13 Jun 2012

In Iowa's Interest: More Than 160,000 Medicare Beneficiaries Access Free Preventive Services under Health Reform

By Rick Martin

by Senator Tom Harkin

Many Iowans know that in crafting the Affordable Care Act - the landmark health reform law - one of my primary goals as Chairman of the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was to increase access to preventive care. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of preventive services, both in reducing chronic disease and in lowering health care costs. Well, according to new data released this month by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Iowans on Medicare are taking advantage of these new opportunities to access preventive care.

In just the first five months of 2012, the Affordable Care Act has helped 164,636 Iowans with original Medicare receive at least one preventive service at no cost to them. This also includes 10,841 who have taken advantage of the free Annual Wellness Visit provided by the Affordable Care Act.

Nationally, more than 14 million seniors have received at least one preventive service, including 1.1 million who benefited from the Annual Wellness Visit.

Under the Affordable Care Act, preventive benefits are offered free of charge to beneficiaries, with no deductible or co-pay, so that cost is no longer a barrier for seniors who want to stay healthy and treat problems early. The law also added an important new service for people with Medicare - an Annual Wellness Visit with the doctor of their choice - at no cost to the beneficiary.

What this means is that Iowans on Medicare can access cancer screenings, mammograms, and other preventive services to help them stay healthy and lower their health care costs by giving them the tools to take charge of their own health and prevent health problems. I encourage all eligible Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of these new benefits.

To learn more about Medicare-covered preventive services, please visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/65-older/medicare-preventive-services/index.html.

To learn what screenings, vaccinations and other preventive services doctors recommend, please visit the myhealthfinder tool at www.healthfinder.gov.
13 Jun 2012

I'm Your Prostate, It's Time We Met

By Skip Lockwood

Hello America,

 

This is your prostate.

 

I'm here to tell you that I'm sick and tired of being ignored. I may not look great in a bikini, but I'm just as susceptible to cancer as breasts, and now I'm demanding some attention. ZERO's been working damn hard to make testing and education available to millions of prostate-oblivious men, and I'm here to help. I'll be making my debut in New York this week, telling people exactly who I am, where I live, and how to treat me right.

 

To kick off Father's Day weekend in the Big Apple, Skip Lockwood, CEO of ZERO, is going to be on the Today Show this Thursday, helping me preach my cantankerous gospel to end prostate cancer. Later on, I'll be at the ZERO testing van with a posse of 13 pro-prostate picketers, informing every passing man that I'm not a happy gland when I'm ignored. And to hit it home, I'm going to tell everyone that the 3rd Sunday in June is no longer Father's Day. It's Prostate Day.

 

To celebrate my new holiday, me and some of the other glands down where the sun-don't-shine put together a few videos that make me look like a movie star. Click here to check 'em out on my new ZERO homepage, and while you're there, share them with your friends. Then print and send uncle Max a Prostate Day card. The more people that hear my voice, the closer we get to keeping me healthy, and maybe then I'll shut up.

 

Don't let me be ignored!

 

Your Prostate



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13 Jun 2012

Iowa Seniors Staying Healthy with Health Care Law

By Matt Sinovic

More than 37% of Iowa seniors have received preventive services at no cost

DES MOINES, IOWA - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that the Affordable Care Act helped 164,636 Iowa seniors with Medicare get at least one preventive service at no cost to them during the first five months of 2012. This includes 10,841 who have taken advantage of the Annual Wellness Visit that is available to seniors through the law.

In total, more than 37% of Iowa seniors with Medicare have taken advantage of this benefit that is part of the 2010 health care reform law.

Prior to 2011, people with Medicare faced cost-sharing for many preventive benefits such as cancer screenings. Under the Affordable Care Act, preventive benefits are offered free of charge to beneficiaries, with no deductible or co-pay, so that cost is no longer a barrier for seniors who want to stay healthy and treat problems early. The law also added an important new service for people with Medicare ? an Annual Wellness Visit with the doctor of their choice? at no cost to beneficiaries.

"Iowa seniors are staying healthy thanks to the Affordable Care Act," said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. "This is proof-positive that the health care law is having a positive impact for Iowa's communities. These are real people who are seeing tangible health benefits as a result of the law. Our goal is to get information about the law to every Iowa senior so that we can bring the percentage of Medicare recipients receiving free preventive care services up to one hundred."

For more information on Medicare-covered preventive services, please visit:
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/65-older/medicare-preventive-services/index.html.

To learn what screenings, vaccinations and other preventive services doctors recommend for you and those you care about, please visit the myhealthfinder tool at www.healthfinder.gov.

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11 Jun 2012

Mayo Clinic Announces $10 Million Gift from Lawrence W. and Marilyn W. Matteson for Cancer Research

By Yusuf Dangor

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic announced today that Lawrence W. and Marilyn W. Matteson of Moline, Ill., have given $10 million to help launch the Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Program. With this gift, Mayo Clinic will also use matching gift funds to establish the Lawrence W. and Marilyn W. Matteson Fund in Cancer Research.

Mayo's Proton Beam Therapy Program will use the most advanced intensity-modulated technology known as pencil beam scanning, which few centers now use. Construction of the proton beam facilities in Rochester, Minn., and Phoenix, Ariz., are under way, and one of four gantries in the proton therapy facility being built in Rochester, Minn., will be named in their honor. The first treatment rooms will be available for patients in 2015 in Rochester, Minn., and in 2016 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Unlike conventional radiation therapy, which can damage healthy tissue while it destroys the tumor, proton therapy delivers nearly its entire dose within the tumor, sparing healthy tissue surrounding the cancer. This form of therapy is especially vital in sensitive areas such as the brain and lungs and is especially useful for treating children, who are at higher risk for radiation damage because their bones and tissues are still growing.

"Mr. Matteson is a grateful patient who has been very impressed with the care he received at Mayo Clinic," says Robert Foote, M.D., chair of the Mayo Clinic Department of Radiation Oncology in Rochester. "Mr. and Mrs. Matteson wanted a way to show their gratitude and chose to donate funds that will help us ease the burden cancer has on patients, especially young children."

"This gift is going to benefit children who are going through terrible cancers to not have the residual effects they would have with regular treatment," said Mrs. Matteson. "The side effects won't be something that follows them for the rest of their lives."

The Mattesons generously supported The Campaign for Mayo Clinic, a successful $1.3 billion fundraising initiative that concluded in 2009. Mr. Matteson and his son, Larry, of Burlington, Iowa, are the founders of L.W. Matteson, Inc., a marine construction and dredging company in Burlington. The company maintained one of the largest fleets of dredging and marine construction equipment on the Mississippi River. The company was sold in 2010. Mr. Matteson and his son maintain ownership of Matteson Marine, which operates switch boats on the Mississippi. Mrs. Matteson is retired from John Deere.

The Mayo Matching Gift Program recognizes that endowment of priority programs is critical for the future. In 2005 Mayo Clinic's Board of Trustees created a matching gift program to build and enhance specific endowments representing Mayo's highest research priorities. Mayo Clinic will match the annual spendable income from specific endowment gifts. Very few institutions of higher education are able and willing to match their benefactors philanthropic giving in this way.

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11 Jun 2012

Iowa State Fair Sew-In Seeks Donations, Volunteers

By Lori Chappell

DES MOINES, IA (06/11/2012)(readMedia)-- The Iowa State Fair Fabric and Threads Department is seeking fabric donations and volunteers for the fourth annual State Fair Sew-In. The free program offers Fairgoers a chance to try their hand at simple sewing and quilting while providing warm blankets to local children in need. "Nothing Compares" to the Iowa State Fair, set August 9-19.

Donations of two-yard cuts of fabric in juvenile prints and patterns are needed for quilt backings. In addition, cash donations are needed to help cover the costs of quilt batting and materials. All donations can be dropped off in the Competitive Events Department in the Administration Building on the Fairgrounds or mailed to the Iowa State Fair Competitive Events Department: P.O. Box 57130, Des Moines, IA 50317-0003. All donations should be labeled for the Sew-In project.

The Fair is also searching for sewing assistants to help Fairgoers make the simple strip quilts. Volunteers are asked to commit to four-hour shifts from noon to 4 p.m. or 1 to 5 p.m. A site supervisor will be on-hand to supply materials and help with machines. All volunteers will receive one parking and admission ticket to the Fair.

Volunteers at last year's State Fair Sew-In completed 298 quilts, which were donated to children at the Iowa Lutheran Hospital and to Angel Tree Camps, an organization that offers summer programming for children with a parent in the Iowa prison system. The sewers represented 50 Iowa counties, 13 states and 3 foreign countries. Since the Sew-In began in 2009, volunteers have created 724 quilts for children at the University of Iowa, Blank Pediatric Oncology Clinic and Lutheran Social Services of Iowa.

The Sew-In will be open daily during the Fair from noon to 5 p.m. in the south hallway of the William C. Knapp Varied Industries Building. Fairgoers are invited to stop in and try their hand at quilting basics (no experience necessary). Each participant will receive a commemorative pin for their efforts.

If you are interested in donating, volunteering, or receiving more information about the Sew-In, contact Sharon Meisenheimer by phone at 515/986-1145 or by email at rmeis@aol.com.

"Nothing Compares" to the 2012 Iowa State Fair, August 9-19. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefair.org.

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11 Jun 2012

Braley Announces $177,927 for Medicare & Medicaid Fraud Prevention

By Kira Ayish

Empowers seniors to prevent health care fraud

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today announced that Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging will receive a $177,927 grant for their Senior Medicare Patrol project. The project empowers seniors across Iowa to prevent, detect and report health care fraud. Medicare and Medicaid recipients are served by this project.

"I'm happy to announce that the Hawkeye Valley Area on Aging has been awarded a grant for their Senior Medicare Patrol project.," Braley said.  "Health care fraud is a problem in Iowa and across the country. Empowering Iowa seniors who rely on Medicare and Medicaid with the tools to prevent, detect and report fraud is important to ensure that Iowans are getting the health care services they need while taxpayer dollars are safeguarded."

 

The funding was awarded through the Administration on Aging, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

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08 Jun 2012

Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus Awarded An "A" For Patient Safety By Hospital Safety ScoreSM

By Rick Martin
WASHINGTON, DC -- June 7, 2012 - Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus has been honored with an "A" Hospital Safety Score SM by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

The Hospital Safety ScoreSM was calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group's Blue Ribbon Expert Panel using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. U.S. hospitals were assigned an A, B, C, D, or F for their safety.

"Usually 'A' grades recognize high achievers and we look at this as the recognition of high-achieving employees at Illini who, on a daily basis, are focused on patient safety and the best patient outcomes,'' said Flo Spyrow, President of Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus. "High achievement in patient safety requires a dedicated team of people from food and nutrition and environmental services, to all of the clinical staff and physicians.

"Every member of the team at Illini has an important role to play in providing the safest environment we can for patients.''

"It's The Leapfrog Group's goal to give patients the information they need and deserve before even entering a hospital," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We congratulate the hospitals that earned an 'A' and we look forward to the day when all hospitals in the U.S. will earn the highest scores for putting patient safety first."

Genesis Medical Center, Davenport received a 'B' grade.

To see Genesis Health System hospital scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, the Hospital Safety ScoreSM website, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.

Calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group's nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital's overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors. The panel includes: John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Lucian Leape (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim  Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco).

About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders, and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.

About Genesis Health System
Genesis Health System, its affiliates and partners offer a full continuum of health care services for a 12-county region of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Genesis hospital affiliates include : Acute and tertiary hospital care at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport and DeWitt, Iowa and at the Illini Campus in Silvis, Illinois. Genesis also manages hospitals in Maquoketa, Iowa and Aledo, Ill. Genesis also offers home health and hospice services through Genesis VNA and Hospice; Genesis Workplace Services; Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House; senior living facilities offering rehabilitation and long-term care; Genesis Health Group, with more nearly 170 primary care physicians and specialists; the Genesis Quad Cities Family Practice Residency program. For more information, visit our Web site at www.genesishealth.com.

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08 Jun 2012

Braley to Join Shawn Johnson in Effort to Combat Childhood Obesity

By Jeff Giertz

DC event is Part of Coca-Cola and US Olympic Committee's effort to promote physical activity among kids 

 

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) will join Olympic champion and West Des Moines native Shawn Johnson at an event in Washington, DC, this afternoon to increase awareness of and help combat childhood obesity by promoting active, healthy lifestyles.  Braley will introduce Johnson at an appearance at Washington's King-Greenleaf Recreation Center, managed by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, as part of Coca-Cola's and the US Olympic Committee's "Get the Ball Rolling" program to promote physical activity and proper nutrition among kids.

Following a brief speaking program, an Olympic-themed fitness clinic for local youth will provide them an opportunity to learn about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

In December 2011, Braley and Johnson teamed up to introduce the Shawn Johnson Fitness for Life Act, legislation that seeks to improve physical education programs at schools by emphasizing the use of technology like heart monitors and computerized fitness programs in teaching.

More information on the bill can be found at the following link: http://braley.house.gov/shawn-johnson-fitness-life-act
06 Jun 2012

North America's Lost Boys - What to Do?

By Rick Martin
As Adolescent Male Achievement Declines,
Author Says, 'Get Outside!'

There is bad news for boys in North America:they are being blown out of the water by girls in academic achievement, and psychologists say young men are becoming more socially awkward, making relationships with young women difficult.

Sidney Gale, a medical doctor and author of Unto the Breach (www.sidneygale.com), an outdoor adventures book for boys, is concerned about the following statistics:

• Boys are 30 percent more likely than girls to drop out or flunk out of school. In Canada, five boys drop out for every three girls.

• Boys are underperforming girls at every level, from elementary to grad school.

• Boys are less likely than girls to get bachelor's of arts (44% vs. 56%) and graduate degrees, (45% vs. 55%).

In addition, young men in college are increasingly socially inexperienced, which means they're less likely go to on dates or otherwise step out of their comfort zone,says Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. In general, maleswere never as sophisticated as females in verbal and bodily communication, but it's gotten worse.

Excessive hours of solitary video-game play and internet use likely account for atrophied social skills, Zimbardo says.

"We need to get boys out of their solitary bedrooms and into the sun," Gale says. "It's also a good idea to get them reading something other than tweets, texts and the like. They have intellect, and we should encourage them to use it."

Gale offers ideas to help boys even the achievement and social gap:

• Camp: Summer is a perfect opportunity to consider varied activity for young boys. Gale, an avid seaman, says sailing camps encourage teamwork, physical activity and navigation skills.

• Read novels: Physical isolation has significant effects on one's mental state and will stymie social skills. While reading is an activity pursued alone, reading novels can be very therapeutic, he says. They take readers beyond their daily lives, illustrate the workings of human relationships and increase language skills. They can also teach social- and problem-solving skills.

• Get social - both boys and parents: Children pick up on parental behaviors. If Mom and Dad do nothing but work and vegetate at home, chances are good that boys are just doing the same. Leave the house, together, when you can. Recreational activities are ideal; however, simply shopping together is an easy way to get boys out. "Talk to them on the way to the store," Gale says. "It sounds simple, but we are so inundated with technology in every part of our daily lives that an in-person conversation should not be taken for granted."

Like anything worthwhile, a boy's development takes time and effort, he notes.

"The old idea of a boy was one who longed for adventure, like Tom Sawyer or the Hardy Boys," he says. "As with any of today's issues concerning children, parents need to be vigilant so they can lead their sons to a successful and socially active life."

About Sidney Gale

Sidney Gale is the penname for Ian Blumer, a physician who has published a number of non-fiction books. He has been a specialty doctor in the Toronto area since 1985. "Unto the Breach" is his first work of fiction.

05 Jun 2012

Dr. Louis Katz to join Executive Leadership Team of America's Blood Centers

By Rick Martin

Oversight of scientific, medical, and regulatory initiatives to follow September retirement of Dr. Celso Bianco

Davenport, Iowa - Dr. Louis Katz has been appointed as the next Executive Vice President for America's Blood Centers (ABC). Dr. Katz currently serves as Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs for Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) and has worked with the Davenport-based community blood center for more than 30 years. He will transition from his role at MVRBC to his new position with ABC following the September retirement of Dr. Celso Bianco, who has held the position since 2000.

The announcement was made to ABC's member blood centers in the U.S. and Canada last Friday. "It is a great tribute to the America's Blood Centers' membership that we have attracted two of the finest physicians in all of blood banking - first Celso, now Lou - to work with and represent us," said ABC's Chief Executive Officer Jim MacPherson. "With the complexity of blood safety issues, Celso was absolutely the right person for his time with us. We are lucky that as community blood centers are integrating more with their hospitals that he will be succeeded by such a distinguished clinician as Lou Katz."

In his new role, Dr. Katz will serve as ABC's Chief Medical Officer. He will also lead ABC's scientific, medical, technical, quality, and regulatory efforts and represent ABC and its member blood centers before governmental and regulatory agencies. Dr. Katz is no stranger to ABC, having served the organization in many leadership capacities, including president, chair of the Scientific, Medical, and Technical Committee, and as a spokesperson for several years.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Dr. Katz to cap his distinguished career by influencing policy in transfusion medicine at a national level," said Dave Green, Chief Executive Officer at MVRBC. Due to the nature of his new position, Dr. Katz will be based at MVRBC's headquarters in Davenport, although he will travel frequently to Washington D.C. and to blood centers throughout the country. "He will be very busy with his new responsibilities, but I'm glad to know Dr. Katz will be available to provide counsel to the MVRBC medical staff as we maintain continuity in our medical affairs programs," said Green.

Dr. Paul McLoone, Chief Medical Officer for Trinity Regional Health System and Chair of MVRBC's Board of Directors, said "it's no surprise" ABC would recruit Dr. Katz for a national leadership role. "Through his past service to ABC, his research, and most importantly his stewardship and development of our own community blood center, Lou has demonstrated unparalleled expertise and judgment in the field of transfusion medicine. We have been fortunate to work alongside a nationally recognized leader for all these years."

Dr. Katz' accomplishments and experience include : serving as a member and chair of the Food and Drug Administration Blood Products Advisory Committee, a member the AABB Transfusion Transmitted Diseases Committee, the Health and Human Services National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's XMRV Scientific Research Working Group, serving as Medical Director to the Scott  County, Iowa Health Department and founding Community Health Care, Inc.'s Regional Virology Center, a comprehensive Ryan White-funded AIDS clinic in Davenport, Iowa.

"To follow my good friend Dr. Bianco into this position is an honor, but also humbling. I wish him all the best in a retirement that we all know will be as engaged as ever in the important work we do," said Dr. Katz. "I intend to focus my efforts on service to the membership of America's Blood Centers specifically, and the blood community in general, while advocating for rational policy development and implementation. All thanks for this opportunity are due to my colleagues at Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, who are so good at what they do, that I have been free to spend a lot of time thinking about issues external to the blood center for more than 25 years."

About America's Blood Centers
Founded in 1962, America's Blood Centers is North America's largest network of community-based, independent blood programs. Recognized by the U.S. Congress for its critical work in patient care and disaster preparedness and response, the federation operates more than 600 blood donor centers providing half of the U.S., and a quarter of the Canadian blood supply.

These blood centers serve more than 150 million people and provide blood products and services to more than 3,500 hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. America's Blood Centers' U.S. members are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Canadian members are regulated by Health Canada. For more information, see www.americasblood.org.

About Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center
MVRBC is the exclusive provider of blood products and services to 85 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, including all of the hospitals in the Quad Cities region. The Blood Center is based in Davenport, Iowa, where MVRBC's testing, processing and primary distribution center produces transfusable blood components from more than 200,000 whole blood and platelet apheresis donations each year. The Blood Center's service region extends from southwestern Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri and from Danville, Illinois to Albia, Iowa, an area with a population of more than 4-million residents.

The not-for-profit community blood center has regional administrative offices in central Illinois (Springfield, Ill., operating as Central Illinois Community Blood Center), eastern Illinois (Urbana, Ill., operating as Community Blood Services of Illinois); southeastern Iowa (Ottumwa, IA) and the St. Louis region (Maryland Heights, MO). From these locations, MVRBC collects blood at 17 fixed site donor centers and at more than 4,000 mobile blood drives held each year. Since its founding in 1974, MVRBC has collected more than 2.5-million units of blood from volunteer donors and has served millions of patients in the Midwest and beyond through national resource sharing programs. For more information, see www.bloodcenter.org.

-end-

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