U of L dean says $50 billion in annual health costs could be saved if Americans just walked more

Small changes in health behavior can have a huge impact on the public's overall health and well-being, and during National Public Health Week discussions last week, Dr. Craig Blakely, the new dean of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, talked about the important role played by public health in promoting healthy behavior, preventing disease and saving both lives and money.

Blakely pointed to obesity as an example of an emerging health-related crisis, which can be addressed with behavioral changes that make a significant difference like adding more physical activity to your day, according to a U of L release.

“If we all took exercise seriously by just walking, we could save $50 billion in cardiovascular disease-related costs,” Blakely said. “A 10 percent weight loss equals a $5,000 savings in health-related complications. A typical desk worker could lose a pound a month by standing two hours a day.”

Blakely also addressed smoking bans, which are becoming popular in Kentucky, even though the state has the highest share of smokers (29 percent) of any state, leads the nation in high-school smokers (24 percent) and spends only a minuscule portion of its tobacco revenues to fight tobacco use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If every state adopted comprehensive smoke-free policies, said Blakely, $2 billion would be saved in smoking-related deaths, lung cancer treatments and care for related health complications over the course of several years, says the release.

Blakely highlighted several other examples of public health’s potential return on investment. For example, says the release, every dollar spent on childhood immunizations saves $18 on vaccine-preventable disease-related costs, every dollar spent in prenatal care translates to $6 in health care cost savings and for every dollar spent on fluoridated water saves $20 in dental care.

Public health research will continue to find effective ways to generate these cost savings, such as finding researching how to modify environments to encourage exercise or how to send strong messages that promote regular physical activity (Read more)

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky looking for grant applications for programs that cut chronic disease risk for school-age kids

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is looking for applications for grants that will fund innovative programs to reduce chronic disease risk for school-aged children. Because chronic disease occurs at higher rates in Kentucky than in surrounding areas, the foundation sees this new "Investing in Kentucky’s Future" initiative is seen as having particular urgency. It anticipates awarding grants to five to 10 communities statewide.

This five-year, $3 million program seeks to find ways to limit those diseases that decrease quality of life and increase the risk of early death. These include conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, even substance abuse and some mental illness.

Susan Zepeda, CEO of the foundation, explains that the organization's "goal is to help communities make positive changes that will help children start and sustain healthy habits to last a lifetime. Whether the challenge is access to needed routine medical check-ups, safe places to play or nutritious foods, or caring adults to show ways to communicate and avoid risky behaviors, we want to help communities find new pathways to positive solutions.”

The deadline to submit a letter of intent to apply for grant funding is Nov. 16. Following a letter of intent, the foundation will invite applicants to submit a full proposal. The deadline for the receipt of the full proposal is Feb. 28, 2013. For a complete copy of the Request For Proposal, and additional information regarding grant opportunities through the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, visit www.healthy-ky.org or call (toll-free) 877-326-2583.

Expert: Health care landscape already changed, despite what Supreme Court decision is this week

Whether or not the federal health-care reform law is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow, initiatives are already in place that will change the way health care is delivered, an expert said at a Lexington conference Tuesday. Gregg Nunziata, senior director at research and consulting firm The Advisory Board in Washington, D.C., "said the burgeoning number of baby boomers entering retirement, the ever-accelerating advances in technology and the increasing public health crisis that finds more and more Americans with chronic illness such as diabetes, are fundamentally changing how health care works in America," reports Mary Meehan for the Lexington Herald-Leader. As people age, they are "demanding a different kind of care, and they will be living long into their golden years," he said. When they become seniors, who already tend to cast their vote, they will become a powerful voting bloc.

Health officials are looking at ways to cut down on costs, which is necessary because "the government is the major funding source, and the major funding source is broke," Nunziata said. To cut costs, the government and insurers are looking at new ways to pay for health care. One example is the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare scoring hospitals based on their performance and paying them accordingly. "A low score could reduce payments by only 1 percent or 2 percent," Meehan reports, but that can translate to a multi-million dollar loss. "Every hospital is being judged and Washington is keeping score," he said.
Bundling payments is another method being tried, in which one flat fee covers all of the care that is provided in a procedure. "The idea would be to force more efficient and cost-effective care by encouraging cooperation," Meehan reports. (Read more)

143 groups in state working to improve health, directory lists

A directory that lists all the local groups working on health-related issues in the state has been released by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. It identifies 143 groups — at least one impacting each county — and lists the primary contact person at each location.

"These are local residents working on solutions to health issues in their cities and towns," said Susan Zepeda, CEO of the foundation. "As these groups work to make their community a healthier place to live, work, study and play, they are improving the overall health of our state."

Whether in the form of coalitions, collectives, consortia, associations or networks, the groups are working to improve the health of their communities. Some are looking at ways to increase access to healthy food and physical activity, others are planning screenings and education for people with chronic diseases like diabetes, and others are working toward getting smoke-free ordinances passed.

The directory can be viewed by clicking here. It will be updated periodically.

Primary care and management of chronic diseases could soon be coming to your local Walmart store

Just weeks after announcing part-time employees would no longer receive health insurance benefits, Walmart said Monday it is planning to offer extended medical services in its stores, report NPR's Julie Appleby and Sarah Varney. Since many of its stores are in rural areas, this move could extend medical coverage to people who often can't afford transportation to a doctor. The retailer "sent out a request for partners to help it 'dramatically lower the cost of health care by becoming the largest provider of primary health care services in the nation.'"

In a 14-page request, Walmart asks health-care providers to define their expertise in a variety of medical areas, including managing patients with chronic health problems like asthma, HIV, arthritis, depression and sleep apnea. The retailer is also trying to find health partners who can monitor patients with diabetes and high blood pressure. Appleby and Varney say "The move would capitalize on growing demand for primary care in 2014, when the federal health law fully kicks in and millions more Americans are expected to have government or private health insurance." This effort could also capitalize on "collaborations between doctors and hospitals to streamline care and lower costs," they report.

Though expansion of medical services in Walmarts "could help lower costs for some patients and increase access to primary care services," it has its fair share of nay-sayers. Glen Stream, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, tells Abbleby and Varney that Walmart's "proposal takes health care in the wrong direction by further fragmenting care. Ann O'Malley, physician and senior researcher at the Washington think tank Center for Studying Health System Change, said she's not sure Walmart's approach will work. She said she "would be surprised if this were a model that could truly attack cost problems." Colin McGranahan, retail analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said this could simply be a move to boost foot traffic and sales in Walmarts: "If you get someone in the door, you can also sell them milk and a shotgun." (Read more)