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Study says kids’ vaccine might benefit adults

Friday, February 24, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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So, I’m assuming you saw my story in Thursday’s paper about the governor’s plan to include three more vaccinations in the state’s universal childhood immunization plan. Well, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that one of those vaccines — the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which protects against pneumonia and meningitis — could be beneficial for adults as well.

A professor from the Yale University School of Medicine (who published an editorial in that same issue of JAMA) agrees with the findings. See Yale’s press release below:

A new study suggests vaccinating adults against one of the most common causes of pneumonia with a new vaccine, which has virtually eliminated this infection in children, is more cost effective than using the current vaccine. Yale researcher Eugene Shapiro agrees with the study’s findings in an editorial published in the current issue of JAMA.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has been routinely given to children in the United States since 2000. In December 2011, the government approved this new conjugate vaccine for use in adults, but an older version, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, is still being routinely used.

“This new study may aid policy makers who must review and decide whether to change the current recommendations for vaccinating adults against this common serious kind of infection,” said Shapiro, professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and public health, and investigative medicine. “Cost-effectiveness studies allow experts to assess the costs and benefits of different strategies and decide what strategy is best for preventing or treating a disease.”

Currently a single dose of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, designed to prevent serious infection like pneumonia and meningitis caused by the pneumococcus bacteria, is recommended routinely for all adults 65 years and older, and for younger persons at risk of this infection because of underlying conditions like chronic heart or lung disease.

In the current issue of JAMA, researchers from University of Pittsburgh and the Centers for Disease Control report that a cost-effectiveness analysis that they conducted indicates that substitution of the new conjugate pneumococcal vaccine for routine vaccine of adults would be more cost-effective than the current policy of using the older pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.

“As pneumococcal vaccines get better and more people get vaccinated, the number of people who get this potentially deadly infection continues to decrease,” said Shapiro.

AARP looks to decode health care reform

Thursday, February 23, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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In spite of all the coverage of the sweeping health care reform legislation passed in 2010, there’s one question that many Americans still don’t have an answer to: How will this affect me?

Well, good news — the AARP has launched a new online tool, the Health Law Guide, which provides users with personalized information on how the changes brought on (or about to be brought on) by the Affordable Care Act could affect them.  Through a brief series of questions, offered in English or Spanish, AARP’s unique web-based tool provides an individually-tailored report outlining coverage details based on an individual’s existing health care coverage or what other health coverage the individual may be eligible to get.

To get started, AARP Health Law Guide users are asked to answer six basic questions about themselves and/or their loved ones — questions about age, gender, state of residence and other basic biographical information.  Based on these responses, the tool provides users with a personalized report.  Users can choose to be updated by email with news about the ACA, including when new provisions personally impacting them go into effect.  The tool is free to the public, and is the first tool of its kind in both English and Spanish.  As the health law becomes fully implemented, additional information will become available.

The AARP Health Law Guide is available at www.aarp.org/healthlawguide and is also available in Spanish at www.aarp.org/guiadelaleydesalud.

Yale study: Positive images of the obese can help reduce weight stigma

Monday, February 20, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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A new study from Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity suggests that much of our ideas about those are overweight and obese can be influenced by media images. Yale’s full release on the study is below:

Presenting obese individuals in a positive, non-stereotypical manner in the media could help reduce weight-biased attitudes held by the public, finds a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. The study, published online in Health Psychology, investigates the impact on public attitudes and preferences of both stigmatizing and positive portrayals of obese individuals in the media.

Researchers conducted two online experiments in which participants viewed either a stigmatizing or non-stigmatizing photograph of an obese individual. Participants were then asked a series of questions concerning the model featured in the image and their general attitudes toward obese persons.

The study revealed that those who viewed stigmatizing images expressed stronger negative attitudes toward obese individuals than participants who viewed positive images.  Not only did the stigmatizing images lead to stronger negative attitudes towards obese individuals, but participants said that they preferred viewing the respectful images instead of the stigmatizing images.

The authors believe that media outlets have the ability to shape public perceptions about health and social issues, and based on this study, they recommend substituting more respectful media portrayals rather than stigmatizing images of obese people. “Stigmatizing images of overweight and obese individuals portrayed as headless figures, not fully clothed, and engaging in stereotypical eating behaviors are common in the media,” according to Rebecca Pearl, lead author of the study and a Yale graduate student in psychology. “This study shows that by portraying obese individuals more respectfully, the public’s negative attitudes and stereotypes can be significantly reduced.”

In order to increase public support for obesity prevention and treatment efforts and reduce societal weight prejudice, the authors suggest that media should make a pledge against perpetuating negative stereotypes and use more respectful portrayals of obese persons.

“Recent anti-obesity campaigns have garnered considerable debate and criticism among parents, health professionals, and citizens about how obese individuals are portrayed in the media,” says co-author Rebecca Puhl, the Rudd Center’s director of research.  “Obese individuals who feel shamed or stigmatized because of their weight are much more likely to engage in harmful health behaviors. The media should give careful consideration to the kinds of images that are disseminated, so that children and adults who are struggling with obesity can be supported in their efforts to become healthier, rather than shamed and stigmatized.”

Hospital kudos round-up, week of Feb. 20

Monday, February 20, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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OK, I have a big backlog of hospital news I’m dying to get out there. So, behold, the latest edition of hospital kudos round-up.

St. Vincent’s gets grant money

The St. Vincent’s Foundation received one of the first grant awards from Pink Aid, a grant-based organization that helps fund compassionate services to the uninsured and under-insured women in our community. The foundation supports the various arms of St. Vincent’s Health Services, including St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.

The grant of $105,000 will be used to provide free mammograms to women who have barriers to care, as well as provide education and support services to cancer patients through the St. Vincent’s  Swim Across the Sound program.

Standing in front of the St. Vincent’s Mobile Mammography Coach are (from left to right): Renee Mandis, Co-Chair of Pink Aid; Lyla Steenbergen, Director of Major Gifts, St. Vincent’s Medical Center Foundation; Michael Bisciglia, Vice President, St. Vincent’s Medical Center Foundation; Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, Founder of Pink Aid and is from Mitchells of Westport; Amy Katz and Amy Gross, Co-Chairs of Pink Aid

‘Bridge to Recovery’ receives SAMHSA award

Connecticut Counseling Centers Inc.  announces that its Bridge to Recovery program will receive the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Science and Service Award at the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence Conference Award Banquet in Las Vegas on April 24.  The Bridge to Recovery Program has been chosen to receive the award out of thirty-eight applicants.  The program received funding from the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Norwalk United Way.

The Bridge to Recovery program is a treatment initiative designed to increase medication assisted treatment retention and produce positive treatment outcomes. The initiative provides enhanced services to patients receiving treatment for narcotic dependence from Connecticut Counseling Centers’ Norwalk Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program. The program trains patients as peer mentors who demonstrate a desire to help others achieve their own recovery. The mentors meet with patients who are having difficulty maintaining sobriety, missing counseling sessions, and are at risk of dropping out of treatment.

Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. is a state-licensed, nationally accredited, not for profit Behavioral Healthcare Corporation that offers counseling, psychiatry, education and medication assisted treatment.  Connecticut Counseling Centers’ has facilities in Norwalk, Waterbury and Danbury which serves approximately 1,700 patients annually from 67 Connecticut cities and towns.

For more information about the Bridge to Recovery program contact Robert C. Lambert, MA, LADC at 203-838-6508 ext. 238, or rlambert@ctcounseling.org

You can also contact at Kurt Kemmling, CMA at 209-RECOVER, or ccnama@gmail.com

Stamford Hospital to participate in study

The Bravewell Collaborative today released Integrative Medicine in America: How Integrative Medicine Is Being Practiced in Clinical Centers Across the United States, a study of the patient populations and health conditions most commonly treated with integrative strategies.

Twenty-nine integrative medicine centers, including, Stamford Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness, were surveyed by The Bravewell Collaborative. All participating centers were affiliated with hospitals, health systems and/or medical and nursing schools. Patient services include adult care (100 percent of those surveyed), geriatric care (97 percent), adolescent care (86 percent), OB-GYN care (72 percent), pediatric care (62 percent) and end-of-life care (66 percent). Findings from the report, which evaluated trends in prevention and wellness, patient outcomes, emerging norms of care and reimbursement, suggest that the practice of integrative medicine offers promise for increasing the effectiveness of care and improving people’s health.

In the survey, 75 percent of centers reported success using integrative practices to treat chronic pain and more than half reported positive results for gastrointestinal conditions, depression and anxiety, cancer and chronic stress.

Integrative medicine is an approach that puts the patient at the center of care and addresses the full range of physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect health. Employing a personalized strategy that considers the patient’s unique conditions, needs and circumstances, integrative medicine uses the most appropriate interventions from an array of scientific disciplines to heal illness and disease and help people regain and maintain optimal health.

St. Raphael’s celebrates birth center anniversary

A bevy of moms, babies and VIPs celebrated the first birthday of the Dr. Romeo A. and Lena B. Vidone Birth Center at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven on Friday, Feb. 10.  Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Jewel Mullen, M.D., attended the event, which also marked the Vidone Center’s designation as Baby-Friendly™ for promotion of breast feeding.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF started the Baby-Friendly initiative to recognize hospitals that educate and enable parents to make informed choices about how they feed and care for their babies.

Saint Raphael’s also celebrated a $75,000 grant to create a special resource and support center to help new mothers with breastfeeding after they are discharged from the hospital. The center, called the Breastfeeding Advances Baby’s first Year (BABY) Program, opens Feb. 14 with funding from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA). David Wasch, CHEFA’s manager of Government Programs, presented the grant check to Dr. Annmarie Golioto, medical director of the Newborn ICU and Newborn Services at the Hospital of Saint Raphael.

HHS: Consumers to learn where their insurance bucks are going

Thursday, February 16, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that consumers will soon begin receiving unprecedented information on the value of their health insurance coverage, and some will receive rebates from insurance companies that spend less than 80 percent of their premium dollars on health care.

According to an HHS press release, the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010 requires that insurance companies this year begin notifying customers how much of their premiums they have spent on medical care and quality improvement.  Beginning in 2011, insurers were required to spend at least 80 percent of total premium dollars they collect on medical care and quality improvement.  Insurance companies that do not meet the 80/20 standard  (also known as the Medical Loss Ratio) are required to pay rebates to their customers this year.

The proposed consumer notices about whether their insurance company has met the new standard have been posted on HealthCare.gov, and HHS is seeking public comment to help ensure the notices are useful transparency tools for consumers.

wed if all state adjustment requests were fully granted, according to data from state regulators and issuer reports.

HHS is also considering requiring insurers notify consumers if their insurer did meet the 80/20 standard.  For the text of these proposed notifications, please visit: http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/other/index.html#mlr

For more information on the MLR provision in the Affordable Care Act, please visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2010/11/medical-loss-ratio.html

For documentation of state requests for MLR adjustments, including specific information on rebates saved by HHS’ MLR adjustment determinations, visit: http://cciio.cms.gov/programs/marketreforms/mlr/index.html

For more information on how the Affordable Care Act is creating a transparent market for health insurance, visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2010/12/increasing-transparency.html

Remember your heart this Valentine’s Day!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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Is your heart skipping a beat this Valentine’s Day? It could be love … or it could be atrial fibrillation. Also know as a-fib, atrial fibrillation is a condition in which abnormal electrical signals in the heart’s upper chambers cause the heart to flutter, quiver or shake, rather than beat steadily. The irregular beating results in the pooling of blood in the heart’s chambers, which can lead to blood clots. If the clots travel to the brain, stroke can result.

Since February is Heart Month, Bridgeport Hospital has launched “Ring for Your Rhythm,” a campaign that provides education about a-fib and stroke prevention.

Callers to the toll-free number, 1-855-BH-PULSE (1-855-247-8573), are connected to a one-minute message recorded by cardiologist Dr. Gilead Lancaster who provides them with instructions on how to take their pulse. If callers detect an irregular heartbeat, they are urged to contact their primary care physician. They can press zero at anytime during the call to be connected to a live operator for further information or a referral to a Bridgeport Hospital physician.

Lancaster, the hospital’s director of non-invasive cardiology, said a-fib is a condition that too few people know enough about.  “It’s a little like blood pressure, where you don’t have any knowledge that it’s doing you harm until something bad happens,” he said. “We felt like this was important enough to make people more aware of.”

Tips for Burn Awareness Week

Thursday, February 9, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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The first full week of February is Burn Awareness Week, and Dr. John Schulz, medical director of The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital, has a few tips for staying safe. According Schulz, nearly 70 percent of all burns occur in the home. According to the American Burn Association, burns account for 450,000 injuries and 3,500 deaths annually in the United States. More than three-quarters of all burns are caused by exposure to flames or hot liquids.

Here are Schulz’s tips for staying safe at any time of year:

  • Don’t let loose sleeves or clothing dangle over a stove or other open flame.
  • Keep pan handles turned in so children can’t grab them and spill boiling liquid.
  • Don’t place hot drinks within reach of a toddler.
  • Keep electrical cords from coffee makers out of the reach of children.
  • Don’t overload electrical outlets or power strips, as they can be an electrocution hazard.
  • Never let your children play with matches—or even get near them.
  • Never hold containers of hot liquids near a child.
  • Don’t leave candles burning in an empty room.
  • Never squirt lighter fluid on a flaming grill or any other flame.
  • Don’t leave children alone in the bathtub, where they can be exposed to scalding water.
  • Don’t smoke in bed; in fact, don’t smoke at all—not only is it a burn hazard, smoking contributes to heart disease, stroke, cancer and other illnesses.
  • Install smoke detectors, test them, and change the batteries at least twice a year.

Health reform to require insurers to use plain language

Thursday, February 9, 2012 by:Amanda Cuda
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The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Department of Labor and Treasury have released guidelines on the kind of language insurers can use in describing health benefits to customers. The text of a press release from the DHHS is below:

People in the market for health insurance will soon have clear, understandable and straightforward information on what health plans will cover, what limitations or conditions will apply, and what they will pay for services thanks to the Affordable Care Act – the health reform law – according to final regulations published today.

The new rules, published jointly by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury require health insurers to eliminate technical or confusing language from their marketing materials that sometimes make it difficult for consumers to understand exactly what they are buying. The new rules will also make it easier for people and employers to directly compare one plan to another.

“Consumers, for the first time, will really be able to clearly comprehend the sometimes confusing language insurance plans often use in marketing,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “This will give them a new edge in deciding which plan will best suit their needs and those of their families or employees.”

Under the rule announced today, health insurers must provide consumers with clear, consistent and comparable summary information about their health plan benefits and coverage. The new forms, which will be available beginning, or soon after, Sept. 23, will be a critical resource for the roughly 150 million Americans with private health insurance today.

Specifically, these rules will ensure consumers have access to two key documents that will help them understand and evaluate their health insurance choices:

  • A short, easy-to-understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage ( or “SBC”); and
  • A uniform glossary of terms commonly used in health insurance coverage, such as “deductible” and “co-payment.”

All health plans and insurers will provide an SBC to shoppers and enrollees at important points in the enrollment process, such upon application and at renewal. In the past, health insurers would only provide selective details on a policy before it was purchased.

A key feature of the SBC is a new, standardized plan comparison tool called “coverage examples,” similar to the Nutrition Facts label required for packaged foods. The coverage examples will illustrate sample medical situations and describe how much coverage the plan would provide in an event such as having a baby (normal delivery) or managing Type II diabetes (routine maintenance, well-controlled) These examples will help consumers understand and compare what they would have to pay under each plan they are considering.

Today’s rules finalize the proposed rules issued in August 2011. Input was received from such stakeholders as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and a working group composed of health insurance-related consumer advocacy organizations, health insurers, health care professionals, patient advocates including those representing people with limited English proficiency, and others. The final rules aim to ensure strong consumer information while minimizing paperwork and cost.

Other technical information is available at: http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/other/index.html#sbcug

For more information on the rules announced today, visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/labels08172011a.html

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