WASHINGTON, April 6 -- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Department of Health and Human Services), Office of Acquisition and Grants Management, has awarded a $403288.00 federal contract on Apr. 6 for 'RECOVERY - HITECH Incentive Payments Program for J4 MAC PART A/B.'
Contractor Awardee: TrailBlazer Health For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
A report published by BioOhio reveals the importance of bioscience and health care to Ohio's economic recovery.
In a release, the group noted:
In 2007, the overall economic impact of Ohio-based bioscience was $148.2 billion, representing 15.7 percent of Ohio's total economic output. Bioscience also directly and indirectly generated 1.4 million jobs in Ohio in 2007. BioOhio teamed with consulting firm Tripp Umbach, which employed the IMPLAN input-output model to estimate the impact of bioscience economic events in the state of Ohio.
BioOhio's definition of the bioscience industry includes three integrated sectors: commercial bioscience entities, hospitals and healthcare providers, and medical colleges. The commercial bioscience sector alone accounted for a $33.8 billion overall economic impact and 50,100 direct jobs in 2007, up from $27.3 billion and 48,485 direct jobs in 2006. When indirect and induced jobs are factored, the commercial bioscience employment impact jumps to 135,136.
Analysis of commercial bioscience industry segments revealed research and development as the top employment sector (12,415), while agricultural biotechnology contributed the largest direct economic impact ($10.7 billion) in 2007. Medical device and equipment manufacturers directly employed 9,757 Ohioans.
Bioscience, medical technology, and research organizations continue to thrive in Ohio. As of December 2008, 1,141 bioscience-related entities were operating in the state. While company launches and relocations explain some of the 39.5 percent increase since last year's count (818), the expansion is mostly attributable to a more thorough census of organizations. For instance, 636 Ohio companies are FDA-certified to manufacture medical devices and 88 facilities in the state are FDA-certified to manufacture pharmaceuticals. BioOhio determined that nearly half of these companies are actively involved in the value chain of at least one commercial bioscience product.
Bioscience-related entities include those involved in research, development, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, bioinformatics, medical devices, medical equipment, biotechnology products, and health-related products.
Half of Ohio's bioscience entities (574) are located in northeast Ohio, which includes the Cleveland area, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown. Southwest Ohio, anchored by Cincinnati, and central Ohio, which includes the capital Columbus, are each home to about 200 of the state's bioscience-related entities.
'The Ohio Bioscience Growth Report clearly shows that Ohio continues to make great strides in the biosciences, and our bioscience industry is on the fast track creating jobs of the future for Ohioans,' said Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. 'We are once again rated as one of the nation's top technological innovators, recognition of the wide diversity of world-class research institutions, medical centers, and visionary companies that call Ohio home.'
BioOhio (formerly Omeris) is a non-profit organization supported by the Thomas Edison Program of the Ohio Department of Development.
Report Information:
www.bioohio.com/pdfs/growthreport08.aspx
Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer
Providence Health expects to expand its local hospital staff by 20 percent this year, and Valley Presbyterian Hospital predicts its payroll will grow.
And medical centers operated by the University of Southern California added 500 employees - mostly nurses - in 2009, and wants to hire 400 more this year.
A forecast released this week by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. predicted that health care will be among the first sectors to rebound from the recession, and an informal survey of local hospitals indicates the recovery may already have begun.
'We're experiencing a hiring growth because our patient census is growing as well as our specialty services,' said Judith Maass, vice president and chief nursing officer at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, where 100 new nurses were hired last year.
'I personally don't think we're going to see a slowdown,' she said. 'The economy has really helped in converting part-time workers to full time.'
And as specialty services grow, hospitals will need more employees with various skills.
'It's not just nurses that are needed,' said Norma Resneder, senior vice president of human resources and organizational development at nonprofit Valley Presbyterian. 'We need lab technicians, X-ray technicians and billing clerks. It's a high priority for us to fill these positions.'
Growth on the horizon
The California region of Providence Health & Services - which includes three hospitals in the San Fernando Valley and two in the South Bay - did not add staff in 2009, but expects that to change this year, said Tom Wiseman, regional director of talent acquisition.
'Assuming the economic and political environments will not further erode, I believe we will see about a 20 percent increase in new hiring over 2009 mainly due to the expansion at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center and projected growth in the Providence Medical Institute,' he said.
'If the environment improves, we may experience as much as a 25 percent increase in new hiring for 2010.'
The new wing at Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills will mean an additional 200 to 250 jobs, mostly for registered nurses, officials said.
Other local hospitals continue to have openings. Northridge Hospital Medical Center and Glendale Memorial Hospital have a total of 80 vacancies, with positions ranging from admitting supervisor to speech pathologist.
And hiring soared after the University of Southern California acquired University Hospital and the Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital from Tenet Healthcare Corp., officials said.
USC hospitals currently have 424 vacancies, say officials, who expect to see the work force swell by 5 to 10 percent this year.
'In the last 10 months, we have seen significant growth in our patient admissions and overall business,' Chief Human Resources Officer Matt McElrath said in a statement. 'That means our work force needs to expand in order to accommodate the growing demand for services at our facilities.'
Operating at a deficit
Not every medical center is experiencing growth, said Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California.
He noted that more than half of Los Angeles County's 72 hospitals are operating at a deficit, and that two - including Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley - have declared bankruptcy.
In addition, nurses who once had the option of retiring early or transferring to other medical centers are staying put longer, closing those wide doors of opportunity at some medical centers where a nursing shortage was predicted.
'Not all hospitals are recession-proof,' Lott said. 'Many more have a hiring freeze.'
susan.abram@dailynews.com
Providence Health expects to expand its local hospital staff by20 percent this year, and Valley Presbyterian Hospital predicts itspayroll will grow.
And medical centers operated by the University of SouthernCalifornia added 500 employees - mostly nurses - in 2009, and wantsto hire 400 more this year.
A forecast released this week by the Los Angeles County EconomicDevelopment Corp. predicted that health care will be among the firstsectors to rebound from the recession, and an informal survey oflocal hospitals indicates the recovery may already have begun.
'We're experiencing a hiring growth because our patient census isgrowing as well as our specialty services,' said Judith Maass, vicepresident and chief nursing officer at Valley Presbyterian Hospitalin Van Nuys, where 100 new nurses were hired last year.
'I personally don't think we're going to see a slowdown,' shesaid. 'The economy has really helped in converting part-time workersto full time.'
And as specialty services grow, hospitals will need moreemployees with various skills.
'It's not just nurses that are needed,' said Norma Resneder,senior vice president of human resources and organizationaldevelopment at nonprofit Valley Presbyterian. 'We need labtechnicians, X-ray technicians and billing clerks. It's a highpriority for us to fill these positions.'
Growth on the horizon
The California region of Providence Health & Services - whichincludes three hospitals in the San Fernando Valley and two in theSouth Bay - did not add staff in 2009, but expects that to changethis year, said Tom Wiseman, regional director of talentacquisition.
'Assuming the economic and political environments will notfurther erode, I believe we will see about a 20 percent increase innew hiring over 2009 mainly due to the expansion at Providence HolyCross Medical Center and projected growth in the Providence MedicalInstitute,' he said.
'If the environment improves, we may experience as much as a 25percent increase in new hiring for 2010.'
The new wing at Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills will meanan additional 200 to 250 jobs, mostly for registered nurses,officials said.
Other local hospitals continue to have openings. NorthridgeHospital Medical Center and Glendale Memorial Hospital have a totalof 80 vacancies, with positions ranging from admitting supervisor tospeech pathologist.
And hiring soared after the University of Southern Californiaacquired University Hospital and the Kenneth Norris Jr. CancerHospital from Tenet Healthcare Corp., officials said.
USC hospitals currently have 424 vacancies, say officials, whoexpect to see the work force swell by 5 to 10 percent this year.
'In the last 10 months, we have seen significant growth in ourpatient admissions and overall business,' Chief Human ResourcesOfficer Matt McElrath said in a statement. 'That means our workforce needs to expand in order to accommodate the growing demand forservices at our facilities.'
Operating at a deficit
Not every medical center is experiencing growth, said Jim Lott,executive vice president of the Hospital Association of SouthernCalifornia.
He noted that more than half of Los Angeles County's 72 hospitalsare operating at a deficit, and that two - including PacificaHospital of the Valley in Sun Valley - have declared bankruptcy.
In addition, nurses who once had the option of retiring early ortransferring to other medical centers are staying put longer,closing those wide doors of opportunity at some medical centerswhere a nursing shortage was predicted.
'Not all hospitals are recession-proof,' Lott said. 'Many morehave a hiring freeze.'
susan.abram@dailynews.com
EXPERT ANALYSIS FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
SAN ANTONIO -- Preventing or treating depression after a stroke can help patients with varying degrees of disability and adaptive skills recover functional ability.
Treatment for depression can help patients develop the plasticity they need to recover physical function, or in the case of more serious poststroke disabilities, help them more readily adapt to their limitations, Dr. Ellen M. Whyte said at the meeting.
Both the brain's plasticity and adaptation rely on the ability of patients to practice and learn new skills to help themselves recover or adapt after a major medical illness such as a stroke. But evidence from several studies shows that 'depression after a stroke is associated with poor functional recovery and decreased efficiency of recovery,' said Dr. Whyte, a geriatric psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh.
Decreased Participation
Depression may impede recovery from a stroke by decreasing a patient's participation in rehabilitation activities, she said. Depression is also associated with cognitive problems, such as executive impairment, that can interfere with recovery or adaptation, and with motor impairment, such as decreased gait speed, which may also hinder rehabilitation.
A 2004 study from the University of Pittsburgh of 242 patients admitted for rehabilitation showed that patients who were 'frequent poor participators' in rehabilitation activities had less physical recovery and longer length of stay, and were more likely to be institutionalized than either occasionally poor participators or good participators (Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2004; 85:1599-601).
A separate study by Dr. Whyte and her colleagues looked at the effects of mood, apathy, memory, attention, executive function, and level of disability on participation in rehabilitation. The patients all had evidence of cognitive impairment, but they were without major depression.
The investigators found that among the 44 stroke survivors aged 60 years and older who were admitted for inpatient rehabilitation, baseline disability and impairment of executive function were independent predictors of participation. They also found that 'while level of depressive symptoms was not an independent predictor of rehabilitation participation in this sample, it was strongly correlated with executive functions. Depressive symptoms and impairment in executive functions frequently overlap in late life and after stroke, and potentially represent ischemic injury to frontal-subcortical pathways' (Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2010;91:203-7).
Falls and Depression Linked
Other studies found that depression, as measured by the Symptom Checklist-90, was associated with a doubling of fails in community-dwelling adults aged 70 years or older (J. Clin. Epidemiol. 2002;55:108-894), and that poor self-rated health, poor cognitive status, impaired activities of daily living, two or more clinic visits in the past month, and slow walking speed predicted both an elderly patient's risk of falling and depressive symptoms (J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2002;56:631-6), she said.
Additionally, investigators looking at the effect of depression remission after a stroke found that patients with remission of a depressive disorder at follow-up had significantly greater recovery in activities of daily living (ADL) functions than did patients without remission. The authors also found that patients with remission of either major or minor depression showed greater improvement in ADL than did patients without remission, some of whom had received the antidepressant nortriptyline, and some of whom had received placebo. The finding suggests that nondrug mechanisms of recovery from depression may have accounted for the improvements in ADL among patients with remission (J. Nerv. Merit. Dis. 2001;189:421-5).
The evidence points to a stroke-recovery model in which preventing or treating depression would lead to increased motivation and participation in rehabilitation programs, reduced depression-related cognitive impairments, and decreases in depression-related motor impairments, Dr. Whyte said.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced the creation of the Office of Recovery Act Coordination. This will help ensure the timely, organized and transparent distribution of an estimated $137.0 billion in Recovery Act Funds managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
'HHS is committed to moving quickly and carefully to distribute Recovery Act funds in an open and transparent manner,' said agency spokeswoman Jenny Backus. 'We have already worked to put more than $3.0 billion in Recovery Act funds into states and the new Office of Recovery Act Coordination will enhance and streamline our efforts to get critical resources and potential new job opportunities to the American people during tough times,' she added.a
Dennis Williams will lead the new office and serve as HHS' Deputy Assistant Secretary for Recovery Act Coordination.a Mr Williams has served in the department for more than 20 years in offices including the Health Resources Services Administration and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget.
WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin:
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that INConcertCare, Inc. of Urbandale has been awarded $1,371,125 to implement electronic health records and other health information innovations. The funding was awarded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, the Economic Recovery Act, and distributed by the Department of Health and Human Service's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
'As America moves towards health reform, converting medical records into electronic format will help to improve efficiency and rein in costs,' said Harkin. 'It will allow doctors to make faster, smarter decisions about their patients' care and eliminate waste. This is a wise investment of recovery dollars that will help us make health care work for every American.'