Patient Readiness at Discharge Can Predict Readmission Likeliness
Arkansas Submits Waiver to Tighten Medicaid Eligibility, Impose Work Requirements
A study in 15 European hospitals aimed to analyze the predictability and preventability of being readmitted after discharge. The findings, which were published in BMJ Quality & Safety, revealed that patients, caregivers, and clinicians usually considered different factors relevant in whether readmission was likely or avoidable. However, all agreed that readmission was less likely if the patient reported feeling ready to be discharged during the initial hospital stay. The researchers recommend that physicians ask more questions about the patient’s readiness to go home. Arkansas has submitted a waiver to CMS that would reduce the number of residents by around 60,000 and institute work requirements on beneficiaries. Modern Healthcare reports that the waiver application, called Arkansas Works, would lower the Medicaid eligibility level from 138% to 100% of the federal poverty line, essentially rolling back Medicaid expansion. Governor Asa Hutchinson said the changes would "seek to test innovative approaches to promoting personal responsibility and work.” Other states have submitted similar requests with work requirements, but CMS has not yet approved any.
New CDC Director Criticized Over Obesity Program Sponsored by Coca-Cola
Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, has been director of CDC for less than a week, but some observers are already asking questions about the childhood obesity program she led as Georgia’s public health commissioner in 2012. According to the Washington Post, the program was partially funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation, and focused more on physical exercise than eating a healthy diet and avoiding sugary sodas. When asked for comment, a CDC spokesperson said, “CDC has a focus on scientific integrity and a deep commitment to ethical, innovative partnerships that advance the agency’s lifesaving mission.”
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Survey Results Reveal Potential Factors Slowing the Decline in Cardiovascular Mortality Rate
April 23rd 2024Research indicated that worsened glycemic, blood pressure, and obesity control, as well as increased alcohol consumption, leveled lipid control, and persistent socioeconomic disparities may have contributed to the decelerated cardiovascular mortality decline in recent years.
Read More
Award-Winning Poster Presentations From AMCP 2024
April 23rd 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, multiple poster presentations concerned with health equity, data collection, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and more were acknowledged for their originality, relevance, clarity, bias, and quality.
Read More