February 14, 2010
11:09 am
Expectant and new mothers now have access to a tool to help keep themselves and their babies healthy – free informational tips sent to their cell phones.
Recently, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) launched Text4baby, a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health. Text4baby provides pregnant women and new moms with information they need to take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth. Since the launch, over 10,000 women from all 50 states have been registered for the program.
According to its sponsors, the text4baby campaign is the first free, health education program in the U.S. to utilize mobile phones. Among the sponsors are three Healthcare Leadership Council members: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and WellPoint.
I would like to commend these three organizations for taking part in such an innovative health outreach program.
February 02, 2010
2:08 pm
Below is my commentary piece which was featured yesterday in Modern Healthcare Magazine:
Political analysts and pundits have already begun conducting an autopsy on the Obama administration’s effort to reform America’s healthcare system. Dismal poll results, the Scott Brown Senate victory in Massachusetts and squeamishness over the upcoming November elections have combined, they say, to bring yet another health reform effort to a crashing demise.
Call me a stubborn optimist, but I still believe it’s possible to find a cure for this patient rather than give up the ghost. The need to improve our healthcare system is just as imperative today as when this legislative process started. Failure should not be regarded as an option. Read more
January 12, 2010
5:20 pm
We hear it all the time. It’s a nonstop drumbeat. Healthcare in the United States is too expensive and too low in quality compared to other countries. Critics are constantly citing the World Health Organization which, in its most recent rankings, said the U.S. ranks 37th in overall healthcare performance.
In reality, though, what kind of healthcare do Americans receive? And would we really trade what we have for what is offered to citizens in other nations.
Dr. Mark Constantian, a reconstructive surgeon in New Hampshire, investigated that question and shared his conclusions in the Wall Street Journal last week. Dr. Constantian found that, when it comes to the factors that patients and healthcare consumers care about the most, healthcare in this country stacks up pretty well. Read more
January 05, 2010
4:31 pm
Secretary Sebelius has designated January 10-16 as National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). In doing so, the Secretary noted that while the number of H1N1 cases have dropped significantly in recent weeks, the need to fight against the viruses remains critical. Pointing out that flu experts warn that we should prepare for a possible third wave of H1N1 flu, Sebelius encouraged persons who have not yet been vaccinated to take advantage of the more than 118 million doses of the H1N1 flu vaccination available and get vaccinated during NIVW.
November 30, 2009
4:21 pm
Today, members of Congress are agonizing over legislative language and Congressional Budget Office reports, trying to find the right mixture of programs and policies to make a dent in future healthcare spending growth.
If a new study from the University of Chicago is correct, much of this work will be akin to building barriers from sand to try to prevent a tidal wave rapidly encroaching upon land.
Researchers at the university project that the number of people afflicted with diabetes will approximately double in the next 25 years, climbing from the current 23.7 million to over 44 million patients by 2034. In Medicare spending alone, that means treatment costs for diabetes will more than triple, from $45 billion today to $171 billion in 25 years. As the study’s lead author states, if this course doesn’t change, “we will find ourselves in a lot of trouble as a population.” He also said our future could easily turn out worse than the University of Chicago’s predictions. Read more
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