This feature highlights a selection of HCFO grantees that have recently appeared in the news. This month's featured grantees appear in articles about personal health records, the National Consumer Driven Healthcare Summit, the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply, and pharmacy services.

August 2006

Mila Kofman, J.D., associate research professor at the Georgetown Health Policy Institute, was quoted in a July 10, 2006 article published on Modernhealthcare.com that examined questions over privacy, formats, and definitions surrounding personal health records (PHRs). The article notes that "personal health records are probably the hottest thing in healthcare information technology right now, with the potential of becoming a key information-sharing vehicle for hundreds of Americans in the next several years," yet there is no industry accepted definition of a personal health record. Kofman states that PHRs put health plans "in a position to better-price their group products and enables them to underwrite their products more cheaply, so it's a win-win for them."  

Paul B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, will be speaking at the National Consumer Driven Healthcare Summit, which will be held September 13-15 in Washington, DC. Ginsburg will help "provide new insights into current research findings and the marketplace."  

David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., director of the Institute of Health Policy at the Massachusetts General Hospital, was recently appointed to the newly created Council on Physician and Nurse Supply. The Council, based in the University of Pennsylvania 's Consortium for Health Workforce Research and Policy, aims to address the growing problem of nurse and physician shortages. The article states, "At its first meeting, which is being planned for October 2006 at the University of Pennsylvania, the Council will examine a range of domestic and international issues that must be addressed as the U.S. attempts to better align its health care workforce with the nation's future health care needs."  

Bruce Stuart, Ph.D., professor of drug therapy and aging at the University of Maryland, was quoted in a July 31, 2006 article published in The Detroit News that examined several pharmacy chains dropping some insurance plans in protest over the high cost of prescription drugs. The article states that "disputes between major drug store chains and local insurance companies have already left more than 230,000 Metro Detroiters with fewer pharmacy choices." Stuart noted that "it will likely take years for the full effects of the changing marketplace to play out."

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In the News Archives