the new managers of retiree benefits to be more generous than the old ones. In fact, a union's takeover of benefits has sometimes resulted in even more aggressive cost-cutting efforts than when the benefits remained under corporate control.
"It's a huge change of mentality," said Matthew Holt, a health care consultant and vice president of research for Emeryville, Calif.-based Professional Service Solutions Inc. "Instead of saying, 'GM, you'd better give us this, this and this,' now [the union says], 'It's our money.' " With Ford workers represented by the UAW ratifying their new contract on Nov. 14, the automakers will begin fulfilling their commitment to put $54.4 billion -- $32 billion from GM, $13.6 billion from Ford and $8.8 billion from Chrysler -- into the union's Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association, or VEBA. Congress created VEBAs in 1928, and they served as the basis for company sick funds, a precursor to private health insurance. VEBAs are tax-exempt entities, and corporate contributions to VEBAs are also tax-exempt. A VEBA can be funded by more than one employer, but in any case it needs an IRS letter of determination to prove its tax-exempt status. [...] Copyright 2007 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. RELATED CONTENT You may also be interested in reading:UAW, Ford reach tentative agreement on health costs Jan. 2/9, 2006 Physicians brace for impact of GM's health cost cuts Nov. 7, 2005 |
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