Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Free Home Visits: Nurse Aides Strive To Help Discharged Patients
Houston Chronicle: As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Nurse Aides Work To Reduce Unnecessary Hospital Admissions
The key to keeping patients who are recovering from serious medical events from returning to the emergency room during the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitalization rates soar again could lie in a Houston medical program. Grand-Aides is an organization of 1,500 nurse aides and medical assistants who check on patients after they’re discharged from the hospital to ensure that they’re taking medications, adhering to special diets and managing side effects at home. The program was conceptualized in 2012 by Arthur “Tim” Garson, a health policy expert and former dean of academic operations at Baylor College of Medicine, but has gained renewed interest as fears of catching COVID-19 lead people to avoid seeking medical care. (Wu, 12/31)
Indianapolis Star: Susan Moore's Death Leads IU Health Board Member To Call For Equity
A member of IU Health's board of directors said he is concerned about the experience of Dr. Susan Moore, a Black woman who described receiving inadequate care at the system's Carmel hospital before dying of COVID-19 this month. Julius C. Trimble, who also serves as resident bishop of the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, said he is connecting Moore's story with a broader problem facing Black patients who require health care. He also penned an op-ed published on IndyStar this week. "The question that hangs out over me, you know, is whether or not race is a factor in whether a person receives treatment, and the best quality treatment," said Trimble, a longtime advocate for racial health equity, in an interview with IndyStar. "That question has to be answered." (Martin, 12/30)
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Modern Healthcare: New Care Model Helps Primary-Care Practices Treat Obesity
Despite the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. and its contribution to costly chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, seasoned primary-care physicians often lack the education and resources to adequately address the condition among their patients. A 2017 survey from the medical association AMGA found 68% of its members weren’t following any guidelines for obesity care management in their practices. There were several reasons for this, including stigma among health professionals about obesity being a lifestyle choice rather than a chronic condition, said Elizabeth Ciemins, AMGA vice president of research and analytics. Additionally, physicians weren’t adequately trained until recently on obesity management and were often uncomfortable broaching the topic with patients. Providers “don’t know how to have those conversations,” Ciemins said. (Castellucci, 1/2)
KHN: Children’s Hospitals Are Partly To Blame As Superbugs Increasingly Attack Kids
A memory haunts Christina Fuhrman: the image of her toddler Pearl lying pale and listless in a hospital bed, tethered to an IV to keep her hydrated as she struggled against a superbug infection. “She survived by the grace of God,” Fuhrman said of the illness that struck her oldest child in this central Missouri city almost five years ago. “She could’ve gone septic fast. Her condition was near critical.” Pearl was fighting Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as a superbug. A growing body of research shows that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in children’s hospitals — which health experts and patients say should know better — helps fuel these dangerous bacteria that attack adults and, increasingly, children. Doctors worry that the covid pandemic will only lead to more overprescribing. (Ungar, 1/4)
GMA: Doctor Erases Cancer Patients' Medical Debt Totaling $650,000
Around 200 people are starting 2021 off without any medical debt thanks to the kindness of an oncology doctor who erased $650,000 of his patients' debt. Dr. Omar Atiq, a medical oncologist for nearly 40 years, closed his cancer clinic in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in March after nearly three decades in business. He worked with a billing company for several months after closing to try to collect payments from his former patients, but soon made a decision to stop reaching out. (Kindelan, 1/1)
