Erie Family Health Center

Beats this week: 

1) While this might not be surprising to some, here’s a piece that is most definitely good news: Illinois Health Connect saved Illinois millions in FY2008! This program, which links Medicaid patients with a medical home, where treatment and patient referrals are coordinated centrally, saved Illinois approximately $140 million, according to the Robert Graham Center.

2) And now here is more good news! Illinois has just begun providing new high-risk insurance pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions who are without medical covered. The program, Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, was implemented as part of health care reform and works on a first come, first serve basis.  

3) Have you been eating your leafy green veggies lately? Well, if not then you should! According to a study released recently by the University of Leicester, people who add more green leafy vegetables to their diet may significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Bring on the spinach!  

4) In a sign that the recession is continuing to hit home for Illinois families, birth rates in Illinois have dropped by approximately 5% according the data made available by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the National Center for Health Statistics. The results compare birth data from similar months in 2007 and 2009.

5) And finally to round out Health Beats this week, let’s talk about eggs. Are you unsure what eggs were recalled? Want to keep up to date on all the recent news related to the egg recall to ensure you throw out recalled eggs? Then be sure to check out these links for the latest news and updates.   

Beats this week: 

1) Before you know it the kids are going to be back in school and you will be thinking: ‘where did the summer go?’ But before sending the kiddies off to school you should be sure to get them their required school physicals and vaccinations in honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, which is celebrated in August!  

2) This week an incredibly insightful study was released on the social and economic impact of long-term obesity. The study, which used national data for 5,000 high school students over two decades, found that those individuals that had been overweight in high school and continued at that weight were less likely to advance their education and more likely to live at lower income levels than their classmates who were a healthier weight at age 18.

3) Well blogosphere, it just got a little bit easier to access dental care in the state of Illinois. In the last few months Governor Quinn has signed three bills making dental care more accessible; one of the most recent bills allows 10-day permits to out of state dentists that wish to cross the border to volunteer at dental clinics. The Chicago Dental Society’s blog, Open Wide, has a great rundown of the bills here.

4) As the city of Chicago heats up, so has the violence throughout the city. Painting a gloomy picture, overall crime is down in the city but murder rates are up. Just this past week, nine people were shot while walking near a bus terminal on Chicago’s south side.

5) Good news for women who have previously had c-sections: if you have another child you may not be required to have another c-section. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released new guidelines this week that allow most women to forego having another c-section.

Beats this week: 

1) Great news for health centers around the country: late last week the House Labor-HHS Subcommittee on Appropriations proposed that the Health Centers program be funded at 2010 levels. So what exactly does all this fancy language mean? Well, when coupled with the funds from the Affordable Care Act, health centers will now be able to serve more patients than ever before – to the tune of 20 million more patients over the next five years!   

2) Have you ever heard of mystery patients? This phrase does not even have a Wikipedia page! So just think mystery shoppers – only they are medical patients! A recent study conducted by six Chicago-area research institutions utilized mystery patients who served as actors for a doctor visit in order to measure how often physicians were able to identify social factors that could impact a patient’s health or their treatment (such as homelessness). The results: these factors were often overlooked or missed.

3) Want to give yourself nightmares? Then check out this list of agencies that still need to be paid by the state of Illinois for services rendered in the last fiscal year.

4) This week Michelle Obama and Jill Biden teamed up to announce an important new health initiative. Starting in the Fall, health insurance plans will be required to cover preventive care, such as some cancer screenings, diabetes and blood pressure screenings and routine vaccines, without charging a deductible or co-payment.

5) You heard it first here at Health Beats: Erie is proud to celebrate National Health Center Week by inviting all to attend the Erie Helping Hands Health Fair on August 12 from 3:00-7:00pm. Come by to learn important health education and receive free blood pressure and glucose screenings!

Beats this week: 

1) Good news out of Washington this week: the Department of Health and Human Services released their final guidelines for ‘meaningful use’ of electronic medical records (EMR) and the general consensus is that these guidelines are much more realistic than what the Obama Administration originally proposed. Example: the proposed guidelines required that 70% of prescriptions had to be transmitted electronically as one measure that would allow a doctor to receive a federal bonus; the new guidelines require 40%. Stay tuned to Beats Per Minute in the coming months as we talk more about meaningful use and what Erie is doing to achieve these new standards. 

2) First the Minute Clinic and now fresh produce? Looks like CVS and Walgreens stores are moving to become the premier grocery provider for communities in Chicago that are without grocery stores (often know as ‘food deserts) by offering expanded fresh produce sections. Cue the pros and cons discussion!

3) The details of the Cook County health system overhaul are continuing to unfold. New information emerged this week on some key moves to be made, including changing Oak Forest Hospital into a regional outpatient center, essentially discontinuing its inpatient services. Read more about the upcoming changes here.

4) A study was released this week that took a look at the impact children experience when their parents lose their jobs. The results were astonishing: almost one in three children completely lost insurance coverage when their parent was let go from their job. The rate is even higher when measuring children from low-income families. While most were then eligible for state-assisted insurance programs, many experienced gaps in coverage.

5) And finally last but most definitely not least – for the first time ever, the federal government has released a National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The announcement made by the Obama Administration yesterday was accompanied by kudos from HIV advocates around the country.

Beats this week:

1) The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation released its annual report on obesity this week and the results for Illinois are not great: over the last year the percentage of obese adults has risen to 26.6% percent, up one whole percentage point from the year before. This places Illinois 26th in the nation for adult obesity.

2) Today the New York Times homepage included a story about the crisis of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program across the country. Increased demand because of unemployment and lack of insurance is too much for a system that continues to see cuts in funding. In Florida, the ADAP program has closed its doors to new clients and has chosen not to start a waiting list.

3) A study released this week claims that the diabetes drug, Avandia, has a higher risk of causing heart risks, strokes and deaths in older people than other diabetes medications. The release of this study comes two weeks before the FDA’s hearings on the safety of the drug.

4) Happy end of the fiscal year! Today is the last day of the fiscal year for the state of Illinois and we still do not have a budget in place. According to news sources, at an early morning press conference tomorrow Governor Quinn will outline the cuts that will be included in the new fiscal year budget. We are still staying tuned.

5) A recent tracking poll done by Kaiser Health has found that health care reform law is picking up support. In the last month health care reform has improved its approval rating by 7 points, with 48% of Americans having a favorable view of the legislation.

Beats this week:

1) A report released today from the American Heart Association analyzed the amount of physical education required in schools across the United States. The report, which was released in partnership with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education found that while more states are requiring students to take physical education, few actually require students to exercise for a specific amount of time.

2) Attention all community health data enthusiasts: this week Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius revealed further details about the new Community Health Data Initiative. Under this initiative HHS health data will be made freely available so that software developers can create innovative applications and make the data more useful for consumers and communities.

3) The Illinois legislature has spoken: budget cuts for Illinois will be decided by Governor Quinn. As such, Quinn is now facing the tough challenge of determining what gets slashed in the FY2011 budget for Illinois. On the chopping block: social services, education and health care. Quinn is keeping mum on what he plans to cut but stated that he hoped to release further details within the month and through the summer. Again, stay tuned!

4) This week, the Chicago Dental Society’s blog, Open Wide, wrote about two Illinois programs that provide orthodontia care to patients whose parents are unable to afford the expensive care. Way to go to the Illinois Society of Orthodontists and Smiles Change Lives for their amazing work!

5) The Swiss company, Novartis, announced disappointing news this week: its new ovarian cancer drug will not be moving to the market. The company had hoped the medication, called patupilone, would be more effective than other drugs for advanced cervical cancer patients, however, the late-stage trial proved that it did not.

Beats this week:

1) Did you know that today is Senior Health and Fitness Day? It most certainly is! The last Wednesday in May is reserved for promoting the need to help older Americans stay healthy and fit.  This year, around 100,000 older adults will participate in activities at more than 1,000 locations throughout the U.S. for the 17^th Annual Senior Health and Fitness Day.

2) A report released recently from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only one in five children in America live within half a mile from a park. The report also reveals other alarming statistics, such as the fact that less than one in five U.S. high school students get at least an hour of physical activity a day.

3) The National Health Center for Statistics handed down some good news this week: for the second year in a row, premature birth rates have dropped. This decrease held true for all age groups and races, except for women over 40. Despite these overall decreases, large disparities still exist for minority populations.

4) The Illinois House passed an emergency budget yesterday for the state of Illinois. The budget relies mainly on the following: borrowing and currently undefined spending cuts (to be defined by Governor Quinn). It is still unclear how the state plans to pay backlogged bills. Not found in the budget are new ways to increase revenue. Stay tuned as the Springfield drama continues to unfold!

5) A recent article published in Health Affairs outlines the differences of income for a cardiologist and a primary care physician over a lifetime. The results are staggering: ‘Their calculations showed that cardiologists earn a career average of more than $5 million, compared with $2.5 million for primary care physicians.’ Perhaps this is why we have a shortage of primary care doctors?

Bonus Beat! This week we have a bonus beat!

A study conducted by the RAND Corp. found that pay for performance programs may actually have the potential to worsen health disparities. Essentially, the study claims that if physicians are paid for the medical performance of their patients then they might actually avoid providing care in areas that could potentially experience lower health status outcomes.

Beats this week:

1) School vending machines could see a drastic change to their contents in the near future. A provision of the Children Nutrition Act passed by the U.S. Senate would allow for regulation of the food served in the school, as well as the vending machines. Crispy edamame, bananas and flavored organic water could be some of the items available in school vending machines.

2) Over ten days has passed since the Illinois Legislature adjourned without passing a budget for the state. So the question remains, what is left to be debated? Progress Illinois breaks it down for us here.

3) Researchers at Harvard released a study this week that claims exposure to pesticides may increase the occurrence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. Specifically, the researchers found that relatively low-level exposure to common pesticides –probably from residues on foods – doubles the risk of developing ADHD.

4) The Health section of the New York Times featured a story this week about a physicians group in Philadelphia that provides primary care using a patient and prevention centered model, called patient-centered medical homes. The overall theme of the article: changing the way primary care is provided is difficult and expensive but it is absolutely necessary.

5) The debate on whether cell phones cause cancer still continues this week with the release of a study funded by the United Nations, which had inconclusive results according to most experts. While the study did find a minimal link between cell phone use and a rare form of brain cancer, the researchers concluded that because cancer can take years and decades to develop – sometimes longer than cell phones have been around– it is difficult to completely ascertain all of the risks. And the debate continues…

Beats this week:

1) Last week, the Illinois Legislature adjourned without passing a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.  Despite the lack of consensus, Governor Quinn says that lawmakers are close to passing a new budget. Meanwhile, vendors across the state, including schools and universities, are unsure of how to plan for the upcoming fiscal year without a state budget in place.

2) A study recently released suggests that it is not uncommon for patients to receive inaccurate or confusing Spanish translations from pharmacies when they pick up their prescriptions. This can lead to improper administration of medications.

3) Celebrity chef Rachael Ray made her way to Capitol Hill this week to talk with legislators about improving the quality of school lunches. Ray’s visit also included a visit to the White House to take a look at the First Lady’s garden.

4) Speaking of the First Lady, Michelle Obama released the guidelines this week for her childhood obesity prevention program, Let’s Move! Some highlights include placing an emphasis on maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy and urging restaurants to consider more moderate portion sizes.

5) This week is National Women’s Health Week, which is an observance that aims to empower women to make health their top priority. Check out some information from Erie partner Northwestern Memorial Hospital about the importance of this week.

Beats this week:

1) Happy May! Did you know this month has several national health observances? The month of May includes Mental Health Month, National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Healthy Vision Month, National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month and National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month just to name a few!

2) Today in Chicago around 700 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students walked out or did not attend school today in order to protest Governor Quinn’s proposed education budget cuts. The students marched to CPS Headquarters and many will have to make up classes on Saturday.

3) This week Johnson and Johnson voluntarily recalled around 43 over the counter medications made for children and infants. The abrupt recall was later fully explained by the FDA, who revealed that some of the ingredients in these medications had been exposed to bacteria.

4) Today is World Hand Hygiene Day! In honor of today, Northwestern Memorial Hospital created a video on the importance of washing your hands. Did you know that 80% of infections are transmitted by hands? Yikes!

5) A study in May’s Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine breaks down the rates of childhood obesity by state according to 2007 data. Mississippi is the state with the highest rate of childhood obesity, coming in at 21.9% while Oregon has the lowest rate of 9.6%. No state came close to the Healthy People 2010 goal of having childhood obesity rates at 5%.