Project Runway Designer in San Francisco to Educate About Living with HIV and Combat Stigma Associated with the Disease

• Author: Health Informer
• Filed under: Health Advices, Health News
• Date: Feb 23,2009

Jack Mackenroth to kick off 2009 Living Positive By Design local tour at largest Academy Awards(R) party outside Hollywood

Jack Mackenroth, from the hit reality television series “Project Runway,” is visiting San Francisco for the Academy of Friends’ annual Academy Awards Night Gala, representing Living Positive By Design, his national HIV and AIDS education initiative. The Living Positive By Design campaign, a major sponsor of the Gala, seeks to help combat the stigma associated with HIV by engaging people in thoughtful conversation about the disease and is being supported by Merck & Co., Inc. At the Gala, which benefits 12 local Bay Area HIV and AIDS service organizations, Jack will unveil a new series of Living Positive By Design video vignettes that he has created to garner support for the goals of the program as well as provide on-site commentary on the celebrity fashions from the awards show. The Gala event is being held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at Fort Mason.

“I am excited to bring Living Positive By Design to San Francisco in partnership with the Academy of Friends, an organization committed to improving the lives of people living with HIV,” said Mackenroth. “Through Living Positive By Design, I have been speaking about my experiences living with HIV for more than 20 years, addressing the stigma still associated with the disease and highlighting the importance for people living with HIV to have a positive outlook on life while effectively managing their disease.”

In addition to Jack, local HIV specialist Lisa Capaldini, M.D. of Castro Medical will also be available the weekend of the Gala to discuss the current and future landscape of HIV and AIDS treatment and research.

“One of the goals of Living Positive By Design is to educate people living with HIV that taking medications to help reduce the amount of virus in the blood to undetectable levels and helping to restore their immune system must be some of the priorities for today’s disease management,” said Dr. Capaldini. “In addition to this, with new advancements in HIV treatment, physicians should also factor in the tolerability of treatment regimens.”

In 2008, Jack held Living Positive By Design events in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the 2008 United States Conference on AIDS (USCA); in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Atlanta AIDS Walk; and in New York, New York, at the Gay Men’s Health Crisis’ (GMHC) annual Fashion Forward fundraiser. He will continue to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS through events in additional cities, including Houston, Texas. For more information on Living Positive By Design and participating cities, please visit: www.LivingPositiveByDesign.com.

Prevalence of HIV and AIDS

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one million Americans are living with HIV and AIDS in the U.S. and approximately 55,000 new people become infected every year. In 2006, 50 percent of new diagnoses were among men who have sex with men (MSM). The state of California has the second highest number of reported AIDS cases compared to any other state in the U.S. At the end of 2007, 15,470 San Francisco residents were living with HIV or AIDS.

Source: Living Positive By Design

American Lung Association of New England Launches Online Asthma Control Test

• Author: Health Informer
• Filed under: Health News
• Date: Feb 22,2009

Results To Offer New Insights on How Well Asthma is Controlled in New England

The American Lung Association of New England (ALANE) has partnered with QualityMetric Incorporated of Lincoln, Rhode Island to offer an online survey and corresponding report that will help asthma sufferers learn how well their condition is being controlled and encourage them to discuss the results with their physician.

The Asthma Control Test(TM) (ACT(TM)) is a five-question health survey which takes an average respondent about two minutes to complete. Used to measure asthma control in individuals 12 years of age and older, the survey measures the elements of asthma control as defined by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). NHLBI has included ACT in their Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. ACT is a brief, reliable, and valid method of measuring asthma control. The ACT report was designed with input from some of the leading asthma clinicians in the U.S.

“New Englanders have significantly higher asthma rates than the rest of the country. ALANE wants to get a better handle on how well asthma is being controlled and how well people are living with asthma. The Asthma Control Test will give us an accurate snapshot of New England, state by state, and we’ll be able to work with healthcare providers to increase asthma control and decrease triggers,” says Robert Petix, Esq., chair of the Board of Directors of the American Lung Association of New England

“We are delighted to be offering the ACT to the American Lung Association of New England,” says James E. Dewey, PhD, Chief Innovations Research Officer at QualityMetric. “This partnership is part of an overall initiative to put healthcare in the hands of the patient, to empower them to take better control of their health, and in this case, to better manage their asthma. Anyone can now go to www.lungne.org, complete this easy-to-use survey, and get a report that they can use for themselves, their family members, support groups, and doctors.”

ACT and SF-12v2 Health Survey Combined

Specifically for the partnership between ALANE and QualityMetric, the ACT is offered in combination with the SF-12v2(R) Health Survey. The SF-12v2 is a brief, reliable measure of overall health status. It is the instrument of choice in population health surveys and has also been used extensively as a screening tool. Because of its brevity, it is frequently embedded in longer, disease-specific health surveys. The two surveys, in combination, will provide a comprehensive view of an individual’s functional health and well-being, which can then be used in discussion with a physician.

Data Will Show Status of Asthma Management

Data collected from persons with asthma who take the online ACT and SF-12v2 will provide valuable information on how well asthma is being controlled in New England. As the database grows, ALANE will be able to release information by state and by regions within each of the New England states.

Asthma in New England

A 2006 report produced by the Asthma Regional Council (ARC) offers the following information on the burden of asthma in New England. New Englanders have significantly higher rates of asthma than the rest of the country. Nearly 15% of adults and 14% of children living in New England have asthma, compared to 7.9% for the rest of the country. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data on asthma prevalence shows that the top four states in the country for asthma rates are Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Additionally, asthma affects low-income adults and children, and minorities, at higher rates.

Additional New England asthma facts include:

• Over 30% of adults with asthma reported an activity limitation
• 22% were in fair or poor overall health
• 17% reported frequent mental distress
• Asthma is significantly correlated with employment status: 9% of adults with asthma report being unable to work
• About 21% of adults that are unable to work have asthma

The ARC recommended that more needs to be done to ensure the proper care and control of asthma in New England, with better attention given to the psychosocial aspects of the disease and increased education for patient self-management.

Asthma Rates in Your State

Regionally, New England has higher asthma rates than the rest of the country and Maine leads the nation with a current asthma rate of 10.3% for adults. The current asthma rates for New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island all hover around 10%, while the current rate for Vermont is 9.6% and Connecticut is 9.3%, according to the CDC.

Why Asthma Management is Important

Asthma attacks usually occur in reaction to allergens, certain air pollutants such as secondhand smoke, weather conditions, respiratory illnesses such as cold or flu, and even stress. Proper asthma management is important because asthma that is not well-managed results in emergency room visits, hospitalizations, loss of school and work days, and a reduced quality of life. Well-managed asthma patients are not expected to require crisis interventions or experience life limitations as seen in the ARC report.

Take the Test

Go to www.lungne.org to take the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and discuss the results with your healthcare provider at your next visit.

American Lung Association:

The American Lung Association of New England is part of the American Lung Association, the oldest voluntary health organization in the U.S. Originally formed in 1904 to eradicate tuberculosis, today the focus is on all lung disease, including asthma. The mission is to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. For more information, call 1-800-LUNG USA or visit lungne.org.

QualityMetric:

QualityMetric works with the world’s largest healthcare and life sciences companies to measure health outcomes. Our products help market new drugs and biologics, track health improvement or decline, screen populations for disease, and identify future health risks. QualityMetric’s patient-reported outcome (PRO) surveys provide scientifically valid assessments of both physical and mental health. Our PROs include the SF-36v2(R), SF-12v2(R), and SF-8(TM) Health Surveys, SF-10(TM) Health Survey for Children, Asthma Control Test(TM) (ACT(TM)), Pain Impact Questionnaire(TM) (PIQ-6(TM)), and DYNHA(R) Dynamic Health Assessments. Our Outcomes Insight Consulting(TM) Division can develop customized PROs and provide in-depth analysis of the results. QualityMetric’s founder and CEO, John E. Ware, Jr., PhD is a thought-leader in the field of psychometrics and health outcome measurement. Visit us at www.qualitymetric.com.

Surgeons Perform First Incisionless Bariatric Procedure in the United States

• Author: Health Informer
• Filed under: Health News
• Date: Feb 21,2009

Bariatric surgeons at Central Baptist Hospital made U.S. medical history Feb. 16 by performing a groundbreaking bariatric procedure to decrease the capacity of a patient’s stomach without making a single incision into her body. This is the first incisionless procedure of its kind performed in the United States.

Bariatric surgeon Peter M. Denk, M.D., performed the procedure, dubbed POSE (Primary Obesity Surgery, Endoscopy). Dr. Denk was assisted by Dr. John S. Oldham Jr. and Dr. G. Derek Weiss, who have been performing bariatric surgery at Central Baptist Hospital since 2006. Dr. Denk recently joined Drs. Oldham and Weiss in their practice, Bluegrass Bariatric Surgical Associates, after completing a fellowship with Dr. Lee Swanstrom, a pioneer in endoscopic surgery.

To perform POSE, Dr. Denk used a set of endoscopic surgery tools known as the EndoSurgical Operating System(TM) (EOS), manufactured by USGI Medical, and a flexible endoscope to visualize the stomach. He inserted the scope and the EOS through the mouth and then used EOS tools to grasp the stomach tissue and deploy suture anchors to create multiple tissue folds in the stomach wall to reduce its capacity.

“Bariatric surgery is the most effective tool patients have to lose weight and overcome the diseases often associated with it, however, many patients worry about the recovery time and complications associated with surgical incisions,” Dr. Denk said. “Eliminating skin incisions offers important advantages including reduced risk of infection, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time and no abdominal scars.”

The POSE procedure was performed on 51-year-old Teresia McArthur of Georgetown, who has been battling her weight for more than 15 years. McArthur learned of the groundbreaking procedure as a patient of the Central Baptist Weight Loss Center, which offers a comprehensive approach to weight loss, including the latest in minimally invasive and now incisionless bariatric surgery.

McArthur returned home the same day of the procedure and has resumed normal activities including going back to work. Like patients who have other types of bariatric surgery, she will need to make dietary and behavior changes in order to see and maintain significant weight loss. The procedure appealed to her because it would reshape her stomach and help her to feel full earlier when eating, reducing her desire for more food.

Central Baptist Hospital was chosen as one of a few select sites in the country to perform the innovative POSE procedure.

Source: Central Baptist Hospital

Health Care Benefit Cost Increases to Remain at 6 Percent in 2009

• Author: Health Informer
• Filed under: Health News
• Date: Feb 20,2009

Move to Consumer-Directed Health Plans Continues, Watson Wyatt/National Business Group on Health Survey Finds

U.S. employers expect health care cost increases to hold steady at 6 percent and more plan to adopt consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) in 2010 in an effort to control cost increases, according to a forthcoming survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm, and the National Business Group on Health, an association of more than 300 mostly large employers, including 64 of the Fortune 100.

The survey of 489 large U.S. employers found that the median rate of health cost increases is expected to remain at 6 percent in 2009, although this is still nearly twice the rate of inflation. The increase is the same rate that employers experienced in both 2007 and 2008. In 2006, health care costs increased by 8 percent.

“Cost increases have stabilized, but the financial crisis is causing many companies to reevaluate their health plan strategies,” said Ted Nussbaum, group and health care practice leader at Watson Wyatt. “While large-scale changes appear unlikely, economic realities are leading companies to adopt strategies that emphasize greater personal health accountability to their workers.”

Just more than half (51 percent) of companies now offer workers a CDHP, up from 47 percent in 2008. Another 8 percent are expected to adopt a CDHP by 2010. CDHPs are helping employers control costs — companies with at least half of their workers enrolled in a CDHP have a two-year cost trend (4.6 percent) that is 25 percent lower than non-CDHP sponsors (6.1 percent). Still, challenges remain for employers trying to provide more affordable coverage to their workers.

Two-thirds of employers (67 percent) cite the poor health habits of their employees as a considerable challenge to managing their health care costs. Other challenges include underuse of preventive care services (42 percent), the high cost of catastrophic and end-of-life care (36 percent), and poor employee understanding of how to use the plan (30 percent).

While companies will be taking a close look at benefit offerings because of the recession, most do not plan major changes. A large majority of employers do not plan to delay or cancel their planned program offerings (86 percent) or changes to plan design (87 percent).

“Given the current economic climate, high costs are clearly top of mind for workers and their employers,” said Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health. “By promoting healthy habits for workers, companies can mitigate cost pressures and build a healthier, more productive workforce. Strong support from senior management and effective communication around these initiatives will help employees grow more comfortable taking greater responsibility for their health.”

Other preliminary findings from the report include:

• Nearly one-third of employers (30 percent) have revamped their health care strategy, with another 30 percent planning to do so in 2009. A smaller number of companies are working on contingency plans for midyear changes to benefit offerings (13 percent).

• Employers’ confidence in the health benefit system remains high, though market conditions have caused this sentiment to dip. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of employers are very confident in their ability to provide health benefits 10 years from now, down from 73 percent a year ago.

• For employers, the average health care expenditure per employee in 2008 was $7,173 and is expected to increase to nearly $7,400 in 2009. Employees paid an average of 20 percent of their total medical premium costs in 2008, a number that will likely stay the same in 2009.

The 14th Annual National Business Group on Health/Watson Wyatt Report will be published in mid-March.

Source: Watson Wyatt