Behavioral Health – Must Be In Care Continuum

03/20/2013

Behavioral health disorders affect a large portion of our population. Each year, one in four Americans experience a mental illness or substance abuse disorder and the majority has comorbid physical health problems. Currently, 55 percent of U.S. counties have no practicing psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers. In 2009, more than two million discharges from local community hospitals were for a … Read More

Love supports Medicaid expansion in DMN story

02/13/2013

In response to the Dallas County commissioners’ endorsement of an expanded Medicaid program, Steve Love, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council’s president/CEO, was quoted in The Dallas Morning News article “Commissioners OK expanding Medicaid” in the Wednesday, Feb. 13 edition. In a 4-0 vote on Tuesday, Feb. 12, Dallas County commissioners voiced their support of expanded Medicaid that would cover uninsured … Read More

Medicaid Expansion

02/07/2013

Texas leads the nation with the highest uninsured rate of approximately 27 percent. Roughly six million Texans have no health insurance, including one million children. Forty percent of the state’s pregnant women do not receive appropriate pre-natal care. As Texas residents, these numbers are troubling and ultimately, the key to solve these problems is working together in a collaborative manner. … Read More

Charting the Course for a Healthy Future

10/30/2012

Obesity is one of the most challenging health crises the United States has ever faced. Two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of our nation’s children and adolescents are currently obese or overweight, putting them at increased risk for more than 20 major diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. But the effects of obesity … Read More

Patient safety indicators require a comprehensive approach

10/15/2012

The North Texas hospitals support sharing data regarding hospital performance with the public in a transparent manner as long as the information is complete, accurate and limitations are fully disclosed. An example of the complexity related to data analysis is the computer error revealed recently impacting the financial penalties against hospitals on Medicare readmissions within 30 days. The Centers for … Read More

Uninsured Trends – Behind the Numbers

09/12/2012

The U.S. Census Bureau released numbers today reflecting an estimated 48.6 million uninsured population for medical care in the United States. This estimate represents a 1.4 million decrease from an estimated 50 million uninsured in 2010, or 16.3-15.7 percent during the same period. This sounds encouraging. So what created this slight decrease? Young adults accounted for the largest drop in … Read More

Medicaid Expansion – The Immediate Question

07/03/2012

We all know the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). One decision for the state of Texas regards expanding the current Medicaid program. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states have the option to expand their Medicaid program, but there is no enforceable requirement. Texas leads the nation … Read More

Listen to our Children

04/19/2012

The Center for Public Policy Priorities found that 1.2 million Texas children have no private or public health insurance. The study also showed that almost 40 percent of Texas mothers received little or no prenatal care and approximately 15 percent of the babies were born prematurely.  Many of these babies will be admitted to neonatal intensive care units. Obviously, employment … Read More