Growth Fueled by Popularity with Seniors and Caregivers, Grassroots Marketing

Inc. Magazine has named Senior Whole Health (SWH), a voluntary health care plan for low-income seniors, the number one fastest-growing private company in the United States.

Part of Inc.’s annual list of the country’s 500 fastest-growing companies, SWH had revenue growth of 31,000 percent from 2004 to 2007.

“This is a rewarding validation of our unique approach to caring for poor seniors,” said John Baackes, president and CEO of SWH, whose plan currently serves 6,100 individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. “We’ve helped the poorest and oldest individuals to live independently while giving their caregivers peace of mind.”

Based in Cambridge, MA, SWH combines all of the benefits of Medicare and Medicaid and Medicaid Part D into one comprehensive health services package. SWH focuses on holding down costs and improving the quality of care received by dual-eligibles by consolidating Medicare, Medicaid and Medicaid Part D into one plan that pays all claims, handles all customer service issues and contracts with all providers.

“Seniors shouldn’t be forced out of their homes because America’s health care system is broken,” said Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. “Senior Whole Health’s commitment to providing home care makes sense for the consumer and the community.”

“The demographic shift of the ‘Boomers’ using Medicare and Medicaid will most likely position Senior Whole Health for continued growth in the foreseeable future,” added Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Secretary Daniel O’Connell. “Senior Whole Health’s business model will help to seek out and deliver vital resources to a hard-to-reach population living in Massachusetts and across the nation.”

SWH, which employs 180 staff at its offices in MA, CT and NY, offers members many benefits to make life at home even more comfortable. This includes around-the-clock access to their healthcare team, no co-pays or deductibles, prescription coverage, specialized geriatric support services, no claim forms, non-medical services such as transportation, staff fluent in several languages, and non-traditional programs such as Tai Chi fall-prevention.

More than 40 percent of SWH members do not speak English, and 20 percent are illiterate. Most have one or more chronic diseases. The average number of prescriptions is five.

“As the original sponsor of the law that led to the creation of so-called SCO programs, such as Senior Whole Health, I am delighted with the success that this program has achieved,” said Senator Richard T. Moore, Chair of the Health Care Financing Committee. “Senior Whole Health helps frail elders stay in their homes by providing the medical and social supports that are critical. They save the taxpayers money and improve the quality of life for the citizens they serve — the ‘gold standard’ for any publicly supported program.”

According to a 2007 study by JEN Associates, Inc., a national healthcare research firm, SWH’s members are 40 percent less likely to be admitted to a nursing home for long-term care.

Source: Senior Whole Health

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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Enters 35th Year

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 21,2008

Seven Health Professionals Selected to Receive Competitive Award

Seven health professionals with a wide range of academic and community-based experience have been named Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows for 2008-2009.

Established in 1973, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows — the second-oldest active program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) — is designed to develop the capacities of outstanding mid-career health professionals in academic and community-based settings by providing them with an understanding of the health policy process. The program is administered by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Each year, fellows are selected on a competitive basis and leave their academic settings and practice responsibilities to spend a year in the nation’s capital. A three-month orientation program is followed by a nine-month assignment in which fellows work in a congressional office or the executive branch. Following the one-year experience, fellows return to their home institutions or practices to assume leadership roles in improving health policy and management.

“The fellows bring much needed practical knowledge of the health care system to Washington, D.C. where they can help our nation’s leaders work to improve care,” said Michael Painter, J.D., M.D., RWJF senior program officer and 2003-2004 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow. “The ‘hands-on’ health and health care experience they bring positions them to have a substantial impact on the nation’s health care policy.”

Fellows begin the program in September and undergo an intense three-month orientation, meeting top administrators of agencies responsible for health and health care activities, congressional committee staff members, representatives of major health interest groups, officials of the Office of Management and Budget, and key White House advisors.

Toward the end of their orientation, the fellows interview for work assignments in legislative or executive branch offices with leading responsibilities for health and health care legislation and programs. In order to continue their development as health policy leaders, fellows receive additional support for up to two years following the completion of their federal work assignments.

Over 200 fellows from universities, colleges and other health-related organizations across the nation have participated. Those selected for the 2008-2009 program are:

Reginald J. Alston, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

Margaret P. Moss, Ph.D., R.N., J.D., Associate Professor and Chair of the Leadership, Systems, Informatics and Policy Co-operative in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota, as well as Director of Inclusivity and Diversity

Janet A. Phoenix, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Director of the Coalition for Environmentally Safe Communities, a national nonprofit organization providing technical assistance to communities at risk for environmental disease

Robert E. Ratner, M.D., Vice President for Scientific Affairs for the MedStar Research Institute in Washington, D.C., and Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical School

Justina Trott, M.D., F.A.C.P., Executive and Medical Director of Womens Health Services

Thomas Tsang, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center

Leonard A. Zwelling, M.D., M.B.A., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Additional information about The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows can be found at http://www.healthpolicyfellows.org/.

Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation


Taming Your Temper: Learning to Turn Down the Heat

You’re late for work, your toddler spilled jam on your suit and now your car won’t start. How do you deal with the rising anger? Whether you brush it off and move on, or lash out in frustration, how you deal with anger affects not only yourself, but also your spouse, your children and even your career.

As hard as we may try to stay calm, situations always arise that push our buttons. While feeling anger isn’t a bad thing, it is important to constructively express that anger. It may seem surprising, but being overly passive and keeping your anger pent up can be just as unhealthy as having a violent outburst. Both reactions can cause headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure and digestive problems. A recent study at the Duke University Medical Center even found a link between anger and heart disease — yet another reason to tame your temper.

If your health isn’t enough of a motivation to control your anger, outbursts in the office or at home can be detrimental to your career and personal life. Blowing up at a co-worker can negatively affect morale, productivity and teamwork in the workplace. In the household, intense or chronic anger can have a devastating effect on children and your marriage.

So how do you know if you need to express your anger more constructively? Use these questions to assess your response to anger:

  • Do you try to intimidate others with your anger?
  • Does your expression of anger ever frighten or overwhelm yourself or others?
  • Do you use threatening language or gestures?
  • Do you get angry enough to physically harm someone or something?
  • Do you turn to alcohol or drugs to ease your anger?
  • Do you experience muscle tension or an elevated heartbeat when you get angry?
  • Do you try to hide or suppress your angry feelings from others?

If your answer is yes to even just two of these questions, you should seek professional guidance to help you learn how to better express your anger. A Marriage and Family Therapist can help you become more aware of what triggers your feelings of anger so you can learn to keep that anger under control.

For more information about Marriage and Family Therapists, or to locate a therapist in your area, please visit http://www.therapistfinder.com/.

Source: California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists


New Health Media Network Study: 86 Percent of Visitors to Healthcare Facilities Recalled Advertisements from Waiting Rooms and Treatment Areas

New Arbitron Study Explores Ad Relevance, Usefulness to Patients, Visitors and Employees

Eighty-six percent of those exposed to advertising in healthcare facilities could recall at least one advertisement that they had seen during their visit or shift, according to a recent Health Media Network study by Arbitron Inc.

The advertisements, produced by Health Media Network (HMN), appeared as framed wall posters or were broadcasted over widescreen digital television monitors in waiting rooms or treatment areas of the facilities. Health Media Network’s poster displays and digital television screens reach millions of health-minded consumers, patients, and medical employees every month. Health Media Network’s digital television system (HMN TV) consists of 42″ LCD widescreen monitors with individual IP addresses so both content and advertising can be sent to specific locations within our network on behalf of marketers.

“HMN TV uses the latest digital technology to service the needs of the healthcare consumer by providing valuable healthcare programming and critical information from our healthcare partners and sponsors. Health Media Network poster displays use standard out-of-home media (OOH) one-sheet and two-sheet creative units to provide advertisers with high-impact and targeted advertising campaigns,” said Ken Smallwood, Health Media Network’s Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “We are very pleased with the results and look forward to sharing them with our advertising clients and prospects.”

Arbitron surveyed hospital employees, patients, and visitors, asking whether the media was informative, useful, and relevant.

Highlights

  • Sixty percent of all people in the hospital noticed the posters, the televisions, or both.
  • Fifty-five percent noticed the televisions and 45 percent noticed the posters.
  • Hospital patrons spent an average of 3 hours and 20 minutes being exposed to HMN posters and televisions.
  • Hospital patrons who noticed the televisions spent an average of 1 hour and 8 minutes watching HMN programming and advertisements.
  • Sixty percent were able to recall at least two advertisements and 31 percent were able to recall three.
  • Sixty-seven percent of those surveyed found the HMN poster content informative compared to the HMN television at 54 percent.

How this study was conducted

Patients, caregivers, visitors and medical personnel were approached to participate in the survey as they exited hospitals. Three New York hospitals were chosen to conduct this study: Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Elmhurst Hospital Center, and Coney Island Hospital. Arbitron completed 465 interviews from Tuesday, May 6, 2008 through Friday, May 9, 2008 during the hours of 7 AM to 9 PM each day. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older and in the hospital for at least 30 minutes to participate.

Audience Composition

Of the 465 polled, 42 percent were patients, 39 percent were caregivers or other hospital visitors, 14 percent were other hospital employees, and 5 percent were nurses. Patrons reported to visit at least one of the three hospitals an average of six times per month. Patients, caregivers, and other visitors reported visiting one of the hospitals on an average of three times per month. Employees reported visiting one of the hospitals on an average of 18 times per month.

Source: Health Media Network


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