Dalhousies nurse scientists connect theory and practice. By investigating issues related to the health needs of people and the factors that influence health, they produce strategies to improve patient care, the health system and nursing practice.

As we mark Nursing Week, here are more examples of exciting research from within the School of Nursing.

Jean Hughes, professor in Dalhousies School of Nursing, once studied at Dal herself as part of the first class to graduate from the four-year nursing baccalaureate program.

Nursing education initially was oriented more toward task, she says. But with the evolution of baccalaureate, masters and PhD education now focuses much more on the development of critical thinking.

Now, Dr. Hughes specializes in mental health in marginalized populations, particularly focusing on young families and youth. She is a past chair of the Dartmouth Family Centre, and currently a member of the board of directors for Laing House as well as an academic mentor for Horizon Healths Peer 126 program two community-based programs for youth with mental illness.

Dr. Hughes worked with the Dartmouth Family Centre to develop the Growing Together program that provides wrap-around health programs to families reluctant to use regular health-care service. This approach that responds to the needs of marginalized families increasingly has been adopted by health services province-wide.

Her latest study, SEAK, in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association-NS Division, is testing a proven mental health promotion program in marginalized populations and examining the long-term effects on health service use and on cost benefits. The PATHS program (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies), designed to build social and emotional skills in elementary school students, is being tested in multiple schools in five Canadian communities, two of which are in Nova Scotia. Trained teachers offer twice-weekly classes that show young children how to communicate their emotions and problem-solve confrontations with others.

Dr. Hughes shares stories of her visits to schools using the PATHS program and describes her delight at seeing children as young as five settle disagreements without tears or tantrums: They were using the teacher as a support system, not as an answer to all their problems.

Researchers will be tracking the success of PATHS students in junior and senior high school and beyond to see whether the program improves participants post-secondary education and career prospects. The study involves students from numerous universities and science and health programs, including research assistants from Dals School of Nursing.

Communication processes are just as important as physical care, says Dr. Hughes. [It is] critical to nurse performance, patient outcomes and the cost of health care.

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Improving health care in Nova Scotia and beyond

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Health care trends in the U.S. have created hot demand for medical-office space, and this bodes well for Healthcare Trust of America .

Because of shifting consumer preferences and limited hospital space, more and more health care procedures that traditionally have been performed in hospitals -- such as surgery -- are now being done at outpatient facilities.

What's more demand for medical-office space is only likely to accelerate in coming years.

In a recent report, Randall Sakamoto, director of research at Rosen Consulting Group, wrote:

Last June, I recommended the shares in the nontraded REIT conversion of Healthcare Trust of America in an article for TheStreet.

At the time, HTA was unlocking around 229.5 million shares in an effort to create liquidity for about 25% of HTA investors. By utilizing a "Dutch auction" tender offer, HTA was entering the public markets and releasing 25% of its shares every six months. Essentially that means that HTA is controlling the demand for the shares while also attempting to lower the volatility within the initial $2.5 billion portfolio.

Now HTA is in the second round of unlocking shares, and the third round of shares (B-2 shares) hits the market in June. HTA plans to unlock all of its shares (the remaining 25%) in December.

Today HTA is trading at an all-time high of $12.85 a share with a market capitalization of around $2.8 billion. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based REIT has been moving up rapidly, especially when compared with the other health care REITs that own MOBs.

HTA is a dominant player in the MOB space with about 90% of its portfolio leased out as MOB-occupied space. The other MOB peers include Healthcare REIT , Senior Housing Properties Trust , Health Care REIT , Ventas , HCP .

Clearly HTA has built a its dominating health care platform on strategic MOB assets:

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Health Care Trust of America Is Good Medicine for Your Portfolio

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Affordable Health Care.....What it #39;s REALLY about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded v=bK62MQ_OIEI.

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Affordable Health Care.....What it's REALLY about - Video

New figures show Capital and Coast DHB has worst access to health care

New figures released by Ministry of Health show that Capital and Coast District Health Board has the worst access to primary health care of any of the major DHBs in the country, said David Choat, Capital and Coast District Health Board member.

The figures show that underfunding is really impacting on service for people living in Wellington, Porirua and Kapiti.

The figures released by the Ministry of Health are based on the 2011/12 New Zealand Health Survey, which involved face-to-face interviews with more than 12,000 adults aged 15 years and over from throughout New Zealand.

While Capital & Coast's results for many of the indicators in the survey are comparable with the rest of the country, the district's results for what the Ministry calls the 'Barriers to Accessing Health Care' category are significantly worse:

Approximately a third (33%) of Capital and Coast residents had experienced unmet need for primary health care in the past 12 months, compared with just over a quarter (27%) for New Zealand as a whole;

Capital & Coast's rate of unmet need was worse than that of any of the other six large DHBs for whom results were reported (Waitemata, Auckland, Counties Manukau,Waikato, Canterbury and Southern);

The population group most likely to experience unmet need in the Capital & Coast district was woman aged 15-24, 44% of whom had experienced unmet need.

The most common form of unmet need was being unable to get appointment with a GP, nurse or other health care worker at their usual medical centre within 24 hours, 21% of Capital and Coast residents had experienced this, compared with 15% for New Zealand as a whole. Capital & Coast had the worst result of the large DHBs, with a rate twice as high as the best performing district, Waitemata (10%).

These findings show that people in our district are unable to access healthcare when they need it. The DHB needs to address this urgently.

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Capital & Coast DHB has worst access to health care

Health Overhaul Benefits 5413.jpg

This application obtained by the Associated Press shows the short form for the new federal Affordable Care Act. The first draft was as mind-numbing as a tax form. Last month, the Obama administration unveiled simplified application forms for health insurance benefits under the federal health care overhaul. The biggest change: a five-page short form that single people can fill out. That total includes a cover page with instructions, and an extra page to fill out if you want to designate someone to help you through the process. (/J. David Ake / Associated Press)

Those whod wish to avoid every possible bump in the road could simply opt to stay put. They might feel safe, free from worry, but theyd quite obviously not be getting anywhere.

When President Barack Obama spoke last week about some anticipated difficulties around implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Obamacare, as it has come to be known the presidents critics immediately seized the moment. Where Obama had spoken of bumps along the road, they talked as though the whole plan was headed for the ditch. Because thats what theyve always wanted.

Most people understand that plans often need to be revised. Even a seemingly straightforward project like remodeling a kitchen is sure to run into unexpected twists and turns before it can be fully realized. Remaking the nations entire health care system was never going to be easy.

The president and his Democratic allies in Congress deserve a world of credit for having accomplished what had been a dream of progressives for close to a century. No one could rationally argue that the new law, much of which will begin to take effect this fall, would be able to be put into place without a hitch.

What to do? Identify the problems and find solutions. As in any project. And dont listen to those who continue to say it cant be done.

The plan that Massachusetts passed into law back in 2006 served as a model for Obamacare and it can do so again now.

The Bay States plan was ambitious, seeking to see that nearly everyone in the commonwealth had health insurance.

While it wasnt a home run in its first trip to the plate, officials didnt just throw up their hands and walk away. They revised it. And then again. And again.

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Editorial: Massachusetts health care plan a model for fixes to Obamacare

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. State officials say thousands of people with medical problems are in danger of losing coverage as the Obama administration winds down one of the earliest programs in the federal health care overhaul. At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program that has turned into a lifeline for the so-called "uninsurables" - people with serious medical conditions who can't get coverage elsewhere. The health care law capped spending on the program, and now money is running out.

WASHINGTON Thousands of people with serious medical problems are in danger of losing coverage under President Barack Obamas health care overhaul because of cost overruns, state officials say.

At risk is the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, a transition program thats become a lifeline for the so-called uninsurables people with serious medical conditions who cant get coverage elsewhere. The program helps bridge the gap for those patients until next year, when under the new law insurance companies will be required to accept people regardless of their medical problems.

In a letter this week to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, state officials said they were blindsided and very disappointed by a federal proposal they contend would shift the risk for cost overruns to states in the waning days of the program. About 100,000 people are currently covered.

We are concerned about what will become of our high risk members access to this decent and affordable coverage, wrote Michael Keough, chairman of the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans. States and local nonprofits administer the program in 27 states, and the federal government runs the remaining plans.

We fear...catastrophic disruption of coverage for these vulnerable individuals, added Keough, who runs North Carolinas program. He warned of large-scale enrollee terminations at this critical transition time.

The crisis is surfacing at a politically awkward time for the Obama administration, which is trying to persuade states to embrace a major expansion of Medicaid under the health care law. One of the main arguments proponents of the expansion are making is that Washington is a reliable financial partner.

The root of the problem is that the federal health care law capped spending on the program at $5 billion, and the money is running out because the beneficiaries turned out to be costlier to care for than expected. Advanced heart disease and cancer are common diagnoses for the group.

Obama did not ask for any additional funding for the program in his latest budget, and a Republican bid to keep the program going by tapping other funds in the health care law failed to win support in the House last week.

Brian Cook, a spokesman for the HHS agency overseeing the health care law, took issue with idea that thousands of people could lose coverage, though he did not elaborate.

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States fear loss of health care aid

ST. LOUIS Severe mistakes happen, even at hospitals that receive high marks from federal health officials. And consumers usually never learn the details of these errors.

In a very small percentage of surgeries, doctors operate on the wrong knee or breast, and in rare cases amputate the wrong body part.

But when a neurosurgeon operates on the wrong side of a persons brain, as happened last month at an SSM Health Care hospital in the St. Louis area, it is a unique event and a medical mistake of the highest order.

A wrong-site surgery on the brain of which only about one a year has been documented since the mid-1960s can rob a person of cognition, emotional strength and ability to interact with others, as well as traumatize and scar a patients family, caregivers and the medical professionals who made the error.

According to national experts, it is usually a signal that the institutions quality control processes systems that are designed to safeguard the lives and limbs of patients are insufficient.

In a public apology issued Tuesday, Chris Howard, president and chief executive of SSM Health Care-St. Louis, admitted that one of the health systems neurosurgeons operated on the wrong side of a 53-year-old womans skull and brain.

This was a breakdown in our procedures, and it absolutely should never have happened, he said.

The case of Regina Turner, a former paralegal who lived in St. Ann, is a significant crisis for not only St. Clare Health Center in Fenton, where the brain surgery took place on April 4, but also for Creve Coeur-based SSM Health Care, a Catholic nonprofit health system that runs 18 hospitals in Missouri and three other states.

The case also points to weaknesses in federal and Missouri law that leave patients as consumers with a limited view of hospital performance. Unless litigation about a hospital error is reported by news media, Missourians rarely learn about these surgical mistakes. And without this data, consumers have less information to help them make choices about medical care.

Missouri is among the minority of states that do not require hospitals to report serious errors and also among those states that do not operate a public database of information about these occurrences. Such events normally remain hidden from public scrutiny.

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Botched brain surgery prompts extensive review at SSM Health Care

Rick Bowmer / AP

Ora Botwinick examines Dahlia Arbella, 5, at the North Portland Health Center in Portland, Ore., on June 18, 2012

Among all the criticisms of President Obamas health care reform law, the most salient may be that the Affordable Care Actfocuses on access to insurance at the expense of cost and quality care. A new set of results from a study on Oregons Medicaid program supports this critique and offers a window into the broader shortcomings of the U.S. health care system.

The results, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that in a randomized controlled trial, the health of Oregonians on Medicaid did not differ significantly from a control group left off the rolls of the public insurance program. Researchers looked at the health of some 12,000 people, measuring their cholesterol and blood-sugar levels, among other factors. The results also indicated that Medicaid enrollees were less prone to depression, less likely to incur catastrophic out-of-pocket health expenses and much more frequent users of health care services. (Study participants were gathered from a group of Oregon residents eligible for Medicaid and put on a waiting list for the program. Those able to enroll in Medicaid were chosen by lottery and compared against those left on the waiting list.)

These findings can tell us many things about American health care. Here are a few:

Preventive care isnt all its cracked up to be. The Oregon study found that people on Medicaid got more preventive care including mammograms, flu shots and Pap smears than those in the uninsured control group. While it might seem logical that heading off and identifying potential health problems early through screening tests and doctor visits will lead to faster, cheaper treatment, the truth is much more complicated. Prevention as a population-based health strategy saves money only if the savings generated by preventing or catching health problems early in some people outweighs the cost of all the doctor visits and screening tests performed on people who are well and dont need treatment. In addition, some screening tests particularly those intended to catch certain cancers early lead to lots of unnecessary harm and false positive tests.

We need more quality control in medicine. The Affordable Care Actincludes programs and funding to add more quality control to health care, but this priority is eclipsed by the laws emphasis on expanding health-insurance coverage, largely through Medicaid. The fact that payments to doctors and hospitals dont depend onhealth outcomes in most cases is an enormous problem. As the Oregon results showed, Medicaid enrollees got more care, in doctors offices in particular, when they had insurance but didnt necessarily have better health. This is partly because their doctors got their Medicaid payments regardless of whether the care they provided was effective.

This leads directly to another insight we can glean from the Oregon results: patients need to be more involved in managing their health. Chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes have a lot to do with weight, diet and adherence to medication regimens,which patients can control. Without a patients commitment to carefully manage these factors, the best and most available doctor on the planet wont make much difference in the overall health of many people. Its hard to think of a way that the government can address this. Revoking insurance for patients who dont take good of themselves would never fly, although the Affordable Care Actdoes allow insurers to charge smokers higher premiums and some corporations offer cash payments or breaks on insurance premiums if workers participate in wellness programs.

Medicaid is not enough. The Medicaid and control groups in the Oregon study are statistically identical in terms of race, age and gender. In addition, everyone in the study was eligible for Medicaid, meaning they were all poor. But as policy experts know, poor people have health risk factors that dont include access to insurance and doctors. Getting on the Medicaid rolls doesnt automatically eliminate factors like lack of education, lack of access to healthy food and household financial strain that can impact health and health management.

Insurance is about health, but its also about money. A major value of comprehensive health insurance is that it protects people from financial ruin if they have a horrible health emergency or an expensive long-term condition that requires treatment. A homeowner living near a river doesnt buy flood insurance to prevent floods or protect his home if a flood occurs. He buys flood insurance so that if his house is destroyed, he will be able to recover financially. This too is a major purpose of health insurance. The latest results from Oregon showed that being on Medicaid nearly eliminated catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenditures. This matters and may be part of the reason earlier results from the ongoing Oregon study indicated that those on Medicaidwere happier.

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Oregon Medicaid Study Points Out Failings of U.S. Health Care

But the prospect is diminishing that governments will be able to meet that demand without significant reforms to the way we provide care and the infusion of a lot more money than taxpayers seem willing to provide to keep afloat the public system as we now know it.

While in opposition, the New Democrats had a lot to say about health care, with specific complaints about the way the Liberals were running the system.

Before he became leader, Adrian Dix was the NDP's health critic.

In his last session of the legislature in that role, Dix grilled the Liberals over a range of health care issues that one might reasonably assume would be part of the NDP's plan to do things differently.

But when the health plank of the NDP's platform was unveiled a couple of weeks ago, it didn't look much different than the promises the Liberals were making and it made no mention of the issue that consumed much of his attention as a critic - the growing role of private clinics.

While in opposition, Dix attacked the government for not doing enough to investigate whether they were in violation of the Canada Health Act and to bring in penalties to prevent extra billing.

He told Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer that he wouldn't allow doctors who worked in private clinics to also work in the public system.

He and other New Democrats also attacked the government for contracting out cleaning and other services in public health facilities.

Given the financial restraints imposed by the promise to cost out and pay for campaign promises, it's not too surprising that the opposition complaints over the amount of money being put into health care didn't translate into promises to pump a lot more money into the system.

Indeed, in the first year of an NDP government, funding for health care is projected to increase by just $24 million. The total increase over three years for promises announced so far is $254 million, a big boost by most standards but a lift that pales in comparison to the $50 billion already scheduled to be consumed in that period with a status quo budget.

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Future of health care is big issue missing from campaign

WARSAW, Ind., May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZMH), a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare, announced that it will be participating in the Deutsche Bank Securities 38th Annual Health Care Conference at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts on May 29, 2013, at 9:20 a.m. Eastern Time.

A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed via Zimmer's Investor Relations website at http://investor.zimmer.com. The webcast will be archived for replay following the conference.

About the Company Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products. Zimmer has operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries. Zimmer's 2012 sales were approximately $4.5 billion. The Company is supported by the efforts of more than 8,500 employees worldwide.

Zimmer Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the orthopaedics industry, management's beliefs and assumptions made by management. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "assumes," "guides," "targets," "forecasts," and "seeks" or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be set forth in our periodic reports. Readers of this document are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since, while we believe the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

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Zimmer Holdings to Present at Deutsche Bank Securities Annual Health Care Conference

Watch President Obama on Syria, Closing Guantanamo, Boston, Health Care and Jason Collins
President Barack Obama suggested Tuesday he #39;d consider military action against Syria if it can be confirmed that President Bashar Assad #39;s government used che...

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Watch President Obama on Syria, Closing Guantanamo, Boston, Health Care and Jason Collins - Video

TALLAHASSEE Lawmakers are likely to return home this week without an agreement on meaningful health care reform, despite the early endorsement of Gov. Rick Scott and the pleas of businesses and hospitals.

With two days remaining in the legislative session, Republicans in the House are no closer to caving on accepting $51 billion in federal health insurance aid.

Democrats are no closer to being recognized as a legitimate partner in talks.

And Scott, who bucked many in his party to support a major health care expansion, is no closer to being seen as an effective advocate.

"We're no closer than we were the first day," Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chris Smith said.

Senate leaders on Wednesday continued to seek flexibility from federal health officials to craft a plan that House Republicans might stomach. But House Republicans seem more entrenched than ever against accepting federal money, and a proposed compromise reported by the Associated Press was quickly downplayed by leaders in both chambers.

The decision by House Democrats to protest a lack of a health care compromise has only emboldened Republicans to hold their ground.

The most likely result nothing gets done.

"I think nothing should probably happen this session, and we take a deep breath and come back and work on it," said Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine.

While Scott early on endorsed a plan to expand Medicaid, and subsequently the federally funded alternative offered by the Senate, House leaders always were an impediment. House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, made it clear on Day 1 of the 60-day lawmaking session when he called Medicaid expansion a "social experiment" that is doomed to fail.

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Sides entrenched, health care deal likely dead

IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (SBRA) will be holding its 2013 first quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, May 2 at 10 am Pacific Time. The dial in number for the conference call is (888) 312-3048 and the participant code is "Sabra." A replay of the call will also be available by dialing (888) 203-1112, passcode 5201862 for 30 days following the call.

ABOUT SABRA

Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (SBRA), a Maryland corporation, operates as a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust (a "REIT") that, through its subsidiaries, owns and invests in real estate serving the healthcare industry. Sabra leases properties to tenants and operators throughout the United States.

The Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=8563

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Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. -- Confirmation of Earnings Call Conference Dial in Number -- Call of May 2, 2013 at 10am ...

BRISTOL, Tenn. Congressmen Morgan Griffith and Phil Roe shared the stage at the Paramount Center Wednesday night to field questions during a town hall event.

Topics given to the two lawmakers during the forum included sequestration, Obamacare, the handling of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi last September and the decision to allow women on the battlefield.

Roe, R-1st, who also has a medical practice in Johnson City, says from the time the Affordable Health Care Act was ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, businesses and individuals have been preparing for the fallout and subsequent insurance rates for planning purposes.

He says the wait will be hard for those in the states that he and Griffith, R-9th, represent, and not because both state governments have rejected the current guidelines for the plan and the federal dollars that come with them.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey taken last month and released on Wednesday showed 42 percent of Americans dont know that the Affordable Health Care Act had been became law, and 58 percent of uninsured citizens dont have enough information to know how the plan works or how it affects them.

It doesnt say a lot about my intelligence, but I read that entire 2,700-page bill (on health care reform). It has 20,000 rules, Roe said. I cannot tell my own employees on Oct. 1 what their insurance is going to cost them and how theyll get it. Thats how confusing this thing is.

Griffith described the situation of a 26-year-old voter who told him about the economic hardship she is facing due to the health care law. The woman is a full-time student and has a full-time job, but because she is working full-time, she can no longer be carried under her familys health insurance plan under the new law, Griffith said.

I can see this plan and this law falling like a house of cards. Something is found to be flawed or stripped away every day, he said.

A retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Bristol, who did not give his name, asked the congressmen if the change in Pentagon policy by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that lifted the ban on women on the front lines of battle could be repealed.

There are physical standards for military service and you dont change those standards, and you let the chips fall. I think the service branches will make those decisions, and I think there is a question if you change those, Roe said.

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Roe, Griffith talk health care during town hall at Paramount

OAK BROOK, Ill., April 30, 2013 /CNW/ - With accreditation of its 500th health care organization, Joint Commission International has solidified its claim as a preeminent global accreditor of health care quality and patient safety.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130429/DC02732LOGO)

Through its accreditation and certification activities, JCI monitors and supports organizations in 53 countries speaking 28 languages.

"We are a community of the world's best health care organizations committed to delivering the best care possible," says Paula Wilson, president and CEO, Joint Commission International.

Since 2008, JCI has experienced an average of 20 percent annual growth in the number of health care organizations it accredits. JCI leadership sees this steady increase as evidence of an accelerating movement toward a worldwide standard of excellence in the delivery of health care services.

A voluntary process, JCI offers accreditation programs for hospitals, clinical laboratories, long term care, home care, medical transport, ambulatory care, primary care, and academic medical centers, and certification for 15 disease- or condition-specific clinical care programs.

Since its beginning in 1994, JCI accreditation has been accepted as a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization's commitment to doing the right things in the right way. JCI's thorough accreditation process focuses on determining whether a health care organization has the right systems and processes in place to support high quality and safe patient care. Accreditation and advisory services are supported by regional offices in Dubai and Singapore.

"Although local needs vary and diverse cultures present unique challenges, JCI stands alone as a beacon for patient safety and quality improvement in the global community," says Paul vanOstenberg, D.D.S., vice president, International Accreditation, Standards and Measurement, Joint Commission International.

JCI is accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), a designation that provides assurance that the standards, surveyor training, and accreditation processes used by JCI meet the highest international principles for accrediting bodies.

For more information about JCI, visit http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org or email jciaccreditation@jcrinc.com.

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JCI Accredits 500th Health Care Organization

This April 10, 2013 file photo shows Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner speaking during a news conference at the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, to discuss the Health Department's fiscal 2014 budget.

Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press

Enlarge photo

WASHINGTON The first draft was as mind-numbing as a tax form. Tuesday the Obama administration unveiled simplified application forms for health insurance benefits coming next year under the federal health care overhaul.

The biggest change: a five-page short form that single people can fill out. That total includes a cover page with instructions, and an extra page to fill out if you want to designate someone to help you through the process.

But the application form for families still runs to 12 pages, although most households will not have to fill out each and every page.

The paperwork takes on added importance because Americans remain confused about what President Barack Obama's health care overhaul will mean for them. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday found that 4 in 10 are unaware it's the law of the land. Some think it's been repealed by Congress, but in fact, it's still on track.

At his news conference Tuesday, Obama hailed the simplified forms as an example of how his team listened to criticism from consumer groups and made a fix. The law's benefits will be available to all Americans, he emphasized, even if Republicans in Congress still insist on repeal, and many GOP governors won't help put it into place.

When the first draft of the application turned out to be a clunker, "immediately, everybody sat around the table and said, 'Well, this is too long, especially...in this age of the Internet,'" Obama recounted. "'People aren't going to have the patience to sit there for hours on end. Let's streamline this thing.'"

His administration is open to making improvements, Obama added: "Those kinds of refinements, we're going to be working on."

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Obama administration simplifies health care form

Starting next year, nearly 5 million uninsured Californians will suddenly have health coverage, due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

Sounds great, right? But having insurance doesn't guarantee Californians can actually get care - not if there is a shortage of caregivers.

That's exactly the situation the state faces in 2014. Even now California doesn't have enough primary care physicians. Forty-two of its 58 counties fall short of the federal government's most basic standard.

The California Medical Association wants to build more medical schools and expand opportunities for young doctors. That's a smart plan. But that's not going to be much help to the millions who go looking for a doctor next year and can't find one. Training a doctor takes a decade. That's a long time for a patient to sit in a waiting room.

The chairman of the state Senate Health Committee, Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, has a good idea to help bridge the gap.

A practicing optometrist, he wants to expand the ability of nurse practitioners and other professionals such as pharmacists and optometrists to help treat patients with primary care. Their work would be limited to what they're already qualified to do but often not allowed to do. Changing the rules so that these health care professionals can provide direct service would make better use of their skills and provide at least some care for

Seventeen other states, including Washington, Oregon and Colorado, have expanded the scope of nurse practitioners. Doctors predicted a surge in medical errors, but studies have not found this.

The Institutes of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, has recommended for years that nurses should play a larger role in diagnosing and treating patients and in helping to manage chronic diseases.

California already has about 17,000 nurse practitioners. They can be trained more quickly than doctors and at considerably less expense.

Hernandez's legislation, a package of three bills - SB 491, SB 492 and SB 493 - comes up for its first committee hearing Monday in the senate's Business, Professions and Economic Development committee. It's going to be a fight, because the CMA, which represents the state's doctors, is opposed. The association will argue that patient safety will be compromised.

Originally posted here:

Editorial: Bills the right prescription for California's health care provider gap

Photo by Igor Kopelnitsky/inxart.com

I do not have a crystal ball, just educated speculation. The Affordable Health care Act, Obamacare, will redefine health care delivery in the United States.

The intent was to provide high quality health care for all Americans, but the unintended consequences may lower quality of care, increase costs and simultaneously bankrupt the system.

Highly educated lawyers and politicians wrote the health care bill. Every word was carefully chosen and scrutinized. The bill was never intended to improve health care. It was specifically designed, with full intent, to facilitate complete government control over the health care system, whatever the cost.

The bill was designed to force people into the ever-expanding Medicaid program, which will in turn become the single-payer National Healthcare Program for all Americans.

We are now experiencing the following consequences of Obamacare:

n The demise of the independent practitioner. Obamacare does not allow for the small independent practitioner. Rules and regulations are so complex that only large groups, corporate medical institutions and hospitals will be able to comply.

The independent personal physicians will not have the financial resources to hire all the administrative personnel to comply with Obamacare mandates.

n Your local physician will be driven out of practice. This was done on purpose. Our government feels the independent practitioner is hard to control. By forcing them out of business the patients will have to go to large institutions.

These institutions will be fully under the control of the federal government by mandated rules and regulations. The government will determine which services you get and more importantly, which services you will not receive. Essentially, total government control of the system independent of the physician.

Read the rest here:

Michael T. Jamison: Our health care future