Thomson Reuters Paper Charts Course to Eliminating $3.6 Trillion in Healthcare Waste in a Decade

14 Jun 2010 07:00 Africa/Lagos


Thomson Reuters Paper Charts Course to Eliminating $3.6 Trillion in Healthcare Waste in a Decade

ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. healthcare industry can eliminate $3.6 trillion in healthcare waste over the next 10 years by addressing a series of operational inefficiencies, according to a white paper published today by Thomson Reuters.


The report analyzes the country's leading public and private sector efforts to reduce waste in the healthcare system and identifies five proven strategies that have been deployed in the real world to cut costs and improve patient care.


"Last year, we published a report concluding that the U.S. healthcare system wastes $700 billion a year," said Bob Kelley, vice president for healthcare analytics at Thomson Reuters and co-author of the paper released today. "This new report describes a possible path for significantly reducing that waste."


By systematically incorporating these best practices into the organizational structure of the healthcare industry, the new paper says, it's possible to cut waste 5 percent per year. Over 10 years, that would add up to $3.6 trillion and keep total healthcare expenditures at their current rate of about 17 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). Among the strategies outlined in the paper are the following:


-- Engage Consumers: By engaging the public in discussions with their
caregivers regarding the value and risk of specific treatment options,
it is possible to dramatically reduce money spent for unnecessary
treatments.

-- Coordinate Care: Healthcare providers lacking access to patients'
medical records leads to the duplication of tests and inappropriate
treatments that are estimated to cost up to $50 billion annually.
Simple incentives have made a significant difference in the
implementation of electronic records in several healthcare systems.

-- Manage Disease and Maintain Wellness: This strategy ensures that
patients are actively engaged, along with their clinicians, in
managing their own health through attention to personal behavior,
disease prevention, early detection and appropriate care for chronic
diseases.

-- Design for Patient Safety and Quality: Preventable medical errors
account for $50 billion to $100 billion in annual healthcare spending.
By implementing a simple checklist approach based on evidence-based
best practices, several healthcare systems have improved patient
outcomes and reduced costs.

-- Reduce Opportunities for Fraud: In 2007, when the U.S. spent roughly
$2.3 trillion on healthcare, fraud was estimated to account for as
much as 5 to 10 percent of healthcare spending, according to a report
published by the George Washington University School of Public Health
and Health Services. Computerized systems that track data anomalies to
identify fraud and breaches in payment integrity have been proven to
stem these costs in several state Medicaid programs.


"We started with a premise that RAND Health researchers put forth in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine -- it is reasonable to set a goal of constraining healthcare spending to its current share of the GDP," said Ray Fabius, M.D., chief medical officer at Thomson Reuters and co-author of the white paper. "Then we investigated initiatives that have successfully reduced healthcare costs without sacrificing quality -- real-world examples of what's possible -- and in some cases estimated the savings if they were widely replicated.


"The result, detailed in this paper, is one path for reaching this goal over the next decade."


The study can be downloaded at www.factsforhealthcare.com. (A simple registration is required.)


Thomson Reuters


Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.


Source: Thomson Reuters

CONTACT: David Wilkins, Director, Public Relations, Healthcare &
Science, +1-734-913-3397, david.wilkins@thomsonreuters.com


Web Site: http://www.thomsonreuters.com/


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Nurse Practitioners to Patients: Can We Talk?

10 Mar 2010 13:05 Africa/Lagos


Nurse Practitioners to Patients: Can We Talk?

New Survey Shows NPs Want to Educate Patients About Dietary Supplement Usage

WASHINGTON, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-five percent of nurse practitioners agree that one of the roles of healthcare professionals is to provide their patients with information about dietary supplements, according to new research from the "Life...supplemented" 2009 Healthcare Professionals (HCP) Impact Study.


"Supplements can be overlooked, but they shouldn't be," says Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP with Women's Physicians in Mountain View, Calif. and advisor to the "Life...supplemented" program. "Nurse practitioners are very interested in integrative healthcare options, looking at the overall wellness picture, and figuring out how we focus on health maintenance and preventive approaches. I recommend my patients start with the basics: eat right, incorporate vitamins and other supplements, and exercise regularly."


Nurse Dehn is not alone. According to the study, nurse practitioners are personally incorporating the three pillars of health into their own lives: 84 percent said they try to eat a balanced diet, 95 percent take dietary supplements, and 64 percent exercise regularly.


Ninety-six percent of nurse practitioners recommend supplements, and their reasons are varied--most often for bone health (63 percent recommend for this reason), overall health and wellness (47 percent) and to fill nutrition gaps (44 percent).


Not only are they recommending supplements to their patients, but they're talking about them. Eighty-one percent of nurse practitioners personally inquire about which supplements patients are taking (and only three percent state that no one in the practice inquires about supplements). When asked who brings up the subject of supplements most often, 55 percent of nurse practitioners say they personally ask, with 28 percent crediting nurse practitioners and patients equally, and only 17 percent crediting solely the patient.


Eighty-three percent of nurse practitioners say their patients are generally comfortable telling them about their supplement usage, but a smaller percentage (70 percent) feel their patients are generally honest and forthcoming about their use of dietary supplements.


"That dynamic has to change," says Nurse Barb, of the latter statistic. "I hope that patients know how open we are to hearing about their supplement use, especially if they're on medications. This is so we can ensure they're aware of potential interactions with their drugs, but equally as important, so we can help address any nutrient depletions caused by medications. At the same time, nurse practitioners, doctors, and all healthcare professionals have to do a better job being open to listening to patients when it comes to supplements. These are mainstream products, and it's our job to help our patients figure out which supplements best meet their individual needs."


So which supplements are nurse practitioners taking? Some examples include: multivitamins (79 percent) and calcium (63 percent); specialty supplements, such as Omega 3/fish oil (48 percent) and glucosamine/chondroitin (18 percent): and herbals/botanicals, such as green tea (23 percent); and fiber (17 percent).


"Patients should feel free to initiate the conversation about living a healthy lifestyle. Taking a proactive stance towards personal wellness is the best way to ensure optimal health for the future," says Nurse Dehn.


Consumers can take that first proactive step by filling out "My Wellness Scorecard," an online, free interactive tool that, once completed, provides an initial personalized wellness assessment with realistic steps to take toward better health. Individuals can take their results to a nurse practitioner or other healthcare professional, who can help develop a wellness regimen that works for them.


Methodology: Results from the 2009 "Life...supplemented" HCP Impact Study went public in December 2009 and comprise three separate surveys - (300) nurse practitioners, (300) pharmacists and (300) registered dietitians. Margins of sampling error at a 95 percent confidence level are +/- 5.7 percentage points for each of the groups of healthcare professionals surveyed. A nominal honorarium was given to each healthcare professional for completing the survey. Ipsos Public Affairs conducted the survey online. The first "Life...supplemented" HCP Impact Study of physicians, OB/GYNs and nurses was conducted online in November 2007. The second study of cardiologists, orthopaedic specialists and dermatologists was conducted online in September 2008.


About the "Life...supplemented" HCP Impact Study: The study is part of the "Life...supplemented" consumer wellness campaign, which is dedicated to driving awareness about the mainstream use of dietary supplements as an integral part of a proactive personal wellness regimen that combines a healthy diet, supplements and exercise. The study evaluates the personal attitudes and use of dietary supplements by healthcare professionals and whether their attitudes toward supplements affect their clinical behavior and recommendations to patients. The "Life...supplemented" campaign is managed by the CRN Foundation, an educational affiliate of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry. For more information: www.lifesupplemented.org.


Source: Life...supplemented

CONTACT: CRN, Erin Hlasney, +1-202-204-7684, ehlasney@crnusa.org; or
CRT/tanaka, Kelly Bucher Sakalas, +1-757-640-1982 x28,
ksakalas@crt-tanaka.com


Web Site: http://www.lifesupplemented.org/

No Offer of a Cup of Tea, No Seat on the Bus...and Barely a Hello From Your Neighbour: Welcome to Today's Britain

4 Mar 2010 08:00 Africa/Lagos

No Offer of a Cup of Tea, No Seat on the Bus...and Barely a Hello From Your Neighbour: Welcome to Today's Britain

ANDOVER, England, March 4, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey of the nation's local community and workplace habits carried out by healthcare provider Simplyhealth, has revealed us to be a nation that no longer cares about our community. Long gone are the days when Britons knew their neighbours by name - in fact, over half of modern day workers (52%) don't even offer to make a cup of tea for a colleague.


Almost half of us now only know a maximum of three neighbours by name. Tellingly, it's the 'over 55s' that can be bothered to get to know their neighbours with the majority (57%) on first name terms with at least five of their neighbours, whereas almost two-thirds of 'under 35s' know only two.


According to Simplyhealth's Bothered Britain survey of more than 1,000 UK adults, the main causes of people not bothering are lack of time and stress at work. However, despite the claim of "no time", over half the nation (56%) still manages to watch over 15 hours of television a week, instead of bothering to offer up an act of kindness. Other statistics revealed:



- 82% of people don't give up their seat on the bus or train
to someone who needs it more

- 61% of people admitted to never having volunteered for a charity

- 86% of the nation don't ever offer to carry someone else's bags




In fact, it seems that it now takes moments of extreme adversity to encourage any active acts of botheredness at all - 92% of us agree that it takes a crisis for people to show they care about one another, with 82% agreeing that the recent freezing weather conditions brought about a greater sense of community spirit - which now appears to have melted along with the snow.


This could be a reflection of modern life, with higher work expectations and frantic family lifestyles causing higher levels of stress and fatigue. However, carrying out good deeds for others can in fact have a positive impact on a person's health, as well as the surrounding community.


Medical expert Dr Christian Jessen agrees: "We all know that helping others is of benefit to them, but many people don't realise that getting active to help others can also improve your mental and physical wellbeing. Simple activities like walking the neighbour's dog or helping in the garden help to burn calories and improve general fitness, leading to a healthier, happier nation."


Jamie Wilson, spokesperson for Simplyhealth, says: "Committing just half an hour a month to helping someone else can make a real difference to your life as well as theirs. If everyone in the UK aimed to do just one act of 'botheredness' every month, it would make a real difference to the nation's overall wellbeing. As a healthcare provider, we encourage our staff to get active in the community supporting others - in fact we give 100 days a year to staff to spend a day helping at a charity of their choice."


Simplyhealth provides a variety of health plans, which help towards the cost of check-ups, treatment and emergencies, helping people budget for the costs of expected and unexpected healthcare. It also has a specialist Simplyhealth store that offers mobility and daily living aids.


For further information on Simplyhealth please bother us on +44(0)800-072-6715 or log onto http://www.simplyhealth.co.uk. In a world where so many people can't be bothered, Simplyhealth is proud to be a company that can, to find out how log onto http://www.wecanbebothered.co.uk.



Notes to Editor

- Previously known as HSA, BCWA, LHF, HealthSure and Totally
Active, our family of health companies have joined together over the
last 8 years to form Simplyhealth
- At Simplyhealth, we have been providing healthcare solutions for
nearly 140 years, dedicated to serving our customers through a variety
of cash plans, dental plans, private medical insurance, healthcare
trusts and mobility and living aids
- Simplyhealth is a trading name of Simplyhealth Access, which is
authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority
- As of December 2009, Simplyhealth had 1.3 million customers
providing cover for some 2.3 million people
- Simplyhealth is committed in its constitution to making a
positive impact on its communities. Each year, we help health related
charities and causes to the tune of at least GBP1million




For further information, please bother us at:


http://www.simplyhealth.co.uk/media-centre


Source: Simplyhealth

For further information, please bother us at: Abby Bowman, Senior Brand and PR Manager +44(0)1264-342561; Caroline Lakeman, Public Relations Manager +44(0)1264-342570; Rebecca Jeremy, Public Relations Assistant +44(0)1264-342400; Or pr@simplyhealth.co.uk.