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PRESS RELEASE: Paying Medicare Advantage Plans by a Blend-Based System: Where are the Gains and Losses? read »
posted: November 20, 2009, 11:26 AM
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, and Gaddam Goud, M.S., Ph.D., Research Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, Featured on WUSA Discussing Vaccine Research read »
posted: November 20, 2009, 9:42 AM
Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on WUSA Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 3:54 PM
Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on The Early Show Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 3:52 PM
Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on American Medical News Discussing Health Care Fraud read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 3:02 PM
Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on NPR Discussing Health Care Reform read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 2:52 PM
Influential Researcher Envisions a Positive Future for the Role of Genomics in Cardiovascular Medicine read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 2:22 PM
SPHHS Grand Rounds: H1N1 Puts Our Health Care System’s Preparedness to the Test read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 1:58 PM
updated: November 20, 2009, 2:41 PM
Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on CNN Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations read »
posted: November 19, 2009, 11:40 AM
Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on NBC4 Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations read »
posted: November 18, 2009, 1:15 PM
Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on WJLA and News 8 Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations read »
posted: November 18, 2009, 1:10 PM
updated: November 19, 2009, 11:43 AM
PRESS RELEASE: Analysis Examines Industry-Wide Implications of the Stupak/Pitts Amendment Banning Funding of Abortion Under Health Reform Bill read »
posted: November 17, 2009, 9:20 AM
Medical Center, University Explore the Creation of a New School for Health Sciences Programs read »
posted: November 16, 2009, 3:58 PM
updated: November 17, 2009, 3:51 PM
PRESS RELEASE: GW Department of Health Policy Releases HIT “Tool Kit” for State Policy Makers read »
posted: November 16, 2009, 2:09 PM
Seasonal Flu Vaccine Clinic for Students, Faculty and Staff - November 17 read »
posted: November 13, 2009, 10:03 AM
Lecture Series Sheds Light on Valuable Interfaces between the Fields of Psychiatry and Palliative Care read »
posted: November 12, 2009, 4:44 PM
A Holiday with a Purpose: Counting Malaria Out read »
posted: November 12, 2009, 3:42 PM
GW Faculty Use Innovation and Creativity to Breathe New Life into Old Field read »
posted: November 12, 2009, 12:52 PM
HSPI Co-Hosts Symposium on Cyber Deterrence read »
posted: November 12, 2009, 9:10 AM
ComputerWorld.com Features School of Public Health and Health Services Research Regarding Video Games' Effect on Health read »
posted: November 11, 2009, 4:37 PM
updated: November 12, 2009, 4:21 PM
Excerpt From a 2002 Interview with Jerrold Post, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Regarding the D.C. Sniper, Featured in The Wall Street Journal read »
posted: November 11, 2009, 4:27 PM
Suena Massey, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Featured on WJLA Discussing Aggression in Women's Sports read »
posted: November 11, 2009, 10:23 AM
Frank Cilluffo, Director, Homeland Security Policy Institute, Featured in The Washington Post Discussing Fort Hood Shootings read »
posted: November 10, 2009, 5:18 PM
Lone Simonsen, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Global Health, Featured in The Canadian Press Discussing H1N1 read »
posted: November 10, 2009, 5:10 PM
John Larsen, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Featured in The Washington Post Express Discussing Pregnancy Massage read »
posted: November 10, 2009, 5:00 PM
Scott Schroth, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Featured in The Washington Post Discussing Changes to Medical School Curriculums read »
posted: November 10, 2009, 4:38 PM
Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on ModernPhysician.com Regarding FAIR Health read »
posted: November 10, 2009, 11:41 AM
Lorenzo Norris, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Featured on WJLA Discussing Age Difference in Marriage read »
posted: November 9, 2009, 3:49 PM
PRESS RELEASE: GW Professor Receives 2009 ASPH/Pfizer Early Career in Public Health Teaching Award read »
posted: November 9, 2009, 10:19 AM
updated: November 10, 2009, 4:32 PM
PRESS RELEASE: GW Lecturer Dan R. Hawkins, Jr. to Receive the 2009 APHA Award for Excellence read »
posted: November 9, 2009, 9:46 AM
Dr. Gary Simon Presents the Facts and Fictions of HIN1 at a GW Frontiers in Medicine Lecture read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 4:18 PM
updated: November 6, 2009, 9:48 AM
Medical Center Communications and Marketing Department Wins Prestigious Industry Awards read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 3:15 PM
GWCI to Lead NCI’s Mid-Atlantic Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 2:47 PM
Gary Simon, M.D., Director, Division of Infectious Disease, Featured on WTOP Radio Discussing H1N1 read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 2:30 PM
Stanley Greenspan, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Featured in USA Today Discussing Stress in Children read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 2:21 PM
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Discussing H1N1 read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 2:13 PM
Doug Evans, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Public Health and Health Services and Director of Public Health Communication & Marketing Program Featured on ABCNews.com Discussing Internet Medicine read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 2:12 PM
Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on ModernHealthcare.com Regarding FAIR Health read »
posted: November 5, 2009, 2:08 PM
PRESS RELEASE: Professor Sara Rosenbaum Named Among Founding Directors of FAIR Health - Goal of Transparency and Fairness in Health Insurance and Physician Payment Pricing read »
posted: November 3, 2009, 10:10 AM
Faculty Member Receives Fulbright Senior Specialist Award to Develop Mid-Level Health Professional Training Program in Rwanda read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 5:03 PM
Medical Center Computer Support Staff Nominated for GW Service Excellence Award read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 4:41 PM
Dutch Ambassador Discusses Strategies to Combat Terrorism as Part of HSPI’s Ambassador Roundtable Series read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 4:24 PM
National Summit Brings Energy and Awareness to Neglected Infections of Poverty read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 4:17 PM
The Wall Street Journal Referenced the Department of Health Policy Report "Using Primary Care to Bend the Curve: Estimating the Impact of a Health Center Expansion on Health Care Costs," in an Article on Federally Funded Health Centers read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 2:42 PM
The New York Times Reviewed "Technological Medicine," a Collection of Essays on Medical Technology by Stanley Joel Reiser, M.D., M.P.A., Ph.D., Clinical Professor in the Department of Health Policy read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 2:32 PM
ANNOUNCEMENT: Dr. Glenn Geelhoed Receives 2009 Surgical Volunteerism Award of the American College of Surgeons and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 1:27 PM
PRESS RELEASE: GW Medical Student Receives American College of Rheumatology Research Education Foundation/Abbott Medical/Graduate Student Achievement Award read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 1:05 PM
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured on NPR.com Discussing H1N1 read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 12:28 PM
ANNOUNCEMENT: GW and CNMC Award Funding for Developing and Testing Innovative Technologies and Methodologies Through the Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies Program read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 11:30 AM
Geeta Nayyar, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Featured in The Washington Post Discussing How Hospital Workers Fight Germs read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 10:28 AM
Fitzhugh Mullan, M.D., Professor of Health Policy, Featured in The Associated Press Discussing Health Care Reform read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 10:25 AM
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured in The New York Times Discussing Neglected Tropical Diseases read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 10:21 AM
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured in The Associated Press Discussing H1N1 read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 10:17 AM
Maureen Ellen Lyon, M.A., Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor of Pediatrics, Featured in WashingtonPost.com Blog The Answer Sheet Discussing Sex Education read »
posted: October 29, 2009, 10:15 AM
RAPID RESPONSE: GW Researchers Examine the Debate Surrounding Mandatory Flu Vaccines for Health Care Workers read »
posted: October 28, 2009, 12:51 PM
PRESS RELEASE: Health Care Fraud Challenges Both Public and Private Sectors read »
posted: October 27, 2009, 9:40 AM
updated: October 29, 2009, 11:14 AM
PRESS RELEASE: New Analyses of Senate HELP and Finance Committee Health Reform Proposals Addresses Significant Legal Changes read »
posted: October 23, 2009, 12:50 PM
Important Notice Regarding Space Heater Use read »
posted: October 22, 2009, 4:24 PM
First Annual Survivorship Symposium Proposes Solutions for the Unmet Needs of Cancer Survivors read »
posted: October 22, 2009, 4:14 PM
Bipartisan Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission’s Interim Report Says U.S. is Failing to Address Urgent Biothreat read »
posted: October 22, 2009, 2:36 PM
GW Medical Center, Medical Faculty Associates and the GW Hospital Provide Free Health Screening and Health Information at the Foggy Bottom/West End Block Party read »
posted: October 22, 2009, 12:49 PM
Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured in The Plain Dealer Discussing Health Care Reform read »
posted: October 22, 2009, 12:08 PM
Jehan El-Bayoumi, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Featured on Forbes.com Discussing Women's Top Health Concerns by the Decade read »
posted: October 21, 2009, 11:59 AM
Leighton Ku, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor in the Department of Health Policy, Featured on WashingtonIndependent.com Discussing Health Care Reform read »
posted: October 21, 2009, 11:39 AM
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured on FOX5 Discussing Flu Vaccine Safety read »
posted: October 21, 2009, 11:28 AM
PRESS RELEASE: GW Medical Students Receive Bread for the City’s Good Hope Award for H.E.A.L.ing Clinic read »
posted: October 21, 2009, 10:58 AM
PRESS RELEASE: New Brief Explores the Evolution of Medicaid Lawsuits to Stop Scheduled Reductions in Medi-Cal Provider Payment Rates and Their Implications for Health Care Access, Quality, and Efficiency read »
posted: October 21, 2009, 10:42 AM
UPCOMING EVENT: Oct. 27 - National Summit on Neglected Infections of Poverty (NIoPs) in the United States read »
posted: October 21, 2009, 10:22 AM
ANNOUNCEMENT: GW Health Services and Management Leadership Students Win First Place in Annual Case Competition read »
posted: October 20, 2009, 3:45 PM
updated: October 21, 2009, 9:57 AM
Himmelfarb Library Technology Summit Series read »
posted: August 24, 2009, 2:16 PM

PRESS RELEASE: Paying Medicare Advantage Plans by a Blend-Based System: Where are the Gains and Losses?

posted: November 20, 2009, 11:26 AM

Paying Medicare Advantage Plans by a Blend-Based System: Where are the Gains and Losses?

GW Department of Health Policy Analyzes Effects of Policies on Different Areas of the Nation

WASHINGTON - In 2009, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans - private health insurance plans that enroll Medicare beneficiaries – will be paid $11 billion more, or $1,140 more per enrollee, than it would cost to care for the same number of beneficiaries under traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare.

As a Presidential candidate, Barack Obama supported paying Medicare private plans the same amount per enrollee as is paid for fee-for-service Medicare. Several options for accomplishing this have been discussed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the Congressional Budget Office, and others. In “Paying Medicare Private Plans By Blend-Based System: Where are the Gains and Losses?” by The George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, we analyze the effects of three of these policies on different areas of the nation.

Brian Biles, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of a new study funded by The Commonwealth Fund, found that, while the national average of MA payments in all three systems would be approximately equal to FFS costs nationally, the level of payments relative to local FFS costs would vary greatly in individual counties across the nation.

· A local/national blend system in which 75 percent of payments would be equal to average fee-for-service (FFS) costs in the local county and 25 percent of the payment would be equal to average fee-for-service costs nationwide would pay plans a national average of 99 percent of local fee-for-service costs. However, payments in some areas with FFS costs above the national average, such as Los Angeles, Southern Florida, and New York City, would be paid as much as seven percent below local fee-for-service costs.

· Paying plans based on a regional average of FFS costs would shift billions of dollars from higher cost inner city areas such as Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Baltimore to lower cost suburban areas.

“Both of the approaches analyzed in this program continue extra payments to plans in some areas and institute a new policy of under paying plans relative to fee-for-service Medicare in other areas,” noted Dr. Biles. Despite this, these approaches suggest options for compromise if and when the House and Senate Health Care Reform bills are merged in conference. “Medicare Advantage payment is one area where there are major differences between the House and Senate bills” Dr. Biles said. “The blend systems we studied may offer a middle ground between the two bills.”

“Paying Medicare Private Plans By Blend-Based System: Where are the Gains and Loses?” is available at: http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/dhp_publications/pub_uploads/dhpPublication_03A41EFE-5056-9D20-3D48E217EB69CEDE.pdf

A companion study on paying Medicare private plans by competitive bidding is available at http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/dhp_publications/?mdl=pubSearch&evt=view&PublicationID=7756F2E5-5056-9D20-3D778FB5B62F5C55

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, and Gaddam Goud, M.S., Ph.D., Research Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, Featured on WUSA Discussing Vaccine Research

posted: November 20, 2009, 9:42 AM

Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on WUSA Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

posted: November 19, 2009, 3:54 PM

Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on The Early Show Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

posted: November 19, 2009, 3:52 PM

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Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on American Medical News Discussing Health Care Fraud

posted: November 19, 2009, 3:02 PM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/16/gvsb1116.htm

Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on NPR Discussing Health Care Reform

posted: November 19, 2009, 2:52 PM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120406487&ft=1&f=1003

Influential Researcher Envisions a Positive Future for the Role of Genomics in Cardiovascular Medicine

posted: November 19, 2009, 2:22 PM

As unique as our fingerprints, our bodies manifest disease and react to treatment in one-of-a-kind, often unpredictable ways. But the field of personalized medicine—which uses genomics to reveal an individual’s risk for diseases—continues to make these reactions more and more predictable. As a part of the Personalized Medicine lecture series hosted by the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute and the Catharine Birch McCormick Genomics Center at The George Washington University, Geoffrey Ginsburg, M.D., Ph.D., spoke on "The Role of Genomics in the Future of Cardiovascular Medicine: Genomics Risk Profiling and Pharmacogenomics.”

“Through genomics, predictive medicine and personalized health care, we are aspiring to be more proactive and predictive in the way we think about disease,” said Dr. Ginsberg, who is the founding director of the Center for Genomic Medicine in the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. By understanding an individual’s risk for a myriad of diseases—which can be uncovered through genomic scanning—we can promote earlier interventions, better outcomes and lower health care costs, he explained.

Sharing with the audience his own genomic profile, Dr. Ginsburg demonstrated the ready availability of genomic scanning. With a few hundred dollars and the bravery to confront one’s own biological destiny, anyone can send a saliva sample to one of several commercial organizations. In turn, the organization will provide the customer with his or her own “biosignature,” or profile of personal risk for nearly 100 diseases.

“Personal genome profiles are attainable and they reveal important data for not only predicting disease, but also for possibly modulating behavior,” said Dr. Ginsburg, who is currently conducting a study exploring the effects of genomic scanning on behavior modification. “We may be able to harness the power of the genome to empower and motivate patients and help them and their physicians make informed decisions,” he said.

Not only may personalized medicine be helpful in disease prevention and prediction, but it can also play a key role in treatment. By identifying through pharmacogenomics which types of people will have null or averse reactions to treatment, health care providers can prescribe drug regimens and dosages tailored to that specific patients’ genotype—thus saving time, money and even lives lost to ineffective treatment.

In all, Dr. Ginsburg painted a hopeful picture for the future. “In the not too distant future, we will all have access to genomic scanning, dietary and drug regimens will be selected on the basis of our genetic profiles, decision dosing will be mainstream and genomic biosignatures at the point of care will be commonplace and will allow rapid diagnosis of complex diseases such as coronary artery disease.”

SPHHS Grand Rounds: H1N1 Puts Our Health Care System’s Preparedness to the Test

posted: November 19, 2009, 1:58 PM

updated: November 20, 2009, 2:41 PM

Though H1N1 was hardly a welcomed visitor this summer, its unsolicited arrival in our country came with an unsuspecting benefit: the unique opportunity to evaluate the preparedness of our nation’s health care system. Capitalizing upon this opportunity to uncover the strengths and the pitfalls of the system, Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H., assistant secretary for preparedness and response in the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) presented “What H1N1 Can Teach us about a Prepared Health Care System,” as a guest speaker for the School of Public Health and Health Services Grand Rounds at The George Washington University Medical Center.

As Dr. Lurie opened the presentation, she noted, “with the H1N1 response, we have been able to highlight some very interesting interfaces of our health care system to think about where it works and where it needs to head in the future.”

For one, Dr. Lurie noted a need for improved epidemiological measures. “Even our ability to track the disease depends on what I believe to be a dysfunctional use of our health care system,” she said, explaining that the easiest way to track the breadth of a disease is to count emergency room admittance rates. “If and when the delivery of health care changes, we will have to find some new and better way to be able to track influenza.”

On the upside, the H1N1 frenzy challenged the system to produce and distribute vaccines in a way that would not make cost a barrier to access. In an effort to meet this challenge, HHS collaborated with public health outreach networks, whose current initiatives could be combined with H1N1 awareness and vaccine administration. This utilization of different networks allowed HHS to reach people who would otherwise not have access — a tactic that will be helpful to continue in the future.

Dr. Lurie also praised a revitalized emphasis on vaccine safety that has come out of the H1N1 epidemic. “While our system for monitoring vaccine safety in this country has not been as robust as it has needed to be, I now think we have a really good system,” she said. “And the really terrific part is that won’t go away when this pandemic is over. So much of what we put in place, we have to put in place for the long haul. These are pieces of the public health infrastructure that continually need to be rebuilt.”

Further, Dr. Lurie recognized H1N1’s positive impact on people’s ability to take control of their own health through internet-based self-triage tools. By using online sources to evaluate their systems, many people were able to identify the level of attention their symptoms deserved. “This is one of many mechanisms that can really empower individuals to make choices about the way they get health care and to think about how to use the health care system appropriately,” she said.

The epidemic has also spurred important discussions about emergency preparedness, rational use of the health care system, preventative behavior promotion, and the need for continuing evidence-based research. “It has been a very interesting and constructive discussion based in real world experience that I think is going to help us move forward quite far in terms of how to support and prepare the health care system,” said Dr. Lurie.

About Public Health Grand Rounds

Now in its fourth year, the Public Health Grand Rounds series at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services focuses on innovative leadership strategies crucial for successfully addressing present and evolving public health challenges. The monthly series on "Public Health Leadership" features prominent public health practitioners, and is open to the GW Medical Center, the University, and all those within the public health and health care communities. Pfizer, Inc. is sponsoring the nine-part series.

Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on CNN Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

posted: November 19, 2009, 11:40 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/19/mammogram.guidelines.insurance/index.html

Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on NBC4 Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

posted: November 18, 2009, 1:15 PM

Rachel Brem, M.D., Professor of Radiology, Featured on WJLA and News 8 Discussing New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

posted: November 18, 2009, 1:10 PM

updated: November 19, 2009, 11:43 AM

PRESS RELEASE: Analysis Examines Industry-Wide Implications of the Stupak/Pitts Amendment Banning Funding of Abortion Under Health Reform Bill

posted: November 17, 2009, 9:20 AM

WASHINGTON - The Stupak/Pitts Amendment was added to the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), which passed the House on November 7th. The amendment bans federal funding for abortions and bars payment of federal subsidies to health insurance products sold in exchanges that cover most medically indicated abortions.

An analysis conducted by the GW School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Health Policy, concludes that the Amendment would produce industry-wide effects, leading to the elimination of health plan coverage for nearly all medically indicated abortions. Although the Amendment appears to address only plans that receive federal exchange subsidies, even health plans sold to private, large employers that purchase outside the exchange ultimately are likely to be affected, the analysis concludes. These findings are based on an assessment of the extent to which the health benefits services industry adjusts its products over time to conform to the regulatory environment in which it operates.

"Under national health reform, millions of women, including women who are covered by small employers (as employees or spouses or dependents of employees) as well as those who are currently uninsured, will receive their coverage through health insurance exchanges. By barring the sale of subsidized products that cover medically indicated abortions as part of a broader package of benefits, the Amendment can be expected to cause the industry to re-design its offerings in order to avoid violating the legal restrictions on abortion applicable to exchange products that receive subsidies," said Professor Sara Rosenbaum, JD, lead author and Chair of the Department of Health Policy. "The Amendment also can be expected to chill efforts to develop supplemental coverage for medically indicated abortions, because it appears to prohibit the joint administration of both a basic and supplemental product," Rosenbaum noted.

The analysis also concludes that, based on past experiences with claim administration decisions involving treatment exclusions, insurers can be expected to interpret the exclusion broadly, excluding coverage of not only most medically indicated abortion procedures but also treatments for serious illnesses, injuries, and medical conditions that include an abortion undertaken for health reasons.

The analysis is available at http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/dhp_publications/pub_uploads/dhpPublication_FED314C4-5056-9D20-3DBE77EF6ABF0FED.pdf

About The George Washington University Medical Center

The George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, since 1824. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11^th oldest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation’s capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.; and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent faculty practice plan. For more information on GWUMC, visit www.gwumc.edu.

Medical Center, University Explore the Creation of a New School for Health Sciences Programs

posted: November 16, 2009, 3:58 PM

updated: November 17, 2009, 3:51 PM

The GW Medical Center, in conjunction with the University, has begun the process of exploring the creation of a new school for the Health Sciences programs. Plans are underway to look at the creation of such a school, with the potential for a new school to be in place for the next academic year. The creation of this new school is a strategic opportunity for the University and for the Health Sciences programs for many reasons. For the University:

The formation of this new school will strengthen the University’s position in academic health;
The research portfolio in health sciences is growing and the research capacity is expanding. This aligns well with the University’s priorities, as research is a top strategic priority;
Health sciences currently has two programs on the Loudoun campus (pharmacogenomics and 2nd degree bachelor’s in nursing programs), and as the University looks to expand the Loudoun campus, the health sciences presence there as a dual campus School could potentially help to strengthen the Loudoun campus;
And, the creation of a new school provides new and enhanced opportunities for partnerships and philanthropy – strengthening the University portfolio as it prepares to begin a major multi-year campaign.

Becoming a school is an incredible opportunity for the Health Sciences programs, as well. As a school, the Health Sciences programs would have a greater voice within the University and increased input into University decisions. It would also enable Health Sciences to have increased self-governance and greater influence over the future of the Health Sciences programs, i.e. opportunities for growth, new program development, new clinical sites for student placement, and the ability to reinvest in health sciences programs. Additionally, much of the necessary school infrastructure is already in place, as the health sciences programs already have their own office of admissions, office of student services, convocation, and graduation. And, it is important to note that GW is one of the few academic medical centers across the country offering health sciences programs that does not have a similarly named school.

Thus, Provost and Vice President of Health Affairs, John Williams, constituted a School Formation Committee to review and discuss fundamental aspects of establishing a new School. Over the next several months, this Committee will review and discuss the myriad fundamental aspects of establishing a new School. This is an exciting time for the Health Sciences programs and the University.

PRESS RELEASE: GW Department of Health Policy Releases HIT “Tool Kit” for State Policy Makers

posted: November 16, 2009, 2:09 PM

WASHINGTON - A “tool kit” to help state policy makers navigate the numerous and sometimes complex health information technology (HIT) requirements spelled out in health reform legislation passed in 2009 has been developed by Patricia MacTaggart, a lead research scientist and lecturer with the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. The legislation has significant implications for states as purchasers, regulators, providers, and policy leaders, much of which must be implemented in a short time frame.

The tool kit is designed to function as a starting place for state policy makers seeking to comply with current federal legislative requirements, as well as take advantage of opportunities to use federal grants and other monies to fund the infrastructure required for compliance. It identifies the many HIT responsibilities and opportunities states are facing, including the human, information technology, and support resources needed to initiate and complete the legislatively mandated activities; and includes a list of the potential federal funding sources for the efforts and information on how the activities need to build off and align with each other.

According to MacTaggart, the checklist, memo, and tracking sheet should be considered "living" documents that can facilitate discussions among state policy makers and stakeholders.

The tool kit can be found at http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/CHPR/HITtoolkit.cfm

If you have any questions about the Tool Kit, please contact Patricia MacTaggart, Lead Research Scientist, at 202.994.4227 or Patricia.MacTaggart@gwumc.edu

Seasonal Flu Vaccine Clinic for Students, Faculty and Staff - November 17

posted: November 13, 2009, 10:03 AM

Seasonal Flu Vaccine Clinic for Students, Faculty and Staff:

The George Washington University will host a seasonal flu clinic Tuesday, November 17 from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom. An estimated 1,400 doses will be available for free.

The vaccine will be available to students, faculty and staff with a GWorld card. The H1N1 vaccine will NOT be offered at this clinic.

Please continue to visit the Campus Advisories site (http://campusadvisories.gwu.edu) for information regarding flu prevention and precaution.

Lecture Series Sheds Light on Valuable Interfaces between the Fields of Psychiatry and Palliative Care

posted: November 12, 2009, 4:44 PM

Psychiatry and palliative medicine are not often fields referred to in the same sentence, studied by the same people, or even housed in the same institutions. This pairing—though unusual—is hardly unusable. In fact, a belief in their potentially congruity was enough to spark Rebecca Resnik, M.D., an alumna of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and palliative care specialist; and her father, Harvey Resnik, M.D., a GW emeritus clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, to sponsor a lecture series that combines their respective fields.

The series, “The Resnik Family Lecture Series in Psychiatry in Palliative Care,” hosted its inaugural lecture on November 5. “This lectureship is particularly special in that it will bring the leaders in this important specialty to the medical school on an annual basis,” remarked Jeffrey Akman, M.D., the Leon M. Yochelson Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “It also provides an opportunity to honor the GW connections of two physicians and to recognize a gift to GW by the family of a medical school alumna and a longtime member of the psychiatry faculty.”

As the first speaker in this series, Susan Block, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, spoke on "Psychiatry and Palliative Medicine: Opportunities for Synergy at the Interface."

Dr. Block began by highlighting some of the mutual concerns of the fields of psychiatry and palliative medicine, including human emotions, psychological and physical experiences, suffering, and coping. On the other hand, the fields have contrary goals: while palliative medicine seeks to enhance quality of life, psychiatry seeks to treat, diagnose, and prevent disorders. “These divergences are important because they highlight why the fields are not as closely allied as they might be,” she noted.

Dr. Block explained how the field of psychiatry can benefit from the strengths of palliative medicine. Such strengths include an ability to champion integrative teamwork and an understanding of how to approach people at the end of their lives. “There are some false cleavages that we create in psychiatry that have the purpose of allowing us to focus on the things that we are expert at, but they also polarize some very integrated elements of human psychology,” she said.

Palliative medicine, too, can benefit from psychiatry’s strengths, specifically the ability to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders. Although such disorders are common at the end of life, most palliative care teams lack the expertise of a psychiatrist. Further, psychiatric knowledge can help health care workers themselves confront topics of denial, family problems, and bereavement common in end-of-life care. “Psychiatry needs to play a role in helping us develop concepts, structures, and processes that can allow us to manage the work and can help our patients,” she said.

Finally, Dr. Block pointed out the wealth of potential for research in these two fields, and recognized the clinical benefits for uniting them. “We can’t understand how to treat patients if we are limited to a biomedical model,” she said. “We need to expand [the model] to include biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects.”

A Holiday with a Purpose: Counting Malaria Out

posted: November 12, 2009, 3:42 PM

Though “Malaria Day in the Americas” is often overlooked on U.S. calendars, it is anything but insignificant. The November 6^th holiday — a day bringing light to the ongoing journey towards the eradication of Malaria in the Americas — was the cause for discussion, collaboration, and celebration at the 2009 Malaria in the Americas Forum. Hosted by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in conjunction with the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and The George Washington University’s Center for Global Health (GWCGH), the forum provided a platform upon which countries of the region could engage in an aggressive campaign against Malaria

“The value of this partnership [between PAHO, PAHEF, and GWCGH] goes beyond promoting education and awareness about malaria; it creates a forum that brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, diplomats, and students in discussing key challenges and plotting our successes,” said moderator Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Walter G. Ross Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, and president of Sabin Vaccine Institute.

The forum outlined the current state of malaria in the Americas, revealed the connections between malaria and mobile populations, and explored lessons learned to date in regards to the eradication of this disease. Presenters included Keith Carter, M.D., senior advisor, malaria and other communicable diseases, PAHO; Carlos Espinal, M.D., director for public health in Latin America, Sanofi Pasteur; and Jose Najera, M.D., former director of the Malaria Action Program, WHO. Ashleigh Black, associate director of GWCGH, acted as an emcee.

The conference also honored Columbia, Ecuador, and Mexico for their exceptional, unique, and creative public health campaigns towards the eradication of malaria in the Americas. In a close competition, Servicio Nacional de Control de Enfermaedades Transmititdas por Vectores Artropodos from Ecuador was awarded the highest honor of “2009 Malaria Champion of the Americas.”

Besides recognition as a role model, the Ecuadorean organization received the opportunity to participate in three select PAHO capacity building activities for malaria prevention and control, a $2,500 cash award from PAHEF for malaria-related capacity-building efforts, and three-months of support from a GW global health services fellow. “This investment will not only help to continue the important work that is being undertaken in the region, but will also serve as critical field experience to strengthen the skills of a young researcher in malaria control,” said Dr. Hotez.

“We are winning victories everyday in this battle against malaria,” said Edward Kadnunc, executive director of PAHEF. “However, we must continue to highlight the issue amongst researchers, pharmaceutical companies, institutions of higher learning, and the public at large to grow interest and resources that will ultimately lead to the elimination of malaria.”

GW Faculty Use Innovation and Creativity to Breathe New Life into Old Field

posted: November 12, 2009, 12:52 PM

For someone who is an expert on old age, Kim Acquaviva, Ph.D., M.S.W., assistant professor in the Department of Nursing Education, certainly has some fresh ideas. As the director of the National Collaborativeon Aging at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (“the Collaborative”) — an interdisciplinary organization between GW clinicians, educators, researchers, and community-based professionals — Dr. Acquaviva uses creativity, innovation, and modern social networking technologies to bring youthful energy to the field of aging.

“The Collaborative is designed to be a catalyst that moves things forward and increases collaboration and capacity across everyone doing aging work,” explains Dr. Acquaviva. By awarding “microgrants” to GWUMC faculty, the Collaborative funds faculty efforts to gather pilot data and carry out educational innovations related to aging. Further, the Collaborative offers biostatistical and technical assistance to its members and acts as a matchmaker that pairs community organizations with experts in aging at GW.

The Collaborative also offers coaching on how to make grant proposals as strong as possible for eventual submission to major funders like the National Institutes of Health. Community partners may utilize the grant-writing expertise of Dr. Acquaviva herself, while GW faculty members are offered access to the services of a professional grant writer and editor. Overall, the Collaborative works to strengthen aging research at GW by “coaching and mentoring faculty towards the goal of securing external research funding,” says Dr. Acquaviva.

While there are a plethora of top-notch aging centers and institutes at GW and throughout the nation, GW believes the Collaborative to be the only entity that consciously chooses not book revenue to itself; electing instead to have its funding remain with the initiating department or community organization. By forgoing traditional organizational necessities like an office and administrative costs, the Collaborative—whose only staff is Dr. Acquaviva and Sam Simmens, Ph.D., associate research professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and of Statistics — is able to channel nearly all of its funding towards supporting research, faculty, and community partners. “The Collaborative is unique in that the University has invested in funding something that is strictly intended to increase capacity within the University and the community for aging-related research and educational innovations,” explains Dr. Acquaviva.

The Collaborative is also unique in its use of creative endeavors. For instance, Dr. Acquaviva has launched a marketing campaign on Facebook to promote an association between GW and aging that—at only $100—has reached 562,000 people in one year alone. Further, Dr. Simmens writes a question-and-answer “Ask Sam” blog, encouraging members of the Collaborative to pose statistical questions that may arise throughout the grant-writing process. Additionally, the doctors encourage discussions with those in the field through Dr. Simmens’ blog, “Stats Chat: Musings of a Biostatistician.”

Being altruistic and innovative is not just admirable; it’s strategic, notes Dr. Acquaviva. “We see being fair, collaborative, and helpful as being the best way to further GW’s mission. When we build capacity in community-based agencies in aging in D.C., we are ultimately increasing capacity at here at GW because GW can really only be as strong as the community in which it sits,” she says.

And the strength of the collaborative extends far beyond the borders of the District community, deeming it a nationally recognized leader in the field of aging-related research. “People around the country are wowed at GW’s investment in aging and in the community,” says Dr. Acquaviva. “They are recognizing that GW faculty are innovators across the board — particularly when it comes to social media, social marketing, social networking, and collaboration. Someone has to tackle the associated challenges and opportunities related to the aging baby boomer population —and, to me, GW is the natural choice.”

HSPI Co-Hosts Symposium on Cyber Deterrence

posted: November 12, 2009, 9:10 AM

On Monday, Nov. 2, HSPI and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) co-hosted a symposium on cyber deterrence featuring keynote addresses by Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonia’s Minister of Defence; Susan Collins, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Chris Painter, Acting Senior Director of Cyber Security, National Security Council. HSPI Steering Committee Member Charlie Allen provided opening remarks. Frank Cilluffo, HSPI’s Director, moderated four panel discussions. In turn, INSA led a panel presentation of their Cyber Task Force report, “Addressing Cyber Security Through Public-Private Partnership.”

The day-long symposium brought together key stakeholders across government, both civilian and military, as well as thought leaders and private sector executives. Panel discussions addressed in sequence the cyber threat, deterrent capability, solutions, and implementation. Speakers emphasized that at the individual, corporate, and national level, we face constant peril from a range of sources, including state actors and cyber criminals, and from a range of threats, including espionage and potentially attacks against critical infrastructure. Since attribution for wrongdoing remains difficult in this realm, resiliency must be our watchword and the United States must develop and articulate a clear cyber doctrine. Achieving a comprehensive doctrine of this sort will require popular awareness of cyber risks, public-private sector partnerships, streamlined oversight and most importantly, presidential leadership. Throughout the day, speakers highlighted the stark and immediate need for an increased focus on cyber deterrence.

Assessing the threat dimension Mr. Cilluffo remarked, “I don’t think terrorists are likely to attack the Internet. They live and breathe on it. But they may use it for a multiplier effect.”

Distinguished subject matter experts that shared their insights and experience at the symposium included the following:

Richard Barrett Coordinator, Al-Qaeda Taliban Monitoring Team, United Nations

Steve Chabinsky Deputy Assistant Director, FBI Cyber Division

Jeff Cooper Vice President for Technology, SAIC

Roger Cressey President, Good Harbor

Mike Delaney Majority Staff Director, House of Representatives’ Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

David Grannis Majority Staff Director, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Jim Lewis Director and Senior Fellow, Technology and Public Policy Program, CSIS

Martin Libicki Senior Policy Analyst, RAND

Michael Nacht Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs

Richard O’Neill President, The Highlands Forum

Terry Pudas Senior Research Fellow, Center for Technology and National Security Policy

Philip Reitinger Deputy Undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland Security

Neill Sciarrone Former Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security

Thom Shanker Correspondent, The New York Times

Suzanne Spaulding Principal, Bingham Consulting Group

Sam Visner Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for Enforcement, Security, and Intelligence Division, CSC

Lee Zeichner President, Zeichner Risk Analytics

ComputerWorld.com Features School of Public Health and Health Services Research Regarding Video Games' Effect on Health

posted: November 11, 2009, 4:37 PM

updated: November 12, 2009, 4:21 PM

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http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140416/University_researchers_to_study_video_games_effect_on_health

Excerpt From a 2002 Interview with Jerrold Post, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Regarding the D.C. Sniper, Featured in The Wall Street Journal

posted: November 11, 2009, 4:27 PM

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704402404574529513061187736.html

Suena Massey, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Featured on WJLA Discussing Aggression in Women's Sports

posted: November 11, 2009, 10:23 AM

Frank Cilluffo, Director, Homeland Security Policy Institute, Featured in The Washington Post Discussing Fort Hood Shootings

posted: November 10, 2009, 5:18 PM

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110604351.html?sid=ST2009110604506

Lone Simonsen, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Global Health, Featured in The Canadian Press Discussing H1N1

posted: November 10, 2009, 5:10 PM

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John Larsen, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Featured in The Washington Post Express Discussing Pregnancy Massage

posted: November 10, 2009, 5:00 PM

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Scott Schroth, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Featured in The Washington Post Discussing Changes to Medical School Curriculums

posted: November 10, 2009, 4:38 PM

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110603471.html?sid=ST2009111003943

Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on ModernPhysician.com Regarding FAIR Health

posted: November 10, 2009, 11:41 AM

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20091109/MODERNPHYSICIAN/311099980

Lorenzo Norris, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Featured on WJLA Discussing Age Difference in Marriage

posted: November 9, 2009, 3:49 PM

PRESS RELEASE: GW Professor Receives 2009 ASPH/Pfizer Early Career in Public Health Teaching Award

posted: November 9, 2009, 10:19 AM

updated: November 10, 2009, 4:32 PM

WASHINGTON – Karen McDonnell, Ph.D., associate professor of Prevention and Community Health in GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), was awarded the 2009 ASPH/Pfizer Early Career in Public Health Teaching Award at the ASPH Annual Meeting on Saturday, Nov. 7. The award recognizes graduate public health faculty members from full ASPH-member, CEPH-accredited schools of public health who are notable for their teaching, practice and research excellence.

“ I am deeply honored to receive an award that recognizes the work I have done early in my career,” said Dr. McDonnell. “I have been fortunate to be surrounded by great mentors, faculty and students who have helped shape my career and given me the opportunity to have a positive impact on the people and community around me.”

Lung Function Test

At SPHHS, Dr. McDonnell teaches M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. students in program evaluation, health behavior and maternal and child health. She received her doctorate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and two review chapters on evaluation and case studies of national programs designed to enhance the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, including low-income and immigrant populations.

Dr. McDonnell serves as a continuing chair of SPHHS’s Curriculum Committee and The George Washington University’s Committee on the Status of Women in addition to serving on the leadership of the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health and the ASPH MCH Council.

Dr. McDonnell has served as principal investigator, co-principal investigator or director of local and national evaluation research teams involving multi-site projects. She has collaborated with her students, colleagues and community groups on a number of disparity-related projects and has recently been awarded a project from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate etiological frameworks and community capacity relating to gender-based violence among immigrant Latinos and is a co-investigator on an RWJF funded Pioneering project to develop and assess new techniques in exer-gaming to increase physical activity among youth.

PRESS RELEASE: GW Lecturer Dan R. Hawkins, Jr. to Receive the 2009 APHA Award for Excellence

posted: November 9, 2009, 9:46 AM

WASHINGTON – Dan R. Hawkins, Jr., a lecturer in health services management and leadership and health policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, is the recipient of the American Public Health Association’s Award for Excellence. Mr. Hawkins, Vice President for Policy at the National Association of Community Health Centers, has devoted his career to the advancement of community health centers and primary health care for medically underserved populations. He has served on the faculty of the School of Public Health and Health Services since 2000. Over his four-decade career, health centers have grown from a small demonstration program into more than 1000 federal grantees, operating in over 5000 locations and serving some 18 million of the nation’s most vulnerable patients.

The APHA Award for Excellence is given each year to a living individual in recognition of his or her exceptionally meritorious contribution to the improvement of health of the people. The Award honors creativity of particular effectiveness in applying scientific knowledge or innovative organizational work to the betterment of community health. Individuals nominated for the award have made significant and well-recognized contributions to the improvement of public health and are at a point in their career where they will continue to make further contributions.

“We are incredibly proud of Dan’s accomplishments in the field of health care for the poor and underserved. He brings his passion for primary care to the student and provides his unique gifts and practical experiences to the teaching of primary health care management and policy and is one of our most popular lecturers. Dan is an outstanding advisor, as well as as a role model and valued mentor for the students at GW,” said Robert Burke, Ph.D.,Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Services Management and Leadership.

“Dan has functioned in high gear with abundant energy and great success in convincing legislators at every level of government in every part of the country of the critical importance of community health centers, said APHA Medical Care Section Secretary Mona Sarfaty, M.D., in a letter nominating Hawkins for the Award For Excellence. “He has been a creative exemplar, showing remarkable foresight and astonishing capability to conjure up new solutions to evolving challenges.”

Hawkins will receive this prestigious award at the 2009 American Public Health Association’s 137th Annual Meeting, held November 7 -11, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.

About The George Washington University Medical Center

About NACHC

To address the widespread lack of access to basic health care, Community Health Centers serve 20 million people at more than 7,000 sites located throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories. Health centers depend in large part on public financial help and need a unified voice and common source for research, information, training and advocacy.

To address these needs, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) organized in 1971. NACHC works with a network of state health center and primary care organizations to serve health centers in a variety of ways:

Provide research-based advocacy for health centers and their clients.
Educate the public about the mission and value of health centers.
Train and provide technical assistance to health center staff and boards.
Develop alliances with private partners and key stakeholders to foster the delivery of primary health care services to communities in need.

Dr. Gary Simon Presents the Facts and Fictions of HIN1 at a GW Frontiers in Medicine Lecture

posted: November 5, 2009, 4:18 PM

updated: November 6, 2009, 9:48 AM

The H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu, is a topic permeating recent headlines and conversations. While good intention—promoting community health—fuels this commotion, the whirlwind of information is often misconstrued and burdening.Setting straight the swine flu score, Gary Simon, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at The George Washington University Medical Center, presented "An H1N1 Influenza Update: What We Know and What We Don’t," as a part of the GW Frontiers in Medicine Lecture Series.

“Influenza is a media frenzy, and that is part of the problem” Dr. Simon began. “We have a media frenzy nearly every year and, while influenza is certainly a serious illness, it’s not the bubonic plague,” he assured.

Dr. Simon outlined the origins and various strains of influenza, explaining that, compared to the seasonal flu, pandemic influenza represents a major shift in the virus subtype, affects a younger population, has a higher transmissibility, and may vary in different geographic regions.

Dr. Simon also described the typical symptoms associated with influenza, including rapid onset and high fever. He noted that the most viral shedding occurs from 24 before to 48 hours after onset of symptoms, making an infected person most contagious during that time. “So,” he joked, “If you are going to be sick tomorrow, go home today.”

While certain groups—including pregnant women and health care personnel—should be prioritized for H1N1 vaccinations, Dr. Simon advocated that everyone be vaccinated, despite rumors challenging the safety of the vaccine. “I am not worried about the quality of the vaccine, but I am worried that they aren’t making it fast enough,” he said. In other words, there are much greater risks associated with not getting the vaccine than from getting it.

Further, Dr. Simon—who has gotten the vaccine himself—clarified that it is impossible to get the flu from the inactivated flu vaccine, or the flu shot. In sum, he said, “Everyone should get vaccinated (if possible), very few people need antiviral medication, if you get influenza, stay home, and, if you get better and then get sick again, come into the hospital right away.”

Dr. Simon’s lecture was the second in a new series called “GW Frontiers in Medicine.” The series, hosted by the GW Medical Center, features renowned medical experts who help guide our understanding of the future of health care and medicine. The series is an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, and friends of the University to hear from and discuss the key issues with some of the brightest minds in medicine today. Mark your calendar for the next lecture on Wednesday, February 10, 2010, when a panel of GW experts will discuss advances in women’s health.

Medical Center Communications and Marketing Department Wins Prestigious Industry Awards

posted: November 5, 2009, 3:15 PM

The Medical Center Communications and Marketing Department (MCCM) at The George Washington University Medical Center was recently awarded five 2009 MarCom Awards by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, including a Platinum Award, the Association’s highest honor.

The largest competition of its kind, MarCom Awards recognizes outstanding creative achievement in the concept, writing, and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual, and audio materials. Judges are industry professionals who look for entries that exceed a high standard of excellence and serve as a benchmark for the industry. In 2009, MarCom Awards received almost 5,000 entries in over 200 categories.

MCCM was presented a Platinum award, given to the competition’s most outstanding entries in terms of quality, creativity, and resourcefulness, for the 2009 School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Doctor of Medicine Admissions Handbook in the category of Brochure/Handbook Publications. The Handbook also received a Gold award for Creativity in Photography in a Brochure. The Summer 2009 issue of GW Medicine and Health magazine garnered three Gold awards, including Magazine Writing, Publications by an Educational Institution, and Feature Article Writing for the story “24 Hours with the GW Medical Center.” MCCM also earned two honorable mentions: Creativity in Photography in a Magazine for the Summer 2009 issue of GW Medicine and Health, and Educational Brochure Publications for the GW Cancer Institute’s “What you Need to Know about Cancer” campaign.

Other educational and health care institutions who garnered Platinum awards include Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baylor University Medical Center, Drexel, Wharton School, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, Washington Hospital Center, and United Healthcare. A complete list of winners and more information about the MarCom Awards can be found at www.marcomawards.com.

GWCI to Lead NCI’s Mid-Atlantic Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program

posted: November 5, 2009, 2:47 PM

In recognition of its extensive work in eliminating cancer disparities in minority and vulnerable populations, the GW Cancer Institute (GWCI) was recently selected to serve as the coordinating body for the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Mid-Atlantic Region (Region 1) Geographical Management of Cancer Disparities Program (GMaP). This strategic initiative, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will drive forward Region 1’s planning of collaborative projects, including future large-scale, multi- and trans-disciplinary “Center-level” GMaP grant applications in 2011.

The goal of this program, led by GWCI Executive Director Steven Patierno, Ph.D., is to create a state-of-the art regional network dedicated to cancer health disparities (CHD) research, training, and community interventions. Through GMaP, Region 1 participants will be better equipped to address the disparities in cancer risk, screening, treatments and outcomes for ethnic and racial minorities.

Eventually, GMaP will build a region-based “hub” for the support and efficient management of integrated regional research and training programs. This central entity will conduct joint regional workshops to facilitate communication and dissemination, implement region-wide community interventions, and develop planning and decision-making processes for sustainability of CHD efforts.

GMaP Region 1 includes the GW Cancer Institute, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Howard Cancer Center, the Preventorium at Washington Hospital Center, John Hopkins Cancer Center, University Maryland Greenbaum Cancer Center, University of the District of Columbia, Hampton University and Bowie State University. GMaP Region 1 partners engaged with NCI’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities through Minority Institutions/Cancer Center Partnership (MI/CCP), Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE), the Community Networks Program (CNP), and the Patient Navigation Research Program (PNRP), and Biospecimen banking (BMAP).

Gary Simon, M.D., Director, Division of Infectious Disease, Featured on WTOP Radio Discussing H1N1

posted: November 5, 2009, 2:30 PM

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http://www.wtop.com/?nid=345&sid=1804381

Stanley Greenspan, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Featured in USA Today Discussing Stress in Children

posted: November 5, 2009, 2:21 PM

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-11-04-APAkidstress04_ST_N.htm

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Discussing H1N1

posted: November 5, 2009, 2:13 PM

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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_650612.html

Doug Evans, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Public Health and Health Services and Director of Public Health Communication & Marketing Program Featured on ABCNews.com Discussing Internet Medicine

posted: November 5, 2009, 2:12 PM

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http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/diy-health-care-twitter-medical-blogs-making-healthier/story?id=8940249

Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured on ModernHealthcare.com Regarding FAIR Health

posted: November 5, 2009, 2:08 PM

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20091102/REG/311029972/1153#

PRESS RELEASE: Professor Sara Rosenbaum Named Among Founding Directors of FAIR Health - Goal of Transparency and Fairness in Health Insurance and Physician Payment Pricing

posted: November 3, 2009, 10:10 AM

Sara Rosenbaum

WASHINGTON - Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and chair of the Department of Health Policy at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, was named as one of three Founding Directors of FAIR Health, Inc. by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The not-for-profit corporation, established by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as part of a legal settlement with the health insurance industry, has a stated mission of bringing “transparency, accountability, and fairness” to the setting of prices for physician services by health insurers.

FAIR Health is financed by a nearly $100 million financial settlement as part of a wide-ranging investigation by Cuomo’s office into how the health insurance industry reimburses consumers for out-of-network health care charges. The corporation will oversee the development of a consumer website and a research database through a special arrangement with the Syracuse University, Cornell University, the University of Rochester, SUNY Upstate Medical University and the University at Buffalo. The initiative will permit consumers, for the first time, to compare health care costs before choosing a provider. It will also result in a comprehensive physician fee data base that will be made available to universities nationwide for research and scholarship.

“"When it comes to thoughtful analysis, creative insight, innovative ideas, and unquestioned integrity we all turn to Professor Rosenbaum. She has proven time and again she is not simply a gifted advocate, she is also a scientist of the highest caliber. This latest invitation to help a government frame and guide issues of access, disparity, and the goal of improving the quality of life and health demonstrates her national reputation for being both fair and just. It is our honor to have Professor Rosenbaum as a colleague, and as a leader in our school and university," said Josef Reum, Ph.D., interim dean, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Sciences.

"We believe that professor Rosenbaum will bring particular expertise to FAIR Health's goal of advancing research and scholarship on matters of physician compensation and health system reform,” said Stephen Warnke, interim chair, FAIR Health, Inc.

Professor Rosenbaum, who received her J.D. from Boston University Law School, has devoted her career to health care law and policy affecting low-income, minority and medically underserved populations. Named one of the nation's 500 most influential health policy makers, Professor Rosenbaum is the recipient of numerous honors and awards and has been recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services for distinguished national service on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries. A member of the University’s faculty since 1992, Rosenbaum is the Founding Chair of the School’s nationally acclaimed Department of Health Policy. Professor Rosenbaum also holds appointments in the University’s Schools of Medicine and Health Sciences and Law.

Faculty Member Receives Fulbright Senior Specialist Award to Develop Mid-Level Health Professional Training Program in Rwanda

posted: October 29, 2009, 5:03 PM

At The George Washington University Medical Center, doctors are just one player in a team of medical professionals that include physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists, public health professionals, and many others. But in Rwanda, non-physicians are nonexistent, and the country’s doctors—plagued with harrowing rates of maternal mortality and severe workforce issues—need help, and need it fast.

To address this urgent issue, Lisa Alexander, P.A., M.P.H., Ed.D., assistant dean for community-based partnerships at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, was named a Fulbright Senior Specialist. Through her award, Dr. Alexander will assist in the development of Rwanda’s first non-physician clinician training program at the Kegali Health Institute (KHI) by providing technical assistance and consultation services to the Rwandan Ministry of Health and KHI.

“The country is already training physicians, but it takes a long time to get a physician trained,” said Dr. Alexander. “Fortunately, not every patient’s needs require a physician’s attention.” By training what will be the Rwandan equivalent to physician assistants, the country will cultivate health care professionals who are qualified to assess patients, make diagnoses, prescribe appropriate treatments, and undertake minor surgical procedures. And, most importantly, these professionals can be trained in less than half the time it would take to train a doctor.

The Maternal Mortality Conference in May, which was co-hosted by the GW Africa Center, brought new light and a sense of immediacy to the longstanding need for more health care workers in Rwanda. “At the conference, the Rwandan Ministry was pushed to say, ‘we need to address maternal mortality, we need to address workforce issues, let’s do it’,” said Dr. Alexander, who has worked with Rwanda through the Africa Center for the past three years and has a supportive relationship with the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda. “There is a great willingness on the part of the government and the physicians to really champion this program. It’s critical that you get the support from all of these stakeholders in order to welcome and adopt this new type of health professional,” she said.

Dr. Alexander will develop her program over the course of a year—split into three 14-day trips—and will meet with members of the Ministry of Health, collaborate with faculty members at the rural training site, and plan the curriculum, which will adopt a rural health training focus. Eventually, a new generation of professionals will take hold in one of the few countries in which mid-level health care staff have not been trained—until now. “It will be exciting to see the physicians embrace this new cadre of health professionals and to really get excited about having the help that they so desperately need,” said Dr. Alexander.

Dr. Alexander is one of over 400 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Senior Specialists Program. This program, created in 2000 to complement the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program, provides short-term academic opportunities (two to six weeks) to prominent U.S. faculty and professionals to support curricular and faculty development and institutional planning at post secondary academic institutions around the world.

Medical Center Computer Support Staff Nominated for GW Service Excellence Award

posted: October 29, 2009, 4:41 PM

The GW Medical Center computer support staff was nominated for a 2009 GW Service Excellence Award. Medical Center computer support staff member Robert Foreman was also nominated for an Excellence Award in the Faculty/Choice category.

Foreman and the computer support staff will be recognized publicly for their achievements at the Nominee Breakfast Reception and Awards Ceremony in the Marvin Center Continental Ballroom on Thursday, November 5.

A multi-tiered judging process will take place in order to determine this year’s awardees, to be announced at the Awards Ceremony.

Dutch Ambassador Discusses Strategies to Combat Terrorism as Part of HSPI’s Ambassador Roundtable Series

posted: October 29, 2009, 4:24 PM

The attacks of September 11 shocked nations throughout the world into adopting active approaches to combat the newly awakened fear of terrorism. Though these methods differ between countries, the common desire to protect citizens is unifying. During an Ambassadors Roundtable Series event on Oct. 23, Ambassador Renee Jones-Bos shared the Dutch approach to combating terrorism—described as “comprehensive in conjunction with an emphasis on prevention.”

The discussion, part of a series hosted by GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) and moderated by HSPI Director Frank Cilluffo, brought together homeland security policy experts, representatives from countries worldwide, congressional staffers, and even a former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group to consider and evaluate how the Dutch fight this worldwide adversary.

After suffering the sting of terrorism firsthand in 2002 when two Dutch Muslims were killed in Kashmir, the Dutch recognized that their biggest threats are “home-grown terrorists,” or Dutch citizens who are recruited and trained to terrorize against their own country. Keeping this in mind, the Dutch attempt to prevent young people—particularly within the Muslim population—from feeling polarized and adopting radicalized views.

“We stimulate communities to create better understanding and better relationships. We advocate policy for all communities in our society that promotes equal opportunities in regards to housing, education, and work,” the Ambassador explained. “If, in individual cases, these preventative measures don’t work, we try to identify processes of radicalization as early as possible and counter them with strategic interventions. And, if necessary, the Dutch government is willing and able to use all legal means of repression to swiftly stop the spread of these movements.”

Ambassador Jones-Bos also discussed the influence—both positive and negative—of the Internet in regards to terrorism. While the Internet can cultivate radicalized views, it can also be used to present counter-information. “We are encouraged by the young Muslims we see on the Internet, fervently attacking jihadists by stressing why the jihadist interpretation of Islam is wrong,” she said.

By cultivating an accepting and supportive society, the Dutch are setting an example of tolerance that is not synonymous with indifference. “We cannot just sit back and let people be,” she said. “It is imperative to find a balance between respect for other cultures and respect for human rights.”

While the specific route to countering terrorism in the Netherlands may be less applicable in the United States, all nations should take note of their general emphasis on humanitarianism and cultural competency. “This is really all about our core values—values such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, open-mindedness, and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Ambassador Jones-Bos. “I think it is these values that the United States and the Netherlands share, and have shared for the past 400 years.”

About the Ambassadors Roundtable Series

The Ambassadors Roundtable Series is designed to provide Ambassadors to the United States and their key diplomatic staff with a forum to discuss current and future counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts on a regional or country-specific basis. In an effort to draw upon various insights and experiences, the Ambassadors Roundtable Series builds upon and institutionalizes efforts over the past two years to engage in a dialogue with members of the international community, policy makers, and practitioners.

National Summit Brings Energy and Awareness to Neglected Infections of Poverty

posted: October 29, 2009, 4:17 PM

For the past several months, swine flu has dominated the media, the medical profession, and the minds of Americans. While the public is up in arms about this attention-hoarding disease, a group of equally severe diseases remains unseen and unheard. These diseases, called Neglected Infections of Poverty, were given a well-deserved moment in the spotlight at the National Summit on Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States, held on Oct. 27 at the Rayburn House Office building on Capital Hill.

Facilitated by Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., Walter G. Ross Professor and chair, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, the summit provided a forum through which leaders in the field could raise awareness, share information, and encourage activism in regards to these diseases. Dubbed as “the swine flu of the poor” due to the disproportionate effects on impoverished and minority populations in the United States, these diseases are a disheartening manifestation of our country’s negligent policy on poverty.

“We often saythat you can tell a lot about a country by how they treat their most disadvantaged. I think we have a wonderful opportunity here today to discuss what we as Americans should be doing about this disadvantaged population and the associated health issues,” said Susan Eisenhower, president of the Eisenhower Group, Inc.

The program’s participants, who included representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Public Health Association, the Adler School of Professional Psychology, GW students and professors, researchers from around the country, and even two Congressmen, identified the major Neglected Infections of Poverty as toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, congenital cytomegalovirus, cysticercosis, and Chagas disease.

While these diseases are endemic (affecting nearly 1 billion of the world’s people—most of whom are women and children) and severe (causing debilitating, painful, and chronic harm), they lack the visibility of other diseases. “Neglected Infections of Poverty are chronic and disabling—but, unlike HIV/AIDS or Malaria, they are not fatal,” explained Dr. Hotez, recognizing the challenge of generating concern around such illnesses.

What’s more, the lack of research on these diseases stumps advocates with a catch-22. Without the research demonstrating the effects and the prevalence of the diseases, the government has no basis on which to justify funding. Without funding, however, the research cannot be conducted. “Right now, we don’t need a solution to these problems; what we need is political will,” said Eileen Stillwaggon, Ph.D., professor of Economics and Harold G. Evans-Eisenhower Professor at Gettysburg College.

Demonstrating the existence of at least some political will, Congressmen Henry “Hank” Johnson of Georgia and Gene Green of Texas vocalized their commitment to progress in this area. “In efforts to reform American health care, it is crucial that we provide resources to assess the prevalence of these diseases which are inadequately researched and understood,” stated Congressman Johnson, who outlined a proposed amendment that would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide continuous reports on the progress of these parasitic diseases.

“In the health care field, we still need a lot of help to play catch-up on these issues,” added Congressman Green. “Hopefully, you will be successful in getting members of congress to talk about these illnesses in order to fund research and raise public awareness.”

After being thoroughly briefed on the gravity of these diseases, summit participants were eager to take action. They identified the need to underscore the link between a low IQ and infection in order to engage schools and parents. They also promoted equipping medical professionals with the knowledge to identify these under-recognized diseases. Further, they suggested emphasizing the self-perpetuating cycle of these diseases and poverty, which further inhibits societal productivity. “Not only do these diseases occur in places of poverty, but they are actually a cause of poverty,” said Dr. Hotez.

Additionally, measures such as vaccine development, putting de-worming medications in animal food, administering cheap, effective medicine to combat parasites, and expanding research initiatives were suggested. Finally, the participants organized themselves into working groups, solidifying this conference as only the first step in a continuing crusade against these diseases, which, with continued dedication, will no longer be neglected.

“These are not rare or orphan diseases—these are common diseases. They are just neglected. The people who get these diseases still really have no voice, and so it’s hard for them to speak out on these conditions,” said Dr. Hotez. “And today,” added Congressman Johnson, “we must be the voice of those Americans who are unnecessarily suffering from these diseases.”

The Wall Street Journal Referenced the Department of Health Policy Report "Using Primary Care to Bend the Curve: Estimating the Impact of a Health Center Expansion on Health Care Costs," in an Article on Federally Funded Health Centers

posted: October 29, 2009, 2:42 PM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

online.wsj.com/article/SB125409659506345101.html

The New York Times Reviewed "Technological Medicine," a Collection of Essays on Medical Technology by Stanley Joel Reiser, M.D., M.P.A., Ph.D., Clinical Professor in the Department of Health Policy

posted: October 29, 2009, 2:32 PM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27books.html?_r=1&ref=health

ANNOUNCEMENT: Dr. Glenn Geelhoed Receives 2009 Surgical Volunteerism Award of the American College of Surgeons and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative

posted: October 29, 2009, 1:27 PM

ACS Surgical Volunteerism Award

Glenn Geelhoed, M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., M.P.H., professor of International Medicine and of Surgery, received the 2009 Surgical Volunteerism Award of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative (PMHI), becoming the 14th recipient of this award, inaugurated in 2003. Dr. Geelhoed received a Surgical Volunteerism Award for a life-long career rooted in international surgical outreach activities bringing desperately needed health care to the world’s medically underserved. Dr. Geelhoed, along with six other ACS honorees, received the award during the ACS 95th annual Clinical Congress in Chicago, Ill.

“Dr. Geelhoed's generosity of spirit and embrace of humanity, as evidenced through decades of service to those in need around the world, exemplifies the highest calling of the surgical profession,” said Kathleen Casey, M.D., F.A.C.S., director, Operation Giving Back. “We are grateful for the opportunity to share his story and his example by recognizing him with the 2009 ACS/Pfizer, Inc. Surgical Volunteerism Award.”

The surgical volunteerism awardees are determined by the ACS Governors Committee on Socioeconomic Issues, and the awards are administered through the ACS Operation Giving Back program.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Geelhoed and led medical missions providing uncompensated care to indigenous populations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and Central and South America. Along the way he has passed those values of dedication and volunteerism to the hundreds of residents, medical students, and undergraduate students he has tapped for these mission.

The Surgical Volunteerism Award are given “in recognition of those surgeons committed to giving something of themselves back to society by making significant contributions to surgical care through organized volunteer activities.”

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 75,000 members, and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world (http://www.facs.org).

PRESS RELEASE: GW Medical Student Receives American College of Rheumatology Research Education Foundation/Abbott Medical/Graduate Student Achievement Award

posted: October 29, 2009, 1:05 PM

WASHINGTON – Kristina Demas, a second-year medical student at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences received the 2009 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Research Education Foundation (REF)/Abbott Medical/Graduate Student Achievement Award, earning a $750 scholarship and travel expenses to present her research at the Annual American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Conference in Philadelphia, PA, Oct. 16-19.

“Thanks to the generous support of the ACR and REF, I was able to hear from leading experts in rheumatology and to present timely research that I performed in collaboration with Dr. Karen Costenbader and Harvard Medical School that aims to enhance the quality of care and lives of lupus patients,” said Ms. Demas. “I firmly believe that creating a standard of care using a set of newly-developed Quality Indicators is a key step in eliminating persistent disparities in the treatment of lupus.”

At the ACR conference, Demas presented her research, titled "Assessing Care in SLE using Quality Indicators for Osteoporosis and Cardiovascular Disease" during an abstract poster session on Quality Measures and Innovations in Practice Management and Delivery of Care.

Demas’ interests lie in women’s health-related research and lupus and other autoimmune diseases. After graduating from Harvard College in 2008, she began performing clinical research in lupus at Harvard Medical School/ Brigham and Women's Department of Rheumatology under the supervision of Dr. Karen Costenbader, M.D., M.P.H..

Demas co-authored a review of the literature on “Disparities in Lupus Care and Outcomes,” which was recently published in Current Opinion in Rheumatology in March 2009. Her research was funded by the Lupus Foundation Summer Student Fellowship Award in 2008 and the GW Gill Fellowship in 2009.

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured on NPR.com Discussing H1N1

posted: October 29, 2009, 12:28 PM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114132997

ANNOUNCEMENT: GW and CNMC Award Funding for Developing and Testing Innovative Technologies and Methodologies Through the Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies Program

posted: October 29, 2009, 11:30 AM

Children’s National Medical Center and The George Washington University, through the Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies (NCTM) program at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National (CTSI-CN), have awarded four projects totaling $120,000 to researchers to develop and test innovative technologies and methodologies. These projects are meant to accelerate translational science and the conversion of scientific discoveries from laboratories into practical medical advances for our patients and communities.

The NCTM Request for Application sought proposals from basic, translational, clinical, social/behavioral, and community/health policy scientists. One of the goals of the NCTM program is to advance collaborations in clinical and translational research by interdisciplinary teams of investigators. We are pleased to announce the awardees who were selecting from a pool of 20 meritorious applications.

Principal Investigator(s): Stanley Frick, PhD (CNMC)

Project: From In-Vivo Images to Histology, the "Miter Box"

Principal Investigator(s): George Howe, PhD (GW)

Sidney Fu, MD, PhD (GW)

Project: Microtrial Methods for Translating Gene-Environment Dynamics into

Preventive Interventions: Application to Stress-Triggered Depression in

Adults Facing Job Loss

Principal Investigator(s): Valerie Hu, PhD (GW)

Akos Vertes, PhD (GW)

Project: Quantification of DNA Methylation in Autism using MALDI-TOF Mass

Spectrometry

Principal Investigator(s): Steve Zeichner, MD, PhD (CNMC)

Claire Fraser-Liggett, PhD (University of Maryland)

Project: Development of Intestinal Selection of Immunogenic Antigens (ISIA)

Technology

Edward Connor, MD, is the director of the Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National; Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, is the co-Director of the Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies, Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National; and Stephen Teach, MD, MPH, oversees the Pilot Studies Program for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National.

Geeta Nayyar, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Featured in The Washington Post Discussing How Hospital Workers Fight Germs

posted: October 29, 2009, 10:28 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703311_pf.html

Fitzhugh Mullan, M.D., Professor of Health Policy, Featured in The Associated Press Discussing Health Care Reform

posted: October 29, 2009, 10:25 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HEALTH_CARE_MEDICAL_HOMES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-10-28-17-04-10

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured in The New York Times Discussing Neglected Tropical Diseases

posted: October 29, 2009, 10:21 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27glob.html

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured in The Associated Press Discussing H1N1

posted: October 29, 2009, 10:17 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102500385_pf.html

Maureen Ellen Lyon, M.A., Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor of Pediatrics, Featured in WashingtonPost.com Blog The Answer Sheet Discussing Sex Education

posted: October 29, 2009, 10:15 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/health-1/what-kind-of-sex-ed-works.html

RAPID RESPONSE: GW Researchers Examine the Debate Surrounding Mandatory Flu Vaccines for Health Care Workers

posted: October 28, 2009, 12:51 PM

WASHINGTON – Requiring health care workers to be vaccinated against influenza is one strategy for reducing its spread in health care settings. Researchers at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services have released a report that reviews the arguments for and against such mandates, given the risks of influenza in health care settings, the availability of safe and effective vaccines to reduce that risk, and the inadequate health care worker compliance with immunization recommendations (fewer than 50% comply).

In August, New York became the first state to require all health care workers to have seasonal flu and H1N1 flu vaccines as a condition of employment. While most people agree more workers should be vaccinated, a compulsory regulation highlights a pair of competing interests — protecting patient health, and safeguarding the rights of individuals to make their own medical choices. Many health care workers opposed the New York measure and three separate lawsuits were filed to challenge it. New York suspended its mandate in mid-October, citing shortages of both vaccines, but the issue is likely to surface again as public health officials seek to curb the spread of the disease.

Click here to see the GW/SPHHS report -- “Should Influenza Vaccines Be Mandatory for Health Care Workers?” It can also be downloaded at: http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/about/rapidresponse/index.cfm

For more information influenza vaccine mandates, contact:

Alexandra Stewart, JD
Assistant Research Professor, Department of Health Policy
School of Public Health and Health Services
The George Washington University
2021 K Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 994-4141
Email: stewarta@gwu.edu

About the Rapid Health Policy Response Project

The Rapid Health Policy Response Project of the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University presents data and other background information on breaking public health stories. The goal is to educate the public, policymakers, legislators, health care providers, the media and others in order to promote informed decision making.

About The George Washington University Medical Center

PRESS RELEASE: Health Care Fraud Challenges Both Public and Private Sectors

posted: October 27, 2009, 9:40 AM

updated: October 29, 2009, 11:14 AM

WASHINGTON - A new analysis published by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, in collaboration with the National Academy for State Health Policy, finds that health care fraud poses a major challenge in both the private and public insurance sectors and recommends policies aimed at assuring uniform and transparent measurement and reporting of fraud across all forms of coverage.

"A critical problem under current policy is the absence of ongoing and reliable fraud estimates similar to those available in the case of public health insurers," said lead author Sara Rosenbaum, Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair of the Department. "As a result, it is difficult to fashion consistent policies to address fraud, a critical component of health reform."

The report also finds that fraud information related to public programs is frequently confused with payment error data. "While payment errors represent a major area for program improvement," Rosenbaum notes, "it is essential to separate such errors from actual instances of fraud, since the two problems call for distinct corrective strategies."

This report is issued as Congress considers steps to strengthen the tools and resources available to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute fraud, and as states focus increased attention on this problem.

In reviewing extensive data on health care fraud, the analysis points to evidence that fraud can emanate from the insurance industry itself. This finding is underscored by recent court decisions as well as by New York State's recent prosecution of multiple insurers for fraud in connection with provider claims payments as part of their administration of private insurance products and employee health benefit plans.

This report was funded with a Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“Health Care Fraud” is available at http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/dhp_publications/pub_uploads/dhpPublication_924894E4-5056-9D20-3DA16EE2DF2E2336.pdf

A separate brief, “Health Insurance Fraud: An Overview” is available

http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/dhp_publications/pub_uploads/dhpPublication_EFDAD1BC-5056-9D20-3D3D36632A4F2163.pdf

Contacts

Maria Ibañez, NASHP

202.507.7584

Anne Banner, GW

202.994.2261

About The George Washington University Medical Center

The George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, since 1824. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11th oldest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation’s capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.; and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent faculty practice plan. For more information on GWUMC, visit www.gwumc.edu ( http://www.gwumc.edu/ ).

About the National Academy for State Health Policy

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is an independent academy of state health policy makers working together to identify emerging issues, develop policy solutions, and improve state health policy and practice. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to helping states achieve excellence in health policy and practice, NASHP provides a forum on critical health issues across branches and agencies of state government. For more information about NASHP, please visit www.nashp.org ( http://www.nashp.org/ )

PRESS RELEASE: New Analyses of Senate HELP and Finance Committee Health Reform Proposals Addresses Significant Legal Changes

posted: October 23, 2009, 12:50 PM

WASHINGTON – New analyses of the Senate HELP and Finance Committees’ Health Reform proposals examine significant legal changes to the financing and delivery of health care included in these measures. The analyses are part of an ongoing project of The George Washington University Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program, within the School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), to advance public understanding of the legal dimensions of national health reform.

Building on the comparative analyses of previous health reform proposals, the analysis of the Senate HELP Committee’s Affordable Health Choices Act (S. 1679) focuses on legal changes to the structure of the individual and group insurance markets and related coverage provisions. For the Chairman’s Mark of the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009 (S. 1796), the analysis includes a comprehensive examination of the key legal changes that impact not only coverage, but the ways in which health care is organized and delivered.

“This analysis reflects the enormous progress toward health reform that has been made over the past weeks. With the merger of these two bills, the House and Senate are poised to launch a historic national policy debate,” said Sara Rosenbaum, Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair of the Department of Health Policy. Professor Jane Hyatt Thorpe, who directs the comparative analysis project for the Hirsh Program, added, “These analyses examine the critical legal issues that will largely define the debate, and are designed to help policy makers, health professionals, and consumers understand their scope and meaning.”

The comparative analyses use a special health reform legal taxonomy developed by GW Hirsh Program faculty and staff. The taxonomy is an analytic tool that provides a uniform and consistent mechanism for understanding in detail the key elements of health reform, including access, coverage, affordability, quality, health, financing, and the organization of health care markets, across the various proposals. The taxonomy is used to generate an analytic and comparative analysis of the various proposals that can be viewed independently or comparatively (side by side) in a user-friendly format to provide a consistent and comparative understanding of each legislative proposal.

In addition to the Senate HELP Committee’s Affordable Health Choices Act and the Senate Finance Chairman’s Mark of the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009, the taxonomy has been used to analyze the House Tri-Committee Bill, The America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200); the Healthy Americans Act (S. 391); the Patient’s Choice Act (S. 1099); and the American Health Security Act of 2009 (S. 703). Future additions will include legislative proposals as they emerge from the Senate and Congress. The comparative analysis and interactive tool is available on the Department of Health Policy’s Web site at www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/healthreform/.

About Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program

The Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program, one of the largest law and health policy educational endeavors in the nation, was established in 1997 and endowed by Dr. and Mrs. Harold and Jane Hirsh. Located in The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, the program offers unique educational opportunities designed to provide a solid grounding in health law and policy to candidates for law degrees, practicing lawyers who seek to specialize in health law and policy, and health policy students. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the program advances understanding of how the law influences all phases of health care, health policy and public health, and how the changing health care system affects traditional areas of the law. The program also prepares participants for a broad range of health law-related careers.

For more information on the Hirsh Program, visit www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/Academics/hirshHealthLaw/index.cfm. For more information on the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Health Policy, visit www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy.

About The George Washington University Medical Center

The George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1824. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11th oldest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation’s capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.; and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent faculty practice plan. For more information on GWUMC, visit www.gwumc.edu.

Important Notice Regarding Space Heater Use

posted: October 22, 2009, 4:24 PM

All GWUMC Faculty, Staff, and Researchers:

Last evening a portable space heater was left unattended. The heater tipped over and caught fire in an office in Ross Hall. Fortunately, damage was contained to the immediate office area. In light of this incident, we are reinforcing the following procedures regarding portable space heaters:

1) All heaters must be TURNED OFF when leaving the area/office

2) All heaters must be UNPLUGGED when leaving for the day

Additionally, we are requesting that all faculty, staff, and researchers that currently use space heaters email safety@gwumc.edu to provide your name and room number where the heater is used so it can be evaluated by my office for safety concerns.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

Jeff

Jeffrey M. Good

Director, Medical Center Safety, BioSecurity, & Emergency Management

The George Washington University Medical Center

Washington, DC 20037

safety@gwumc.edu

(202) 994-3282

First Annual Survivorship Symposium Proposes Solutions for the Unmet Needs of Cancer Survivors

posted: October 22, 2009, 4:14 PM

With improved cancer treatments, earlier detection, and a growing population, the United States has become home to an unprecedented number of cancer survivors. This news—though good—is muddied by the fact that this growing cohort comes with a list of growing needs. Fortunately, at the First Annual Survivorship Symposium, held on October 15, this group’s needs were the topic of discussion.

The symposium, themed “Cancer Survivorship Research and Health Disparities,” was hosted by the GW Cancer Institute (GWCI) Center for the Advancement of Cancer Survivorship, Navigation, and Policy (caSNP) and the EagleBank Foundation. Bringing together survivors, researchers, clinicians, caregivers, and community health workers, the symposium sought to improve outcomes of cancer survivorship, which is the period of time following a cancer diagnosis.

“Some of the same barriers that interfere with a person’s ability to access screenings and quality care also interfere with their ability to access survivorship care,” said Steve Patierno, Ph.D., executive director, GWCI. “Through this symposium, I hope that we can integrate the work that we do in the community with the growing and exciting world of cancer survivorship and eventually eliminate cancer disparities.”

After an inspiring welcome from cancer survivor Laurel Wassner, who is a GW alumna and professional triathlete, Julia Rowland, Ph.D., director of the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship set the stage for the day’s discussions by outlining the current state of survivorship research and health disparities. “The field of cancer survivorship is not a new field; not even a baby field. It is a field right in the middle of its adolescence,” she said. “But, as with any good adolescence, we must look back and ask, ‘where did we come from, where do we need to go, how are we going to define ourselves differently—and particularly, how do we measure our success?”

Both Rowland and Craig Earle, M.D., director of the Health Services Research Program for cancer care Ontario and the Ontario institute for Cancer Research, reminded the audience that “being cancer free does not mean being free of cancer” and drew upon current research revealing that this population’s current needs—as varied as they are—are not being met. “We must recognize cancer survivorship as a distinct phase of cancer care, complete with its own unique set of cross-cutting issues,” said Dr. Earle, who suggested that cancer can be used as a “teachable moment,” or a time when people are more receptive to making healthy changes to their lifestyles.

Other speakers included Kimlin Ashing-Giwa, Ph.D., director of the City of Hope Center of Community Alliance for Research and Education and Lisa Campbell, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Health Disparities Research at East Carolina University. Dr. Ashing-Giwa highlighted some of her own research showing that socio-ecological and cultural factors may be heavily proximal to health related quality of life, particularly among ethnic minority populations. Dr. Campbell proved this case by focusing on the disparate treatment and outcomes of African American prostate cancer survivors.

The day’s presentations culminated with a Town Hall moderated by Lydia Buki, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that asked, “How can researchers and clinicians promote optimal wellness for all cancer survivors and reduce disparities in health outcomes?” Despite their diverse backgrounds, all participants agreed that cancer survivors would benefit greatly from improved communication and collaboration between doctors and patients, between doctors themselves, and between clinicians and community workers.

Serving as a model for survivorship care, a panel of Lance Armstrong Foundation Survivorship Centers of Excellence offered their successes, mistakes, and suggestions to other cancer centers. The panelists, who included moderator Caroline Huffman, director of navigation services of the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center of Excellence Network; K. Scott Baker, M.D., M.S. and Karen L. Syrjala, Ph.D. of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; and Linda Jacobs, Ph.D., C.R.N.P., A.O.C.N., B.C., of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, emphasized the need to involve primary care and mid-level practitioners, to individualize care plans, and—most importantly—to educate, empower, and listen to the survivors themselves. “We learned early on that we have to focus on what the survivors want, rather than what we think we can offer them,” said Dr. Jacobs.

Voicing with poignant strength the wants of survivors was speaker Reverend Renee Cole, a cancer “conqueror,” activist, and advocate. “Cancer is not a trip, it’s a journey that affects your finances, your emotions, your career, your life, and everyone that you love,” she said. “We have come a long way [in the field of cancer survivorship,] but there’s even more that we can do to not only give us quality of life, but also quantity of life.”

Bipartisan Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission’s Interim Report Says U.S. is Failing to Address Urgent Biothreat

posted: October 22, 2009, 2:36 PM

Despite the lagging beliefs of many Americans, nuclear weapons are taking a back seat in the world of warcraft. Now taking the front seat, however, is the more realistic and frightening threat of biological weaponry. This looming and purportedly inevitable reality was laid forth during the Weapons of Mass Destruction Symposium on October 21^st, hosted by The Homeland Security Policy Institute and GW’s Elliot School of International Affairs, and featuring the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

“The threat of bioterrorism is not only possible, it is probable” said Commission Vice Chairman and former Senator Jim Talent. “When you think about the objectives of the people trying to launch these attacks, and the means that they have shown they are willing to use, it is perfectly logical that they would be seeking weapons of mass destruction.”

In the report issued yesterday, the commission concluded that the United States is failing to address its most urgent threat—biological proliferation and terrorism. While they supported the Obama Administration’s high-level of attention given to the nuclear threat, the commission cited a range of missteps on biosecurity, including the absence of a senior-level advocate for biosecurity, attempted funding “raids” on two critical biopreparedness programs, and a lack of appropriate disease surveillance.

“The fact is, it is only getting easier and cheaper to develop and use biological weapons—and our best response is to mitigate the effects through faster, safer vaccines and therapeutics,” said Talent. “It’s essential that the U.S. government move more aggressively on this front.”

The commissioners emphasized the need to develop a common understanding of the biothreat, enhance executive responsibility on the matter, provide funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Project BioShield at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and improve domestic and international disease surveillance.

“We cannot use the same ‘lockdown’ strategy that we use in the case of nuclear attacks,” said Commission Chairman and former Senator Bob Graham, noting the wide availability of biomaterials that would make such a strategy ineffective. “Instead, we need to attack the word ‘mass’ and make response become the deterrent.”

“The clock is ticking,” warned Graham. “The United States has taken action, but we have not kept pace with those who would do us, or the world community, harm. The terrorists are flexible and increasingly capable. The executive branch, the legislative branch, and even the American people must do more.”

About the Commission

Congress established the bipartisan WMD Commission to address the grave threat that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction poses to the United States.

The Commission is a legacy of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001, and the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission). Those reports looked at the past, explaining US government failings to anticipate the events of 9/11. This Commission looks to the future.

The Commission’s December 2008 report, World at Risk, determined that unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013—and that terrorists are more likely to obtain and use a biological weapon than a nuclear weapon. It identified 13 recommendations consisting of 49 actions that Congress and the Administration should take to change the trajectory of risk.

About the Homeland Security Policy Institute

The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) is a nonpartisan “think and do” tank whose mission is to build bridges between theory and practice to advance homeland security through an interdisciplinary approach. Visit us at: http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/

GW Medical Center, Medical Faculty Associates and the GW Hospital Provide Free Health Screening and Health Information at the Foggy Bottom/West End Block Party

posted: October 22, 2009, 12:49 PM

Doctors, medical students and staff of The GW Hospital, The GW Medical Faculty Associates, The GW Medical Center, The Cheney Cardiovascular Institute and The GW Cancer Institute took time out of their busy schedules on a cold afternoon to give free health screenings and health information at the seventh annual Foggy Bottom/West End Block Party on Sunday, October 18.

Members of the neighborhood community surrounding GW, as well as students, faculty and staff lined up at the heath tent outside of Ross Hall for free screenings and information including vision testing; grip and posture testing; nutritional assessments; blood pressure screening and stroke risk assessments; cancer information, including breast, colon and prostate; oral cancer screening; and automated external defibrillator demonstrations.

This was the first year that the Medical Center, the MFA and the Hospital participated in the Foggy Bottom/ West End Block Party as collaboration. Over 150 people, including GW President Steven Knapp, were screened during the three hour event, and many more chatted with experts and collected health information. The health tent was hailed a success and a great addition to the yearly event.

Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Featured in The Plain Dealer Discussing Health Care Reform

posted: October 22, 2009, 12:08 PM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/10/health_care_battles_in_congres.html

Jehan El-Bayoumi, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Featured on Forbes.com Discussing Women's Top Health Concerns by the Decade

posted: October 21, 2009, 11:59 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/20/health-tests-screenings-forbes-woman-well-being-fertility.html

Leighton Ku, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor in the Department of Health Policy, Featured on WashingtonIndependent.com Discussing Health Care Reform

posted: October 21, 2009, 11:39 AM

Click here to read this article or copy and paste the following URL into your Web browser:

http://washingtonindependent.com/64204/a-political-game-of-win-the-docs

Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., GW Distinguished Research Professor, Featured on FOX5 Discussing Flu Vaccine Safety

posted: October 21, 2009, 11:28 AM

PRESS RELEASE: GW Medical Students Receive Bread for the City’s Good Hope Award for H.E.A.L.ing Clinic

posted: October 21, 2009, 10:58 AM

WASHINGTON – Five GW medical students received a Good Hope Award at the 4th Annual Bread for the City Good Hope Awards breakfast on October 1, 2009. Rani Nandiwada, Deb Bear, Jay Chelluri, Irina Fox, and Patrick Lowerre, along with Lisa Alexander, Ed.D., M.P.H., P.A., assistant dean for Community-Based Partnerships in GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, were honored for their work in founding and running the H.E.A.L.ing (Health Education and Learning) Clinic at Bread for the City.

good hope award

“Although the original founders of the clinic are graduating this year, they have made certain that the clinic they began can continue long after they have moved on,” said Dr. Randi Abramson, director of Bread for the City. “It is with tremendous gratitude that we awarded Rani Nandiwada, Deb Bear, Jay Chelluri, Irina Fox, Patrick Lowerre, and Lisa Alexander a Good Hope Award for their Beyond Bread Community Reformation.”

The five students receiving the award were first-year medical students who came to GW with a vision to practice medicine as part of their community. With the help of Lisa Alexander, they started the student-run medical clinic in October of 2007. Since the H.E.A.L.ing clinic launched two years ago, a steady flow of enthusiastic GW medical, PA and public health students have volunteered each week seeing patients, working in the lab and providing health education. The Clinic has over 150 students and 16 volunteer physicians and PAs involved today.

“It is a joy to see the students teach each other, to see the fourth-year students take on leadership roles, and to see the newer students jump right in and share ownership of the clinic,” said Dr. Alexander. “Given that our community is in a major healthcare crisis in large part because there aren't enough clinicians practicing community healthcare, we are proud to say that Bread for the City is a training ground for the next generation of providers.”

PRESS RELEASE: New Brief Explores the Evolution of Medicaid Lawsuits to Stop Scheduled Reductions in Medi-Cal Provider Payment Rates and Their Implications for Health Care Access, Quality, and Efficiency

posted: October 21, 2009, 10:42 AM

WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2009) - In a one year period, beginning in April of 2008, five lawsuits were filed against the state of California, to stop scheduled reductions in provider payments in the state's Medicaid program, Medi-Cal. A cross-cutting theme of these lawsuits is the theory that Medi-Cal rate cuts violate the "equal access" statute, a federal law which requires payment to Medicaid providers to be "sufficient to enlist enough providers so that care and services are available under the plan at least to the extent that such care and services are available to the general population in the geographic area." The theory is that low or reduced Medicaid provider payment rates may act as a disincentive to provider participation in Medicaid programs, hence compromising beneficiary access to health care. The Medi-Cal cases spotlight an important Medicaid policy dilemma -- low or reduced provider compensation rates intended to save money may actually serve to drive up healthcare costs by deterring provider participation and eroding beneficiary access to quality health care, ultimately forcing patients to seek care in more expensive settings, such as emergency rooms.

In "Medicaid Payment Rate Lawsuits: Evolving Court Views Mean Uncertain Future for Medi-Cal" Sara Rosenbaum, Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and chair of The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Service's Department of Health Policy, explores these cases and their implications for the future of Medi-Cal, as well as for health care access, quality, and efficiency for beneficiaries of public health insurance nationwide. The paper, prepared for the California HealthCare Foundation, is available at http://www.chcf.org/topics/medi-cal/index.cfm?itemID=134108

About the California HealthCare Foundation

The California HealthCare Foundation is an independent philanthropy committed to improving the way health care is delivered and financed in California. By promoting innovations in care and broader access to information, their goal is to ensure that all Californians can get the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. For more information on CHCF, visit us online at www.chcf.org.

About The George Washington University Medical Center

UPCOMING EVENT: Oct. 27 - National Summit on Neglected Infections of Poverty (NIoPs) in the United States

posted: October 21, 2009, 10:22 AM

WASHINGTON– In the United States, there remains a largely hidden burden of diseases caused by debilitating parasitic, bacterial, and congenital infections known as the Neglected Infections of Poverty (NIoPs), which disproportionately affect impoverished and minority populations. They are concentrated in the most impoverished areas and populations of the United States, including inner cities of the North and East and rural areas of the South and West.

This one-day Summit to he held in Washington, D.C. on October 27, 2009 will highlight the major neglected infections of poverty in the United States with emphasis on their prevalence and disease burden, transmission, and their disparate impact on poor populations in the U.S. The conference is designed to lead to strategies for action to address NIoPs.

The planning committee includes the American Public Health Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Eisenhower Institute, Gettysburg College; Institute on Social Exclusion, Adler School of Psychology; and The George Washington University/ Sabin Vaccine Institute.

What: National Summit on Neglected Infections of Poverty (NIoPs) in the United States

When: October 27, 2009

8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where: Capitol Hill,Washington D.C.

Rayburn Building, Room 2168

Sponsors: American Public Health Association; Companion Animal Parasite Council; Eisenhower Institute, Gettysburg College; Institute on Social Exclusion, Adler School of Psychology; and Sabin Vaccine Institute/George Washington University

For more information go to http://inside.gwumc.edu/niops/index.cfm orcall Lydia DiGrazia at (202) 994-3532.

About The George Washington University Medical Center

ANNOUNCEMENT: GW Health Services and Management Leadership Students Win First Place in Annual Case Competition

posted: October 20, 2009, 3:45 PM

updated: October 21, 2009, 9:57 AM

Case Winners

WASHINGTON - Competing in the finals against teams from University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, and Rush University in Chicago, GW’s team of three second-year Masters in Health Service Administration students, Angela Raphael, Laura Munroe and Tony Huynh, took first place in the 14th Annual The National Association of Health Services Executives Case Competition.

“My colleagues and I, in the HSML Department, are proud of our team and thrilled at our victory. Our team members, Angela, Laura and Tony had the talent, diligence and drive to take the first place. This team was able to surpass last year’s fantastic GW team, who took second place in the competition. This was our third entry over the past six years and it was proven true that the third time is a charm,” said Robert Burke, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Health Services Management and Leadership, and director of the Wertlieb Educational Institute for Long-Term Care Management.

The teams in the competition consisted of up to three health administration graduate students who took on the role of consultants. Team members were charged with analyzing the facts presented in the case and gathering publically available data to help support their recommendations. Each team devised a mechanism that provided the highest quality care at the lowest cost to the members of a large commercial insurance plan in the Orlando, Florida area. The teams examined the process of care delivery, cost of their plan, crafted a marketing plan, and explained how their recommendations would be evaluated. Each team made a twenty-minute oral presentation of their analysis and recommendations, then a panel of leaders in the health care field, corporate sponsors and academia determined which teams move forward to the next round of competition.

The Everett V. Fox Student Case Competition is designed to give first and second-year graduate students an educational experience to enhance their problem analysis and presentation skills. Students are charged with applying their creativity, knowledge, and experience to analyze the real and diverse issues facing a health care organization. Previous case studies featured health care organizations such as Grady Health System, Kaiser Permanente, The Mayo Clinic, Trinity Health, Catholic Health Initiatives, and HCA.

About NAHSE

The National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) is a non-profit association of Black health care executives founded in 1968 for the purpose of promoting the advancement and development of Black health care leaders, and elevating the quality of health care services rendered to minority and underserved communities. Since its inception, NAHSE has sponsored and participated in local and national programs and projects designed to improve quality, access and availability to health services and to expand educational opportunities in the field of Health Services Administration.

NAHSE's purpose is to ensure greater participation of minority groups in the health field. Its basic objective is to develop and maintain a strong viable national body to more effectively have input in the national health care delivery system. It has provided a vehicle for Blacks to effectively participate in the design, direction and delivery of quality health care to all people.

About the HSML Program

Part of the School of Public Health and Health Services, the Department of Health Services Management and Leadership offers training in health services administration to help meet the growing need for skilled executives to manage health-related organizations and programs. An MHSA degree from the Department of Health Services Management incorporates business and medical informatics training, knowledge of health care systems, law and policy, critical values in decision making, and much more.

The Department's special strengths include an emphasis on experiential learning and community service, distinguished faculty, research collaborations and relationships with policymaking and health care organizations in Washington, DC. Active alumni and student associations foster mentoring, networking and other professional development opportunities.

About The George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS)

SPHHS was established in July 1997, bringing together three longstanding university programs in the Schools of Medicine, Business, and Education. Today, more than 900 students from nearly every state and more than 35 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees in public health. www.gwumc.edu/sphhs

About The George Washington University Medical Center

Himmelfarb Library Technology Summit Series

posted: August 24, 2009, 2:16 PM

Himmelfarb Library and the Faculty Affairs Office are pleased to host a series of talks for GWUMC faculty on instructional and information technologies. This series is designed to introduce faculty to new technologies which are being used at GWUMC and engender discussion of best practices for the use of technology in instruction.

This weekly series will occur throughout the fall from 12-1 p.m. in Himmelfarb B103. Light refreshments will be available, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunch to the sessions.

Please mark your calendars

Thu, Sep 3	Katherine Kennedy, PhD	Turning Point Clickers
Wed, Sep 9	Feroz Arastu	Laptop Security
Wed, Sep 16	Dante Verme, PhD, MS	ArcGIS
Tue, Sep 22	Frank Slaby, PhD	Animations
Tue, Sep 29	Ray Walsh, PhD	NetAnatomy
Tue, Oct 6	Catherine Harris, MA & Barbara McGowan	What makes a good poster?
Wed, Oct 14	Howie Southworth & John O’Hara	Blogs and Wikis in Blackboard
Wed, Oct 21	Cynthia Kahn, MILS, MPH	Scopus
Wed, Oct 28	Paul Levett, MSc	E-Resources Access & Multidatabase Searching
Thu, Nov 5	Tim McCaffrey, PhD	Genetics Databases
Wed, Nov 11	Elaine Sullo, MLS, MAEd	RefWorks
Wed, Nov 18	Laura Abate, MSLS	Information Updates/RSS Feeds

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