Lake Wobegon Medical Center welcomes you
Posted on November 9, 2009 at 2:47 pmA new survey by Health Affairs says 99 percent of hospital chairman think their facility provides above-average care. Its authors provide one interesting regulatory suggestion.
The large differences in board activities between high-performing and low-performing hospitals we found suggest that governing boards may be an important target for intervention for policymakers hoping to improve care in U.S. hospitals.
permalink | Comment on this post
Brentwood lab gets nod for H1N1 test
Posted on October 14, 2009 at 7:51 amDiatherix Laboratories has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to market its H1N1-09 Influenza Test. Diatherix CEO Dennis Grimaud said the testing panel also can identify any co-infections like pneumonia, which have contributed to many H1N1 deaths.
permalink | Comment on this post
Schools cutting back on soda and snacks
Posted on October 7, 2009 at 7:31 am
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows public schools around the country making big strides in offering their students more nutritious food and beverage options. Tennessee, along with Mississippi, gets special kudos. Check out the full report here; the nutrition data starts on page 140.
permalink | Comment on this post
Vanderbilt creates senior public health position
Posted on September 28, 2009 at 10:38 am
Robert Dittus, head of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s division of general medicine and public health, has also been named the institution’s first assistant vice chancellor for public health. The post combines elements of policy, advocacy and education.
permalink | Comment on this post
At HCA, it’s the shot, the mask or the door
Posted on September 14, 2009 at 6:59 amA Houston Chronicle piece on hospitals’ flu prevention programs sheds some light on how strongly HCA Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Perlin feels about the issue when it comes to workers with direct patient contact.
Those who can’t get vaccinated for medical or religious reasons will be asked to wear a mask, said Jonathan Perlin, president of clinical services and chief medical officer for the Nashville-based HCA, which has nine hospitals and 12,000 employees in the Houston area.
For those who won’t, he said, HCA will consider that as a resignation.
Help for hospitals
Posted on September 11, 2009 at 6:36 am
No, it’s not a bailout, just some solid collaborative consulting help from the troubleshooters at the Joint Commission, whose jobs until now have focused only on poking holes in hospitals’ operations.
To avoid conflicts by asking hospitals to fund the center, Chassin created an endowment with $10 million from the group’s own reserves and raised additional donations from the American Hospital Association, GE Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson, among others. Over five years, he says, its aim is to raise a total of $100 million. The Commission will offer materials developed by the program online for free, but of course, may benefit from charging hospitals consulting fees to figure out how to use them.
permalink | Comment on this post
New leader for anti-smoking group
Posted on August 28, 2009 at 6:52 am
The Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee has hired grassroots campaign manager Shelley Courington to be its executive director. She comes to CHART from the American Cancer Society of Middle Tennessee, where she spent five years, most recently serving as the division grassroots director.
permalink | Comment on this post
Stay healthy, get a raise
Posted on August 19, 2009 at 8:37 amWith a helping hand from one of Richard Branson’s ventures, First Horizon is giving its employees an incentive to shape up.
By wearing a GoZone pedometer and tracking daily activity, employees will accumulate points (HealthMiles) toward a reward based on their levels of activity. Moderate activity pays off — walking, playing with the kids, cycling. Participation is optional and requires employees to make a $2.50 contribution each payday, which is every two weeks, to the cost of the program.
permalink | Comment on this post
Aegis inks Calif. contract
Posted on August 3, 2009 at 4:30 pmNashville-based health care marketing firm has teamed with a Sonoma County hospital system to roll out wellness programs to area businesses.
permalink | Comment on this post
Working off the weight
Posted on July 21, 2009 at 7:33 am
The folks at Brookdale Senior Living are a right bunch of Jareds, albeit without the endorsement deals: Over 12 weeks this spring, some 4,000 of the nursing home operator’s employees took part in a weight-loss challenge that resulted in the disappearance of more than 30,000 pounds.
permalink | Comment on this post
Just off the podium
Posted on July 1, 2009 at 9:31 am
New state-by-state rankings of obesity rates have been published today by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Tennessee ranked as the fourth-most obese state in the country behind Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia.
And while the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds – the oldest boomers – than among today’s 65-and-beyond.
As in previous years, Colorado is the only state with an obesity rate below 20 percent.
SEE ALSO: Our recent print-edition story on how human behavior will factor into health care reform efforts.
permalink | Comment on this post
That’s when I fell for… the middle of the pack
Posted on May 26, 2009 at 12:36 pmHurray for the median!
The American College of Sports Medicine has rated Nashville as the 26th fittest city — of the 50 most populated — in the country.
The AFI data report reflects a composite of preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access, as well as community resources and policies that support physical activity. In addition to a data report, AFI is a program designed to help communities identify opportunities to improve the health of their residents and expand community assets to better support active, healthy lifestyles.
The sad part about the rankings is not so much that Washington, D.C. is the top-ranked city, which a quick stroll through Capitol Hill will belie, but more that we came in just behind sausage-swilling Chicago.
Apparently Bob Swerski and the rest of the Superfans live outside the city limits. Here’s the full release.
permalink | Comment on this post
Pill droppin’
Posted on April 17, 2009 at 11:39 am
Drug tester Aegis Sciences is ushering in Earth Day with its own take on recycling. This Saturday, the company will provide two drop off points for outdated prescription medications. The MEDS (Manage Extra Drugs Safely) booths will be at the Nashville Earth Day Festival at Centennial Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m and Memorial Park in Hendersonville from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tennesseans have their fair share of prescription medicines. According to Aegis, Tennessee is the second-highest in the country in terms of prescription drug use with an average of 16.9 prescriptions per person.
The company will only accept medication and over-the-counter products in pill or capsule form in the original containers with the original labels. Liquid medications, needles and old syringes need not apply.
permalink | Comment on this post
Research firm nabs WIC contract
Posted on March 31, 2009 at 9:44 pmGreen Hills-based Edge Healthcare Research will survey a portion of the 150,000 people enrolled in Tennessee’s WIC program ahead of an overhaul later this year.
New federal guidelines to take effect October 2009 have modified the current supplemental food packages offered through the WIC Program, and the Tennessee Department of Health wants to ensure that WIC recipients have access to the foods they use which are covered under the new food package guidelines.
permalink | Comment on this post
Restaurant chains push for national calorie disclosure standard
Posted on March 15, 2009 at 11:42 pmFast-food chains and other operators say they don’t want to put calorie counts on menus, but prefer to post the info nearby.
“Having the information available before customers order makes a huge difference, and when consumers see the information, it is pretty eye-opening,” says Bob Goldin, a food consultant in Chicago at Technomic Inc. The firm studied the effects of putting calories on chain-restaurant menus in New York. “Restaurants heavily opposed this in the past, but they have realized it’s inevitable now and consumers want it.”
SEE ALSO: O’Charley’s counsel chimes in.
Recent Comments
In our good state a select few run the place, 20 yrs ago and today....
Southernindie…Unfortunat ely you have suffered a dibilitating...
And…Karl (Marx) Dean is spending one billion dollars...
Someone explain the difference between short stay and observation...
Watching the Chairman of Starwood Hotels yesterday on CNBC...
Funny how the Union’s feel about taxes. They complained about their...
Where is it?
An absolutely ugly structure, which I have always thought did not take...
Too bad that ATT changed the look of the building so that it no longer...
Yeah, well, look at the TN Legislature of good ol’ boys and the...
As long as the red rules, we will be far behind other states. The GOP does...
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn: I don’t know what...