“Your Healthcare. Your Choice.”

by Shain Waugh

According to the California health care Foundation, there is a new project designed to prevent diabetes-related blindness with the goal of serving 100 clinic and 100,000 patients.

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.

Diabetes is a major health threat in the Central Valley,” according to Veenu Aulakh, M.P.H., CHCF senior program officer. “In addition to some of the highest rates of diabetes in the state, the problem is compounded by high numbers of poor and uninsured patients, a shortage of health providers, and a rural setting that poses transportation obstacles to getting care.”

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. It can cause a number of eye problems, some of which can lead to blindness if not addressed. They include Glaucoma, Cataracts, Diabetic retinopathy. Studies show that regular eye exams and timely treatment of diabetes-related eye problems could prevent up to 90% of diabetes-related blindness.Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious problems. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb. Pregnant women can also get diabetes, called gestational diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy, which includes hemorrhages and lesions in the eye, is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults, with 24,000 diabetics becoming legally blind each year in the United States. But with regular screening to identify those most at risk, blindness can often be prevented. “Half of all patients with diabetes don’t get recommended yearly eye exams,” said Jorge Cuadros, O.D., Ph.D., clinical professor of optometry at UC Berkeley. “The statistic is even worse in poor and rural communities.”

EyePACS

EyePACS, a license-free Web-based software program for capturing and delivering retinal images. The project provides special digital retinal cameras to be used during regular primary care visits at the clinics. The high-resolution retinal photos are transmitted to optometrists and ophthalmologists at UC Berkeley for interpretation, diagnosis, and possible referral to specialists for further treatment.

Clinics are using the retinal images as powerful tools to engage patients in diabetes self-management. “We show patients their own photo, compared with a photo of a healthy eye,” said Noguera. “Diabetes is largely invisible, but this is something tangible that they can see.” CHCF is funding a $1.8 million expansion of this project and recently selected a group of California safety-net and rural clinics as participants in the first wave of expansion.

by Shain Waugh

General Consumer

The cost of health care in the United States of America is continue to rise. With the integration of health retail clinics into the health care community, has saved the general consumer millions of dollar by simply staying out of the emergency room. Most clinics accept insurance, walk-ins, and for simple procedures patients are usually seen within 15 minutes.

The general consumer’s view of healthcare is changing on a globalized scale. The consumer is expecting more information access, embracing globalize medical tourism, better access to medical facilities, and improved customer service. The health care industry has responed strongly to the demands and desired trends of the community by integrating retail health centers in shopping malls, grocery stores, and pharmacies. The availability of such clinics have created a new business market for the general consumer, in turn, empowering the general public decision on healthcare.

Changing the System

In the changing of the systems, the clinic are orchastrated by nurse practitioners, which are nurses with advanced degrees who can write prescriptions. The salary of a nurse practitioners is usually half the cost of an internal medicine physician. The clinics are typically open 7 days a week and patient, 15 minute visit, and prescriptions can be obtained prior to leaving the facility.

Embracing Change

The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which opposes retail clinics as a source of medical care for children of all ages, have issued similar guidelines related to retail clinics. All three organizations are particularly concerned about increased fragmentation of care.

The three association recommends that its 100,000 plus physician to expand office offer, embrace same-day appointment, and take part in the general community in order to compete with the retail clinics. The health systems currently face a few options in embracing retail clinics. The options entail either medical facilities choose not to become competitive or find methods to integrate into the retail clinic arena.

Summing Up

As retail health centers continue to evolve, and as more organizations test the market, multiple clinical and business models will provide health care organizations the opportunity to evaluate alternatives. Rather than viewing retail clinics as a threat, hospital and other medical facilities leaders should view the clinics as revolution for health care.

By Shain Waugh

China’s Emperors

According to ancient history, emperors of great wealth compensated physicians only when the emperors were well, and charge them when sick. The development of illness at this time meant the medicine did not work and the physician was failing at their job. The emperors vision was to remain health at all times regards of the efforts of the physician. In many cases, the influences of the great emperor’s vision exist in an array of universal healthcare system such as England, which the government compensates the physician for the total number of patients that remain healthy (i.e. stopping smoking).

United States

In the United States, the concept of the informed consumer will in turn lead to enhance quality of service within a medical facility. This means that purchaser, consumer, or general public will get better care if the proper care is designed to meets one’s needs and expectations. The vision for the health care industry is that health plans, clinicians, and institutions will provide better care to attract more patients. However, in most cases, the process still doesn’t make a significant difference. (Refer to Right Medical Physician)

What is Health Care Quality?

As a health care provider, there are an array of definitions of health care quality and the definition lye in the perception of the evaluator. There are some cases that good quality involves the wait time to see the doctor, the quality of food within the hospital, doctor response in calling back, type of medication prescribed, number of referrals from other doctors, or the amount of time the doctor spends with the patient.

The quality of healthcare must be evaluated as taking your brand new 2008, red, GMC Arcadia to the dealership to evaluate an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The technicians in the shop are the nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and physical therapists for this vehicle. These people are either friendly or not, knowledgeable or not, license or not, but the true questions is if they can fix the car right the first time or over time with multiple visits.

Oregonian Reports

According to the Oregonian reports, there are an array of hospitals and physician practices that are increasingly releasing cost and quality data, but reports along with surveys illustrate that the data is not yet affecting the consumer decisions The performance ratings remain crude, potentially misleading, and difficult for experts to understand. For example, “Oregon’s hospital quality rating Web site details hospitals’ experience with procedures, but consumers are limited when trying to select a top performer, in large part because mortality ratings for hospitals are similar.” In most cases, a medical facility with a high morality rates doesn’t make the facility a bad, unsafe, and dangerous facility to be admitted.

The reasoning is that most facilities with high morality are trauma centers and/or crisis centers that are best fit to address a critical situation. On the other hand, facilities with low morality isn’t a good indicator as well because many of these facilities push patients out once stabilized. In recent studies, New York and California showed that public reporting barely affected the flow of patients to hospitals with high death rates and that some hospitals with low death rates did not increase their patient flow.

According to studies, “most patients are not aware of quality comparisons and that those who are familiar with them seem distrustful and find them confusing.” The challenge with this quote from the Oregonian reports is that the general public is over load with healthcare information and left without a reliable source of information involving healthcare trends, changes, and helpful information. It’s proven via surveys that patients prefer advice from trusted friends, family, and personal physicians over published data or government sources.

Tying it Up

The health care providers including the U.S. government, insurance companies, and many pharmaceutical are working to improve the quality of healthcare today. However, the challenge will be for the general community to play a strong role in demanding the level of quality for yourself, friends, and family members. According to a 2004 study of 12 large U.S. communities, 54.9% of the people actually received the care the they designed, needed, and researched.

The Oregonian reports are a true indicator of how the U.S. health industry is in an uncontrolled status of confusion. We as a health community are so concerned with rising health cost, large premiums, medical errors, and so forth that we as a community become overwhelmed with unreliable healthcare information. Health information should come from one reliable source regulated by the government in a sense. These are many of the challenge the American people face within the land of opportunity, but the quality health care helps people feel better and enjoy a better quality of life, which is what is most important.

by Shain Waugh

In waving bye to 2007 and welcoming 2008, the presence of 2007 still is fresh in the minds of us all. In looking beyond health care and at the world in general, we have achieved so much as globalized nation. However, we have also lost a great deal as well including our respect as an Americans among other countries, the lost of a great politician in Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, lost for respect for George W. Bush, decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, and lost a great son, daughter, mother, and father in the Iraq war.

For the industry of health care, 2008 will integrate a great deal of technological integrations the will improve patient safety, reduce medical errors, improve physician evaluation process, justify the difference between medical facilities, reduce the shortage of medical professions, and the possibility of universal health care system in U.S.A.

With this in mind, enjoy this new year, be safe, and let’s make 2008 the best year yet.

Happy New Year!