Friday, January 09, 2004
A new way of looking at health statusArticle in the latest
APA Monitor - "For the past eight years, APA's Practice Directorate collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)--a system that classifies the impact of health conditions on people's level of functioning in domains such as communication, self-care, work and school. For example, the ICF allows health-care clinicians, such as psychologists, to describe in a standard way how a health condition has affected a patient's daily functioning. The ICF is positioned to ultimately become the universal system by which the functional aspects of health conditions are described...."
Protecting practitioners' autonomy Article in the latest
APA Monitor - "...Last year, Oxford Health Plans--which operates in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut--began retrospective audits of the records of some mental health professionals with whom the company has contracted. For the most part, the audits occurred in New York, where Oxford has most of its providers. ... But APA and the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA)--on behalf of audited psychologists--stepped in because the company's methods and justification of these audits seemed far from normal. The two organizations penned a letter demanding corrective measures from Oxford in October. Nearly a month later, the company agreed to stop requiring repayments based on alleged deficiencies in recordkeeping."
Mixed Federal Action, State Activism Mark Health Policy in 2003A review of 2003 in
Medscape Money & Medicine, including links to many other articles and resources at the Medscape site and other sources - "Healthcare is often, and correctly, described by pundits as an issue that generates tremendous debate -- followed by little action. The year 2003 has been both an exception and confirmation of that statement." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Spotlight on Remission: Achieving an Evidence-Based Goal in Depression and Anxiety Disorders A new CME unit at
Medscape - "Although epidemiological and clinical evidence supports the feasibility — and desirability — of remission as the therapeutic goal in depression and anxiety disorders,a disturbing gap exists between research and practice.In both the primary-care and psychiatric settings, many clinicians have been satisfied with achieving response rather than remission. This situation has been attributed, first, to response being the common primary endpoint in clinical therapeutic trials and, second, to clinicians being reluctant to adopt the principles of evidence-based medicine. Because improved patient outcomes can be obtained through evidence-based medicine, it is critical that practitioners become confident in applying its principles in the treatment of all diseases — including mental health disorders. "med"
Changing Structure Of The Drug IndustryAn editorial that serves as an introuction to the latest issue of
Health Affairs, which has as its theme "The Drug Industry: A Closer Look" - "Rising research and development (R&D) expenditures by pharmaceutical companies are, in part, a consequence of changing industry structure, particularly the rise of the biotechnology sector. The creation of a market for biomedical science and increased vertical competition within the industry are likely to spur innovation and raise productivity, but they also could induce socially wasteful spending and weaken academic science. With innovation increasingly dependent on financially vulnerable firms and complex contractual arrangements, R&D investment might be becoming more sensitive to price controls or other cost containment measures." Other articles of note include
The Political Economy Of FDA Drug Review,
How Much Should Medicare Pay For Drugs?, and
Restricted Drug Access In Medicaid. At times lately, articles at the
Health Affairs web site have been very slow to load, so be patient.
