PFCD Blog's blog

Appropriate Use of Medicines to Save Lives and Dollars

October 4, 2012

A new study, “Advancing the Use of Medicines: Applying Levers for Change,” highlights the opportunity to save half a trillion dollars in global healthcare spending a year by supporting the appropriate use of medicines – making sure patients receive and use the right medicine at the right time.  Just as important as the potential economic impact is the impact that the responsible use of medicines can have at a personal level through improved health outcomes.

This Week in Health Care

September 28, 2012

As covered here via an August New York Times article, medical smart phone apps are growing in popularity and will no doubt play a significant role in health and wellness in the coming years…Following suit, Kaiser Health News announced this week that the House of Representatives will soon see the introduction of  the Healthcare Innovation and Marketplace Technologies Act (HIMTA).  The bill, being introduced by Rep. Mike Honda (D/CA 15), would establish an “Office of Mobile Health” within the FDA, a special regulatory arm that would serve to exclusively “provide recommendations on mobile health app issues.

Advancing Solutions and Addressing Cultural Barriers to Prevent and Better Manage Chronic Disease

September 26, 2012

Last Friday, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), in collaboration with WellPoint, proudly participated in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2012 Health Braintrust, an in-depth discussion on effective programs and approaches for addressing health inequities that contribute to the disproportionate impact chronic disease has on communities of color. 

This Week in Health Care

September 21, 2012

With the campaigns in full swing and dominating the headlines, this week included some bright spots on the health care front.

Kaiser Permanente Colorado Drastically Improves Hypertension Control Among Its Members

September 19, 2012

The Sacramento Bee reports that Kaiser Permanente Colorado received recognition from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for strides made in controlling hypertension among its members. Kaiser Permanente Colorado improved the percentage of its members controlling their hypertension from 61 percent in January 2008 to 82.6 percent currently.

This Week in Health Care

September 14, 2012

It was a busy week for health care and one of the most important headlines of the year arrived Friday.  As reported by Kaiser Health News, the impact of mandated budget “sequestrations” on Medicare, in the wake of last year’s Super Committee debt reduction stalemate will come in at roughly $11 billion beginning in January, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.  The cuts would come in the form of reduced reimbursement payments to doctors and providers and are estimated to cost nearly 500,000 jobs within the healthcare sector in just the first year. 

Unnecessary Health Care Expenditures

September 11, 2012

As reported in various sources last week including the Washington Post, the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) recently convened a Committee to explore how health care practitioners and providers can learn from the central challenges facing health care today as a collaborative effort among participants in the first Multi-payer Advanced Primary Care Practice (MAPCP) Demonstration.

This Week in Health Care

September 7, 2012

Kicking off the week, the Department of Health and Human Services marked the beginning of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Tuesday by reminding us all to “to encourage America’s children to develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime.”  As noted in HHS’ release, “Over the past 30 years, the childhood obesity rate in America has almost tripled. According to the CDC, in 2010, approximately 17 percent of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years were already obese.

Controlling High Blood Pressure to Curb a Public Health Crisis

September 5, 2012

USA Today reports on a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control, “Getting Blood Pressure Under Control.” Efforts have been successful at educating the public about the risks of high blood pressure; however, people’s ability to successfully manage the condition is a much different story. Currently, 67 million Americans have high blood pressure, and more than half – 36 million – do not have it under control. 

The Week in Review

September 3, 2012

Most of the news last week was focused on the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Tampa.  The Republican health care platform includes a call to reform Medicare based on a proposal set forth by Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan. They suggest raising the age at which people can receive Medicare; however, the exact age is not specified.  This week’s Democratic National Convention will certainly be the focus of the week’s news, and we’ll keep all of our partners updated on relevant issues, especially associated with the health care platform.

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