Digital Commons Network^™

The Aging Services Network: Serving A Vulnerable And Growing Elderly Population In Tough Economic Times, Carol O'Shaughnessy

National Health Policy Forum

In 1965, Congress enacted the Older Americans Act, establishing a federal agency and state agencies to address the social services needs of the aging population. The mission of the Older Americans Act is broad: to help older people maintain maximum independence in their homes and communities and to promote a continuum of care for the vulnerable elderly. In successive amendments, the Act created area agencies on aging and a host of social support programs. The "aging services network," broadly described, refers to the agencies, programs, and activities that are sponsored by the Older Americans Act. The Act’s funding for services …

A New State Plan Option To Integrate Care And Financing For Persons Dually Eligible For Medicare And Medicaid, Jane H. Thorpe, Katherine J. Hayes

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

As health care costs continue to escalate, Congress, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), state Medicaid agencies, researchers, and policymakers are focusing on identifying new approaches to care delivery and reimbursement for individuals who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Although relatively few in number (9 million), dual eligible beneficiaries are more likely than others to experience poor health, including multiple chronic conditions, functional and cognitive impairments, and a need for continuous care. Sixty-six percent of dual eligibles have three or more chronic conditions; sixty-one percent are …

Gender And Race Wage Gaps Attributable To Obesity, Avi Dor, Christine Ferguson, Ellen Tan, Lucas Divine, Jo Palmer

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Currently, two out of three Americans are overweight or obese. In less than 20 years, roughly half of the population will be obese. Furthermore, obesity costs $168.4 billion a year, a number which is projected to increase by $48-66 billion per year. The societal costs of obesity are clear and staggering and the individual costs are equally chilling for most of those who are obese – particularly for Hispanic men and Caucasian and Hispanic women.

Options For Cdc's Cancer Screening Programs: Implications Of The Affordable Care Act, Leighton C. Ku, Alice R. Levy, Paula M. Lantz, Rachelle Pierre-Mathieu

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

Screening to promote early detection of cancer is a fundamental tool in preventive medicine and public health that facilitates earlier treatment and reductions in cancer mortality. Systematic reviews of the research demonstrate that early detection and treatment for breast and cervical cancers can reduce cancer-related mortality. One of the most important barriers to women being screened is the lack of health insurance coverage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) administers two programs designed to increase screening, particularly among low-income and vulnerable populations: the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and the Colorectal Cancer Control Program …

Results From The 2010-11 Readiness For Meaningful Use Of Hit And Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition Survey, Merle Cunningham, Anthony Lara, Peter Shin

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

This brief describes the status of health centers with respect to Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption, readiness to meet the health information technology (HIT) meaningful use (MU) standards, and readiness to achieve Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition.

An Automated Internet Application To Help Patients With Bipolar Disorder Track Social Rhythm Stabilization., Daniel Z Lieberman, Susan Swayze, Frederick K Goodwin

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

This column describes a pilot study of a fully automated, Internet-based program that provides a key element of interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, a form of psychotherapy shown to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder when combined with mood-stabilizing medication. Participants (N=64) recorded the time they completed activities of daily living and their mood at the time of each entry. After 90 days they demonstrated a 31% increase in social rhythm stability and a small, though statistically significant, decrease in symptoms of abnormal mood. Internet-based programs can enhance access to a best practice in the management of bipolar …

Himmelfarb Headlines - November/December 2011, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Headlines (2009 - present)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on BMJ Case Reports, personalized medicine, International Open Access Week, and profiles of James Cawley, MPH, PA-C, and George Paul.

A Natural Fit: Collaborations Between Community Health Centers And Family Planning Clinics, Rachel Benson Gold, Marcie Zakheim, Jillanne M. Schulte, Susan F. Wood, Tishra Beeson, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and family planning clinics funded through Title X of the Public Health Service Act are critical components of the health care safety net in urban and rural medically underserved communities. Although they share the common mission of serving vulnerable and low-income populations, health centers and Title X clinics possess different, but complementary, strengths. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) will expand coverage to an additional 32 million people while leaving 23 million uninsured. Most of the newly insured and the remaining uninsured will be residents of medically-underserved communities, and thus, positioning …

Promoting The Integration And Coordination Of Safety-Net Health Care Providers Under Health Reform: Key Issues, Leighton C. Ku, Peter Shin, Marsha Regenstein, Holly Mead

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

The Affordable Care Act includes several provisions designed to encourage greater coordination and integration among health care providers, including the promotion of accountable care organizations and health homes. While much discussion has focused on how these strategies might be adopted by Medicare and private insurers, little attention has focused on their application among safety-net health care providers. Such providers face particular challenges in coordinating care for their low-income and uninsured patients, and no single approach is likely to meet their diverse needs. Successful efforts will require federal, state, and local financial resources to sustain the safety net and make the …

Comparative Immunogenicity Of Na-Gst-1 Human Hookworm Vaccine With Synthetic Glucopyranosyl Lipid Adjuvant (Gla) In Balb/C Mice, Amar R. Jariwala, Brian Keegan, Jordan L. Plieskatt, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Peter J. Hotez, Jeffrey M. Bethony

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Posters and Presentations

More than 740 million people worldwide are infected with Hookworm. Hookworm infection is most prevalent in the poorest of the poor populations of the world, and has serious health effects. Hookworm infection causes blood loss leading to iron deficiency anemia and protein energy malnutrition, which results in a compromised immune response. Consequently, the target human population suffers from an increased susceptibility to infectious diseases including hookworm infection. We have developed recombinant adult hookworm vaccines against hookworm infection to break this vicious cycle. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 agonist are known to boost immune response in healthy and immunocompromised individuals. We believe …

Strengthening Our Collaborations: Building An Electronic Health Record Educational Module, Alexandra Gomes, Anne Linton, Laura E. Abate, Elizabeth Palena Hall

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

Spurred by the growing adoption of electronic health records, librarians developed an online educational module for second year medical students which was integrated into existing curriculum. This poster presentation is a summary of the project, which required collaboration with staff from the faculty practice group's IT division, the library's web services division, and members of the reference department.

Medicine + Health, Fall 2011, George Washington University, School Of Medicine And Health Sciences, Office Of Communications And Marketing

Medicine + Health Magazine

No abstract provided.

Transgenic C. Elegans Dauer Larvae Expressing Hookworm Phospho Null Daf-16/Foxo Exit Dauer, Verena Gelmedin, Thomas Brodigan, Xin Gao, Michael Krause, Zhu Wang, John M. Hawdon

Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty

Parasitic hookworms and the free-living model nematode Caenorhabtidis elegans share a developmental arrested stage, called the dauer stage in C. elegans and the infective third-stage larva (L3) in hookworms. One of the key transcription factors that regulate entrance to and exit from developmental arrest is the forkhead transcription factor DAF-16/FoxO. During the dauer stage, DAF-16 is activated and localized in the nucleus. DAF-16 is negatively regulated by phosphorylation by the upstream kinase AKT, which causes DAF-16 to localize out of the nucleus and the worm to exit from dauer. DAF-16 is conserved in hookworms, and hypothesized to control recovery from …

Librarians As Participants In A Medical School Advanced Teaching Program, Anne Linton, Laura E. Abate

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

Librarians of Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library are now participating in a joint program of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and the Graduate School of Education and Human Development of the George Washington University. The program, called the Master Teacher Leadership and Development Program (MTLDP), has increased library visibility and an expanded faculty understanding of how library resources and services can enhance education. This poster presentation is a general outline of the program's benefits to the library.

Greening Of Ill At Himmelfarb Library, Yvonne Lee, Alek Potrzebowski, Kathe Obrig

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

Traditionally, the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Department consumed the largest amount of paper from routine printing of articles/chapters before delivery. In 2010, staff examined existing processes to find ways to print only when necessary and become a greener department. This poster presentation explains the implementation and the outcomes of the "greening" initiative in the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Department of the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library.

Strengthening E-Professionalism: Discussing Social Media Dos And Don'ts With Students And Faculty, Gisela Butera, Thomas Harrod, Alexandra Gomes, Anne Linton

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster presentation describes several incidents of medical professionals and students engaging in professional misconduct using social media online. It also gives advice on discussing and providing information sessions to students and faculty of health care learning institutions.

Vhs To Dvd--The Media Collection Upgrade Story At Himmelfarb Library, Catherine R. Harris, Kathe Obrig, George P. Paul

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

From the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library's collection of films, slides, audio and video tapes, and other similar "audiovisual" materials grew to over 1,000 items. After an assessment of the A/V collection, it was determined that the videocassette tapes (VHS) could be converted to or purchased in DVD format. This poster explains the background, process, results, and conclusions of how the VHS-to-DVD conversion and replacement project was implemented.

Collecting Overdue Library Books While Simultaneously Benefiting The Community: The Food For Fines Program, Catherine R. Harris, Kathe Obrig, Kathleen Lyons

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster presentation is a detailed description of the background, process, promotion, results, and conclusions of an academic library community service project. The "Food for Fines" program, implemented at Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library was designed to encourage the collection of fines for overdue items. One non-perishable food item was accepted for every $1.00 in overdue fines, to a maximum of $20.00. These food items were donated to a local food bank in the Washington, DC, area.

Capitalizing On Our Strengths: Teaching Health Informatics Courses, Anne Linton, Laura E. Abate

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster presents the experiences of two health sciences librarians teaching health informatics in semester-length credit courses--one for undergraduate health sciences students in a distance education format and the other for graduate students in a health information technology program in a traditional classroom environment.

Individual And Small-Group Market Health Insurance Rate Review And Disclosure: State And Federal Roles After Ppaca, Kathryn Linehan

National Health Policy Forum

Oversight of private insurance, including health insurance, is primarily a state responsibility. Each state establishes its own laws and regulations regarding insurer activities, including premium increases for the insurance products within its purview. The authority that state regulators have to review and deny requests for premium changes varies from state to state, as do the amount of resources available to state insurance departments for reviewing premium changes. In some markets where insurers have proposed or implemented steep increases, such changes have received considerable attention from the press, state regulators, and policymakers. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires …

Transforming Community Health Centers Into Patient-Centered Medical Homes: The Role Of Payment Reform, Leighton C. Ku, Peter Shin, Emily Jones, Brian K. Bruen

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

This report examines how changes in the way federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are financed could support the transformation of these critical safety-net providers into high performing patient-centered medical homes. Through surveys and interviews, the authors explore the current landscape of health center involvement in medical home initiatives, adoption of medical home standards, and receipt of payment incentives. Based on their findings, the authors make preliminary recommendations to encourage health centers to serve as patient- and community-centered medical homes. These include: establishing recommended standards for patient- and community-centered medical homes that apply to FQHCs; structuring payment incentives to promote medical …

Presentation Of The 2011-2012 Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor In Community Health Policy, Rachel A. Gonzales-Hanson

Health Policy and Management Faculty Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

State Insurance Exchanges: An Overview, Sara J. Rosenbaum

Health Policy and Management Faculty Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Community Health Centers And The Economy: Assessing Centers' Role In Immediate Job Creation Efforts, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Peter Shin

Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative

Federal investment in community health centers not only creates health care access but, based on previous studies, generates an estimated 8:1 return for medically underserved communities while creating thousands of jobs. Since our earlier 2008 economic impact study, Congress has made two major program investments: $2 billion under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009; and $11 billion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This analysis measures the economic and jobs-creation benefits of this cumulative investment in health centers, as well as the impact of legislation enacted in April, 2011, which reduced the first year of new …

Aligning Graduate Medical Education With Public Policy, Rob Cunningham

National Health Policy Forum

In late May–early June 2011, the Forum sponsored a site visit to Denver, Colorado, to observe innovative efforts to improve the health of Coloradans and reduce the cost of health care. The three-day agenda was designed to convey the breadth and interconnectedness of the efforts underway in Denver and to highlight both successes and challenges. The exploration concentrated on how three themes of national interest are unfolding in Denver: building and sustaining a robust and effective safety net in an evolving health care market; improving the health of people and their communities to prevent and reduce the need for health …

A Night Team Curriculum For The Inpatient Service, Priti Bhansali, Christine Skurkis, Karin Gray, Aisha Davis, Edwin Zalneraitis

E-Learning Modules

Due to ACGME work duty hour requirements, many residency programs have initiated a Night Team (NT) rotation. There may be limited direct contact with faculty overnight. The provision of an educational experience and ability to evaluate performance on the NT rotation are needed. This curriculum, originally developed at the University of Connecticut Pediatric Residency Program, may be adapted for other programs.

Goals for the rotation were developed with resident input and include:

1. Improving clinical reasoning and communication skills.
2. Increasing faculty feedback.
3. Providing appropriate patient surveillance.
4. Enhancing the teaching role of the senior resident.

Educational activities include:

1. Periodic structured audit of …

Biosimilars: Costs And Controversies, Ruth Lopert

Health Policy and Management Faculty Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Carol Anne Bond V The United States Of America: How A Woman Scorned Threatened The Chemical Weapons Convention, Anna Muldoon, Sarah Kornblet, Rebecca L. Katz

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

The case of Carol Anne Bond v the United States of America stemmed from a domestic dispute when Ms. Bond attempted to retaliate against her best friend by attacking her with chemical agents. What has emerged is a much greater issue--a test of standing on whether a private citizen can challenge the Tenth Amendment. Instead of being prosecuted in state court for assault, Ms. Bond was charged and tried in district court under a federal criminal statute passed as part of implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Ms. Bond's argument rests on the claim that the statute exceeded the …

Creating Linkable Subject Bibliographies And New Book Lists In Symphony, Jolinda Thompson

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

Presents methods for creating subject bibliographies and new books lists in the SirsiDynix Symphony Integrated Library System. The links to these bibliographies can be used in other formats, such as library guides and web pages.

Himmelfarb Headlines - September/October 2011, George Washington University, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library

Himmelfarb Headlines (2009 - present)

News and information about Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library of interest to users. Includes articles on Natural Standard, QR codes, and profiles of Nancy L. Falk, PhD, MBA, RN, and Elaine Sullo.