Blogs

Last Week in Health Care

May 15, 2012

As was reported in a blog post from PFCD Chairman Ken Thorpe last week, a new study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine presented at the CDC’s Weight of the Nation conference projects that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030. 

Obesity Projections for 2030 Demand Solutions to Control Chronic Diseases and Health Care Spending

May 10, 2012

A new study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine presented at the CDC’s Weight of the Nation conference projects that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030.  This projection is in line with the findings of my 2009 study that showed that a large portion of the increase in health care spending is attributable to obesity.

PFCD Hill Roundtable Welcomed Rep. Karen Bass, Explored IBM Watson Technology as Health Care Innovation

May 2, 2012

Last Friday, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) hosted “IBM Watson: Learning Machines Advancing Health Care Innovations”, as the first in our four-part 2012 “Partnerships in Health” series in conjunction with WellPoint.  The discussion focused on analyzing how modern technology, such as that from IBM Watson, is improving health care decision-making, especially in the diagnosis and treatment of complex medical conditions such as cancer and other chronic diseases.

Medicare Trustees Release Annual Report

April 26, 2012

This week the Board of Trustees for Medicare released their annual report on the financial operations and long-term outlook of the Medicare program, among others.  The report offered the same anticipated time frame as last year’s findings – the Medicare trust fund will be “exhausted” by 2024.  Monday’s news ignited a frenzy of debate among interested parties, with the Administration pointing to improvements in the program’s outlook thanks to provisions in the Affordable Care Act, while others leveraged it as validated rationale for reforming the program altogether.  Regardless of party lines, this fact holds true – in order to truly bend the cost curve and improve the outlook of our health care system, we must collectively focus on tackling the number one health care cost driver– chronic disease. 

Health Care Industry Leaders Weigh In on Improving Health and Health Care System

April 23, 2012

Last week, the Wall Street Journal’s “Health Blog” touted a new study from researchers at PFCD partner Healthways showing that a focus on well-being and quality-of-life issues could lead to improved health care outcomes and a reduction in health care costs.  According to the WSJ summary of the study, which is published in the latest issue of Population Health Management, respondents from one health plan with low scores in well-being assessment had 2.7 times the median annual health expenditures than individuals with high well-being. What’s more is that prescription drug costs were three times higher for individuals with low well-being compared with the high-well-being group.

Lack of Sleep Increases Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

April 20, 2012

Poor health outcomes – namely higher blood pressure and being overweight – have traditionally been linked to lack of adequate sleep. However, a new study out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital shows that insufficient sleep is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. The study was conducted over roughly four weeks with participants getting 10 hours of sleep per night the first six nights. The last three weeks, each participant only slept for 5.6 hours per night.

PFCD and Chronic Disease in the News This Week

 

April 16, 2012

Our lead in this week’s roundup of relevant news from last week spotlights comments made by Ken Thorpe, Ph.D., chair of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, in a Wall Street Journal article that focused on Tuesday’s Institute of Medicine report proposing a new tax on medical care that would finance improvements to public-health services in the U.S.

Working Together to Improve Health Outcomes While Saving Money

April 16, 2012

Recently, the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation launched Choosing Wisely, an initiative designed to encourage physicians (and their patients) to reconsider their use of 45 common medical screenings and procedures that are overused. In doing so, Choosing Wisely hopes to reduce some of the waste in the health care system, as some experts assert that one-third of the $2 trillion in annual healthcare spending is spent on unnecessary procedures, treatments and hospitalizations.

Last Week in Health Care

April 11, 2012

A Congressional recess and a reprieve of activity following the Supreme Court hearings (on the ACA) made for a fairly quiet week in Washington, DC. President Obama took some heat, however, last week after seeming to question the Supreme Court’s review of the ACA.

Investing in Personal Health

April 9, 2012

This week marks National Public Health Week and World Health Day (April 7), and also kicks off a month full of national health observances aimed at increasing awareness about the critical importance of better managing one’s health to help prevent future complications. April’s being Cancer Control Month, Defeat Diabetes Month and Physical Wellness Month brings a timely reminder to renew our commitment to improved health, especially for the millions of us at high risk of developing a chronic disease. 

Syndicate content