Princess Health and To keep kids from getting fat, use smaller plates and portions, limit TV viewing and make sure they get 10 hours of sleep a night.Princessiccia

Princess Health and To keep kids from getting fat, use smaller plates and portions, limit TV viewing and make sure they get 10 hours of sleep a night.Princessiccia

body mass index child obesity childhood obesity children children's health diet nutrition

Gusty 05:16 Add Comment

Kentucky ranks high in child obesity. Parents can make sure their children maintain a healthy weight with three simple suggestions highlighted in recent studies: Serve them meals on smaller, child-size plates, pay attention to what they watch on TV, and make sure they get enough sleep.

In Kentucky, almost 18 percent of middle-school-age children and 16 percent of elementary-age kids are obese, and every third child born who was in the U.S. in 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes if current trends continue, says a recent report from the University of Kentucky's College of Public Health.

The three suggestions are based on three new studies in the April issue of Pediatrics.

One study found first-graders served themselves larger food portions and consumed almost 50 percent of the extra calories they put on their plates when using adult-sized dinner plates instead of child-sized salad plates, reports Michelle Healy of USA Today.
A second study examined the relationship between heavy use of media  and increased body mass index,  a measure based on height and weight that can classify someone as being overweight or obese. It found that TV usage is the most problematic and leads to higher BMI scores, reports Healy. One reason for this may be that TV advertising includes commercials for unhealthy snack foods. Or, perhaps kids are missing out on exercise because they watch so much TV. 

A new sleep study adds to research saying that insufficient sleep may contribute to the rise in adolescent obesity because it changes hormone levels that could lead to overeating and weight gain, reports Healy.

These findings support existing recommendations to help children attain and keep a healthy weight according the UK report. Portion sizes should be a third of adult portions for younger children and two-thirds of adult portions for older children; children's TV screen time should be limited to two hours per day; and children should get 10 hours of sleep each night.

Princess Health and Survey shows most rural doctors in Southern Kentucky aren�t ready for electronic health records; grant will help them switch.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Survey shows most rural doctors in Southern Kentucky aren�t ready for electronic health records; grant will help them switch.Princessiccia

area health education centers electronic health records health reform Medicaid Medicare rural health rural-urban disparities

Gusty 05:07 Add Comment

A recent survey found that 63 percent of rural health providers in Southern Kentucky have not installed electronic health records software, so more than 280 of the small and rural doctor practices surveyed could face financial penalties from Medicaid and Medicare if they do not install it by 2015. Federal grant money will help them make the switch.

Many rural Kentucky providers are near retirement and are deciding between making the necessary investment of capital and personnel that is required to make the switch to electronic records or to just close their practice, according to a release from Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp., which led the effort to get the grant

Decisions to close practices and to avoid using electronic health records could be problematic to rural areas in Kentucky, since the state already has doctor shortages, especially in rural areas. If the state expands the Medicaid program under federal health reform, the number of insured patients could increase much more than the number of physicians in Southern Kentucky, an area where many people are uninsured.

�Large hospitals in the region such as ARH, Baptist Regional and others have successfully installed this software, and they are using the system with quality results,� Richard Murch, an IT consultant who specializes in electronic health records and is working on the project, said in teh release. But he said the process is complicated and requires extra staff and resources that are sometimes difficult to find in the area.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded a project called Stronger Economies Together to improve the biomedical and life-science practices in the region. SET plans to provide resources and training to help providers and health systems make a successful switch to electronic health records, which the release said could create about 100 jobs over the next few years.

The survey showed 73 percent of doctors� practices have asked for help transferring to and using electronic records. �SET reviewed industry sector research to determine health care and health related businesses as the fastest growing business segment of our rural economy,� said Jerry Rickett, president and CEO of Kentucky Highlands. For more information about SET and its partner programs, click here.

Princess Health and U of L dean says $50 billion in annual health costs could be saved if Americans just walked more.Princessiccia

Princess Health and U of L dean says $50 billion in annual health costs could be saved if Americans just walked more.Princessiccia

chronic disease dental care dental health exercise physical activity public health smoking smoking ban tobacco tobacco prevention

Gusty 10:38 Add Comment

Small changes in health behavior can have a huge impact on the public's overall health and well-being, and during National Public Health Week discussions last week, Dr. Craig Blakely, the new dean of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, talked about the important role played by public health in promoting healthy behavior, preventing disease and saving both lives and money.

Blakely pointed to obesity as an example of an emerging health-related crisis, which can be addressed with behavioral changes that make a significant difference like adding more physical activity to your day, according to a U of L release.

�If we all took exercise seriously by just walking, we could save $50 billion in cardiovascular disease-related costs,� Blakely said. �A 10 percent weight loss equals a $5,000 savings in health-related complications. A typical desk worker could lose a pound a month by standing two hours a day.�

Blakely also addressed smoking bans, which are becoming popular in Kentucky, even though the state has the highest share of smokers (29 percent) of any state, leads the nation in high-school smokers (24 percent) and spends only a minuscule portion of its tobacco revenues to fight tobacco use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If every state adopted comprehensive smoke-free policies, said Blakely, $2 billion would be saved in smoking-related deaths, lung cancer treatments and care for related health complications over the course of several years, says the release.

Blakely highlighted several other examples of public health�s potential return on investment. For example, says the release, every dollar spent on childhood immunizations saves $18 on vaccine-preventable disease-related costs, every dollar spent in prenatal care translates to $6 in health care cost savings and for every dollar spent on fluoridated water saves $20 in dental care.

Public health research will continue to find effective ways to generate these cost savings, such as finding researching how to modify environments to encourage exercise or how to send strong messages that promote regular physical activity (Read more)

Princess Health and Beshear vetoes prompt-pay bill but takes several steps to address problems in Medicaid; he and Haynes say it's working.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Beshear vetoes prompt-pay bill but takes several steps to address problems in Medicaid; he and Haynes say it's working.Princessiccia

General Assembly governor health care costs health insurance legislature managed care Medicaid prevention

Gusty 12:10 Add Comment

Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the bill designed to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay health-care providers more quickly, but is taking administrative steps to address the issue.

Beshear said he agreed with the intent of House Bill 5 but it might have interfered with the contractual relationship between the state and the four managed-care companies. The bill would have subjected that relationship to the state Department of Insurance's review and investigation process for private-insurance payment complaints. 

"That language would have resulted in excessive costs for state government and taxpayers due to the expansion of the review process beyond the current parameters used for private insurance," Beshear's office said in a press release.

Instead, Beshear ordered the department to take over responsibility for review of prompt-payment complaints from the Department for Medicaid Services. "If improper payment practices are discovered, DOI can impose sanctions," the release said. He also ordered the department to audit each of the managed-care firms operating statewide � Wellcare, Coventry Cares, and Kentucky Spirit � at their cost.

Meanwhile, the firms have agreed to meet with every hospital they have under contract to reconcile outstanding accounts.  "This effort will begin immediately and continue until every hospital�s accounts receivable has been reconciled," the release said.  "The results will . . . be made public, in order to provide transparency and accountability." The firms have  agreed to meet with any other provider who wants a meeting.

Also, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services will hold eight regional forums for providers, managed-care firms, and Insurance Department representatives to discuss concerns and how to improve the system. Part of this effort will focus on "emergency room management that meets community needs without an ER operating as a de facto primary-care office," the release said. "A key component of controlling costs and improving health in a healthcare system is to provide the right treatment in the most cost-effective setting."

CHFS Secretary Audrey Tayse Haynes said the switch to managed care, made in November 2011, is working. �We are already seeing a tremendous increase in the use of preventive services, which improve health-care outcomes, while also reducing the enormous costs for treating chronic health conditions� such as diabetes-related amputations, she said.

Beshear said his plan would solve "lingering implementation problems" with managed care "while preserving the significant improvements in patient care and health care cost savings."

"Getting our people healthy and keeping them that way is not just good health policy, it�s good economics," Beshear said. "That�s why we will never return to the old fee-for-service system.  This is a significant cultural shift in medical care that has already happened across the country in both the private insurance market and in the Medicaid system."

Princess Health andH+P at the 2013 ATB.Princessiccia

Princess Health andH+P at the 2013 ATB.Princessiccia

Gusty 14:58 Add Comment

The team had a great showing at the 2013 Around the Bay Race.  Here is a quick summary of the team results!  For full results click HERE.

Luke:1:58:50.4
Lucas: 2:01:09.1
Jordan: 2:10:24.1 (Including a new 5K PB!)
Aaron:2:14:17.1
Mike P: 2:26:55.7
Helen: 2:46:25.7
Jeremy: 3:01:32.4
Jessica: 3:12:20.4
Natalie: 3:18:50.8

Princess Health and Confused or concerned about the impact of health reform on Kentucky businesses? There's a seminar for that..Princessiccia

Princess Health and Confused or concerned about the impact of health reform on Kentucky businesses? There's a seminar for that..Princessiccia

health care health care access health care costs health care law health care reform health reform insurance insurance exchange

Gusty 11:13 Add Comment

To address possible confusion or concern of business people and the public about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," health-care reform experts will address its impact on small and large companies across Kentucky at half-day seminars in Lexington and Louisville on May 8 and 9.

The Kentucky Health Care Reform Seminar will include specific discussions about expected cost increases and tax implications for businesses once reform is implemented, including the role of the health insurance exchange and the changing ways that coverage premiums will be determined. The seminar will be presented by The Iasis Group Inc., The Lane Report and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, says a chamber release.  

Guidance to employers will be provided on complying with the new rules surrounding insurance reforms and insight to whether Kentucky companies can truly afford it. The seminar is part of a statewide partnership that includes Commerce Lexington, Greater Louisville Inc., the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (Click here for more details or to advance register)

Princess Health and Death rates for heart and pneumonia patients at critical-access hospitals are rising nationally, study finds.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Death rates for heart and pneumonia patients at critical-access hospitals are rising nationally, study finds.Princessiccia

critical access hospitals Medicaid Medicare research rural health

Gusty 11:12 Add Comment

Death rates are rising at rural critical-access hospitals for Medicare patients who have heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Hospitals designated as critical-access get slightly higher Medicsare and Medicaid reimbursements in exchange for limiting their size, procedures and patient stays. In 2002, they had a death rate of 12.8 percent for such ailments, under the 13 percent rate at other hospitals. But from 2002 to 2010, mortality rates at critical-access hospitals increased 0.1 percent each year, to 13.3 percent, while the rates at other hospitals fell 0.2 percent each year, to 11.4 percent.

There are 1,331 hospitals in the critical access program, Jordan Rau reports for USA Today. "Congress started the critical access program in 1997 to stave off hospital closures in places where patients had no good alternative because the next hospital was at least 35 miles away by regular roads or 15 miles by secondary roads. To qualify hospitals need 25 or fewer beds."
 
The authors of the study "suggested that the hospitals' care may suffer because they don't have the latest sophisticated technology or specialists to treat the increasingly elderly and frail rural populations," Rau reports. "Since hospitals are not required to submit performance evaluations to Medicare, the government may not realize that facilities could need additional assistance in caring for sicker patients."

Brock Slabach of the National Rural Health Association told Rau that the statistics don't always tell the complete story and that "The association's own research has found that rural hospitals do better in patient satisfaction surveys than do urban hospitals," Rau writes.