In a small, early study, a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes helped preserve the body’s natural production of insulin, at least in a subset of newly diagnosed patients. In patients with Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that’s necessary for cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. These patients need lifelong insulin injections to stay alive. And because so many hidden factors inside the body can affect how much insulin a person needs, people who are insulin-dependent often have high and low blood sugar. Read more.

Authors: Yunfeng Shi, Alejandro Amill-Rosario, Robert S. Rudin, Shira H. Fischer, Paul Shekelle, Dennis P. Scanlon, Cheryl L. Damberg

The existing literature provides little empirical understanding of barriers to using clinical decision support (CDS) in the ambulatory care setting. Using data from 821 clinics in 117 medical groups, based on Minnesota Community Measurement’s annual Health Information Technology Survey (2014-2016), the authors examined 7 CDS tools and 7 barriers in 3 areas (resource, user acceptance, and technology).

The study found that health system affiliated clinics used more CDS tools than those not in systems, but they also reported more barriers related to resources and user acceptance. The results indicated that health systems, while being effective in promoting CDS tools, may need to provide more assistance to their affiliated ambulatory clinics to overcome barriers, especially for the requirement to redesign workflow and more resources for training in rural clinics.

Read More

New Data Show Estimated Population as of July 1, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau has released July 1, 2020 population estimates for sub-county geographies including boroughs, townships, and cities. This release provides the tenth and final set of municipal estimates to be released by the Census Bureau since the 2010 Census. Please note that these data are not the final 2020 Census counts.

Pennsylvania continued its trend of increasing population in the urban and suburban areas of the southeastern and southcentral portions of the state, with pockets of growth surrounding State College and Pittsburgh. Boroughs across the state lost an estimated average of 48 persons, while townships gained an estimated average of 74 persons and cities an estimated average of 219 persons.

For more information on which boroughs, townships, and cities in Pennsylvania experienced the greatest change in their populations, click here to read this month’s brief.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released their final recommendation statement on screening for colorectal cancer. The Task Force now recommends that screening start at age 45. The Task Force continues to strongly recommend screening people who are 50 to 75 years old. For adults 76 to 85, the Task Force continues to recommend that the decision to screen be made on an individual basis. To view the recommendation, the evidence and modeling on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the May 18, 2021 online issue of JAMA.

The American Medical Association (AMA), in partnership with the professional services firm Manatt Health, published a framework this week aimed at examining the benefits generated by virtual care. According to the organizations, the Return on Health initiative is aimed at understanding the value of digitally enabled care beyond dollars and cents alone. Stakeholders and decision-makers have held a magnifying glass up to the value of virtual care, and especially telehealth, as they continue to weigh regulations around its future. This new framework stresses the importance of looking beyond monetary returns on investment. Instead, it describes six distinct value streams:

• Clinical outcomes, quality and safety
• Access to care
• Patient and family experience
• Clinician experience
• Financial and operational impact
• Health equity

The authors note that several environmental variables can impact those value streams, including type of practice, payment arrangement, patient population, clinical use case and virtual care modality.

With support from HRSA, the National Academy of Medicine produced a new report, “Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: Rebuilding the Foundation of Health Care.” Authors studied the state of primary care today and developed an implementation plan that builds upon the recommendations of a 1996 report and strengthens primary care services in the U.S., especially for underserved populations. This page lists upcoming webinars and links to the report itself. You can also watch a recent webinar featuring the authors.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) researches Federal government operations and reports fact-based, non-partisan information. GAO recently made recommendations to CDC and HHS on ways to improve programs focused on rural maternal mortality, and their recommendations echo what NRHA has been saying for years: disaggregate and analyze data by rural areas. The report notes that data collected for federal maternal health programs is not always separated and analyzed for rural and underserved areas and provides an update on recommendations GAO made to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.