LocumLife - August 2008 - (Page 5)

INSIGHTS Stat! News locum tenens physicians can use IN BRIEF… Congress overrides president’s veto of HR 6331 Congress recently overturned HR 6331 within hours after the president vetoed the bill by a margin of 70-26 in the Senate and a 383-41 vote in the House.The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act reverses a 10.6% scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians for the next 18 months. Becoming law on July 15, the measure bumps up payments 0.5% as of July 1 with an increase of 1.1% in 2009.The bill also includes a $2 billion package that will help provide greater access to healthcare for rural America. Another provision of this bipartisan legislation provides financial incentives for physicians who prescribe drugs electronically. Presently, only 6% of doctors use e-prescribing technology, which is thought to improve efficiency and reduce errors. In fact, more than 70% of U.S. pharmacies are equipped to process e-prescriptions. To offset the costs of implementing special software applications, e-prescribing doctors will receive Medicare bonuses of 2% in 2009 and 2010, 1% in 2011 and 2012, and 0.5% in 2013. However, the bill also penalizes physicians who do not e-prescribe, charging them incremental fees. Study finds investment in disease prevention could save money A recent study conducted by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) indicated that planned investment in the prevention of disease could lead to considerable savings in U.S. healthcare costs. According to the report, Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities, investing $10 per person per year in well-organized community-based programs that are geared toward promoting good health could save the country more than $16 billion annually in 5 years. Of this amount, Medicare could benefit by more than $5 billion, Medicaid could save more than $1.9 billion, and private payers could save more than $9 billion. “Health care costs are crippling the U.S. economy. Keeping Americans healthier is one of the most important, but overlooked ways we could reduce these costs,” said Jeff Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “This study shows that with a strategic investment in effective, evidence-based disease prevention programs, we could see tremendous returns in less than 5 years—sparing millions of people from serious diseases and saving billions of dollars.” The report looked at programs that offered increased access to affordable nutritious foods, the addition of community sidewalks and parks to promote exercise, and the raising of tobacco tax rates to help prevent smoking. Past evidence-based studies also have shown that employing such health-saving methods lowers rates of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure by 5% in 2 years; decreases heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke by 5% in 5 years; and reduces some forms of cancer, arthritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 2.5% within 10 to 20 years. Locum tenens professionals can contribute toward a healthier America by volunteering at local preventive care events, such as free blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol screenings. A full report of national savings estimates and findings is available at www.healthyamericans.org. DID YOU KNOW… TOP 10 OBESE STATES 1. Mississippi 2. Alabama 3. Tennessee 4. Louisiana 5. West Virginia 6. Arkansas 7. South Carolina 8. Georgia 9. Oklahoma 10. Texas 32.0% 30.3% 30.1% 29.8% 29.5% 28.7% 28.4% 28.2% 28.1% 28.1% BOOKSHELF Stroke: Practical Management, 3rd Edition Charles P. Warlow, Jan van Gijn, Martin S. Dennis, Joanna M. Wardlaw, John M. Bamford, Graeme J. Hankey, Peter A.G. Sandercock, Gabriel Rinkel, Peter Langhorne, Cathie Sudlow, Peter Rothwell (2008/1,008 pages/$239.96/Hardcover/ISBN: 978-1-4051-2766-0/Wiley-Blackwell) Using an evidence-based approach, the authors offer a comprehensive reference manual on the clinical management of stroke and cerebrovascular disease. In a clear style, the text covers the causation, presentation, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of stroke as well as specific treatments and interventions. New to the third edition are sections on the use of statins, the preventive effect of lowering blood pressure, an update on imaging, and the latest advances in interventional radiology. Available from www.amazon.com. LocumLife 5 Source: CNN. (2008, July 17). CDC survey: South leads nation in obesity. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://www.cnn.com/2008/ HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/17/obesity.states.ap/index.html. www.LocumLife.com AUGUST 2008 http://www.healthyamericans.org http://www.amazon.com http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/17/obesity.states.ap/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/17/obesity.states.ap/index.html http://www.LocumLife.com

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LocumLife - August 2008

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