Category — Health Industry

Degrees in healthcare administration have been rising in popularity as of late. The allure is obvious, as the healthcare field offers virtually none of the susceptibility to recession that’s seen in other fields. While earning a healthcare administration degree, students can gain knowledge on the inner workings of the healthcare field as well as what the business side of it is like. There are two types of people that this degree might appeal to: Those who are already in a health-related area and want to gain more knowledge on the administrative aspects of the field, and those who are already in the business world but want to transition to healthcare.

When ranking the top programs for this list, schools were graded on how well their graduates were able to transition into a healthcare career. Every school reviewed has received regional accreditation and is seen by employers as valuable for producing graduates who are prepared to enter the field and hit the ground running. Below, we’ve listed the top ten programs for earning a healthcare administration degree online.

1. University of Minnesota-Crookston: Bachelor of Science in Health Management
Cost – $430.77 per credit hour plus a $45 per credit fee

2. Colorado State University-Global Campus: Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration and Management
Cost – $350 per credit

3. Drexel University: Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration
Cost – $690 per credit

4. Northeastern University: Bachelor of Science in Health Management
Cost – $335 per credit

5. Bellevue University: Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management
Cost – $370 per credit

6. Liberty University: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Healthcare Management
Cost – $365 per credit

7. New England College: Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration
Cost – $31,394 per year

8. Grand Canyon University: Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration
Cost – $465 per credit

9. Hodges University: Bachelor of Science in Health Administration
Cost – $490 per credit

10. Strayer University: Bachelor of Business Administration-Healthcare Administration
Cost – $1,700 per course

Source: Top 10 Best Online Healthcare Administration Degree Programs

An interesting study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, cited at WebMD, suggests that the US may be facing a shortage of primary care physicians in the near future.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 46,740 primary-care physicians employed in 2011. The American College of Physicians indicates the demand for primary care physicians will skyrocket as the population ages, health care needs increase due to increasing number of people becoming insured under the affordable care act, and increasing demand for acute, chronic, and long-term care. Even if the current number of internists remains constant, the ACP indicates, there would not be enough physicians in the future to meet the increased demand.

Medical Students Bowing Out

But the numbers of medical students choosing to become internists is not projected to rise, or even to remain constant. In fact, fewer and fewer physicians are choosing a career in general internal medicine. The first inkling of a shortage was suggested by a 1992 study that reported only about half of the students graduating from a general internal medicine program maintained a practice in general internal medicine. The ACP also cited a subsequent 2010 report that predicted the nation would be short by 45,750 internists by 2020.

A new study conducted by the Mayo clinic presents a comprehensive, if dark picture. Among 17,000 third-year medical students surveyed at the time of their exams, 21.5 percent stated they planned to pursue general internal medicine. Even among those students already enrolled in a general internist program between 2009 to 2011, only 40 percent said they planned to stick with internal medicine. Adding insult to injury, only about 20 percent of those enrolled in a traditional “categorical” program, planned on pursuing internal medicine.

Where Are They Going?

Colin West, MD, PhD, the Mayo study’s chief researcher, speculated on a number of causes for the shortage. West thinks that doctors today are seeking a better work-life balance than what is generally afforded to internists, who must work when their patients are sick, rather than sticking with convenient office hours. Many of the specialty medical practices offer part-time hours, flexible schedules and more control over office-visits hours than does a general internist practice.

Another potential cause is the almighty dollar. A simple economic fact is that doctors pursuing a specialty earn about twice as much as primary-care physicians. The 2011 BLS survey reported a mean annual salary of $189,210 for internists compared to cardiologists, who made $321,080.

One of the hardest to empirically measure but still important factors luring physicians away from a career in internal medicine is cachet. Martha S. Grayson, MD, senior associate dean at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found in her research that medical students are being enticed by the glamor of specialty medicine. It appears specialists such as neurosurgeons, radiologists and even toxicologists are more highly valued by society than are internists.

Even in our slowing economy, the greatest demand for jobs is found in the health care industry.   Health careers are readily available to those who put the time in to get a proper education.  Unfortunately, the supply of health professionals has not bee enough to keep up with demand.  So nurses and other health professionals tend get stretched to their full capacity.

The good news is that all over the country there are programs in place to encourage high school students to consider a career in health.   Once such program to encourage students is at the North Louisiana Area Health Education Center where students are able to get hands on experience with a health occupation in exchange for high school credit.

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As part of Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s healthcare platform, young people up to age 25 could continue to get healthcare coverage on their parent’s health insurance plan. The Associated Press reports that while 17 states have upped the age of availability for insurance, in some cases to 29 and 30 years of age, other states have yet to do so; now, most states provide stipulations for young people up to age 19 for non-students and 23 for non-students. Estimates made by The Commonwealth Fund, a private organization tasked with promoting quality, access and efficiency of health care in the United States, predict 1.4 million people would gain health insurance if companies were mandated to provide coverage to young people thru their parent’s policies up to age 23.

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1. Carol Ann Reyes Dumped From Hospital Into Skid Row

A homeless woman named Carol Ann Reyes was admitted to Kaiser Permanente Bellflower hospital because of a nasty fall she took. She stayed for three days, at which point Kaiser called her a cab, and instructed the cab driver to dump her in the Los Angeles area known as Skid Row. Reyes was wearing only a thin hospital gown, because, as the hospital later admitted, her clothing had been lost. Carol was confused and suffering from dementia, but Kaiser put her on the streety anyway, and was only caught because of a videocamera running outside of a homeless shelter.

Source

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The practice of medicine began with Hippocrates. It progressed from an education by tutelage to formal training in specialized schools.

In 1874 a physician grew wary of the treatments rendered and lack of success with most medications. Dr. Andrew Taylor Still founded a school that paralleled the teachings of medicine and added the concept of holistic health. He determined nutrition played a large part in the maintenance of well being; the body has the potential for healing itself, and the musculoskeletal system plays a role in good health. The best way, perhaps, to put the differences succinctly, is to say medicine tends to treat the individual ailments while osteopathy treats the entire being.

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Mississippi House Representative W.T. Mayhall, Jr. introduced a bill during the legislative session on Friday that would ban restaurants from serving obese people in the state of Mississippi. The proposal, Bill 282, would require scales to be placed outside of restaurants and people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 30 would be refused service. Records of customers BMI’s would be kept on file and the restaurants would be tasked with enforcing and complying with the bill or risk loss of their license from the State Department of Health.

While Mr. Mayhall is certain the bill will not pass into law, he along with the bill’s co-writers, Bobby Shows, a businessman and John Read, a pharmacist, believe the situation concerning obesity in Mississippi to be dire. Their intention is to call attention to the increasing epidemic of obesity and the cost to the Medicare system.

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What criteria are considered when selecting a profession? Which factor is the most significant? All things being equal, salaries are largely dependant on the geographic region versus exactly what function is performed. For instance, a cardiovascular technician and technologist in Florida can expect a mean annual salary of $31,900. The same position in New York will pay a median wage of $46,700 (the national median is $42,300)

Financial influences in your decision should include housing costs, utility bills, urban versus rural living, and whether you want to ski or play golf. Of course you could do both in a place like New Mexico for most of the year; but the cost will be a lower wage: but living expenses will be lower.  If you live in New York City, you may only be able to afford a one-room walk-up.The training required for those choosing cardiovascular, is two to four years. Technicians and Technologist take similar courses in the first year, then go on to specialized areas. Technologists can qualify to take the national certification exam and generally earn a bachelor’s degree.That being said, it’s time to discuss the breadth of occupations within the healthcare industry.

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In November of 2007 Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly learned that their newborn twins were given a potentially lethal overdose of the drug Heparin. On accident. Upon further investigation it was learned that the error was precipitated by two different doses of Heparin being labeled similarly – leading the health care worker to administer the wrong dosage. The Quaids are not alone.

The 8th annual MEDMARX data report was released Tuesday by U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) revealing a list of 1,400 commonly used drugs that were given in error due to their sound-alike or look-alike names. The findings report that 1.4% of the errors were associated with patient harm – seven of those may have been involved in the death of the patient.

USP (www.usp.org) a private, independent research-based public health organization tasked with setting public-standards for all prescription and over-the-counter meds and dietary supplements as well as other health care products distributed in the United States. Their standards of practice are utilized in 130 countries world wide. In response to increasing med errors USP developed MEDMARX in 1998. MEDMARX provides an anonymous avenue for health care providers to report medication errors. MEDMARX analyzes and tracks those errors, processing 1.2 million drug errors from over 870 health care agencies across the United States since its birth.

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Guest article by Lisa Zyga

One person dies every 16 minutes in the US while waiting for an organ transplant. Although health experts can’t directly increase the number of organ donations available, a network of local organ transplant organizations can find ways to make sure that more people who need an organ get one – and one that fits.

The field of organ transplantation is technologically fascinating and professionally diverse. In the 1940s, organ transplantation was virtually non-existent. Only in the past several decades has the technology caught up to allow patients a high chance of survival when undergoing transplantation. Now, the medical community faces a new problem: a lack of available organs.

In some ways, finding suitable organs for patients is more important than the actual surgery, simply because of the severe shortage of organs. Only about 7% of individuals on the waiting list will receive an organ within one year. While doctors and nurses can usually perform a successful surgery, it’s somebody else’s job to line up the body parts: specifically, an organ coordinator.

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