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Blogs Comment On Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings, Health Reform, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Judge Sotomayor Provides Important Testimony on the Constitutional Right to Privacy and Its Application to Reproductive Rights," Marcia Greenberger, Womenstake: "One major line of questions, asked repeatedly throughout the hearings" for President Obama"s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was her "views on the constitutional right to privacy," Greenberger writes, adding, "Given that this right is central to women"s lives, protecting" such "decisions involving whether to bear children ... and having consensual adult sexual relations, it is important to analyze Judge Sotomayor"s answers carefully." According to Greenberger, because Sotomayor "had not ruled directly on the right to privacy as a federal judge, her testimony in this area warrants particular attention." Following questions from senators such as Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sotomayor portrayed a "clear agreement with the right to privacy and strong description of the court"s current precedents regarding Roe and women"s health," which "lend[s] further support to the view from her legal record that she would not undermine Roe v. Wade if confirmed to the Supreme Court" (Greenberger, Womenstake, 7/16). ~ "Major Steps Forward for Health Care Reform," Thao Nguyen, Womenstake: Nguyen, outreach manager for the National Women"s Law Center, reports that the health care reform legislation passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is "particularly important for women because of the critical headway it makes towards women"s ability to secure access to quality, affordable health care throughout their lives." The bill "works towards confronting many of the particular obstacles faced by women in our current health care system," such as banning the "discriminatory" practice of basing insurance premiums on gender, even when maternity benefits are excluded, Nguyen writes. The bill also bans insurance companies from rejecting patients based on medical history, which has prevented many domestic violence survivors and women who have had caesarean sections from obtaining coverage. Nguyen concludes that "the momentum for health care reform could not have come at a more needed time" because women and their families "need quality, affordable and comprehensive health more than ever" (Nguyen, Womenstake, 7/15).~ "Democrats for Life of America Ousts Member Who Supports Contraception," Feministing: Feministing reports that Democrats for Life of America removed Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) from its advisory board because he supports efforts to improve access to contraception. According to Ryan, he was dismissed from the board after four years after attempting to persuade the group to support contraceptive use as a way to avoid unintended pregnancies. According to the blog, "This is why we call anti-choicers "anti-choice": because they"re not just about making abortion illegal." It adds, "They don"t want women to have access to contraception either -- something that 98% of American women will use at some point in their lives" (Feministing, 7/15). ~ "Umpires, Perspective and the Supreme Court," Jim Wallis, Sojourners" "God"s Politics": "During his opening remarks for his own confirmation hearing in 2005, Chief Justice [John] Roberts made" an analogy between judges and umpires "that has gotten a lot of play in the media and has already been used quite a few times during" Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, Wallis writes. He adds that "nothing in the world would frustrate me more than an umpire who would call the game differently based upon the color of the jersey that" players were wearing. "But I haven"t seen that happen," Wallis writes, adding, "In fact, the biggest problem we face isn"t an umpire that has favored one team over the other, but umpires who make mistakes in their rulings and judgment because of their lack of perspective." He adds that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and "others w

New Ways To Extend Professional Regulation
New alternatives to statutory regulation for currently unregulated health and occupational professions have been proposed by a specialist working group, Health Minister Ann Keen announced recently.
News of the day
Cephalon Provides Clinical Update On Lestaurtinib In Relapsed Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) announced results from a pivotal clinical trial of lestaurtinib (CEP-701) in patients with relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) expressing FLT3 activating mutations. The study was designed to show the benefit of lestaurtinib in this patient population when given in sequence with standard induction chemotherapy compared to those treated with standard induction chemotherapy alone. An analysis of the study showed that patients who were treated with lestaurtinib showed similar rates of complete response but no increased benefit in overall survival, compared to those who received induction chemotherapy alone.
Endocrinology

Three Hospitals Honored For Commitment To Quality

Three U.S. hospitals were recognized today for their leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The 2009 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize® was awarded to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., which will receive $75,000. Bronson Methodist Hospital, a 380-bed hospital serving patients and communities in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana, was selected by a multi-disciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts based on its culture of quality and efforts to achieve the Institute of Medicine"s six quality aims for health care. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston was honored as the finalist and will receive $12,500. Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., received the Citation of Merit. The American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize is presented annually to honor leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The prize is supported by grants from the McKesson Foundation and McKesson Corporation. The criteria for the 2009 award include the demonstration of an organizational commitment to achieving the Institute of Medicine"s six quality aims - safety, patient-centeredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness and equity. One goal of the award is to honor organizations that are making progress in quality improvement on all six aims and that offer models that can be replicated by others in the hospital field. Relevant learnings and key elements for achieving progress that have stood out among the current and past honorees include recognizing that organizational leadership is critical, that what is measured is what gets attention and that patient and family involvement is integral to quality improvement. "As the nation focuses on health care reform, hospitals know one of the best ways to help control costs is to improve the efficiency, safety and effectiveness of care provided to patients and the community," Rich Umbdenstock, AHA president and CEO. "Each hospital recognized today has taken a slightly different path in its efforts to improve quality and patient care, but they are all moving toward the same goal. Their innovation and commitment to quality improvement highlight that every day, hospitals are leading the way to better health and health care." "In keeping with our commitment to improving quality, safety and efficiency throughout the healthcare system, McKesson Corporation and the McKesson Foundation are proud to support the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize," said John H. Hammergren, chairman and CEO of McKesson Corporation. "On behalf of all of our employees, I am pleased to recognize these three institutions for standing above their peers in delivering on the IOM"s six quality aims." Prize Winner: Bronson Methodist Hospital - Kalamazoo, Mich. Bronson Methodist Hospital, a Baldrige Award winner and past AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Citation honoree, focuses intensely on quality improvement and instilling a sense of this commitment throughout the entire hospital. Bronson has engaged all staff members from hospital leadership to front-line caregivers in efforts to improve patient-centered care, timeliness, efficiency and effectiveness. - Bronson hospital encourages patients and their families to talk with doctors, nurses and other caregivers about the care a patient receives, knowing that patient-centered care is critical to improving quality. Employees at Bronson also are encouraged to speak out if they have concerns about care that"s being provided and the staff receive the support and assistance necessary to improve care. - In addition, Bronson actively involves patients and family members on hospital committees and teams that focus on improving patient care. - Multidisciplinary teams review patient care practices and identify opportunities for improvement, which reinforces personal and organizational commitment and accountability to care improvement. Finalist: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Boston Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has set a goal of eliminating all preventable harm by 2012 and has emphasized leadership and transparency to help the hospital move toward that important goal. BIDMC"s strong values of reliability, safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness and equity are reinforced throughout the organization. - BIDMC has focused on individual accountability as a way to improve care. All staff are encouraged to identify areas for quality and improvement and BIDMC provides training and follow-up to help ensure sustained care improvement. - Developing strong community relationships and being accountable to their community are an integral part of BIDMC"s approach to improving care. The hospital"s leadership team is committed to being completely transparent with their community and publicly shares information on patient safety and quality improvement issues. Citation of Merit: Duke University Hospital - Durham, N.C. Engaging front-line caregivers and sharing information about patient safety are the cornerstones of Duke University Hospital"s (DUH) commitment to care improvement. Senior leadership also is strongly involved in quality and safety efforts, emphasizing strong physician and nurse team leadership. - Duke University Hospital"s Safe Choices program brings together hospital leadership with employees from the various hospital departments to talk about how each individual action can lead to care improvement. The program reinforces personal responsibility, helping employees see that identifying safety improvement opportunities is part of each staff member"s job. - DUH brings together collaborative, interdisciplinary patient care teams based on the needs of the individual patient. A patient re manager helps organize the interdisciplinary team and works with the patient and family to help them understand their role in the care process. About AHA The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which includes more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and 38,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a of information on health care issues and trends. About McKesson Corporation McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK), currently ranked 18th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson is the oldest company in healthcare today and will mark 175 years of continuous operation in 2008. McKesson provides pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit us at http://www.mckesson.com. McKesson Foundation


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