-
Nearly half of all American adults 90 million people have difficulty understanding and using health information, and there is a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients with such limited health literacy, states a report released April 8 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
-
People who are publicly insured need more advocacy than other populations, and the problems they face negotiating the health care system can be compounded when they dont understand the language, points out Pamela Persichilli, RNC, director of clinical operations for Horizon NJ Health, a Trenton, NJ-based managed care organization for the publicly insured.
-
-
More than one in four U.S. adults has received treatment for a mental health problem in the past two years, via talk therapy, medication, or a combination of the two, according to a new Harris Interactive poll, Therapy in America 2004. Harris Interactive is a national research and polling firm best known for conducting the Harris Poll, which is a survey of public opinion on a variety of topics.
-
In an effort to better standardize and improve the quality of palliative care services available nationwide, a consensus group has released new clinical guidelines detailing what services a palliative care program should include and where providers can go for more information and support.
-
Although federal regulations require health care providers to provide assistance to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) including translation and interpretation services when necessary there are no objective standards or guidelines for who may work as an interpreter for health encounters. As a result, most hospitals and primary care providers have sketchy programs for communicating with non-English-speaking patients.
-
Record numbers of U.S. children are being treated for depression and receiving prescriptions for antidepressants. Some mental health experts, however, fear many of these patients actually suffer from more severe illnesses and are being misdiagnosed.
-
-
-
Question: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued guidance to surveyors on interpreting the final EMTALA rule, and one of the points stated that EMTALA no longer applies when the physician determines that no emergency exists. Does this mean that EMTALA no longer applies once the patient has been treated for the presenting emergency and that emergency no longer exists, but then another condition arises or the patient complains of something new?
