We are pleased to have Dianne Patterson, VP for Public Relations at Family Planning Advocates of NYS, as a guest blogger today!

National Women’s Health Week (May 13-19) is a time for women to prioritize their health! During this week, women are encouraged to do themselves a favor by scheduling preventive, live-saving checkups including breast cancer screenings, pelvic exams, and, if recommended, a Pap test.

Women should talk with their health care providers about what their checkup should include but a checklist to help start the conversation is available at www.plannedparenthood.tumblr.com.

Women’s Health Week is a great time for women to remember the importance of their own reproductive health including testing for STDs and birth control options. It is also a time to take additional steps to improve physical and mental health by getting enough sleep, eating right and exercising enough.

-Jaime Venditti, 5/16/12

Today, a new report was released in Albany on the development and economic value of New York’s bioscience industry.  Leaders from the state’s business, academic and advocacy sectors were in attendance, including Heather Briccetti, President and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, Kathleen Arntsen, President and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of Mid and Northern New York and Yacov Shamash, Vice President for Economic Development and the Sciences at Stony Brook University, representing SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher.

The report can be found here.

New York’s bioscience industry provides 250,000 jobs, generates $309 million in personal state income tax and over $5.63 billion in wages per year.  The State’s bio power attracts hundreds of millions of federal research dollars, including over $560 million from the Centers for Disease Control and over $490 million from the National Science Foundation.  Yet, New York can do more to expand this industry.

The report makes the following recommendations: The establishment of a Governor’s Council to help integrate the state’s public sector with biopharma and to create a marketing campaign for use within the state and beyond our borders, regarding the benefits of conducting business in New York.  Secondly, the report recommends an infusion of financial resources for bioscience companies, including matching grants and dedicated funding streams.  The industry would also benefit from an increase in the amount of affordable incubator and lab space for early-stage and startup companies.  These recommendations were derived from the input of CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, academic institutions and state agencies.

Bioscience is a highly competitive industry, where states vie for the privilege of having companies operate within their borders.  States know that bioscience development leads to new construction, increases in brain power, clinical trials, marketing, sales, legal and financial jobs as well as ancillary benefits such as boosting local economies through the demand for more services.  We hope that New York does more to make the environment user-friendly for this industry.  There’s no downside; only benefits to the state’s economy and its consumers.

-Jaime Venditti, 5/10/12

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of The National Academy has just released its report titled Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation.

According to the IOM report, two-thirds of adults and almost one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese.  This affects people living in all geographies and among majority and minority populations.  Yet, obesity risks are disproportionately higher among minority, low-income, less educated and rural populations.  Illnesses related to obesity are estimated to cost $190.2 billion ever year.

How did we get here?  The problem has been coming on for decades.  Our physical activity level is dramatically different from our ancestors.  Physical labor was the norm and it’s been largely replaced by office work.  When we can, we hire others to do physical chores at home, such as housecleaning and lawn mowing.  We drive everywhere.  We’ve become a nation of roads, not sidewalks.  Our food is different, with a heavy emphasis and availability of cheap, easy to prepare, overly-processed food that is laden with ‘bad’ calories.  Kids and adults spend copious amounts of free time in sedentary activities, like lounging in front of televisions and computers.

IOM recommendations include making physical activity the norm instead of the exception; creating more healthy food and drink environments; better messaging around food and exercise; better integration of health care providers, employers and insurers in making the nation healthier; and, an emphasis on the role of schools in behavior change.

Although laudable in scope, we’ve heard these ideas before.  Success will require solid commitments and resources, both of which have been lacking thus far.  This is particularly true in many of our nation’s schools, where exercise is hard to come by and there aren’t sufficient resources available for school meal programs to purchase the healthy foods kids should be consuming.

Let’s hope that the nation’s policymakers make the fight against obesity a real priority, fast.  Otherwise, it could take longer to get out of this epidemic than it took to get in.

As a side note, HBO, who worked closely with the IOM, will air The Weight of the Nation on May 14 and 15.  To learn more about this documentary, go here.

HBO will be making this available on its website for non-subscribers.  A companion book can be purchased here and at Amazon.

-Jaime Venditti, 5/10/12

We are pleased to welcome the Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters as a guest blogger! Join the group at the State Capitol on May 16 to help end Alzheimer’s disease. 

New York State is home to the fourth largest number of people in the United States with Alzheimer’s disease.  In 2010, an estimated 320,000 people age 65 and older in New York had Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia. By 2025, that figure is expected to reach 350,000.

Without a way to cure, prevent or slow Alzheimer’s disease, education and early detection are essential strategies to address this growing crisis. The sooner a diagnosis can be made, the better the opportunities are for treatment and for involving the patients in care planning while they are still able to participate.

Education and early detection are central to the recommendations released this week by the state’s Coordinating Council for Services Related to Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. The Coordinating Council, which crafted the state’s Alzheimer’s plan, issued its first report in 2009 and provides updated recommendations every two years.

The Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters is looking forward to engaging Governor Cuomo, the Legislature and the State Department of Health in efforts to ensure that:

• All people older than 65 (or those who are younger and exhibit one or more of the 10 Warning Signs) get cognitive screening as part of regular primary care, emergency care and any hospitalization.
• Primary care providers, emergency department staff and other health professionals get appropriate training.
• Education materials are created and targeted to the different audiences that need to know about Alzheimer’s disease.
• A public education campaign coordinated by the Department of Health and other state agencies is launched.
• Advance care planning is emphasized by health care providers for patients and family members to identify patients’ wishes early in the disease process.

The Council’s recommendations can help position New York State to tackle the growing impact and costs of Alzheimer’s. New York’s lawmakers must act now to support and protect the individuals and families who are facing this devastating disease.

- By Catherine James and Elaine Sproat, Co-Chairs of the Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters

-Jaime Venditti, 5/4/12

The World Health Organization and other organizations released a report yesterday on global premature births. The U.S. ranking matches that of developing countries. In fact, the U.S. rate has increased by 30% since 1981 and the reasons are unclear.

You can view the entire report  here and read the New York Times article at here.

European countries fare much better than the U.S., and Japan and Scandinavian countries perform considerably better. Out of 4.3 million live annual U.S. births, 12.03% are premature, with deaths from complications pegged at 5,800 per year. 15 countries account for two-thirds of the world’s pre-term births, with the U.S. ranked sixth in this group.

Some reasons to explain our poor rates of premature births are the high number of teenage pregnancies and women over 35 who give birth, particularly those with pregnancies that result in multiple births. Other uniquely American characteristics are our high rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking. Lack of health insurance coverage is another factor in premature births. While the U.S. numbers are similar to developing countries, underlying reasons are different. For example, developing countries have higher rates of pregnancies in younger adolescent populations and complications, such as infections, are more common.

However, these reasons do not fully explain the American experience. Even countries with similar rates of risk factors have lower rates of premature births. Hopefully, this report will spur further study of problem in the U.S.

-Jaime Venditti, 5/3/12

Hepatitis is a hidden epidemic affecting 3.5-5.3 million people in the United States. And 65-75% of infected Americans are unaware of their infection because Hepatitis does not show symptons for decades. This makes it all the more important for baby boomers and at-risk populations to get tested immediately.

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month and there are a number of events, fundraisers, testing and educational opportunities for New Yorkers to participate in to help raise awareness about this deadly disease.

Check out this document, which contains information on all of these activities that are occurring throughout the state and through the month of May.

Help New York Health Works and our partners end this public health epidemic by promoting Hepatitis educational awareness and encouraging individuals to get tested and treated.

-Jaime Venditti, 5/1/12

Reducing the growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending is a key public policy priority. Achieving this objective requires a clear understanding of the drivers of rising health care spending. In the Medicaid program, 83 percent of total spending is associated with chronically ill patients. Moreover, a substantial share of the growth in spending is traced to rising rates of chronic health care conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.  In light of these facts, successful public policies need to design effective prevention interventions to reduce the growth in chronic disease and provide evidence-based care coordination to keep patients with chronic disease healthy. Medical management of chronically ill patients requires effective primary care and appropriate medication management.

One of the more vulnerable populations, the health of Medicaid patients is at a greater risk when barriers to access are introduced especially when compared to the general population. Administrative barriers, typically imposed as a way to save money, make it more difficult for Medicaid patients to access proper medication and can result in a patient’s failure to take their medicine at all. Non-adherence is a dangerous and very expensive side effect of barriers to access. Indeed, academic studies have found that limiting the number of prescriptions among chronically ill patients with high blood pressure, diabetes among others reduced drug spending but increased spending on hospital care, emergency rooms and clinics.  Moreover, such limits can reduce the overall quality of care provided.

We need to redouble our efforts to slow the growth in entitlement spending. However, we need to match our policy interventions with the factors driving the level and growth in spending—rising rates of largely preventable chronic disease.

Reducing spending in the Medicaid program will require two effective policies – one that reduces the number of chronically ill patients through evidence-based prevention programs, and one with effective team-based care coordination that keeps chronically ill patients healthy and out of the hospitals, ER and clinics.  Financially, chronic diseases account for both 84 cents of every dollar spent on health care and 83 percent of spending in the Medicaid program.  Even more importantly, chronic diseases are responsible for seven out of ten deaths and affect more than 130 million Americans. Through the adoption of thoughtful and strategic public policies, our elected officials can be instrumental in moving our current “sick care” system to that of a true health care system.

-By Ken Thorpe, Executive Director of Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

On Thursday, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order to create New York’s Health Benefit Exchange. Legislation establishing the Exchange had been included in the Governor’s Executive Budget proposal but had fallen off the table during budget negotiations.

Governor Cuomo emphasized that the state would rely on federal financing to set up the exchange and has already received $88 million in federal grants to plan for its health exchange. According to the Executive Order, individuals and small businesses purchasing coverage through the exchange can tap up to $2.6 billion in federal tax credits and subsidies. The Exchange’s deadline to start operating is Jan. 1, 2014.

The Executive Order will set up the exchange within the State Health Department, rather than as a separate state entity. The Executive Order allows for regional advisory committees consisting of consumer advocates, small business consumer representatives, health care providers, agents, brokers, insurers, labor organizations, and any other appropriate stakeholders to advise and make recommendations on the establishment and operation of the Exchange, including recommendations about relevant regional factors. The advisory committees will also provide opportunities for public input. To read more go here.

-Jaime Venditti, 4/13/12

Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicare’s Shared Savings Program offers financial incentives for physicians, hospitals and other health care providers to join together to form accountable care organizations (ACOs). ACOs are designed to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries and contain increasing costs by changing payment incentives for doctors and hospitals.

Instead of getting paid for each service, ACOs reward providers that are able to manage chronic disease and meet certain quality measures, including reducing hospital admissions and emergency room visits. If the ACO improves care while containing costs, the partners in the ACO can share in the savings. Kaiser Health News has published a useful  “Frequently Asked Questions” guide to ACOs that can be accessed here.

Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that 27 health systems have been approved as ACOs. The new ACOs will serve an estimated 375,000 beneficiaries in 18 states.  In New York, the groups are the Accountable Care Coalition of Mount Kisco; the Accountable Care Coalition of the North Country; the Chinese Community ACO; the CIPA Western New York IPA; and the Crystal Run Healthcare ACO.

The approval of the new ACOs brings the total number of approved ACOs organizations participating in Medicare shared savings initiatives on April 1st to 65. This includes the 32 Pioneer Model ACOs that were announced in December, and the six Physician Group Practice Transition Demonstration organizations that started in January 2011.  In all, as of April 1st, more than 1.1 million beneficiaries are receiving care from providers participating in Medicare shared savings initiatives.  CMS is reviewing another 150 applications from additional ACOs seeking to enter the program in July.

-Jaime Venditti, 4/12/12

April is National STD Awareness Month, an annual occurrence to raise public awareness about the impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the importance of preventing, testing for and treating STDs.  Since 2009, Planned Parenthood has supported National STD Awareness Month as a partner in the GYT (Get Yourself Tested) Campaign to promote STD prevention and testing among young people.  However, age offers no protection against STDs.  Rates of STDs have doubled for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s over the past decade, and safe sex awareness among older adults and its promotion is lacking, according to a recent report in the Student British Medical Journal.

According to the CDC, there were 885 reported cases of syphilis in 45 to 64 year olds in 2000, while in 2010, there were more than 2,500 reported cases.  In 2000, there were 6,700 cases of chlamydia in this age group, and the number skyrocketed to more than 19,000 by 2010.  Researchers say it’s hard to know exactly why STD rates are on the rise among older people, mostly because there’s been so little research on the sex lives of older adults.  Biological changes and the popularity of drugs like Viagra may be contributing to the rise.  For example, postmenopausal changes to vaginal tissue, such as decreased lubrication, make older women more vulnerable to infections.  In addition, older adults are less likely to use condoms because they may not view STDs as a risk.

What can you do? No matter your age, get tested. Visit the Family Planning Advocates website to find a family planning health center near you.

-M. Tracey Brooks, President & CEO of Family Planning Advocates, 4/4/12