preventative care

A group of studies tracking care patterns and outcomes are pointing to a troubling conclusion--that racial minorities, as a group, aren't getting the same care or level of positive health outcomes as the Caucasian population. Two studies published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that racial minorities are less likely to get surgeries done at skilled, high-volume hospitals, and that African-American participants uniformly do worse in Medicare HMOs …

While health plans and providers are increasingly focused on quality measures that include preventative care standards, the system still isn't built to foster wellness, according to the left-leaning Center for American Progress. In a paper co-authored by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta, the Center is proposing the creation of a federal "Wellness Trust," independently run along the lines of the Social Security Administration. Among other things, the Trust would pay for …

Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, FL is kicking off a pilot program using remote monitoring technology to keep track of pediatric patient health. This type of preventative care system saves young patients stressful trips to the clinic and prevents small problems from growing into larger health concerns. "There's a lot of evidence that good case management or disease management keeps people out of hospitals, out of crisis situations," notes Lori Bilello, executive director of the …

By the early 1990s, VA hospitals were on the verge of extinction. The care vets received from the system was so poor, Congress considered abandoning the entire system in favor of giving vets vouchers for private healthcare. But in 1994, Bill Clinton appointed Kenneth Kizer as the VA's under secretary for health, kicking off a transformation that has left the VA one of the most efficient and technologically advanced health systems in the nation. Among the improvements: Every vet has an …

At Hospital Impact, Tony Chen examines the competition hospitals are facing from 10 rather unusual areas. Here are some of the standouts from the list:

• Many patients would like their hospital to treat them like a hotel guest rather than a patient. And some hospitals are eager to provide five-star service.
• U.S. Preventative Medicine is in the process of …

Traditionally, retail clinics have been used as a convenient, simple way to avoid the hassle of visiting a doctor or the emergency room. But state and local officials in Texas are in talks with Intrepid Holdings to bring its Healthy Access clinics to poor and underserved communities as an alternative to overcrowded urban ERs. The clinics will offer care for easily-treatable illnesses such as infections and colds but it will also provide patients with flu shots, health screenings and a …

Last month we reported on the rise of retail clinics and the competition they pose for traditional medicine. Patients are lured by low flat rates, easy access and short wait times. Now another form of straightforward, inexpensive healthcare has come to our attention. Winter Park, FL-based Healthfair USA, which bills itself as the "next generation of preventive medicine," provides basic …

Landmark Medical Center of Woonsocket, RI is claiming that the state's largest insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, owes the hospital $4.5 million in unpaid reimbursement rates. After years of wrangling with the insurer, yesterday Landmark's board of directors voted to allow hospital president Gary Gaube to take the necessary steps to receive the reimbursements, including filing a lawsuit if needed. Landmark also wants higher future reimbursement rates, totaling an additional $4.5 million. A …

New York's Mount Sinai has crafted a creative deal with the state that supporters say is helping New York keep Medicaid costs down and reducing ER visits to the hospital at the same time. Mount Sinai is offering residents in some areas of Harlem free preventative care in return for increased Medicaid reimbursement rates. The pilot project, which has the support of a $2.3 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides chronically ill patients suffering from …

CMS administrator Mark McClellan tells the Los Angeles Times that Medicare will launch a new initiative stressing preventative care in 2007. "If you take a big step back and look at Medicare spending, 90%-plus of what we are spending is going for the complications of chronic disease," McClellan told the paper. The agency recently added a free "Welcome to Medicare" physical available to all new arrivals in the program. The program has seen limited success so far: only 2 percent of …