Health Articles

Last week, the House Insurance Committee held a public hearing on the dispute between UPMC and Highmark. Unless both entities agree to sit at the table together, 4.8 million people in Southwest and Central PA could lose access to providers and critical health services.

Read more below:

Profits Over Patients: The Highmark-UPMC War is Uncharitable

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11240/1170181-192.stm

Our Medical Giants Need to Feel Our Sting

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11205/1162267-149-0.stm

Mark your calendars for these two important events:

Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Hearing

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 1:00 pm

University of Pittsburgh, William Pitt Lower Lounge (4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh)

Town Hall Meeting hosted by Senator Jim Ferlo

Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall Ballroom (4141 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh)

A critical provision of the Affordable Care Act mandated that states create insurance plans for individuals with pre-existing conditions, many of whom are unable to access coverage in the private market.

The Post-Gazette published an article today about PA Fair Care, read more below:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11209/1163426-28-0.stm

Here are links to two articles that appeared in last weekend’s Post Gazette about the importance of and difficulty of obtaining home and community based care services.  These articles can really be used for us to build a more concrete demand for necessary services for people who need them and not a reliance on institutionalization.

Enjoy!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11206/1162391-114-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml

and

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11206/1162815-454-0.stm

Senator Jay Costa had a strong op-ed on using the Tobacco Settlement Money for its intended purpose: to fund health related matters.  The link is posted below. Upon reading, follow-up by calling Senator Costa and thanking him for his leadership.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11143/1148472-109.stm

Educational Resources

Be sure to check back frequently for updated news articles and resources related to our work with the PA Campaign for Better Care. Here are a few articles to get you started, and for more information on the Campaign, visit http://consumerhealthcoalition.org/programs/the-campaign-for-better-care/

Government plans to reward quality care

Post-Gazette: April 30, 2011

“The Obama administration finalized plans to reward hospitals that provide high-quality care, the first in a series of steps that are designed to fundamentally transform the way the federal government pays for health care..”

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11120/1143057-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml

Changing Medicare to improve care, cut costs

Market Watch: April 21, 2011

“If you feel like the more health-care providers you have, the less they talk to each other, you’re  not alone. But that  may soon change for some patients. A part of the health-reform law that’s starting to take shape for Medicare enrollees aims to improve care coordination while reducing waste and duplication…”

http://www.marketwatch.com/Story/story/print?guid=1B42D4B8-6B9F-11E0-8CAB-00212804637C

Team treatment seeks better patient care

Post-Gazette: April 19, 2011

“Over the past decade, so-called patient-centered medical homes have been the Next Big Thing in medicine, a new method of primary care designed to coordinate care more effectively, improve communication among doctors, patients and insurers and provide better outcomes for the patient while curbing per-member costs for the entire system…”

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11109/1140235-28-0.stm

Giving doctors orders

The New York Times: April 12, 2011

“When my brother went into the hospital with pneumonia, he quickly contracted four other infections in the intensive care unit. Anguished, I asked a young doctor why this was happening. Wearing a white lab coat and blue tie, he did a show-and-tell. He leaned over Michael and let his tie brush my sedated brother’s hospital gown. “It could be anything,” he said. “It could be my tie spreading germs.” I was dumbfounded. “Then why do you wear a tie?” I asked. He shrugged and left for rounds…”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/opinion/13dowd.html?_r=1

Hospitals are still killing patients with needless mistakes

Post-Gazette: February 27, 2011

“A new report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council drives home the fact that, for all of the miracles of modern medicine, health care continues to be unnecessarily dangerous for patients…”

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11058/1127982-109.stm

Hospital-acquired germs cause thousands of re-admissions

Tribune-Review: February 25, 2011

“Hospital-acquired germs may have contributed to several thousand hospitalizations in Pennsylvania, according to a health care review agency…”

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/health/s_724552.html#

First line of defense: UPMC is right to fine staff for not washing hands

Post-Gazette: February 7, 2011

“In the world of modern health care, the simple act of hand washing is widely recognized as the most important way to reduce infections in health care facilities. Nonetheless, persuading employees to comply 100 percent of the time remians an elusive goal…”

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11038/1123561-192.stm