Health & Medicine (HMPRG)tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-780941762422105712012-02-09T12:45:26-08:00We're a 30-year old 501c3 nonprofit that operates as an independent, freestanding center driven by a singular mission: formulating health policy, advocacy and health systems to enhance the health of the public. TypePadtypepad/wtJQhttp://feedburner.google.comCenter for Long-Term Care Reform Co-Director Martha Holstein Writes about Lack of Economic Security Among Older Women.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b0168e70eb443970c2012-02-09T12:45:26-08:002012-02-09T12:46:18-08:00HMPRG's Center for Long-Term Care Reform Co-Director Martha Holstein has written an op-ed, "A Troubled Old Age: Women and Retirement Insecurity,” for the Center’s January, 2012, Elder Economic Security Newsletter. “Many years ago, Tish Sommers, the savvy co-founder of the Older Women’s League (now OWL), and one of my heroines, observed that “women are one man away from poverty.” For many women, especially women lower on the economic ladder, that observation remains painfully true. Across the income spectrum however, older women tend to be poorer than older men. 70% of the elderly poor are women. Blame that on women’s longer...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/02/center-for-long-term-care-reform-co-director-martha-holstein-writes-about-lack-of-economic-security-.htmlA Chance to Hear the Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems' New CEO, Dr. Ramanathan Raju tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b016761cd940a970b2012-02-06T06:47:02-08:002012-02-06T06:45:55-08:00Listen to the presentation made on January 30, 2012 at the City Club of Chicago by Dr. Ramanathan Raju, the new CEO of the Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems In this 45 minute presentation, Dr. Raju addresses the challenges faced by the CCHHS and his vision for guiding the system and improving health access for the people of Chicago.Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/02/a-chance-to-hear-the-cook-county-health-and-hospitals-systems-new-ceo-dr-ramanathan-raju-.htmlPotential Resistance to Request for Cook County Medicaid Waivertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b01676191d256970b2012-02-02T13:07:22-08:002012-02-02T13:07:22-08:00Earlier today we posted that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services submitted to CMS a request for a Medicaid waiver to expand coverage this year to people who would otherwise become eligible in 2014. Before this waiver application is granted, the Illinois legislature must pass an exception to the Medicaid expansion moratorium passed last year. The notice below was just received and illustrates the opposition in the General Assembly to overriding last year’s moratorium. We will keep you posted on the status of the application and the progress in the General Assembly as we hear. Righter, Bellock: Administration...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/02/potential-obstacle-to-legislation-for-cchhs-medicaid-waiver.htmlHospital Penalties for Readmissions Make New Transitional Care Models Imperative tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b0167618edbd2970b2012-02-02T08:44:57-08:002012-02-02T08:44:57-08:00The Chicago Tribune's January 30th article on the possibility of hospitals facing substantial financial penalties for high patient readmission rates - and the impact on low income patients - reaffirms the need for new transitional care models. The Bridge Program - developed by The Illinois Transitional Care Consortium (in which Health & Medicine Policy Research Group plays a lead role) is an innovative model designed to assist older adults in the transition from the hospital back to the community, and reduce readmission rates. Read the Tribune article Learn more about the Bridge Program and the work of the Illinois Transitional...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/02/hospital-penalties-for-readmissions-make-new-transitional-care-models-imperative-.htmlIllinois Pursuing Early Medicaid Expansiontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b0163009754a2970d2012-02-02T06:30:46-08:002012-02-02T06:30:46-08:00Download the Associated Press article that ran in the State Journal Register on Jan 31, 2012 The State Journal Register State pushes Cook County Medicaid plan By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press Posted Jan 31, 2012 @ 10:20 PM CHICAGO — Illinois is asking the federal government to allow an early expansion of Medicaid coverage to low-income childless adults in order to bring millions of federal dollars into the struggling Cook County health system. Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos sent a letter Monday to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services supporting the...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/02/illinois-pursuing-early-medicaid-expansion.htmlIn Chicago? Participate in a DoughRaiser to Raise Funds for the Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Program!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b016300656745970d2012-01-30T08:11:55-08:002012-01-30T08:11:55-08:00Dine In or Take Out from any of Uno Pizzeria and Grill's 3 restaurants on Wednesday, February 1 and/or Thursday, February 2 and up to 20% of your bill will be donated back to the Chicago Schweitzer Fellows Program! ♦ Uno Pizzeria and Grill, 29 E. Ohio ♦ Pizzeria Due, 619 N. Wabash ♦ Su Casa, 49 E. Ontario Visit any of the restaurants... Order "take out" for your office... Grab something delicious (pizza? salad? burger? taco? ) on your way home from work... (UNO was voted #1 healthiest chain restaurant in America by Health Magazine!) Customers must present a...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/01/in-chicago-participate-in-a-doughraiser-to-raise-funds-for-the-chicago-schweitzer-fellows-program-1.htmlArthur Kohrman, MD, appointed as acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Healthtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b0163002b4f2c970d2012-01-26T11:13:27-08:002012-01-30T06:35:37-08:00Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has appointed Arthur Kohrman, MD (a long-time member of the Health & Medicine Board) to serve as acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) effective January 29, 2012. A physician-scholar whose works have appeared in journals and books and a recipient of several prestigious fellowships, Dr. Kohrman’s record of service accomplishments and honors is long: since completing pediatric and infectious disease residencies at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital and University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio, he has held several key hospital administrative appointments including Associate Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Pritzker School of Medicine at University...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/01/arthur-kohrman-md-appointed-as-acting-director-of-the-illinois-department-of-public-health.htmlQuentin Young and Lester Crown to direct new nonprofit foundation that aims to raise funds to support the Cook County Health and Hospitals System tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b01630028831c970d2012-01-26T07:06:50-08:002012-01-26T07:07:46-08:00Public health advocate Quentin Young and investor Lester Crown have been named directors of a new nonprofit foundation that aims to raise money for the cash-strapped Cook County Health and Hospitals System. The county health system's board is expected Friday to consider a proposal to give the foundation $250,000 in seed money to help launch fundraising efforts, a health system spokeswoman said. The money will go toward retaining professional fundraising services and, likely, toward insurance for board members, the spokeswoman said. Health system CEO Ramanathan Raju and interim Chief Financial Officer John Cookinham are nonvoting members of the foundation board, which will have nine members.
Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/01/quentin-young-and-lester-crown-to-direct-new-npo-that-aims-to-raise-funds-to-support-the-cook-county.htmlPhyllis Mitzen from HMPRG's Center for Long-Term Care Reform Quoted in Tribune Series on Agingtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b0162ff65c0da970d2012-01-11T07:43:04-08:002012-01-11T07:43:35-08:00In the December 1, 2011 Chicago Tribube article by Deborah Shelton on the high cost of long-term care, Phyllis Mitzen, Co-Director of HMPRG's Center on Long-Term Care Reform offered this explanation for the difficulty many people have planning early for their long-term care needs: "People buy insurance for their life because they know they are going to die, for their car because they know that can get in an accident and for their health because they know they can get sick, but people don't tend to buy insurance because they think they are going to need someone to help them...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/01/phyllis-mitzen-from-hmprgs-center-for-long-term-care-reform-quoted-in-tribune-series-on-aging.htmlHMPRG's Margie Schaps quoted in Crain's article on The Cook County Health and Hospitals System's desire for early Medicaid expansiontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0115723d505a970b0168e4ea3e2b970c2012-01-03T10:12:39-08:002012-01-03T10:12:39-08:00Download the full article here Kristen Schorsch's article in today's Crain's (January 3) frames how the county health system wants the new Medicaid eligibility rules to be applied to its patients later this year instead of waiting until 2014, when federal health care reform begins--to give the public hospital system a competitive head start on serving the new Medicaid patients. Margie Schaps, Executive Director of the Health & Medicine Policy Research Group is quoted as saying: "Cook County’s application likely will prompt badly needed changes. I think this will force (the county) to put better systems in place, to organize...Health & Medicine (HMPRG)http://hmprg.typepad.com/health-medicine-hmprg/2012/01/hmprgs-margie-schaps-quoted-in-crains-article-on-the-cook-county-health-and-hospitals-systems-desire.html