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The 11th Street Family Health Services Center is a nurse managed clinic of Drexel University that serves Philadelphia's 11th Street Corridor - an area that encompasses several public housing tracts and suffers from limited access to affordable, quality health care services. The Center is centrally located within one of the Philadelphia Housing Authority's residential sites and has an Advisory Board comprised of neighborhood residents to ensure that the clinic is addressing the needs of the community. The clinic focuses on primary and preventive care and has recently added a Healthy Living Center, which provides programs to help patients reduce risk factors for diseases and to manage existing conditions. The Healthy Living Center programs include diabetes education, disease self-management programs, nutrition and cooking classes, exercise programs, and behavioral health groups. In addition, the Center serves as a training and education site for nurses and other health professionals in culturally competent, community-based care. The 11th Street Family Health Services Center is an excellent model of potential for partnerships between communities and medical institutions to improve the health and well-being of the community's most vulnerable residents. ... | Read More

The 11th Street Family Health Services Center is a nurse managed clinic of Drexel University that serves Philadelphia's 11th Street Corridor - an area that encompasses several public housing tracts and suffers from limited access to affordable, quality health care services. The Center is centrally located within one the Philadelphia Housing Authority's residential sites and has an Advisory Board comprised of neighborhood residents to ensure that the clinic is addressing the needs of the community. The clinic focuses on primary and preventive care and has recently added Healthy Living Center, which provides programs to help patients reduce risk factors for disease and manage existing conditions. The Healthy Living Center programs include diabetes education, disease self-management programs, nutrition and cooking classes, exercise programs, and behavioral health groups. In addition, the Center serves as a training and education site for nurses and other health professionals in culturally competent, community-based care. The 11th Street Family Health Services Center is an excellent model of potential for partnerships between communities and medical institutions to improve the health and well-being of the community's most vulnerable residents. ... | Read More

The 11th Street Family Health Services Center is a nurse managed clinic of Drexel University that serves Philadelphia's 11th Street Corridor - an area that encompasses several public housing tracts and suffers from limited access to affordable, quality health care services. The Center is centrally located within one of the Philadelphia Housing Authority's residential sites and has an Advisory Board comprised of neighborhood residents to ensure that the clinic is addressing the needs of the community. The clinic focuses on primary and preventive care and has recently added a Healthy Living Center, which provides programs to help patients reduce risk factors for diseases and to manage existing conditions. The Healthy Living Center programs include diabetes education, disease self-management programs, nutrition and cooking classes, exercise programs, and behavioral health groups. In addition, the Center serves as a training and education site for nurses and other health professionals in culturally competent, community-based care. The 11th Street Family Health Services Center is an excellent model of potential for partnerships between communities and medical institutions to improve the health and well-being of the community's most vulnerable residents. ... | Read More

In order to help fight the osteoporosis epidemic among post-menopausal women, the American Pharmacists Association developed Project ImPACT (Improve Persistence and Compliance with Therapy) to foster a collaboration between patients, physicians, and pharmacists that leads to improved detection and treatment. Project ImPACT allows pharmacists in ambulatory care settings to conduct bone mineral density screening on at-risk patients who come into the pharmacy. Based on the results of the screening test, patients are classified as high, moderate, or low risk for a bone fracture and referred to a primary care doctor for follow-up as needed. In a study of Project ImPACT, more than two thirds of those screened were found to be at high or moderate risk of fracture. Follow-up appointments were completed for 37% of patients and 24% of those were started on osteoporosis medication. Because many patients see their pharmacist more often than their doctor, making screening available at the pharmacy resulted in improved detection for those at risk for osteoporosis and is likely to have expedited the start of medication, preventing serious bone fractures. ... | Read More

In order to improve patient adherence to medication for high blood pressure, the American Pharmacists Association launched Project ImPACT (Improve Persistence and Compliance with Therapy) for hypertension in 2011 to foster collaboration between patients, physicians, and pharmacists that leads to improved adherence and maximum benefit for the patient's heart health. Project ImPACT provides patients with wireless at-home blood pressure monitors and pharmacists in ambulatory care settings can access the readings when patients come in to pick up their medication. These visits provide an opportunity to check for adherence to medications, monitor for progress and side-effects, set on-going goals for treatment, and resolve any problems that may arise. Since patients may only see their doctor once a year, these visits with the pharmacist allow follow-up throughout the year. The pharmacist is also able to provide the physician with the blood pressure readings from these mini-visits, painting a better picture of a patient's progress during the year. A study of Project ImPACT: Hypertension is being conducted now - results expected in 2012. ... | Read More

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a program under both Medicare and Medicaid that focuses on older adults (at least 55 yrs of age) who are currently living independently but meet the state's standard for moving to nursing home care. PACE combines comprehensive medical and social services in an effort to support patients and enable them to continue living safely at home for as long as possible. A team of health care providers, including doctors, nurses, social workers and others, work together to assess an individual patient's needs and design a plan for care and delivery of services. Services can be provided at an adult day health center, in the home, and/or at inpatient facilities. Minimum services provided include primary and preventive care services, social and supportive services, restorative/rehabilitation therapies, personal care assistance, nutritional counseling and meals, and recreational therapy. Availability of the PACE program varies by state depending on State Medicaid benefits. ... | Read More

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a program under both Medicare and Medicaid that focuses on older adults (at least 55 yrs of age) who are currently living independently but meet the state's standard for moving to nursing home care. PACE combines comprehensive medical and social services in an effort to support patients and enable them to continue living safely at home for as long as possible. A team of health care providers, including doctors, nurses, social workers and others, work together to assess an individual patient's needs and design a plan for care and delivery of services. Services can be provided at an adult day health center, in the home, and/or at inpatient facilities. Minimum services provided include primary and preventive care services, social and supportive services, restorative/rehabilitation therapies, personal care assistance, nutritional counseling and meals, and recreational therapy. Availability of the PACE program varies by state depending on State Medicaid benefits. ... | Read More

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a program under both Medicare and Medicaid that focuses on older adults (at least 55 yrs of age) who are currently living independently but meet the state's standard for moving to nursing home care. PACE combines comprehensive medical and social services in an effort to support patients and enable them to continue living safely at home for as long as possible. A team of health care providers, including doctors, nurses, social workers and others, work together to assess an individual patient's needs and design a plan for care and delivery of services. Services can be provided at an adult day health center, in the home, and/or at inpatient facilities. Minimum services provided include primary and preventive care services, social and supportive services, restorative/rehabilitation therapies, personal care assistance, nutritional counseling and meals, and recreational therapy. Availability of the PACE program varies by state depending on State Medicaid benefits. ... | Read More

Caterpillar offers a program to employees called Health Balance. The aim of the program is to decrease employees' risk factors for disease by offering programs and activities for employees. Volunteers participate in a health assessment so they can understand their risks for disease. Healthy Balance helps employees understand this risk and make the right changes to decrease the risk. ... | Read More

Marshfield Clinic, a group of more than 40 medical practices in Wisconsin, implemented a targeted strategy using electronic medical records and chronic disease management programs together to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic diseases in their practice. The electronic medical record system automatically prompts physicians with chart reminders for recommended care for patients with specific diseases and flags patient charts where records indicate that patients are not meeting specified goals for treatment, such as goal blood pressure or cholesterol levels. In addition, the Marshfield Clinic implemented a centralized nurse line and telephonic health programs to help manage chronic disease. The nurse phone line is open to all clinic patients 24/7 to allow them to ask questions and avoid unnecessary emergency room or office visits. The nurses staffing the phone line can access patients' records, doctors' standing orders, treatment guidelines, and educational materials to give patients individualized recommendations. The telephonic health program is designed for patients with chronic disease, such as high cholesterol, heart failure and diabetes, who are not meeting treatment goals. Telephonic programs help patients manage their illness by providing disease education, information about diet and medications, and may include daily check-ins with the patient. Certain responses may automatically trigger a call from an on-call nurse or an appointment for follow-up. ... | Read More