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Hispanics In Massachusetts Less Likely To Visit Physicians, Survey Finds
Hispanics in Massachusetts are less likely than whites to have visited a physician in the last year, according to a survey that was funded by the Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Springfield Republican reports. The survey also found that Hispanics were about twice as likely as whites to visit an emergency department for a nonemergency condition. The survey, which was conducted last fall, included 4,041 adults ages 18 to 64 in Massachusetts. Overall, the survey found that people living in western Massachusetts had more difficulty accessing health services than people living in other areas of the state, in part because of a shortage of primary care physicians. While the survey found that nearly all state residents have health insurance, more than 25% of residents in four western counties reported that providers either would not accept their insurance or were not accepting new patients. The survey did not find significant differences across the state in the ability of residents to pay medical bills. In addition, the survey did not find any evidence that health care costs are more of a burden to Hispanics and blacks than to whites (McAuliffe, Springfield Republican, 5/28).
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Researchers Identify New Function For Protein Missing In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and National Institutes of Health have identified a new function for the protein missing in people with the most common and ultimately lethal form of childhood muscular dystrophy. Drugshop to buy zoloft online and other pills.
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First Potential Lupus-Specific Treatment In Sight
Today, Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced positive results from a year-long clinical trial of BENLYSTA for treating lupus. When the 52-week study concluded, the lupus patients who were treated with BENLYSTA had improvement in overall disease activity without clinically significant flare-ups in one or more isolated organs when compared to patients who received the placebo (inactive agent). The patients receiving BENLYSTA also were able to reduce their intake of steroid medications. The study is the largest ever to be completed for lupus and the first Phase III (late stage) trial of a new biologic immune therapy for lupus to succeed in meeting its primary endpoint and most of its secondary endpoints.
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URAC And CARF International Announce New Survey Tool For Health Care Case Management Studies

URAC, the leading health care accreditation and education organization, and CARF International, a premier, global, independent accreditor of health and human services, announced a new tool for case management professionals. The uSPEQ(R)/URAC Participant Experience Survey for Case Management (uSPEQ-CM) will help evaluate and improve the quality of health care programs and services offered to consumers. "This innovative tool will provide organizations the information they need to ensure they are offering the best services to consumers," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "The tool also empowers consumers to play a role in their health care by giving them a way to give specific and direct feedback to case managers." Developed using uSPEQ, CARF"s proven data and reporting system, uSPEQ-CM is a confidential, anonymous, and scientifically-tested reporting system that gathers participants" experiences with their case management program. In turn, providers can use the reported information to improve the quality of their programs and services and monitor outcomes. "uSPEQ-CM is a powerful, flexible tool that is customized to an organization"s specific settings and populations," said Brian J. Boon, Ph.D., president/CEO of CARF International. "Hearing the voice of consumers in an organization is essential to ensuring high quality services. The anonymity offered by the survey tool will ensure consumer privacy while giving users an opportunity to share their thoughts about their health care experience." The survey is efficiently administered across the service continuum, cutting across multiple programs/departments. In addition, the questionnaire, data gathering, and reports are customized to meet an organization"s specific needs, programs, and populations. "Any new technology that will help increase efficiency for case managers, while improving services to consumers, is of great value to the case management industry," said Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, executive director of the Case Management Society of America (CMSA). "The uSPEQ-CM allows case managers to access valuable information while the flexibility of the survey allows for feedback during, at the completion of, or at key benchmarks following services." uSPEQ surveys, such as the uSPEQ-CM, are field tested in diverse health and human services organizations with varying sizes, types, and geographical locations. Ongoing testing and analysis are also employed to ensure the quality of the surveys. "CARF was guided by input from providers, payers of services, and, most important, consumers," said Di Shen, Ph.D., chief research officer of CARF International. "The information gathered is designed to help organizations demonstrate that their services are effective. There is more accountability, competition, and consumerism in today"s healthcare industry, and having real numbers and facts is invaluable." Subscribers to the uSPEQ-CM will receive a wide range of support and benefits including consultation with uSPEQ staff, unlimited distribution of the uSPEQ-CM questionnaire in their organization, and timely and accurate reporting of results. "We want to get information into the hands of those who can use it to make the changes and provide better care for consumers," said Joann Richards, vice president for Research and Measurement of URAC. "The ongoing data collection and reporting allow for internal benchmarking. This, in turn, gives organizations actionable information and continuous improvement." About URAC URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. About uSPEQ uSPEQ (pronounced you speak) is a turnkey data collection and reporting system designed to gather information from key stakeholders and assist organizations in improving organizational well-being and performance improvement. It is a national and international pooled data system, featuring questionnaires with a core set of universal items for benchmark comparisons, an optional set of standardized items, and the ability to incorporate custom items to fit the unique data needs of the organization. CARF developed the uSPEQ Employee Climate Survey and Consumer Experience Survey, a complementary suite of services, in response to the field"s desire to aspire to excellence in health and human services. URAC


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