Dear Healthcare Intelligence Network Client,
60/40 — the final tally just hours ago in the overnight Senate vote that moved healthcare reform one step closer to reality.
50/50 — of all the reasons for heart failure hospital readmissions, which account for the lion's share of Medicare readmissions, half are related to diet non-adherence and drug non-adherence, says the education coordinator for Hackensack University Medical Center's heart failure team in a featured story this week. Even more sobering: a new University of Colorado finding that 96 percent of discharged patients were unable to recall the name of at least one medication that they had been prescribed while in the hospital. Also, almost half of study participants believed they were taking a medication when they were not.
With $27 million in Recovery Act funds just allocated to help older individuals with chronic conditions manage and improve their health, communities should dedicate a portion of these funds to programs that raise patients' medication awareness levels. Confirming that a patient clearly understands the purpose for taking each medication is part of Dr. Eric Coleman's 3-question Care Transitions Measure, a patient survey endorsed by the National Quality Forum that reflects how well a hospital has prepared a patient for discharge.
A recent HIN blog post suggests a strategy for improving patient motivation for medication adherence.
Get more details on all of these developments in this week's issue.
Your colleague in the business of healthcare,
Patricia Donovan
Editor, Healthcare Business Weekly Update
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December 21, 2009
Vol. XI, No. 48
Sponsored by:
Medication Therapy Management in the Patient-Centered Medical Home
This week's industry news:
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This week's industry news
1.) Overcoming Barriers to Effective Heart Failure Care Management
Michele Gilbert, education coordinator of the heart failure team and pulmonary hypertension program at Hackensack University Medical Center, discusses different circumstances that lead heart failure patients to not receive proper care management.
There are many barriers to heart failure patients receiving excellent care. Patients have multiple comorbidities. They take lots of medications and experience adverse drug reactions. Dietary compliance issues are a huge problem.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
2.) Reducing Readmissions for Heart Failure Patients: A Multidisciplinary Approach for the Medicare Population
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Learn how Hackensack Hospital is reducing readmissions of heart failure patients through a program of continuous care, patient education and self-management.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
3.) Patients Lack Knowledge of Their Hospital Medications
In a new study to assess patient awareness of medications prescribed during a hospital visit, 44 percent of patients believed they were receiving a medication they were not, and 96 percent were unable to recall the name of at least one medication that they had been prescribed.
Get the full story.
>>Return to this week's industry news
4.) Patient-Centered Models in Medication Adherence: Reducing Costs and Non-Compliance through Health Behavior Change
This special report examines common barriers to medication adherence and presents the initiatives that have increased patient compliance with medication regimes. Experts also describe the collaborative efforts of case managers, disease managers and health coaches to identify individuals with medication adherence issues and reduce the negative medical and financial consequences of medication non-compliance, including its link to 20 percent of preventable adverse drug events.
Learn more about this resource.
>>Return to this week's industry news
5.) Healthcare Business White Paper: An Integrated Care Program For Chronically Ill, High-Cost Patients Aims For Better Health Outcomes
McKesson Corporation and CMS Health Integrated are providing CoverColorado with the nation’s first integrated care program for high-risk health plan participants. More than 3,000 people with chronic and high-cost health conditions now have access to an around-the-clock, integrated care program that includes both disease management and case management services.
Download this complimentary white paper.
>>Return to this week's industry news
6.) Only Half of U.S. Youth with Mental Disorders Receive Treatment
Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The survey also provides a comprehensive look at the prevalence of common mental disorders.
Get the full story.
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7.) Emergency Room Triage of the Mental Health Patient: Pilot Projects in Reducing ED Diversion
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In this resource, one industry expert explains how the community mental health center's system-wide daily conference call helps to balance work and patient flow, encourages creative problem-solving and dramatically reduces staff time spent on diversion of psychiatric ER patients to other facilities. A second expert describes a pilot program placing a psychiatric nurse in the ED, along with the impact of the program on hospital admits, discharges and resource allocation, and ED staff satisfaction and morale.
Learn more about this resource.
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8.) ICDs Increase Older Heart Failure Patients’ Survival
The mortality rate for Medicare patients with heart failure who were treated with standard medications and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) was 14.2 percent lower at the three-year follow-up than it was for those treated with medication alone, according to research reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, a Journal of the American Heart Association.
Get the full story.
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9.) Cardiovascular, Peripheral Vascular Surgery and Vascular Lab Services, 2nd Edition
This resource is a 120-page toolbox of clinical and review criteria guidelines and benefit interpretations for the title heart care topics by procedure or test/exam. Resources include extensive current references and related Web sites. This resource is updated annually.
Learn more about this resource.
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10.) $27 Million from Recovery Act Helps Older Americans Fight Chronic Disease
$27 million is now available from HHS to help older individuals with chronic conditions to improve their health and reduce their use of costly medical care. These funds are made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has provided up to $650 million to HHS for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative launched earlier this fall to promote evidence-based prevention strategies in communities and states across the country.
Get the full story.
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11.) The Medicaid Population: Making a Difference with Disease Management
In this resource, expert speakers delve into Medicaid concerns ranging from eligibility and patient engagement to marketing strategies and provider connections as they explain how disease management programs can integrate and improve care for those in need.
Learn more about this resource.
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12.) HealthSounds Podcast: Improving Medication Adherence — Practical Strategies to Increase Patient Compliance
U.S. healthcare spends an estimated $177 billion on medication non-compliance annually — nearly 80 percent of the country's healthcare spending. And the pharmaceutical industry loses billions of healthcare dollars annually as a result of medication non-adherence. Thom Stambaugh, chief pharmacy officer and vice president of clinical programs and specialty pharmacy for CIGNA Pharmacy Management, discusses strategies for recovering some of this lost revenue, the challenges behavioral health patients bring to medication compliance and how CIGNA measures compliance in its population.
Listen to this podcast.
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