08-10-2012 09:06 John Kennedy, CEO of Autocam (Grand Rapids, MI), is one of the brave business owners fighting back against the HHS Mandate. As a Catholic, the things mandated to be covered within the health care plans that John provides his associates are contrary to John's deeply held religious beliefs. So John, together with CatholicVote, is fighting back. On Monday, October 8th, 2012, John Kennedy, through the Legal Defense Fund, filed suit against the Department of Health and Human Services, and its Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (a Catholic). The purpose of the suit is to compel the court to strike down the mandate as unconstitutional. To find out more about the lawsuit, or how you can help, visit:

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In Good Conscience - Video

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Village Health Partners and HealthTexas Provider Network have collaborated with local consulting firm Mercer on behalf of employers to successfully launch a unique, high-quality primary care model catering to individuals with complex health conditions.

This advanced care program is called CareConnect.Unlike traditional patient-centered medical homes emerging throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, this primary care model matches a very select group of high-performing physicians with chronically ill patients who require salient caring intensive, tailored care.

CareConnect is being used by one national employer with large numbers of employees in Dallas and will be made available to other employers in the Dallas market. The initiative is based on successful programs piloted in other parts of the US, results of which were published by Mercer physician adviser Arnold Milstein, MD, in the policy journal Health Affairs blog (http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2009/10/20/are-higher-value-care-models-replicable/#more-2518).First-year results were dramatic, with a 20% reduction in cost (net of plan expenses), 15% or greater improvements in physical and mental functioning, and a 45% reduction in absenteeism.

The return on investment is remarkable considering that while studies of other, more traditional patient-centered medical homes have also shown gains in quality, savings results have been mixed, said Mercers Eric Bassett, senior partner based in Dallas. This advanced-care approach is extremely promising as a way to improve quality of care, health care status and costs.

What makes this model so effective is that it is driven by physicians and nurses chosen specifically for their ability to deliver better care and to work closely with patients to address their concerns in a highly caring manner. As a result, the care the patients receive through CareConnect from a select panel of primary care physicians is characterized by what has been called salient caring, said Neil Smithline, MD, a Mercer physician consultant who has been instrumental in developing the program.

This is because members of the care team the patients primary care physician and a dedicated personal care nurse who works alongside the physician are chosen because of their ability to provide not only high-quality medical care, but also because they provide the patient with extra caring.

This extra caring means being accessible to the patient through extended evening and weekend hours and virtually via online access. It means using a physician-led team of health care providers to coordinate the care of patients to achieve high-quality outcomes at reasonable costs, added Christopher Crow MD, founder of Village Health Partners.

Major employers are seeking newer and better approaches to caring for their employees with complex or multiple health conditions. Mercer worked with the employer with a large presence in the Dallas area to identify its employees with chronic health conditions. The CareConnect providers Village Health Partners and the HealthTexas Provider Network (HTPN) approached this group of employees to participate in the program, and roughly 40 percent have agreed to do so. Employees must change primary care physicians in some cases, but the primary care physician fee may be waived as one incentive to participation.

CareConnect also dramatically changes physician compensation.Physicians are rewarded for excellent results and for spending additional time with their patients. They are paid an additional fee for the extra care coordination required. They also have the opportunity to receive additional compensation for demonstrated improvement in patient health outcomes.

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Dallas-Area Employers and Local Providers Teaming up with Mercer to Provide Advanced Health Care

DETROIT, Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --More than 23,000 people in Livingston, Washtenaw and Wayne counties can feel even more secure in their health care plan knowing that Blue Cross Complete of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Medicaid HMO, has been ranked the No. 1-rated Medicaid plan in the state by the National Council on Quality Assurance. It also was ranked the number four Medicaid plan in the nation out of 115 Medicaid plans. NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.

"This honor reflects our hard work and commitment to giving our members high quality products and excellent service," said Nancy Wanchik, vice president at BCBSM and CEO of the company's Medicaid program. "We know that these efforts are keys to improving health and controlling overall costs."

In addition to achieving an "Excellent" accreditation and its number-one-in-the-state rating, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan ranks in the top 10 percent of health plans nationally in 15 health measuresincluding comprehensive diabetes care, prenatal and postpartum care, childhood immunizations and advising smokers to quit.

NCQA uses a standard set of criteria, Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures to rank the health plans in important aspects of care such as improving members health and customer satisfaction. Prevention and treatment measures made up 60 of the total score, consumer satisfaction accounted for 25 percent and NCQA accreditation scores made up the remaining 15 percent of NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2012- 2013.

"We continue to find innovative ways to improve care, strengthen our services and keep costs in check, through our partnerships and programs," Wanchik says. "For example, our Healthy Moms and Kids Challenge, which partners medical care groups to improve services from cancer screenings to child wellness visits. Programs like this and others bring real results in improving health and health care in the state."

Where did the NCQA rankings come from?

NCQA's rankings of the nation's Medicaid health insurance plans is based on its combined CAHPS, HEDIS and NCQA Accreditation standards scores.

CAHPS is the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. It is a survey of health plan members' experiences and services received through their health plan.

HEDIS is a collection of performance metrics that measure the services provided by a health plan collected through a review of administrative data (such as claims or laboratory) or medical records.

NCQA Accreditation refers to scores that plans that have achieved on their NCQA's Managed Care Organization, Health Plan or New Health Plan accreditation standards.

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Blue Cross Complete of Michigan is tops in state for service

Maybe the management team at UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has been watching Dancing With the Stars and really liked the samba. The large U.S. insurer just announced plans to acquire Brazil's largest health-care organization, AmilParticipacoes S.A.

Terms of the $4.9 billion deal call for UnitedHealth to conduct two transactions. The first will be to buy the 60% stake currently held by controlling shareholders. The second will be to extend a tender offer to buy 30% more from public shareholders. All of this depends, though, on approval by Brazilian regulators. UnitedHealth expects to gain this approval in fourth quarter this year.

What it meansUnitedHealth was already the largest health insurer in the U.S. ranked by market value. Now, it can lay claim to being the largest health-care organization in all of the Americas.

The move makes sense financially. Brazil represents the largest and fastest-growing market for private health care in Latin America. The country has a growing middle class and boasts a per-capita GDP that's 2.5 times that of China. While 80% of the U.S. population uses managed care, only around 25% of Brazil's population does so.

By scooping up Amil, UnitedHealth gains instant access to a well-established provider network and membership base. Amil currently serves more than 5 million members in Brazil. The company's network includes 44,000 doctors and 3,300 hospitals. Amil owns 22 hospitals and nearly 50 clinics.

Amil's revenue doubled over the last three years to $5 billion. While that's a drop in the bucket compared with the $101.8 billion for UnitedHealth last year, expansion into Latin American markets should lead to higher revenue down the road.

UnitedHealth expects the acquisition to be slightly accretive to 2013 earnings. The company projects that its debt to total capital ratio to rise a little to 36% temporarily but then go back below 35% by mid-2013.

Looking aheadMore international expansion could be the wave of the future for managed-care companies.Cigna (NYSE: CI) maintains a footprint in 30 countries and expanded into India last year through a joint venture.

Aetna (NYSE: AET) had already operated in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East prior to announcing the hire of a general manager to oversee its Americas expansion earlier this year.WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) , on the other hand, doesn't have much of an international presence. The company's expansion plans focus on the U.S. with its announced merger with Amerigroup (NYSE: AGP) .

Regardless of what the competition does, UnitedHealth's acquisition of Amil should prove to be a good move. Investors seem to have given high marks to the news, with shares up around 1% in intraday trading Monday on a day that the overall markets declined.

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Health Care Dances the Samba

State health officials are contacting patients of four healthcare facilities in western, central and southern Ohio to make sure they were not exposed to a potentially contaminated steroid that could cause meningitis.

The Mahoning County Health Department said on Monday they were asked by state officials to contact healthcare providers in the county to be aware of subtle symptoms of fungal meningitis that could stem from an injected steroid used to treat back pain.

All counties have been asked to do so.

"It's kind of a slow-brewing meningitis, so if they present with symptoms of a headache, a severe headache, or fever or stiff neck, that could be associated with having a spinal injection with this prednisone, they they want to follow up," said Mahoning County Health Commissioner Patricia Sweeney.

The Ohio Department of Health said certain medication made by the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass. may be contaminated with a fungus that has caused some patients, including a 65-year-old Ohio man, to develop a rare form of fungal meningitis and stroke.

Officials have not released the county where the man resides in order to protect his identity, a news release said.

The four healthcare facilities that have used the injections are: Marion Pain Clinic and BKC Pain Specialists in Marion, Cincinnati Pain Management and Ortho-Spine Rehab Center in Dublin.

The ODH said the majority of the patients have already been contacted.

Although this type of meningitis does not spread person to person, its still very important for us to make sure every patient who potentially received a tainted drug gets in touch with their healthcare provider, said ODH Director Dr. Ted Wymyslo. The fungal meningitis that could be caused by this injection has very subtle symptoms and these Ohioans need to know what type of health changes could indicate an infection and when to seek treatment.

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Officials Warn Health Care Providers of Meningitis Scare

One of the Dayton areas biggest home health care providers has acquired a primary care practice to expand its services.

Home health agency Black Stone said Monday it acquired Advanced Geriatric Education & Consulting, an area primary care practice that provides home calls. Advanced Geriatric Education is a practice of nurse practitioners that specializes in home-based medical care for the elderly, according to Black Stone.

Black Stone currently offers home care, assisted care and skilled nursing care.

Home care is a rapidly growing segment of Daytons health care industry. Home care companies are growing to meet the demands of an aging population that prefers to stay in their homes as long as possible, and a population thats aging fast. Patient volumes at local home care companies have grown 40 to 60 percent since 2009, a previous Dayton Daily News analysis found.

This is Black Stones 10th acquisition since 2007, but its first acquisition of a company thats not directly in the home care business.

Health care is changing and we want to part of the change, said David Tramontana, Black Stone chief executive officer.

New health care initiatives are focused on cutting costs and improving quality. For example, hospitals Medicare reimbursement rates are now penalized for high readmission rates of patients with certain conditions. Ohio next year will start a new program to coordinate Medicare and Medicaid coverage for people eligible for both programs, typically low income seniors.

Were trying to position Black Stone to be a value proposition for our patients and for those who pay for our services, Tramontana said.

Advanced Geriatrics six employees will join the 1,300 employees company-wide who work at Black Stone. The acquisition price was not disclosed.

Advanced Geriatric, founded in 2008, has offices in Loveland and the Dayton area. The new division with Advanced Geriatric will be called House Calls by Black Stone.

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Black Stone acquires primary care practice

* Despite having access to health care, male veterans report poorer health than men in active duty, men in the National Guard and Reserves, and civilian men. * Men in the National Guard and Reserves were less likely to have health insurance than civilians, veterans or active duty servicemen. * Veterans and active duty servicemen report higher rates of smoking, tobacco use and drinking to excess than civilian men.

Newswise Even with access to health care, male military veterans are in poorer health than men in active military duty, men in the National Guard and Reserves, and civilian men, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study concluded that organizations that serve veterans should increase efforts at preventing poor health behaviors and linking them to health care services.

The findings are from a 2010 survey of 53,000 veterans, 3,700 Guard and Reserve members, 2,000 active duty servicemen and 110,000 civilians. The survey included questions about their health and health behaviors, and their access to health care. A similar study of women veterans, National Guard/Reserve members, active servicewomen and civilians was published earlier this year by the same research team.

"We think our research substantiates claims that veterans bear a disproportionate disease burden," said Katherine D. Hoerster, Ph.D., MPH, a research psychologist at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. Survey results found that veterans were more likely than active duty men to report diabetes. Veterans were more likely to report current smoking and heavy alcohol consumption than men in the National Guard and Reserves and civilian men and a lack of exercise compared to active duty and National Guard and Reserve. National Guard and Reserve men had higher obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (versus active duty and veteran men, active duty men, and civilian men, respectively). Active duty men were more likely to report current smoking and heavy alcohol consumption than civilians and National Guard and Reserves, and reported more smokeless tobacco use than civilians.

While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) addresses these common health concerns, Hoerster noted that only 37 percent of eligible veterans receive care through the VA system of hospitals. In addition, National Guard and Reserve servicemen were found to be the least likely of the groups to have access to health care. The researchers advised that other health care providers need to be aware of the prevalence of these health issues facing Guard and Reserve servicemen and veterans.

The finding that National Guard and Reserve members have poorer access to care should be addressed, Hoerster added. "This is an important military sub-population to target." One factor may be that members of the National Guard and Reserves are not linked up to services provided by the VA as effectively as active duty service members are when they leave the military, she noted. The greater prevalence of heart problems and diabetes reported by these servicemen makes poor access to care even more problematic, she said.

Increased rates of tobacco and alcohol use reported by active duty servicemen can lead to greater health problems for this group in the future, Hoerster said. "Addressing tobacco and alcohol use should also be a top priority."

Other research has suggested that veterans have a higher disease burden because of their military service, said Joy Ilem, deputy national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, an organization that serves veterans and provides assistance in learning about and applying for benefits. However, it is surprising that this study found that veterans have poorer health outcomes and poorer health behavior than other groups given the emphasis that the VA puts on prevention of disease and promotion of a healthy lifestyle, Ilem observed.

"Not all vets have a connection to the VA system, but they may need one in the future," she added. Veterans who have health issues directly related to their service are more likely to use VA facilities and are more likely to be sicker than the overall population of veterans, Ilem added.

TERMS OF USE: This story is protected by copyright. When reproducing any material, including interview excerpts, attribution to the Health Behavior News Service, and part of the Center for Advancing Health, is required. While the information provided in this news story is from the latest peer-reviewed research, it is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment recommendations. For medical questions or concerns, please consult a health care provider.

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Despite Access to Care, Male Veterans in Poorer Health Than Civilian Men

Published: Monday, October 8, 2012, 12:01 a.m.

That is changing rapidly, thanks to VA's commitment to improve women's health services, to hire more gynecologists and other female health specialists, and to close a "gender gap" in preventive health services and screenings, says Dr. Patricia Hayes, chief consultant for Women Health Services for the Veterans Health Administration.

Hayes and her staff have studies and data to show recent gains. They range from patient satisfaction surveys to numbers of staff physicians newly trained to provide for female health needs, and to a new report showing a narrowing of gender disparity in preventive health care screening.

Following a 2008 report on deficiencies in primary care delivery to women, the VA decided to act.

"That really launched us on an overall plan to implement major changes in health care for women (to) make sure every woman veteran gets the right kind of health care," Hayes said. "We recognize that there's been a tremendous influx of women. We have beefed up and accomplished a lot, and we recognize we are still facing a large challenge ahead."

Today, 17 percent of female veterans are enrolled in VA health care vs. 20 percent of male veterans. But women returning from recent conflicts are using the VA in much greater numbers then previous generations.

In an interview, Hayes and Dr. Sally Haskell, acting director for comprehensive women's health, conceded that challenges remain to reach full equality of access and services for women vets, particularly in VA community-based outpatient clinics. But the recent gains have been impressive and will continue, they say.

"They felt unwelcomed and invisible. We are changing that culture," Hayes said.

In 2008, only 33 percent of VA health care facilities offered comprehensive primary care to women. Today, women can get full primary care services at 90 percent of VA's larger hospitals and medical centers and at almost 75 percent of its community-base outpatient clinics, Haskell said.

Four years ago, many female veterans visited VA clinics and were referred to larger hospitals, having then to travel "hours and hours to get basic primary care for things like birth control and (vaginal)infections and getting their mammograms arranged," said Hayes. The number of areas of the country where that's still true have fallen sharply.

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With reforms, more women opt for VA health care