When healthcare systems and not-for-profit social service providers step up to provide food, housing and transportation assistance to needy patients, they often discover government cutbacks undermine their efforts. The U.S. spends less than other advanced industrial nations on social services—about 4% of gross domestic product. The average among other rich countries is around 10%.
The Chicago Tribune More
To the growing list of gender-based disparities faced by women in academic medicine, we can add 1 more: on average, across thousands of medical journals, women with comparable credentials and experience are less likely than men to author invited commentary articles (ie, editorials). Smaller studies, limited to specific disciplines, suggested this was the case but did not account for factors that are likely to be associated with invitations to write editorials, such as publication history. Thomas and colleagues reported on their examination of 72 038 medical journal commentary articles published from 2013 to 2017. The researchers used validated methods to infer author gender and matched commentary authors to controls on characteristics likely to be associated with invitations, including field of expertise, seniority, number of publications, and citation record. Adjustment for these confounders attenuated but did not eliminate the substantial differences in favor of men. Surprisingly, the magnitude of the disadvantage was larger for senior women. Overall, the odds of authoring an editorial were 21% lower for women compared with men. However, for the most senior women, the odds of authoring an editorial were 31% lower than for men with comparable credentials. More
Eight years ago, a study published in Science found that black researchers were 10 percentage points less likely than white ones to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health, even after controlling for factors like educational background, previous research awards and publication record. Its authors theorized that the difference might reflect an accumulation of slight advantages over the course of white scientists’ careers. That study, which the N.I.H. itself commissioned, prompted the agency to put $500 million toward a 10-year initiative to improve the situation, for example by increased mentoring of minority researchers and efforts to address possible bias in peer review. But new research suggests racial disparity in grant funding persists, and offers a fresh theory about a source of some of it: research topic choice.
Income volatility has a significant impact on financial security, which can affect heart health as well, according to new research. More
Some doctors say that medical school is focusing too much on social issues and not enough on curing patients. But others say the changes to medical education haven't gone far enough. More
Medical Care journal More
From high-tech fitness trackers, to genome sequencing, to pill delivery services, health care startups are booming in popularity. But in their quest to "disrupt" health care, these startups are missing a key point. More
For the first time in modern history, Britons in some areas are living shorter lives, with poor lifestyles, depression and budget cuts the leading causes.
Natalie King, MD, a family medicine practitioner, trained in Toledo, Ohio, an inner-city environment less than two hours away from the family farm where she grew up. That residency training prepared her to work in under-resourced urban areas. But when she was offered a job at a community health clinic in Jellico, Tennessee—population 2,217—she didn’t hesitate. Shannon Brownlee, MSc, senior vice president of the Lown Institute, a non-profit organization working to create a more equitable healthcare system, says that in an age of mergers and acquisitions, she would like to see more health systems making greater investments in their rural facilities. More
To Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, health care is a sector ripe for disruption. They’re not wrong, given skyrocketing health care spending that’s yielding diminishing returns on health. From high-tech fitness trackers to genome sequencing and pill delivery services, the number of health care startups has exploded. In 2018, investors poured more than $8 billion into digital health startups, up from $5.7 billion invested the year before on the promise of shaking up health care, and innovating our way to better health. More
The Washington Post More
Everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life, regardless of where they live, how much they make, or who they are. More
What can communities gain from investing in nutrition, housing, and transportation services? A new "Return on Investment Calculator" can help organizations answer that question. More
Squeezed by rising health care costs, states have shifted money away from “social spending” on programs like public education, public health services, housing assistance, food assistance and income support. That shift “is having dire and long-lasting consequences for the nation’s health and community well-being,” warns a new report from the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for affordable health care. More
In a report released Tuesday, community health advocates at Oakland’s Well Being Trust warned California’s leaders that they must curb prices and waste in health care spending. More
While health care is important, a new analysis points to improving 'community conditions' as an equally crucial investment. More
The rising cost of health care has become one of the largest sources of stress on American household budgets in the 21st century. More than one-quarter of Americans report problems paying medical bills in the past year, and many are sacrificing spending on basic necessities like food and clothing to pay medical bills. It’s no wonder that nearly 70% of Americans want lawmakers to make reducing health care costs a top priority. But there’s a hidden piece of the cost conundrum. Not only are health care costs robbing families, they’re also robbing states of the ability to invest in the suite of vital community conditions which together have a powerful effect on health. Just as American household budgets are being squeezed, rising health care costs are forcing states to tighten their belts and spend less on conditions that should be necessities, such as stable incomes, good education, clean air and water, stable and affordable housing, and safe neighborhoods — all of which contribute to health. More
This analysis of California’s state budget from 2007 to 2018 finds that to ensure the long-term health of the state, California needs to eliminate health care waste and direct the savings toward increased funding for programs that improve community conditions—like public education, public health, housing assistance, food assistance, and income support. More
Half of the Indian Health Service budget is now managed by Indian tribes to various degrees. But while full control has worked out well for tribes with resources like the Eastern Cherokee, they are one of just a few bright spots in an otherwise dire medical landscape. It remains to be seen how widely this model can be applied. More