With a generous $22 million in gifts from Joan and Irwin Jacobs, UC San Diego Health will bring its Center for Health Innovation into full reality.
Tag: Access To Care
RUSH, Franciscan to Partner on Clinical Services for Cancer, Neurosciences
Chicago-based Rush University System for Health and Franciscan Alliance, Inc., are partnering to jointly develop and provide clinical services to improve the availability of health care to patients in Northwest Indiana, giving patients streamlined access to subspecialty care in their own communities.
Medicaid health plan community health workers have positive impact on care
Community health workers employed by Medicaid health plans can help low-income people who face barriers to care rely less on the emergency room, and more on outpatient care, a new study finds.
Dr. Chandra Ford – Founding Director, Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health, Professor of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, available as expert on health equity
Dr. Chandra Ford, founding director of the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health and professor of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, is available as expert on health equity. Prof. Ford’s expertise includes:…
New benefit increases Veterans’ access to urgent care in the community
Two years ago, the Veterans Affairs healthcare system (VA) began rolling out a new benefit, enabling Veterans to receive urgent care from a network of community providers – rather than visiting a VA emergency department or clinic. Progress toward expanding community care services for Veterans is the focus of a special supplement to the May issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
LEVERAGING TELEMEDICINE TO IMPROVE SKIN HEALTH AND WELLBEING FOR THOSE WHO ARE INCARCERATED
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) named board-certified dermatologist Jun Lu, MD, FAAD, and Tara Hood, FNP-BC, as Patient Care Heroes for using telemedicine to improve the health and well-being of women who have been incarcerated.
45% of adults over 65 lack online medical accounts that could help them sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations
As the vaccination of older adults against COVID-19 begins across the country, new poll data suggests that many of them don’t yet have access to the “patient portal” online systems that could make it much easier for them to schedule a vaccination appointment. In all, 45% of adults aged 65 to 80 had not set up an account with their health provider’s portal system.
How the Pandemic Highlights Barriers to Dental Care
The dean of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine discusses how people avoiding dental appointments during the pandemic is raising awareness of challenges in the dental health system
Erlanger Health System and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Announce Intent to Collaborate in Cancer Care
Erlanger Health System and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, on behalf of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), have entered into an agreement to design a long-term collaboration in cancer care, including VICC hematology-oncology services at Erlanger’s two clinic and infusion locations.
Declines in patient visits during COVID-19 shutdowns projected to cost U.S. primary care $15 billion in revenue by year’s end, study shows
• On average, a full-time primary care physician in the U.S. will lose more than $65,000 in revenue in 2020.
• Overall, the U.S. primary care sector will lose nearly $15 billion.
• Losses stem from drastic reductions in office visits and fees for services during COVID-19 shutdowns from March to May.
• Losses threaten practice viability, reducing further an already insufficient number of primary care providers in the United States.
• Findings underscore the need for a plan that provides support for independent primary care doctors, small independent practices.
The Academy for Eating Disordes Applauds Kentucky’s New Eating Disorder Council
AED commends the Kentucky Senate and House and Governor Andy Beshear for passing a Bill that established the Kentucky Eating Disorders Council with the goal of raising awareness, providing education, and improving access to care for all Kentuckians with eating disorders.

Grant will fund pilot program to expand opioid use disorder treatment in Alabama
UAB is launching a pilot program aimed at getting more opioid users into treatment, using telemedicine in three rural counties and emploing the Alabama One Health Record®, a statewide health information exchange, to track outcomes in these patients.
ACR Releases Position Statement on Prior Authorization
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released an official position statement concerning prior authorization for the approval of prescription medications, highlighting the significant burdens it creates for patients and rheumatology professionals. This process can result in a significant delay of care or treatments, treatment abandonment and potential harm to patients.
State Legislators Push Forward Full Practice Authority for Advanced Practice Nurses
At an unprecedented pace, state legislators are voting in favor of lifting restrictions that would enable advanced practice nurses and other nonphysician providers to practice at the full extent of their education and expertise.
As Rural Hospital Closures Continue, CRNAs Offer a Safe, Affordable Solution
“Rural healthcare systems are fighting for their lives,” according to Randall Moore, DNP, MBA, CRNA and CEO of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). “Statistics remain grim.”
Neurosurgery in the Brazilian Amazon Is Possible
A Rutgers study presents a model for creating a sustainable neurosurgery programs in poor, remote locations

Adding mental health specialists to primary care clinics boosts vets’ access to outpatient services
A Veterans Health Administration program that added mental health specialists, care managers or both in primary care clinics significantly improved access to mental health and primary care services to veterans with behavioral health needs. The practice also resulted in 9% higher average annual costs for each patient.