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Archive for the ‘Aging population’ Category

How early detection screening saved Roger’s life. It can save yours too.

Posted in Aging population, Cancer, Health, Men's health, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Roger Corliss could have died from multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer. He didn’t and credits being alive today because he caught it early through regular early detection screenings.

Although he has had a challenging journey, he is in remission and competes in shotput and discus at senior athlete track and field competitions. On average, people whose multiple myeloma is detected at a later stage than Corliss’ only have about 15 months to live.

Corliss presented his story at University of Colorado Health’s March MAN-ness, a men’s health happy hour, at The Mayor of Old Town in Fort Collins, on March 7.

The purpose of March MAN-ness is to help men live healthier lives by emphasizing that many diseases can be minimized or even prevented with routine screening.

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New van service provides free rides to doctor appointments in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley

Posted in Aging population, Community, tagged , , , on November 3, 2012 | 1 Comment »

University of Colorado Health and Columbine Health Systems have teamed to provide free transportation to designated medical locations in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley.

Connecting Health free van serviceThe “Connecting Health” van will begin service Nov. 5, picking up and dropping off riders Monday through Friday at Poudre Valley Hospital (PVH) and the University of Colorado Health Harmony Campus in Fort Collins, Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) in Loveland and the Greeley Medical Clinic (GMC).

[Download the van schedule]

“Connecting Health van transport is a wonderful community service that was desperately needed to connect medical services in northern Colorado,” said Fort Collins Mayor Karen Weitkunat. “Community members are truly excited about the regional linkage.”

Connecting Health van highlights

  • Rides are free to designated medical locations in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley.
  • The van runs the full route three times a day and makes an additional trip to locations in Fort Collins and Loveland in the late afternoon.
  • Riders do not need to schedule a ride.
  • Download a schedule or call 970.495.8560.

Signs will be posted at each facility noting pick-up and drop-off locations. Those locations will include indoor waiting areas in case of bad weather.

The purpose of the service is to provide free rides for those who have medical appointments at those designated locations and need transportation, though anyone can use the service. Riders must be able to get on and off the van by themselves; no medical assistance will be available.

Riders do not need to schedule a ride.

The Connecting Health van’s initial route will take it from PVH to the Harmony Campus, then to MCR, GMC and back to MCR, Harmony and PVH. It will run the full route three times a day. The van will begin serving the Greeley Emergency and Surgery Center when the center opens Nov. 26, making that stop between MCR and GMC.

An additional route will run in the late afternoon between PVH, the Harmony Campus and MCR. The University of Colorado Health concierge team will be available at stop locations for questions or assistance.

“We heard the voice of the community, and we knew it was important to offer an alternative for people to get to their doctor,” said Russ Woolley, vice president of operations for MCR. “We see this as a way to improve the health of our community.”

The van can accommodate 13 ambulatory riders. The van cannot accommodate riders with wheelchairs.

The drivers are employees of the Columbine Health Systems transportation department.

“We know there’s a tremendous need for this service in the community, which is why it made sense to partner with a locally focused organization like University of Colorado Health,” said Yvonne Myers, director of Columbine Health Systems.

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Home health care arrives in ambulances rather than horse-drawn buggies

Posted in Aging population, Emergency response, Healthcare reform, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Let me summarize. This is a blog about way back when house calls were made by doctors in horse-drawn carriages. About congress and healthcare reform. About paramedics today. About keeping people healthy in their homes. And about the future…

Health care in the coming years will look considerably different than it does today due to healthcare reform legislation passed in March 2010 by congress.

One major improvement will be the reshaping of the current model where hospitals are set up to keep patients coming in for service. In the future, the model will shift to the goal of keeping people out of hospitals by helping them maintain their health. That’ll be a huge improvement in the way of approaching health care!

Members of our Community Paramedic Program: Lisa Beard (left), Julie Scott, Sharon Lowry (right), and Julie Bower (in front).

Poudre Valley Health System is already moving in that direction. We have a free Nurse Is In program where each month our community health nurses go to three northern Colorado locations to help people monitor blood pressure, answer medical questions and offer basic health information. Our Aspen Club sponsors many free or low-cost preventive programs for older adults, while our Healthy Kids Club focuses on the health of youth. We also have many other community-based programs and public classes on wellness topics.

One of our efforts that recently received public attention is the Community Paramedic Program. The Coloradoan in Fort Collins, Colo., published a lengthy feature article about the free program Feb. 10 and followed up with a Feb. 12 editorial. In addition, Style Magazine in Fort Collins will soon publish an article about the program.

The program is among the first wave of changes in the way paramedics and emergency medical technicians throughout the nation conduct their work.

Traditionally, paramedics and EMT focus on responding to emergencies, but, since there typically aren’t medical emergencies going on constantly, they sometimes have periods of available time.

Much to their credit, our emergency responders decided to use these periods to develop the Community Paramedic Program to offer basic health screenings to people in their own homes.

The paramedics and EMTs provide in-home blood pressure checks and flu vaccinations. They also do risk assessments designed to help keep people from falling in their homes. In addition, they assist people who have questions about medications.

While all of these are great benefits, for some people the social interaction with the emergency responders is just as important. In some cases, people are home-bound and something as simple as a visitor’s smile and kinds words can help with health. The social interaction also gives emergency responders the opportunity to assess if a person’s mood or mental state have changed.

“We do what we can to help people remain healthy in their homes where they are more comfortable,” said Ted Beckman, a paramedic shift supervisor who is the program’s coordinator. “Preventive programs similar to ours are the future of health care throughout the United States.”

The Community Paramedic Program isn’t meant to replace home-visits by nurses or therapists or a visit to a doctor’s office or the need to call 911. Rather, the program is an excellent option that can save people from unnecessarily leaving their homes.

Our emergency responders launched this program in the fall of 2010. They estimate the program could have prevented up to 18,000 emergency room visits to Poudre Valley Hospital and the Medical Center of the Rockies in 2011. This would have been a significant, positive impact on the two ERs that treated a total of 52,000 patients last year.

Four emergency responders conduct our Community Paramedic Program. They will receive additional training this month in preparation of providing 24-hour coverage. They do the program in conjunction with the Aspen Club, which helps them identify persons who may want to participate. (Community members interested in receiving home visits should contact the Aspen Club, 495-8560.)

When I think about our program, thoughts of the old days to come to mind—back to when doctors in horse-drawn buggies rolled up to the porch steps and the doctor climbed down, black medical bag in hand, to do a home visit.

Those days are long-gone, of course. But some important vestiges remain.

Horse-drawn buggies have been replaced by ambulances that come visiting without emergency lights and sirens going—but the enthusiasm to care for people in their own homes remains.

Rulon

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Learn more about the president’s proposed deficit reduction plan

Posted in Aging population, Finance, Healthcare reform on September 20, 2011 | 2 Comments »

On September 19, the president submitted a deficit reduction plan.  I’d like to offer you some education about the plan from the perspective of what many experts in healthcare believe the industry needs.

(Please note: I also strongly encourage you to read the president’s plan, do your own research and make your own judgement.)

The proposed deficit reduction plan calls for the type of action that we have seen over the last several decades: Reduce payments without fixing the problem. The proposed plan calls for a reduction in Medicare by $248 billion and Medicaid by $73 billion.

One of the reasons we are in the situation where we find ourselves today is because over the years the public healthcare policy has been to offer more and more services to more and more people, and then when, the costs of the program increase, simply decrease the funding to providers.

During the last few years there has been encouraging talk about creating an accountable care system that holds providers accountable for the care they provide. An accountable care system would create incentives for healthcare providers to find the best ways to provide services, and then duplicate the processes across their system.  Such incentives would increase quality and decrease cost.

The proposed deficit reduction plan takes a big step backward to “business as usual” where we don’t change anything. Rather, we just decrease payments.

If we have learned anything over the last generation, it is that such a process simply doesn’t work.  Costs are transferred to other payers and the industry remains in crisis.

I hope–as this proposed deficit reduction plan is reviewed by congress and the public–that we work more toward accountable care rather than simply thinking we can do more with less forever.

Rulon

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Hospital revenues slump nationwide, says Moody’s report

Posted in Aging population, Finance, Health, Healthcare reform, tagged , , , , on August 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

As congress selects the 12 legislators who will determine the cost-cutting efforts for the federal government, we learned that Moody’s, one of the more influential financial organizations in the world, listed the revenue decrease in the country’s hospitals as the “most important and immediate challenge”  facing the industry. 

Of course, the main concern here is, if this committee of congress can’t come to an agreement (which one would have to list as the likely outcome of the committee), then once again the fall-back position is to cut Medicare payments.  Given the critical nature of this problem…I highly encourage a reasonable solution from this committee.

News coverage of the Moody’s report:

“A slowdown in admissions means that hospital revenue growth has bottomed out after two decades, making it the “most important and immediate challenge” currently facing the industry, according to a Moody’s report released August 9.

“The report found that Moody’s-rated hospitals reported 4% median revenue growth in fiscal year (FY) 2010—the lowest growth rate that the agency has recorded. Although hospital administrators are stressing tactics to curb expenses, nearly 20% of Moody’s-rated hospitals are operating in the red. Meanwhile, hospitals that saw gains had thin operating margins, with 63% of facilities reporting results between break-even and 5%.

“According to Moody’s, the lagging economy and high unemployment rate have discouraged patients from seeking care, which has prevented hospitals from maintaining stable-to-growing patient volumes. Lisa Goldstein, a senior vice president at Moody’s, said hospitals’ inpatient admissions rates dipped by 0.4% in FY 2010 compared to years prior—the biggest drop the ratings agency has ever observed—partly because fewer patients are seeking elective surgeries.

“Meanwhile, hospitals continue to face Medicare and Medicaid payment cuts, which now could be deeper because of federal budget reforms. “This is critical as Medicare comprises nearly half—43%—of hospital gross revenues,” Goldstein said. She added that cash-strapped states are seeking more cuts to programs like Medicaid, which will add “significant stress to not-for-profit hospitals for at least the next several years.” Commercial insurers also are facing membership declines and increased premium regulations, which can lead to lower rates for hospitals, Moody’s said.

“Internal operations challenges are exacerbating the problem, Moody’s said, noting that hospitals may face interrupted revenue streams as they move from the fee-for-service to the bundled payment model. Facilities also may experience increased revenue disruption as they adopt the ICD-10 coding system, which must be completed by Oct. 1, 2013.

“According to Goldstein, slow revenue growth and reimbursement pressures foreshadow an increased number of hospital downgrades in the short-term, unless hospitals can further reduce expenses and increase productivity. She notes that better-managed hospitals likely will be able to stave off ratings downgrades, while smaller hospitals are expected to come under particular stress (Moody’s release, August 9; Wall Street Journal coverage by reporter Anna Wilde Mathews, “Hospitals Put on Sick List,” August 10.).”

–Rulon

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Welcome to the Aspen Club, record-setters!

Posted in Aging population, Uncategorized, tagged , , on July 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

One of the fun privileges that I have as president and CEO of Poudre Valley Health System is meeting new people.

Hardly a day goes by without my chatting with new folks. Of course, we usually talk about health care, but many times I get the honor to learn more about people.

One such occasion was when I met Cheryl and Ron Lipka, who are the 19,000th and 19,001st members of the PVHS Aspen Club, our association for the older (and, naturally, wiser!) population in Fort Collins and Loveland.

Cheryl and Ron moved in 2008 to Colorado from New Jersey. Ron is a retired house builder and Cheryl is retired from sales, but, like Ron, she’s one of those people who find retirement is more fun if you just don’t settle back into the sofa and become a couch potato. She is the vice president of the Fort Collins Newcomers Club, a volunteer organization that helps new residents make friends through special interest groups and social activities.

Ron and Cheryl Lipka, and me when I greeted them as the 19,000th and 19,001st members of the Aspen Club

Cheryl and Ron have the right attitude about the need to stay active to help you remain in good health. (Staying active is good health tip for anyone of any age!)

Both remain vigorous by hiking and snowshoeing—activities they didn’t do until they moved to Colorado. Ron also plays golf, and they both keep their minds sharp through such fun activities as playing Scrabble and cards.

Cheryl and Ron heard about the Aspen Club through the Fort Collins Newcomers Club. They joined the Aspen Club because they were interested in the many available services, such as health screenings and the program that offers advice about Medicare.

So I’d like to welcome Cheryl and Ron to the Aspen Club and wish them many, many active and enjoyable years in Fort Collins.

By the way, I don’t know which was which. That is, was Cheryl the 19,000th member or was she member 19,001? Or Ron?

Regardless of whether it’s 19,000 or 19,001, it’s a membership record for the Aspen Club. Congratulations to the Aspen Club staff for their excellent program that serves our communities so well!

Rulon

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Colonoscopy Part II: This time my wife undergoes the easy procedure

Posted in Aging population, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2011 | 2 Comments »

You will no doubt remember my colonoscopy which I posted on my blog months ago.  It was a special experience! :)

In the blog, I promised to push my wife to get hers….and I’m happy to say that she has now completed the task!  Good for her!

Her experience was almost the exact same as mine.  The agony of the prep is WAY overrated.  It really is not that bad.  In fact, she kept asking me when she would feel nagging stomach pains or intense cramps…and like me, she experienced neither. 

Plus…we now have the peace of mind of knowing that she has no problems and we have a 10 year window before scheduling her next colonoscopy.

Linda at a recent formal event. She wouldn't let me video her colonoscopy...so this will have to do. I still can't understand why she didn't want to do the whole video thing! :)

Thanks to Dr. Rebecca Dunphy for treating my wife with such care.  Dr. Dunphy is a partner in Centers for Gatroenterology, where Dr. McElwee, who did my colonoscopy, is also a partner.  However, it is clear to me that Dr. Dunphy is much nicer! :) (okay…just kidding Dr. Mac!!! :)

I will say that Linda and I heard so many people tell us how horrible the procedure was and how horrible the prep was…and neither she nor I had that experience. 

So….perhaps if you had that experience….mabye you are just going to the wrong doctor! 

Thanks also to Rebecca Craig and her team at the Harmony Surgery Center (FYI…The Harmony Surgery Center is a Joint Venture between local physicians and Poudre Valley Health System, and we have been thrilled with the relationship for more than a decade!).  Linda kept commenting to me about how nice they were and how hard they worked to make sure they met her every need.  Thanks again!

Finally…I’m going to try the guilt trip thing one more time.  For that, you will need to see a picture of my youngest grandchild, my granddaughter Adelyn.

My Granddaughter, Adelyn

 
Both my wife and I have now made an important effort we need to in order to see our grand daughter grow up.  I trust that you all will do the same! (so…did the ”guilt trip” thing work??? :)  
 
Rulon

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Wall Street Journal op-ed on Massachusetts healthcare

Posted in Aging population, Healthcare reform, tagged on May 11, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Not sure if you saw this opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal yesterday about health care in Massachusetts.  I would be curious on your thoughts on this article.

“The ObamaCare preview that Massachusetts has been conducting for the last several years grows more ominous by the month, not that anyone in Washington is paying attention. So let’s check on the Bay State’s latest warning, coming soon to a hospital or medical practice near you.

A new survey released yesterday by the Massachusetts Medical Society reveals that fewer than half of the state’s primary care practices are accepting new patients, down from 70% in 2007, before former Governor Mitt Romney’s health-care plan came online. The average wait time for a routine checkup with an internist is 48 days. It takes 43 days to secure an appointment with a gastroenterologist for chronic heartburn, up from 36 last year, and 41 days to see an OB/GYN, up from 34 last year.

None of this is surprising, though it does dismantle the liberal nostrum that a new entitlement will somehow reduce health spending. When government subsidizes something, you get more of it, which means higher demand for insurance and health-care services. Combined with insurance regulations that suppress innovation and competition, this reality helps explain why Massachusetts premiums are among the highest in the U.S. The current physician shortage was inevitable without new doctors.

Massachusetts health regulators also estimate that emergency room visits jumped 9% between 2004 and 2008, in part due to the lack of routine access to providers. The Romney-Obama theory was that if everyone is insured by the government, costs would fall by squeezing out uncompensated care. Yet emergency medicine accounts for only 2% of all national health spending.

Another notable finding in the Medical Society survey is the provider flight from government health care. Merely 43% of internists and 56% of family physicians accept Commonwealth Care, the heavily subsidized middle-class insurance program. The same respective figures are 53% and 62% for price-controlled Medicaid. Government health insurance may be great, but not if it can’t buy actual health care.

The Medical Society also finds “a continued deterioration of the practice environment for physicians in Massachusetts.” Perhaps you should book your checkups now, in advance of the national sequel.”

Accurate?  Politically motivated? Predictive of the future?

Rulon

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Cool map: Where Americans are moving

Posted in Aging population, employee turnover, tagged , , on April 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

David May from the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce wins the prize for continually coming up with the coolest information.

Check out this map of the country which shows where people are moving too and from. It comes from Forbes.com, which notes that “More than 10 million Americans moved from one county to another during 2008.”

By the way David…not sure what the prize is yet! :)

Rulon

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Dr. Lowell Catlett’s speech at Leon I Gintzig commemorative lecture

Posted in Aging population, Finance, tagged , , , , on April 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I tweeted last week that I would give you a summary of the speech given at the Leon I Gintzig commemorative lecture on Wednesday, March 23, as a part of ACHE’s Congress.  He is honestly one of the most entertaining speakers I have ever heard.  But, lots of people can be entertaining with no substance.  However, he brought am amazing grasp of the facts to his lecture.

In short, Dr. Catlett suggested that while the national debt has increased, we remain only 37th world wide in the amount of debt we have as compared to our todal Gross Domestic Product.  That, he argued, suggested that people will have more disposable income in the future, and that healthcare organizations which created options for people with disposable income will be strategically advantaged over those who don’t.  It was a very interesting concept.  I think Modern Healthcare’s summary was very good.

You might want to check out Dr. Catlett and some of this theories.

Rulon

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