News Briefs
March 1, 2000 3 minutes read
News Briefs
Self-care guide targets seniors
The American Institute for Preventive Medicine in Farmington Hills, MI, has produced a new self-care publication, Seniors’ Health at Home, that addresses over 150 conditions and has 136 illustrations and photographs. There are also references to a Web site where readers can get more detailed information on a particular topic.
This new publication is an expanded version of the HealthyLife Seniors’ Self-Care Guide, which has been approved by the Health Care Financing Administration for use in Medicare risk contracts. A study on the shorter version conducted by York Health System in York, PA, demonstrated a one-year average savings of $57.49 per senior due to a reduction in both physician and emergency room visits.
For more information or to receive a pre- view copy, contact: The American Institute for Preventive Medicine, 30445 Northwestern Highway, Suite 350, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Telephone: (248) 539-1800. E-mail: aipm@ HealthyLife.com.
Flight attendants seek OSHA protection
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), AFL-CIO, have told the Federal Aviation Administration that flight attendants deserve the same health and safety protections other workers already enjoy. Flight attendants are not currently afforded the protection of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"Flight attendants are the only transportation workers with no government agency overseeing their occupational safety and health," says Patricia Friend, AFA international president. "Every day without this protection, more and more flight attendants are injured unnecessarily."
For more information, contact Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO, 1275 K St. N.W., Washington, DC 20005-4090. Telephone: (202) 712-9799. Fax: (202) 712-9797. Or, visit AFA’s Web site at: www.afanet.org.
Health savings offered on-line
Coral Gables, FL-based HealthSaver Club Inc. has launched a new e-commerce site to sell its membership card for discounted health and wellness services. HealthSaver Club was created to provide discounted health care services and bridge the gap between what regular health insurance companies do and do not cover.
Benefits include prescription drugs, unlimited dental and vision, laser vision correction, hearing, chiropractic, holistic and alternative services, weight loss, smoking cessation, magnetic therapy, dermatology, cosmetic surgery, mental health, and substance abuse counseling.
The card, which can be purchased on-line at www.healthsaverclub.com, costs $89 per year for individuals and $109 for families. Visitors enter their zip code and a category of service in order to view local providers of that service giving the HealthSaver Club discount.
"In the closed-market, demand-driven world of health care, this is truly revolutionary," says Leila Chang, executive director of HealthSaver Club. "Consumers need to know what services they can get in their area, from whom, and at how much of a discount in order to decide whether a HealthSaver Club membership will save them money."
For more information, contact: Lisa Miller, (305) 448-7450, or Sandy Baksys, (212) 793-8864, or visit the HealthSaver Club Web site.
NCQA issues Quality Profiles
The Washington, DC-based National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has released a new publication designed to promote improvement in patient care and service among the nation’s health plans. Quality Profiles: In Pursuit of Excellence in Managed Care, offers detailed descriptions of dozens of model quality improvement efforts from health plans across the country, ranging from a program to improve HIV/AIDS care to an effort to increase member satisfaction in the referral process.
"Managing quality is a real challenge in today’s health care system," says NCQA president Margaret E. O’Kane. "We’ve always considered it a key part of our mission to help plans get better."
For more information, contact: Barry Scholl, NCQA, 2000 L St. N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: (202) 955-5197.
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