Princess Health and Newspaper reporting contest for rural health coverage; deadline June 24.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Newspaper reporting contest for rural health coverage; deadline June 24.Princessiccia

health journalism rural health rural journalism

Gusty 14:36 Add Comment

Journalists who have reported about rural health in the past year should start sifting through their clippings. The Kentucky Rural Health Association is awarding four writers $100 each for their efforts.

Entries will be judged on their relevance to rural health; the quality of the reporting; impact on health-care policy; and new insights that might have been generated by the reporting.

The contest features two divisions, daily and non-daily, with two categories in each division: series and single story. The contest period ranges from July 1, 2011 to June 15, 2012. Entries must be received by June 24. Winners will be announced during KRHA's annual conference in Aug. 16-17 in Bowling Green.

Entries can be submitted to David A. Gross, 222 Medical Circle, Morehead KY 40351. For more information, contract Gross at 606-783-6468 or e-mail at dagross@st-claire.org. (Read more)

Princess Health and Tobacco virus may be used to combat Parkinson's disease.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Tobacco virus may be used to combat Parkinson's disease.Princessiccia

Parkinson's disease research smoking tobacco

Gusty 11:58 Add Comment

A tobacco crop affected by drought. Courier-Journal photo
by David R. Lutman.

University of Louisville researchers say a virus that attacks tobacco plants may be used to develop a vaccine for Parkinson's disease.

The answer lies with the tobacco mosaic virus, which causes antibodies that "may be protective against Parkinson's," said Dr. Robert Friedland, a clinical and research neurologist at U of L.

Friedland's findings come after more than 60 studies have shown that smokers seem to have a reduced risk for developing Parkinson's, a motor system disorder that can cause tremors, stiffness and impaired balance. 

But Friedland and Dr. Honglei Chen, an investigator with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, warn the findings should not be considered an excuse to smoke. Friedland's research is partly funded by the NIH, but not by any tobacco companies, reports Laura Ungar for The Courier-Journal. (Read more)

Princess Health and Coventry changes course, will pay for addiction-treatment drug.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Coventry changes course, will pay for addiction-treatment drug.Princessiccia

addiction drug abuse drugs managed care Medicaid state government

Gusty 18:55 Add Comment

Reversing its decision, likely after it was pressured to do so, a Medicaid managed-care organization will continue to pay for a drug used to treat drug addiction.

Coventry Cares said it "decided to change course after talking to representatives of a chain of addition treatment clinics that threatened last week to sue Coventry," reports Beth Musgrave for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Last week, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services sent Coventry a letter expressing its displeasure about the MCO's move, saying it would be a contractual violation. The drug in question is Suboxone, an expensive treatment option for addicts dependent on taking opioids such as Oxycontin and Vicodin. Coventry had said it was aligning its coverage in keeping with Medicaid policy, moving to only cover the full price of the drug for pregnant or recently pregnant women and youth under 21.

After the MCO discussed the issue with SelfRefind, the chain of addiction treatment clinics in question, "Coventry understands their concerns," said Coventry spokesman Eyles. "As a result, we will continue covering Suboxone and similar medicines for all Coventry members while we work through the cabinet's process to determine whether these drugs should be covered for certain categories of Medicaid recipients or everyone." (Read more)

Princess Health and 100 Kentucky hospitals join network to improve patient safety, fight hospital-acquired conditions such as infections.Princessiccia

Princess Health and 100 Kentucky hospitals join network to improve patient safety, fight hospital-acquired conditions such as infections.Princessiccia

healthcare-associated infections hospital-acquired infections hospitals Kentucky Hospital Association patients safety

Gusty 11:01 Add Comment

To help hospitals reduce preventable readmissions and hospital-acquired infections, 100 of Kentucky's 131 hospitals have joined the Kentucky Hospital Association's hospital engagement network. The group's goal is to help hospitals find ways to improve patient safety, reduce readmissions and hospital-acquired conditions such as infections, and share learning among hospitals.

The network hopes to reduce the incidence of adverse drug events; catheter-associated urinary tract infections; central-line-associated bloodstream infections; injuries from falls and immobility; obstetrical adverse events; pressure ulcers; surgical site infections; venous thromboembolisms or deep vein clots; ventilator-associated pneumonia; and preventable readmissions.

The two-year project is supported by a contract with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as part of the "Partnership for Patients" campaign, launched earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal for the project is to reduce preventable  readmissions that occur within 30 days of discharge by 20 percent and hospital-acquired infections by 40 percent (compared to 2010) by the end of 2013.

"The commitment to patient safety and quality by hospitals across Kentucky has resulted in lives saved, fewer complications and reduced costs," said Mark J. Neff, chair of the KHA board of trustees and president and CEO of St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead. For a list of hospitals participating in the network, click here.

Princess Health and Hopkinsville paper examines doctor shortage, reasons for it.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Hopkinsville paper examines doctor shortage, reasons for it.Princessiccia

doctor shortage doctors health care access health reform Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act primary care rural health

Gusty 11:35 Add Comment

Albert Delaney waits for his wife Agnes in Hopkinsville.
(Photo by Kentucky New Era's Tom Kane)

Nick Tabor of the Kentucky New Era examines Christian County's doctor shortage, with the area averaging just one primary care physician for every 2,000 people. It's the latest health story in the small daily newspaper, which is committed to quality health reporting.

The shortage creates problems for residents, who must either travel to another area to see a doctor or go without preventive services because there is no one to see until serious illness occurs. When that happens, that "puts an undue burden" on the local hospital's emergency room.

The shortage is affected by the fact that "primary care physicians, which rural areas need in higher volumers than specialists, are entering the job market at alarmingly low rates," Tabor reports. "More medical students are becoming specialists, as these jobs promise better salaries and hours." Secondly, it is difficult to recruit doctors to rural areas. "Little old Hopkinsville is up against Boston and Chicago and all of these bigger cities," said Teresa Bowers, Jennie Stuart Medical Center's physician recruitment director. "They're not throwing darts at a map and saying, 'I'm going to Hopkinsville.'"

The problem is not a new one. A 2007 report by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine shows there have been shortage issues for decades. "Even if all the barriers that have prevented a sufficient and well-dispersed supply of physicians were suddenly to disappear, the task of recruiting and educating an ample cohort of doctors would take years to accomplish," it reads.

The problem is liken to worsen, however, if the federal health-reform law is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, as 30 million more Americans will have insurance to see the doctor. A recent report found medical school enrollment is up by 30 percent, but more residency placements are needed to accommodate the influx. (Read more)

Princess Health and Medicaid managed-care firm Coventry plans to stop paying for expensive drug that curtails addiction.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Medicaid managed-care firm Coventry plans to stop paying for expensive drug that curtails addiction.Princessiccia

addiction drug abuse drugs managed care Medicaid state government

Gusty 11:29 Add Comment

Coventry Cares, one of the four firms that manage patient care for the state Medicaid program, has once again hit the headlines, this time for its plans to stop paying for medicine that helps addicts keep their opioid addiction at bay. State officials quickly condemned the move Thursday and called it a contract violation, reports Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Coventry decided to stop paying for buprenorphine, more commonly known as Suboxone, which helps curtain cravings for drugs such as Oxycontin and Vicodin. A 30-day supply of the drug can cost more than $450, Musgrave reports.

"They will be at risk for relapsing and going back to using illegal opioids," Dr. Michelle Lofwall, an addiction specialist and assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, told Musgrave. "Whenever you are using illegal opioids, there is a risk of overdose and death."

Coventry said it will no longer offer the coverage because only pregnant women, women who recently gave birth and those under the age of 21 are eligible for addiction treatment in Kentucky's Medicaid program. "What we've done is align our coverage with the cabinet's Medicaid policy," said Matt Eyles, a Coventry spokesman.

However, the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services said the decision violates the contract and "cannot take this unilateral action without the cabinet's approval," said Jill Midkiff, a cabinet spokeswoman. 

A company that operates addiction treatment centers across the state was planning to file suit over the move Friday, but, after learning of the cabinet's reaction, "We are going to give them the chance to work this out," Anna Whites, an attorney who represents SelfRefind.

Coventry already caused controversy this week when it informed Baptist Health System wants to renegotiate its contract. The move comes just a week after Coventry and Appalachian Regional Healthcare came to a temporary agreement after Coventry threatened to terminate its contract and ARH sued Coventry. The company has also told King's Daughters Medical Center in Ashland it will terminate its contract after May 26. (Read more)

Princess Health and Cancer battle of UK faculty member to air on KET.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Cancer battle of UK faculty member to air on KET.Princessiccia

Gusty 05:27 Add Comment

A documentary chronicling a former University of Kentucky faculty member's battle with cancer will air six times in May on KET.

Nancy Clauder, an oboist whose research focused on arranging and performance, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008 when she went to the doctor with what she thought were symptoms of the flu. She was diagnosed with the disease, a rare, blood-related cancer with no cure. Clauder underwent a stem cell transplant, endured high-dose chemotherapy and lost her ability to play her instrument for six months, a UK press release says.

Eventually, she was able play again and recorded a CD with artists from UK and the Lexington Philharmonic. "This is the right time, and I'm so grateful that there was the opportunity to do it through UK, and a grant research program, because I would not be able to afford the musicians," she said.

The documentary "The Ascending Journey" will air at 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. May 13; at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, May 17 on KET2; midnight Monday, May 21 on KET2; 5 a.m. Monday, May 28 on KETKY; and 9:30 p.m. May 30 on KETKY. (Read more)