Resources and Links

We regularly comb the Internet to find resources that promote best practices in health center operations and administration, combat professional isolation and keep health center staff informed about issues that impact their work. Subscribe to our e-newsletter to keep updated or simply check this page on a monthly basis.


Research Opportunity

Inflexxion, Inc. is currently seeking participants for an NIH-funded clinical trial testing a web-based behavioral intervention for improving chronic pain self-management. We only need help getting information about the study to people who may wish to volunteer.   We will handle all participant contact, including screening, consenting, and study completion.  We will provide you with informational materials about the study for distribution to prospective volunteers (available in a variety of formats).  

Participants can earn up to $175 for completing all components of the study.  We are seeking participants who are diagnosed with one of these neuropathic pain conditions:

  • chemotherapy induced neuropathy
  • diabetic peripheral neuropathy
  • phantom limb pain
  • postherpetic neuralgia
  • post mastectomy neuropathy

For more information, please contact Sadaf Charity at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 1-800-848-3895, extension 274.

Last chance to order PorAir HFA inhalers!

Direct Relief USA has a limited number of ProAir HFA on hand that will expire on December 31, 2010. Teva Pharmaceuticals donated these inhalers to Direct Relief to be distributed to safety net partners to help them treat their uninsured, low-income patients with asthma.

To place a request of inhalers, plese contact Direct Relief: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 1-877-30-DR-USA. P

Direct Relief USA is the only nonprofit working with more than 1,100 clinics in all 50 states, providing them with free medications and supplies for their low-income and uninsured patients. Direct Relief USA is an initiative of Direct Relief International, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit organization focused on improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers.  Direct Relief USA programs target individuals who are uninsured or underinsured – people who often cannot afford necessary healthcare services and needed pharmaceuticals. Since its creation in 2004, Direct Relief USA has provided over $180 million worth of medicines and supplies to partner community clinics and health centers.

 

QuickNotes: July 2010

PainEDU.org is a comprehensive, non-promotional online educational resource for non-expert healthcare professionals interested in pain management.

Medical Home Capabilities of Primary Care Practices That Serve Sociodemographically Vulnerable Neighborhoods:  Published by the Commonwealth Fund, this report finds primary care practices that serve sociodemographically vulnerable neighborhoods are more likely than other practices to have key medical home components in place.

Workflow Redesign: A Model for California Clinics: Published by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), this report describes a successful workflow redesign project at a CA-based community clinic.

Outside the Box: Case Studies in Creative Clinic Design:  As described in a new issue brief from the CHFC, Hill Country Health and Wellness Center (CA) and Open Door's Del Norte Community Health Center (CA) have built welcoming, spacious facilities that have transformed the clinics from care providers to community focal points.

QuickNotes: June 2010

Enhancing the Capacity of Community Health Centers to Achieve High Performance: Published by the Commonwealth Fund, this report highlights methods for strengthening health centers’ ability to provide care by formalizing partnerships with hospitals, improving office systems, adopting the medical home model, and increasing use of HIT.

Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit: Jointly produced by AHRQ and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the toolkit offers healthcare providers guidance and tools for assessing your practice and making changes so you connect with patients of all literacy levels.

Effect of Bar-Code Technology on the Safety of Medication Administration: Published in the May 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, this AHRQ-supported study shows using bar-code technology with eMAR reduces medication administration and transcription errors.

MONAHRQ:  Operated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, this downloadable software helps organizations establish a customized website that can gather patient data for use in quality improvement and reporting initiatives.

QuickNotes: May 2010
Davis Wright Tremaine's Wage-and-Hour Focus Series
Cost is $20 each, or $68 for all four. Upcoming dates/topics include:
  • Personal Liability of Owners, Officers, and Managers for Wage Underpayment: 
September 8, 2010, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. PST
  • Regular Rate of Pay—Bonuses, Commissions, Two Pay Rates, Fixed Compensation, and Other Special Issues
: December 8, 2010, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. PST
  • Wage Payment and Deduction Issues: March 9, 2011, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. PST
Specialist Physician Practices as Patient-Centered Medical Homes: Published online April 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine, this report explores the extent to which specialist physician practices function as patient-centered medical home.
Explaining Health Care Reform - Questions about Health Insurance Exchanges: Offered by the Kaiser Family Foundation, this report looks at the purpose and function of Exchanges and how they relate to regulation of the insurance market.
Providing Underserved Patients with Medical Homes: Produced by the Commonwealth Fund, this report proposes several policies that would assist safety-net centers in transforming themselves into medical home

QuickNotes: April 2010

Health Reform Central:  Hosted by Families USA, this site is meant to help states understand and implement provisions of the health reform bill.  The site also looks at legal challenges to the bill and how each state and its resident stand to gain from the legislation.

New Insurance and Tax Rules for Businesses Under Health Care Reform: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP looks at the new insurance and tax rules for business of all sizes.

States in Action, March/April 2010: Published by the Commonwealth Fund, this issue of States in Action looks at federal and state strategies to enhance access to basic care involving efforts to expand and leverage the primary care workforce and to develop and test new models of care delivery. Alaska’s Dental Health Aide Therapist Program is one of the models reviewed.

Countyhealthranking.org: Created in partnership between the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this website provides easy to use county-level data on health outcomes and health factors such as access to care, health behaviors, and socio-enviro-economic health determinants.

QuickNotes: March 2010
Improving Asthma Outcomes in Minority Children: Published in the February issue of Pediatrics, this study looks at an experimental program which uses trained parent mentors to help other parents care for their young child's asthma. This led to a reduction in wheezing, asthma exacerbations, emergency room visits, and missed work days, while improving parents' competence in recognizing breathing problems that are controllable at home.
Electronic Release of Clinical Laboratory Results - A Review of State and Federal Policy: Published by the National Academy for State Health Policy, this paper looks at the pertinent federal and state rules governing how lab results can be shared electronically between providers, patients, and others.
International Developments in Self-Directed Care: Published by the Commonwealth Fund, this report examines a range of innovative self-directed care programs in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States.

QuickNotes: February 2010

Medicare Advantage 2010 Data Spotlight: Published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, this analysis finds the benefits and cost-sharing requirements for Medicare Advantage plans vary widely for the 10 million people enrolled in these plans.

HIMSS Stories of Success: This website offers case studies on healthcare organizations that have leveraged health IT to demonstrate fulfillment of national priorities recommended by the National Priorities Partnership (NPP) and The Joint Commission’s (TJC) National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG). HIMSS is also seeking real-world success stories to be peer-reviewed for consideration in the next round.  Consult the website in early March for more information.

Rebuilding Primary Care in New Orleans:  Produced by the Commonwealth Fund, this podcast looks at the network of safety-net clinics that was created following Hurricane Katrina, and how many of these clinics have become medical homes that provide coordinated, accessible, and affordable primary care.

QuickNotes: January 2010

Making a Connection - Clinics Collaborate on EHR Deployment:  Published by the California HealthCare Foundation, this report documents how several safety-net clinics joined a network to collaborate on EHR implementation, training, and maintenance.

Telepsychiatry in the Emergency Department: Published by the California HealthCare Foundation, this report examines seven ED telepsychiatry programs used by hospitals to evaluate ED patients

Store-and-Forward Teledermatology Applications: Prepared by researchers with the University of California, Davis, this report compares four major, commercially available teledermatology programs and applications.

Health Insurance Exchanges in Health Care Reform: Legal and Policy Issues: Produced by the Commonwealth Fund, this report describes health insurance exchanges, including prior experience with exchanges, and provisions of the pending House and Senate bills that affect exchanges.

 

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