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Increase
in Chronic Diseases Patients Adding to Rising Health Costs Soft
Drinks Increase Diabetes Risk in Women, Study Finds 20%
of Elderly Filling Inappropriate Rx, AHRQ Finds Survey:
1 in 7 Americans Face Problems Getting Medical Care Proposals
Sought for Research on Access to Diabetes Education Increase
in Chronic Diseases Patients Adding to Rising Health Costs A Health
Affairs study found that the rising number of people receiving treatment
for conditions such as pulmonary disease and diabetes are contributing
substantially to the escalation of health care costs. The study,
conducted by Emory University economist Kenneth Thorpe and colleagues,
shows that five of the most costly medical conditions accounted for 31%
of the growth in health spending from 1987-2000. The U.S. health bill
is growing rapidly, in large part because more people are getting treated
for mental disorders, stroke, cerebral ischemia, pulmonary disease, and
diabetes, according to the study. Using data
from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey and the 2000 Medical
Expenditure Panel Survey, the authors looked at health care spending by
patients with the 15 most costly medical conditions, examining how spending
was affected by changes in the number of cases treated, population growth,
and cost per case. They found
that substantial increases in the number of people being treated accounted
for: In eight
of the top 15 medical conditions, the authors found that a rise in the
cost per treated case —rather than rising numbers of cases treated
— accounted for most of the growth in spending. For example,
there was very little change in the number of people treated for heart
disease between 1987 and 2000. However, the rise in the cost per treated
case, due chiefly to more expensive and effective drugs and technologies,
accounted for nearly 70% of the rise in medical spending over that period.
The rise in cost per treated case of hypertension also accounted for 60%
of the overall growth in spending on that condition. The authors
warn that the study is based on self-reported data, which may result in
underreporting of medical conditions and spending. The authors did not
take into account spending on medical conditions that may have occurred
in a nursing home. For more
info, www.healthaffairs.org. Soft
Drinks Increase Diabetes Risk in Women, Study Finds A study in
the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women
who increased their intake or consumed higher amounts of sugar-sweetened
beverages had a greater magnitude of weight gain and a higher risk of
developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers
from the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
and Boston Children’s Hospital conducted an eight-year study surveying
more than 91,000 participants between 1991 and 1999. Those who
reported drinking sugar-sweetened sodas more than once per day showed
an increased risk for type 2 diabetes of more than 80 percent compared
to women in the study who drank less than one per month, independent of
lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and dietary
habits. Those who drank more than one fruit punch per day showed a nearly
doubled risk for type 2 diabetes compared to those in the study who reported
drinking less than one per month. The researchers also assessed intake
of fruit juice (orange, pineapple or apple juice) and found no increased
risk for type 2 diabetes. The findings
appear in the Aug. 25, 2004 issue of the JAMA. For more
info, http://jama.ama-assn.org. 20%
of Elderly Filling Inappropriate Rx, AHRQ Finds A study funded
by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality study showed that more
than 20% of elderly patients filled prescriptions during 1999 for at least
one drug that may be inappropriate for their use. Researchers
at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson, with support
from AHRQ’s Center for Education & Research on Therapeutics,
investigated the extent of potentially inappropriate medication prescribing
for elderly patients in outpatient settings. Individuals age 65 or older
make up less than 15% of the U.S. population, but they account for nearly
one-third of prescription drug users. The study,
“Inappropriate Prescribing for Elderly Americans in a Large Outpatient
Population,” was published in the Aug. 9 issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine. For more
info, www.archinternmed.com. Survey:
1 in 7 Americans Face Problems Getting Medical Care About 39
million people reported not getting or delaying needed medical care in
2003, a 0.5-percentage-point decline since 2001, according to a study
released by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Uninsured
people were more than three times as likely to report going without needed
medical care as the insured, based on the nationally representative survey
of civilian, non-institutionalized Americans. HSC President
Paul Ginsburg called for initiatives at the federal, state and local levels
to support health care safety net providers. For more
info, www.hschange.org. Proposals
Sought for Research on Access to Diabetes Education The American
Association of Diabetes Educators has issued a request for applications
to solicit research proposals that address research questions around access
to diabetes education. Research
has demonstrated that the majority of people with diabetes are not receiving
diabetes education. An objective of Healthy People 2010 is to “increase
the proportion of persons with diabetes who receive formal diabetes education.”
In order to achieve this goal, studies are necessary to identify factors
that influence access to diabetes education. Thus, this RFA seeks applications
using innovative approaches to examine this issue. This grant
may be awarded for one to two years to the institution or organization
where the AADE member who is the primary investigator works. The length
of the grant period should be consistent with the research objectives.
The anticipated award date is January 2005. The grant is a maximum of
$75,000 per year inclusive of indirect costs, which are not to exceed
10% of the total budget. Instructions
are available on the AADE website: www.diabeteseducator.org. Applications
must be received on or before Oct.1. For more
info, Julie Finney, administrative affairs, AADE, jfinney@aadenet.org.  Home :: Inside AHQA :: For The Media :: Public Policy :: Advancing Quality :: Quality Connections :: SiteMap
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