Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

What's Happening: March, 2003, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Aligning Capital Investment Decisions With The Balanced Scorecard, Andra Gumbus, Bridget Lyons, Dorothy E. Bellhouse

WCBT Faculty Publications

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) has evolved from a measurement tool to a strategic management tool used by thousands of organizations. The Balanced Scorecard has proven to be a powerful tool in translating strategy into action in the for-profit sector and has recently been adopted by increasing numbers of not-for-profit organizations as well.

University of Bridgeport Hospital, part of the Yale-New Haven Health System, has been using the BSC for over three years to effectively translate strategy into dayto-day operations. The hospital has also linked the capital budgeting process to the BSC to ensure that resource allocation is aligned with strategic …

What's Happening: February, 2003, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Converging On Nursing Home Quality, Lisa Sprague

National Health Policy Forum

This paper looks at nursing home quality initiatives, built around public reporting of quality data, that have been inaugurated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the California HealthCare Foundation. How the projects were developed is explored, along with preliminary indicators of their impact on consumers and providers and likely next steps in their evolution.

Expanding Self-Direction In Services For The Aged And People With Disabilities, Ruth A. Burgess

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Medicaid-funded long-term care services are traditionally delivered in nursing homes. States may apply for waivers which allow them to provide home and community based services with Medicaid funds. Because these services are by definition an alternative to nursing home care, waiver services are generally based upon a medical model which emphasizes medical deficits and tends to restrict consumers’ movements to inside the home. Recent developments such as the Olmstead Decision and federal New Freedom Initiatives have caused states to recognize that consumers desire and have a legal right to be part of a community rather than institutionalized or homebound. These …

Applying Entrepreneurship To Health Care Organizations, Kristina L. Guo

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This study examines entrepreneurship and assesses its relevance to health care organizations through a detailed description of the optimal environment, organizational factors, and managerial roles in the entrepreneurship process. The article finds entrepreneurship processes to be especially useful to health care organizations as they struggle to survive in the competitive managed care environment.

What's Happening: January, 2003, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Implementing Hipaa In Private Physicians' Offices In South Carolina, Gary E. Bell

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

HIPAA - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability act of 1996 is the largest government action in healthcare since Medicare. Since the passage of the HIPAA legislation, estimated cost of implementation has ranged from $3.8 billion to $45 billion for the implementation of the privacy rules. This study examines the cost on implementing HIPAA in private physicians' offices in South Carolina. The study selected the medical specialties of family practice, general practice, obstetrics & gynecology, and pediatrics. The study compares and analyzes cost of rural vs. urban physician practices, by specialty, and by type of entity when implementing privacy rules.

Price Of Pharmaceuticals, Value, R&D, And Intergenerational Equity, Enrique Seoane-Vazquez

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"A few issues are more debated today than the price of pharmaceuticals. The debate is prompted by the lack of drug access for the world's population, the high expenditures of pharmaceutical companies in marketing and profits, and the need for research and development of new drugs."

Initiatives To Engage Private-Practice Physicians In The Mission Of Academic Medical Centers, Douglas C. Appleby

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Today's healthcare market presents many challenges to academic healthcare centers and community-based physicians given the constrained resources and competition for healthcare dollars. Never before has the business sector infiltrated the healthcare market to this extent. Monies previously directed toward graduate medical education from government resources and cost-shifting practices have been abolished, and these changes have jeopardized the founding missions governing academic medical centers. However, community-based private practitioners-both educated and clinically trained at these centers of higher learning, provide an enormous pool of expertise to help rectify many current problems. Collaboration between these private practitioners and the medical centers could create …

Effectiveness Of Systematic Care Management (Scm) On Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Nicu) Length Of Stay, Michael Ray Burcham

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The increasing frequency and complexity of neonatal care are key contributors to rising medical costs. Over the past twenty years, neonatal delivery rates have been increasing and infant mortality rates are improving. Neonatal care has become very expensive with few applicable clinical guidelines for care. ParadigmHealth has developed an integrated, care management structure termed Systematic Care Management© (SCM). The premise is that by promoting the most expert and efficient neonatal care, significant reductions in morbidity will occur, reducing the need for and reduced cost of NICU and subsequent care. The aim of the study was to determine whether the SCM …

Retaining Intensive Care Nurses In Las Vegas: The Importance Of Nurse Manager Leadership, Megan Vendetti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In today's healthcare climate, retaining staff nurses is desirable and may be a more permanent solution to improve the nursing shortage. Employing a leadership style that is conducive to staff nurse job satisfaction may be needed to achieve that goal. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of the unit manager leadership style with job satisfaction and intent to stay in the intensive care setting. Staff nurses in two Las Vegas hospitals, one private and one public, were surveyed. A questionnaire was developed and voluntarily completed by 125 registered nurses employed in adult and pediatric intensive care …

What's Happening: December, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Special Meeting, Wku Board Of Regents

Board of Regents Documents

Minutes of special meeting of the WKU Board of Regents to discuss health insurance and the president's contract.

Depression: A Decade Of Progress, More To Do, Veronica V. Goff

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief discusses the most recent findings on depression prevalence and cost; examines trends in outpatient treatment, including the dramatic growth in antidepressant use; discusses efforts to improve treatment in primary care; and explores possible public policy avenues for improving treatment access and quality.

The Medicare And Medicaid Intersection: Caring For Arizona's Seniors, Nora Super, Lisa Sprague, Judith D. Moore

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit to Phoenix examined the interplay between Medicare and Medicaid and how payment streams and regulatory requirements affect the delivery of health and long-term care services. The visit explored trends related to Medicare+Choice plan participation, physician acceptance of Medicare patients, and care management for individuals with chronic illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease. It also considered Arizona’s capitated Medicaid long-term care program, which recently implemented competitive bidding among plans in Maricopa County.

Prescription Drugs In Nursing Homes: Managing Costs And Quality In A Complex Environment, Dan Mendelson, Rajeev Ramchand, Richard Abramson, Anne Tumlinson

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief provides a description of prescription drug use in nursing homes and a summary of policy issues in this area. It first profiles the nursing home pharmaceutical market, outlining the major trends in demographics and drug utilization, the supply chain by which drugs go from manufacturers to pharmacies to nursing home residents, and the alternative arrangements by which prescription drugs in nursing homes are financed. The paper then provides a synopsis of current policy issues, focusing in turn on cost containment and quality improvement initiatives.

U.S. Childhood Vaccine Availability: Legal, Regulatory, And Economic Complexities, Robin J. Strongin

National Health Policy Forum

Despite the vital role they play in public health, childhood vaccines travel a complicated road from laboratory to provider and patient. From the fall of 2000 until well into 2002, a combination of factors, including market dynamics, legal challenges, and regulatory hurdles, led to a shortage of some childhood vaccines. This paper examines each of these factors, focusing on the important roles of both the public and the private sectors.

What's Happening: November, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

What's Happening: October, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Running On Empty: The State Budget Crisis Worsens, Randy Desonia

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief reviews the status of state budget shortfalls and their growing impact on the Medicaid program. It describes the magnitude of the shortfalls, the forces behind them, and how states have responded with spending cuts and tax increases. It also discusses how long the budget crisis is expected to continue and what budget balancing options remain for fiscal year 2003.

What's Happening: September 25, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

What's Happening: September 11, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Medigap: Prevalence, Premiums, And Opportunities For Reform, Nora Super

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief provides an overview of Medicare's coverage gaps and the primary sources of supplemental coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. It focuses particularly on the Medigap market: the effects of standardization, recent premium trends and rating practices, and options for reform. It considers Medigap within the context of Medicare prescription drug proposals and efforts to reform the entire Medicare program.

What's Happening: August 28, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Expanding Health Coverage For The Uninsured: Fundamentals Of The Tax Credit Option, Beth Fuchs, Julie James

National Health Policy Forum

This paper seeks to provide the basics for understanding the current debate over tax credits as a vehicle for reducing the number of uninsured Americans and focuses attention on some of the associated issues: How is health insurance treated under current tax law? Why tax credits and not deductions? What are the major issues in designing tax credits? Who should be eligible and for what size credit? What changes, if any, would be needed to the insurance market to ensure that policies are available and affordable for people eligible for tax credits? What are the major issues related to administering …

Schip Turns Five: Taking Stock, Moving Ahead, Jennifer Ryan

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief notes the five-year anniversary of the effective date of Title XXI of the Social Security Act, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). It looks at the successes of the program, as well as some of the obstacles SCHIP will face as it moves from childhood into adolescence and attempts to maintain its effectiveness in providing health coverage to uninsured children and families. The paper explores the critical funding impasse created by the downturns in the economy and the financing structure of the SCHIP statute. It also highlights the emerging issue of program retention and the need …

What's Happening: August 14, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

What's Happening: July 31, 2002, Maine Medical Center

What's Happening

No abstract provided.

Federal Child Care Funding For Low-Income Families: How Much Is Needed?, Jane Koppelman

National Health Policy Forum

With reauthorization of the 1996 welfare reform law being debated, this paper looks at the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant and the Child Care and Development Fund — key components of congressional proposals to set a dollar amount for government spending on child care. This issue brief provides background on current child care use, arrangements, and cost, as well as research findings on the measurement of quality in child care programs.