Posted by: Kerstin Palombaro
in Health Experts on Mar 22, 2010
There are more than 46.3 million Americans who are uninsured.1 In the five-county region of Southeastern, PA, Philadelphia County has the highest uninsured rate at 14.1%, with the other counties uninsured rates ranging from 5.9% to 8.0.2 Uninsured status is a barrier to accessing and receiving care within the healthcare system.3 Persons of uninsured status often lack access to preventative and wellness screening; are sicker at diagnosis; and have poorer health outcomes than insured persons.4 The healthcare crisis in the United States offers healthcare professionals opportunities to creatively address the needs of the uninsured or underinsured.
Posted by: Caroline Ridgway
in Opinion Blog on Nov 19, 2009
I just stumbled upon a really interesting article published in the Online Journal of Issues of Nursing (under the auspices of the American Nurses Association), and wanted to share it on this forum. The authors (three nurses and one MPH/MBA) set out to discuss how process innovation is crucial to health care practice. It is always invigorating to know that these conversations are happening around the country. The article highlights several specific examples of how innovative practices are being constructed and implemented. There seem to be concentrations of innovative energy in the Boston area, already a hotbed of medical, scientific and health-related activity, as well as within the Kaiser Permanente system. Related, also worth reading is a recent article in the NY Times Magazine about the fascinating work going on at Intermountain Health.
Posted by: Mikaela Levons
in Opinion Blog on Oct 14, 2009
I was taken aback at how difficult it was to gain access to primary health care when I moved to the United States in 2005. Even in the self-described "Health Care City" of New Brunswick, NJ-- home to Johnson & Johnson's headquarters, the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital system & St. Peter's University Hospital-- booking time with a medical doctor in a pinch was always a challenge. Parents who've needed a prescription on a weekend, or desperately wanted to ensure that a cough was 'just a cold,' can surely identify with this experience.
