Monthly Archive for June 2007
June 29, 2007
'Medical Homes' Promote Equity in Care
The Commonwealth Fund is reporting how medical homes can reduce disparity in care.
From the executive summary:
When minorities have a medical home, racial and ethnic differences in terms of access to medical care disappear. Three-fourths of whites, African Americans, and Hispanics with medical homes reported getting the care they need when they need it.
From the full report (pdf):
The survey used the following four indicators to measure the extent to which adults have a medical home: 1) having a regular doctor or place of care, 2) experiencing no difficulty contacting their provider by telephone; 3) experiencing no difficulty getting care or medical advice on weekends or evenings; and 4) having doctors’ office visits that are well organized and running on time.
You can view a video of the report at the Kaiser Network. The topic of medical homes starts around the 6:20 mark.
Posted by: Staff on June 29, 2007
Category: Health Disparities
June 28, 2007
White Children and Type 1 Diabetes
Reuters reporting on a new JAMA article:
"What we found is that type 1 diabetes is highest in non-Hispanic white children. The age group at which this disease peaks is around puberty," [Dr. Dana Dabelea] said.
She found about one in 3,000 non-Hispanic white children in this age group develop type 1 diabetes each year, compared with one in about 5,000 African-American and Hispanic youths.
The rates are much lower, about 1 in 10,000, for Asian Pacific Islanders and American Indian children, she said.
Posted by: Staff on June 28, 2007
Category: Health Disparities
June 21, 2007
Military Veterans without Care and Insurance
Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., in testimony presented to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs.
In 2004, 1.8 million military veterans neither had health insurance nor received ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Note that the surveys asked veterans if they had health insurance, and if they had veterans or military health care. We counted them as uninsured only if they answered no to both questions. The number of uninsured veterans has increased by 290,000 since 2000. The proportion of non-elderly veterans who were uninsured rose from less then one in ten (9.9%) in 2000 to more than one in eight (12.7%) in 2004.
Posted by: Staff on June 21, 2007
Category: Health Disparities
June 20, 2007
Uninsured Graduates
From the Sacramento Bee:
Nationwide, 30.6 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds are uninsured, making them the largest population without coverage in 2005.
Often students lose eligibility for school coverage after graduation and their parents' plans when they reach a certain age or are no longer full-time students. These are details that students and parents excited about the arrival of Graduation Day often overlook.
Posted by: Staff on June 20, 2007
Category: Health Disparities
June 13, 2007
Healthcare Disparity Across the U.S.A.
The Commonwealth Fund has issued a state scorecard on health system perfomance.
From the Executive Summary:
Currently, where you live in the United States matters for quality and care experiences. The widely varying performance across states and sharp differences between top and bottom state rates on the 32 indicators included in the State Scorecard highlight broad opportunities to improve. If all states approached levels achieved by the top states, the cumulative result would be substantial improvement in terms of access to care, health care quality, reduced costs, and healthier lives.
How does Ohio compare with other states?
Overal: 24
Access: 15
Quality: 23
Avoidable Hospital Use & Costs: 37
Equity: 14
Healthy Lives: 41
There is an interactive map available to view state-specific rankings.
Posted by: Staff on June 13, 2007
Category: Health Disparities
June 04, 2007
Disparities Persist in Cancer Care
From HealthDay:
Two studies presented Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago show that race and socioeconomic status affect cancer prognosis, at least when it comes to breast cancer and some childhood cancers.
One report found that, although overall survival among women with metastatic breast cancer has improved over the past two decades, the survival gap between black and white women is widening. And children stricken with cancer in developing countries have a dramatically poorer prognosis than children in more developed nations, although a new program may narrow that difference.
Posted by: Staff on June 04, 2007
Category: Health Disparities; Health Inequities
June 01, 2007
Optimism. Hazardous to Your Health?
From Star Tribune:
A new survey commissioned by CIGNA HealthCare shows a majority of Americans think they're in very good to excellent health, but that they're probably too optimistic -- and maybe a little bit in denial.
The phone survey of 1,000 adults in February, released Monday, found that 57 percent rated themselves in very good or excellent health. Yet when asked how they think other people view them, the picture starts to look less rosy.
For instance, 54 percent said others would say they need to lose at least 10 pounds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, estimates that two thirds of U.S. adults are actually overweight or obese, health insurer CIGNA said.
Posted by: Staff on June 01, 2007
Category: Health Disparities