Federal News
Data Illustrate Geographic Dispersal of Family Physicians, Other Primary Care Professionals
Family physicians are the most likely of any physician specialty or subspecialty to practice in rural areas and the most likely to be geographically distributed in the same proportion as the U.S. population, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Within the primary care workforce, 11.1 percent of family physicians practice in large rural areas, compared with 6.7 percent of general internists and 6.2 percent of general pediatricians, according to the data.
Primary Care Workforce Facts and Stats
AHRQ is producing a set of fact sheets to provide health care policy and decisionmakers with information on: The primary care workforce in place currently in the U.S.; Its capacity to care for the current U.S. population; and Needed growth in this workforce to accommodate population changes and expanded health care insurance coverage. The fact sheet The Distribution of the U.S.
How Can Health IT Lead to a More Sustainable Health Care System?
Across the country, health care providers are making significant investments to redesign care processes and strengthen their health information technology (health IT) capabilities with the goal of achieving better care, better health, and lower costs. For the American health care system as a whole, the simultaneous pursuit of all three of these aims is essential to sustaining any one of them. (Source: US HHS Health IT Buzz) [Read article]
USDA Announces Latest Actions to Combat Fraud and Enhance SNAP Program Integrity
Results released for fiscal year 2012 in the effort to identify and eliminate fraudulent retailers from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While fraud is a relatively limited problem in SNAP – the violating stores represent less than ½ of one percent of more than 230,000 food stores authorized to redeem benefits – no level of fraud is tolerated. (Source: USDA) [Read article]
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan Announces Funding To Create Jobs and Strengthen the Economic Foundation of Rural America
Merrigan announced that USDA has selected 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico to receive business development assistance through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. Please see a complete list of recipients receiving grants. (Source: USDA) [Read article]
Physicians: iPad Not Ready For Clinical Use
Eighty percent of physicians in a recent survey said they believe that the Apple iPad has an "exciting future in healthcare"--but they doubt it is ready for clinical use. One barrier to clinical use of iPads today is the attitude of hospitals. "Seventy-five percent of physicians interviewed reported that hospital IT [staff] was resistant to supporting personal mobile devices on the corporate network," the Spyglass Consulting Group release said.
House Bill Would Gouge Rural Transit
Rural transportation leaders are speaking out against a proposal before Congress that would cut funding for needed public transit programs. (Source: Daily Yonder) [Read article]
Next Steps for ACOs
The brief provides an overview of ACOs, their origins, and the current status of adoption by Medicare and private health insurance plans. The authors say the ACO approach may appeal to many more health plans because it provides a model for an intermediate form of delivery. The brief also examines the five-year Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration’s results suggesting that ACOs will be able to improve the quality of care they deliver, but could have a hard time generating savings.
Obama Administration Announces Pilot Program to Help Rural Borrowers Refinance Mortgages, Get Lower Interest Rates
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a pilot program to help rural borrowers refinance their mortgages to reduce their monthly payments. This initiative is part of the Administration's ongoing efforts to help middle class families, create jobs, and strengthen the economy. The Single Family Housing Guaranteed Rural Refinance Pilot Program will operate in 19 states for homeowners who have loans that were made or guaranteed by USDA Rural Development. These states are among those hardest hit by the downturn in the housing market.
Say Cheese, Carrots! Veggie Photos in Lunch Trays Boost Consumption
The simple act of putting photos of green beans and carrots in cafeteria-tray compartments sparked increased consumption among elementary-school students, according to a small study that suggests one more potential avenue for getting kids to eat their veggies. Researchers from the University of Minnesota compared carrot and green-bean consumption on a control day — with the usual cafeteria trays — to consumption on a day in which photographs of the two veggies were placed in tray compartments.
