Topics in the News

New Obesity Screening Recommendation for Kids and Teens

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that clinicians screen children ages 6 and older for obesity and offer or refer them to intensive counseling and behavioral interventions to promote improvements in weight. The recommendation and the accompanying summary of evidence appear in the February issue of Pediatrics.
 
The USPSTF found adequate evidence that comprehensive, moderate- to high-intensity programs that include dietary, physical activity, and behavioral counseling components for obese children and teens between the ages of 6 and 18 can yield short-term-up to 12 months-improvements in weight.
 
The Task Force is supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and its recommendations are considered the gold standard for clinical preventive services. Learn more about the Task Force and this recommendation online.

 Measuring and Reporting Cultural Competency

A Comprehensive Framework and Preferred Practices for Measuring and Reporting Cultural Competency: A Consensus Report outlines a comprehensive framework for measuring and reporting cultural competency. The report also details a set of 45 preferred practices for providing culturally competent care covering a range of issues, including leadership, communication, community engagement, and workforce training. Produced by the National Quality Forum (NQF), the preferred practices were vetted through NQF’s Consensus Development Process, granting them special legal status as voluntary consensus standards.

The framework is intended for all healthcare organizations including health plans, hospitals, small and large physician group practices, community-based organizations, clinics, nursing homes, dialysis centers, ambulatory care centers. Implementing the 45 practices endorsed in this report is expected to improve the quality of care through cultural competency. The preferred practices can also serve as the basis for identification and/or development of quality measures that can be used for public accountability for the delivery of culturally competent care. 

 

AZ&Me™ Prescription Savings Program Update

The AZ&Me™ Prescription Savings program for people with Medicare Part D is changing from a retail pharmacy-based program, in which patients paid no more than $25 for a 30-day supply depending on income level, to a mail-order program where eligible patients will receive their AstraZeneca medicines at no-cost. Program eligibility requirements will remain unchanged in 2010 except that patients will now be required to provide proof of income documentation.

Enrollment and re-enrollment for the AZ&Me™ Prescription Savings program for people without insurance and for people with Medicare Part D will be available online at www.azandme.com. In addition, online self-service options will also be available for both programs. Healthcare professionals, advocates and patients will have the ability to refill and check the status of enrollment or refill online at www.azandme.com.

For those who prefer completing a hard-copy application, the AZ&Me™ Prescription Savings program for people without insurance and for people with Medicare Part D will now offer one streamlined application, in English and Spanish. You can download a PDF of the application at www.azandme.com or call 1-800-AzandMe (292-6363) to request that they be sent to you.
 

Report on American Indians' and Alaska Natives' Health Coverage

The Kaiser Family Foundation released A Profile of American Indians and Alaska Natives and Their Health Coverage, which examines the health coverage, access to care and health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives across the country. Although the U.S. government has an established responsibility through tribal agreements to provide health care services to members of federally recognized Indian tribes, many American Indians and Alaska Natives lack access to health care. This brief gives an overview of some of the demographic factors that influence the health and insurance coverage of American Indians and Alaska Natives. It examines the relatively high rates of chronic conditions experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to other racial and ethnic groups. The brief also provides information about the Indian Health Service and health coverage and access to care for this population.

CDC Campaign Focuses on Young Children

Learn the Signs. Act Early is a campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase early identification of children with developmental delays. The Health Care Provider Resource Kit contains informational cards, fact sheets, posters, a growth chart and more. Materials are available in English and Spanish and can be ordered online.

Obseity Epidemic: A State-by-State Look

Obesity rates increased in 23 states and declined in none this past year, according to F As in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report also found that the percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states. 

Tobacco Guidelines Updated

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has reaffirmed that use of evidence-based cessation interventions in adults and pregnant women can lead many to quit using tobacco products and improve their health. The task force reviewed new evidence in Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. In its recommendation on counseling and interventions for tobacco use, the task force urges all clinicians to:
• Ask all adults, 18 years or older, about tobacco use and provide tobacco cessation interventions for those who use tobacco products. Tobacco dependence is a chronic condition responsible for nearly half a million deaths each year from heart disease, respiratory disease and cancer.  
• Ask all pregnant women, regardless of age, about tobacco use and provide more pregnancy-tailored counseling for those who smoke. Smoking during pregnancy results in the death of about 1,000 infants annually and is associated with an increased risk for premature birth and intrauterine growth retardation.
More information and a quick reference guide are available online.