Stage 2 Guide for the EHR Incentive Programs Now Available

CMS has released a new resource, An Eligible Professional’s Guide to Stage 2 of the EHR Incentive Programs, which provides a comprehensive overview of Stage 2 of the EHR Incentive Programs to eligible professionals. The guide outlines criteria for Stage 2 meaningful use, 2014 clinical quality measure reporting, and 2014 EHR certification.

The guide’s table of contents makes it easy for you to navigate through Stage 2 topics. Interactive tabs included at the bottom of each page allow you to transition between different chapters.

Chapters include:

·        What is Stage 2 of the EHR Incentive Programs?

·        What are the requirements under Stage 2 of Meaningful Use?

·        How will clinical quality measures (CQMs) change?

·        Resources

The guide can be found on the Educational Resources page of the EHR website.

Online Course: Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention & Treatment of the Neuropathic Foot

COURSE DESCRIPTION 

The well-known seminar entitled, “The Carville Approach to Management of the Neuropathic Foot” has been modified for online instruction. The material presented includes principles and protocols that are time tested and proven effective for prevention of amputation in the lower extremity due to neuropathy. These six modules provide the background theory as well as practical evaluation and treatment tools applicable for immediate implementation in the clinic. This course is recommended for health professionals working with patients having Diabetes or lower extremity neuropathy. This course will enable the health care provider to assess and treat the neuropathic foot and evaluate protocols (or treatment options). It is also designed to reduce injuries and amputations associated with lower extremity neuropathy.

AUDIENCE:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Orthotists
• Pedorthists
• Physical Therapists
• Podiatrists

UPON COMPLETION, THE PARTICIPANT SHOULD:

• Understand the characteristics of lower extremity diabetic neuropathy
• Identify the etiology and mechanical process of ulceration
• List the five elements of the LEAP program
• Assign a patient into a risk category based on evaluation results
• Formulate an appropriate management plan according to risk category
• Describe orthotic and footwear appliances used to reduce foot pressure

LECTURE SERIES

• The Insensitive Foot: Mechanisms of Injury
  James Foto, BSME, C.Ped.
• Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention
  Denise Brasseaux, PT, C.Ped., CWS
• Foot Screen
  Dane Hupp, PT, CP, BS EX PHYS
• Conservative Management of Neuropathic Foot Injuries
  Denise Brasseaux, PT, C.Ped., CWS
• Footwear for Injury Prevention
  Alicia Hoard, LOTR, C.Ped.
• Management of Charcot Fractures
  Ronnie Matthews, M.D. & Dane Hupp, PT, CP, BS EX PHYS

COST: NO FEE
CREDIT: 6 Contact Hour

Click here to learn more and register.

HEALTH DISPARITIES AND HEALTH EQUITY: Concepts and Measurement

There is little consensus about the meaning of the terms “health disparities,” “health inequalities,” or “health equity.” The definitions can have importantpractical consequences, determining the measurements that are monitored by governmentsand international agencies and the activities that will be supported by resourcesearmarked to address health disparities/inequalities or health equity. This paper aims toclarify the concepts of health disparities/inequalities (used interchangeably here) andhealth equity, focusing on the implications of different definitions for measurement andhence for accountability. Health disparities/inequalities do not refer to all differencesin health. A health disparity/inequality is a particular type of difference in health (or inthe most important influences on health that could potentially be shaped by policies);it is a difference in which disadvantaged social groups—such as the poor, racial/ethnicminorities, women, or other groups who have persistently experienced social disadvantageor discrimination—systematically experience worse health or greater healthrisks than more advantaged social groups. (“Social advantage” refers to one’s relativeposition in a social hierarchy determined by wealth, power, and/or prestige.) Healthdisparities/inequalities include differences between the most advantaged group in agiven category—e.g., the wealthiest, the most powerful racial/ethnic group—and allothers, not only between the best- and worst-off groups. Pursuing health equity meanspursuing the elimination of such health disparities/inequalities.

Click here to read more

Free Public Health Courseware

• Global Tobacco Control - Students learn about "the health and economic burden of tobacco use worldwide" and gain an understanding of tobacco addiction, regulation, trade and more.
  
• Population Change and Public Health - Learn how issues like diversity, population size and reproductive health affect general public health.
• Ethics in Public Health - Topics covered in this class include the right to health care, distribution of resources and health services, health promotion and more.
• Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health - This introductory class discusses how attitudes towards health care, as well as social and cultural issues, affect public health policies, health status and poverty.
• Personal Preparedness Planning for Public Health Workers - Public health care workers learn how to respond to acts of terrorism and natural disasters and care for themselves and their families.
• The History of Public Health - Get a history of the public health system in this course.
• STI Prevention: Using Epidemiology to Inform Policy and Program Learn how to develop effective STD prevention programs in this course, and learn about STDs themselves.

Federal and Non Federal Grants / Scholarships/ Fellowship Information

Funding

Federal Grants

• HHS/Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality/National Institutes of Health: Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy (R01). View Full Announcement

Minority Population Specific: $500k or more . . .  

• HHS/National Institutes of Health: Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health Disparities (R01). View Full Announcement

Minority Population Specific: $500k or less . . .  

• HHS/National Institutes of Health: Small Grants for New Investigators to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (R03). View Full Announcement

$500k or more . . .  

• HHS/Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Connecting Kids to Coverage Outreach and Enrollment (Cycle III) Grant. View Full Announcement

$500k or less . . .  

• HHS/Health Resources & Services Administration: Telehealth Network Grant Program. View Full Announcement
• HHS/National Institutes of Health: Leveraging Existing Natural Experiments to Advance the Health of People with Severe Mental Illness (R24) Grant. View Full Announcement
• Bureau of Health Professions: Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities. View Full Announcement

Non Federal Grants

$500k or less . . . 

• American Association of Diabetes Educators: Diabetes Prevention Program Grant. View Full Announcement

Scholarships/Fellowships

• Institute for Asian American Studies at University of Massachusetts-Boston: 2013 Research Fellowship Program. View Full Announcement
• HHS/National Institute of Health: 2013 National Institute's of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Summer Internship Program. View Full Announcement

Deaths Avoidable Through Health Care

The Commonwealth Fund: New data report released. In Amenable Mortality—Deaths Avoidable Through Health Care: Progress in the U.S. Lags That of Three European Countries. Read Full Report

Cancer......New Challenge

• HHS: New challenge announced. Reducing Cancer Among Women of Color App Challenge, calling on developers to create a mobile application that would help educate underserved and minority women about cancer and screenings, and allow secure access to medical records. The submission deadline is February 5, 2013. Learn More

The American Birthright Public Engagement Campaign is Taking Off!

American Birthright (scheduled for release in Spring 2013) grows out of our work with UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?.

It's often said a society can be measured by how well it attends to its children. So how is it that children in the U.S. have worse outcomes on most measures of health, education and well-being than other rich nations?  

Join the American Birthright Public Engagement Campaign to reframe the debate about what we as a society can - and should - do so every infant in America can grow up in the rich and caring environments children need to thrive.

Use the forthcoming American Birthright documentary and multimedia tools to support your organization's work and spark exploration, discussion and action because a nurturing child ecology is not only the right of every infant, it's the cornerstone for a healthier, stronger and more equitable future for our nation.

Initial Campaign Partners:

• Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) 
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) 
• Center for Social Inclusion 
• Center for the Study of Social Policy 
• Child Welfare League of America  
• Every Child Matters Education Fund  
• First 5 California 
• Forum for Youth Investment 
• Futures without Violence 
• Health Policy Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies 
• National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)  
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) 
• National Healthy Start Association 
• Nemours  
• Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership 
• The Praxis Project 
• SparkAction 
• Voices for America's Children 
• ZERO TO THREE   

Visit www.americanbirthrightmedia.org to learn more and to join the Public Engagement Campaign.

NHLBI Funding and Research Opportunities

The following funding opportunities from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
Request for Application (RFA):  

• RFA-OD-12-008: Developing and Improving Institutional Animal Resources (G20)

Program Announcements (PAs):

• PAR-12-197: Improving Diet and Physical Activity Assessment (R21)
• PAR-12-198: Improving Diet and Physical Activity Assessment (R01)

Research Corner

Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness and Mental Health Service Use among Black Fathers Doyle, O.; Joe, S.; Caldwell, C. H. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, Supplement 2 (May), p. s222-s231, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300446

Gathering Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data in Health IT: Better Information Can Help Close Disparities Gap / Baker, K. -- Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2012 / 4 p.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/02/pdf/baker_lgbt_fact_sheet.html

Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients / American Psychological Association (APA). American Psychologist, v. 67, #1 (January), p. 10-42, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0024659

Hispanic Lesbians and Bisexual Women at Heightened Risk or Health Disparities / Kim, H. J.; Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, #1 (January), p. e9-e15, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300378

The Influence of Implicit Bias on Treatment Recommendations for 4 Common Pediatric Conditions: Pain, Urinary Tract Infection, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Asthma / Sabin, J. A.; Greenwald, A. G. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, #5 (May), p. 988-995, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300621

Medication Adherence among Latino and Non-latino White Children with Asthma / McQuaid, E. L.; Everhart, R. S.; Seifer, R.; Kopel, S. J.; Mitchell, D. K., et al. Pediatrics, v. 129, #6 (June), p. e1404-e1410, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-1391

Modeling the Impact of Social Discrimination and Financial Hardship on the Sexual Risk of HIV among Latino and Black men who Have Sex with Men / Ayala, G.; Bingham, T.; Kim, J.; Wheeler, D. P.; Millet, G. A. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, Supplement 2 (May), p. s242-s249, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300641

The Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Lung Disorders in Northern Plains and Southwest American Indians / Sprague, D.; Bogart, A.; Manson, S.; Buchwald, D.; Goldberg, J. / American Indian Services Utilization, Psychiatric, Epidemiology, Risk and Protective Factors Project (AI-SUPERPFP). Ethnicity & Health, v. 15, #6 (December) p. 569-579, 2011.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13557858.2010.500017

Religious Climate and Health Risk Behaviors in Sexual Minority Youths: A Population-based Study / Hatzenbueler, M. L.; Pachankis, J. E.; Wolff, J. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, #4 (April), p. 657-663, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300517

Taking It Like a Man: Masculine Role Norms as Moderators of the Racial Discrimination-Depressive Symptoms Association among African American Men / Hammond, W. P. American Journal of Public Health, v. 102, Supplement 2 (May), p. s232-s241, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300485

Trying to Breathe Easy / Moscou, S. Minority Nurse, (Spring), p. 14-16, 2012.
http://www.minoritynurse.com/trying-breathe-easy

Young Native American Men and their Intention to use Family Planning Services / Rink, E.; Fourstar, K.; Elk, J. M.; Dick, R., et al. American Journal of Men's Health, v. 6, #4 (July), p. 324-330, 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1557988312439226

Save the Date: 2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities

Save the Date: 2012 Summit on the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities
The 2012 Summit will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland, from October 31 - November 3, 2012. For more information, please contact 2012summit@mail.nih.gov.

Call for Abstracts
Abstracts are invited for oral, poster, and panel presentations focused on integrating science, practice, and policy to build a healthier global society.