From the Web by Elaine Steward #21

Hi again from Elaine Steward! Following, is my most recent list of things which may be of general interest to us retirees. If have something you’d like to share, please post it to the comments section at the end of this blog.

More free university courses, one site, MIT, another which is a compilation of several universities. Go to ocw.mit.edu/index.htm and www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

If you are interested in reducing the number of catalogues and/or telephone directories you get, go to www.catalogchoice.org/login and set up an account. This is a very effective site – I no longer get catalogues. When I order something or make a donation, I immediately send customer service an email telling them that if they put me back on their snail-mailing list, I will no longer do business with them.

If you are comfortable with the Internet, and are interested in volunteering from home, and for short periods of time, try www.sparked.com/

For a really neat, and free, calendar, shopping list, journal site which is designed to be used by the whole family, go to www.cozi.com/ It has functions which sync with Outlook as well as free apps for your smart phone.

NCOA Offers Free Reverse Mortgage Counseling for Older Adults Seeking to Use their Home Equity Wisely CONTACT: Ken Schwartz 202-600-3131 Washington, DC – As older adults continue to face financial challenges in the sluggish economy, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) will offer free counseling for seniors through its Reverse Mortgage Counseling Services (RMCS) Network. RMCS counselors are waiving the usual $125 counseling fee in order to help more homeowners understand how reverse mortgage loans, along with community programs and other options, could help them remain in their homes. Consumers aged 62+ can schedule a free reverse mortgage counseling session by calling 1-800-510-0301. UPDATE: This funding was cut in the 2011 budget deal. You might still want to check in case any funds remain in the NCOA coffers.


For a consumer guide to putting together a long term care program, go to www.theconsumervoice.org/piecing-together-quality-long-term-care/pdf

For an update on hormone replacement therapy, go to www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/weekinreview/10estrogen.html

For an update on prostate screening, go to www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/health/12prostate.html?_r=1

If you’re having trouble finding gifts for friends and family, take a look at www.dailygrommet.com/

For the results of some research on the relationship between money and happiness (you may be surprised), go to www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/04/14/how-to-spend-your-way-to-happiness-part-one/

An on-line workshop for managing chronic diseases is now available nationwide. To enroll, go to selfmanage.org/BetterHealth/SignUp

The enrollment period for 2012 Medicare Part D (prescription drug) coverage will begin on 15 October 2011 and will end on 7 December 2011. These dates are different from those used in prior years.


The free Fast Society app, for your smart phone lets you set up a group of users you might want to contact (text, pictures, talk, or find) simultaneously: friends, family, or your colleagues on a committee. For more, go to www.fastsociety.com/

If you can’t find your cell phone, and don’t have another phone from which to call it, there’s a free website to help you find it. Go to www.wheresmycellphone.com/

For an NIH website which evaluates alternative medicine, go to nccam.nih.gov/health/providers/ The site is designed for health care providers, but seems pretty easy to understand and includes consumer information.


1) From AARP – bulletin.aarp.org

For guidance on preventing medical errors while in the hospital, go to www.aarp.org/health/doctors-hospitals/info-06-2010/hospital-bound_howtoprotectyourself.html

For the top 25 most asked questions about Social Security, go to www.aarp.org/work/social-security/info-12-2010/top-25-social-security-questions.1.html

2) From California Healthline – www.californiahealthline.org/

CMS Posts Hospital-Specific Incidents for California, U.S. CMS has posted data on hospital-acquired conditions, which include incidents of foreign objects left inside a body during surgery, urinary tract infections, and injuries sustained from preventable falls and other trauma. The data were posted to the nationwide Hospital Compare website. In California, 45 hospitals reported 54 incidents between October 2008 and June 2010 in which a patient retained a foreign object. A list of California-specific data from CMS is available from Payers & Providers.

California, Other States File Brief in Defense of Health Reform Law California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) recently signed an amicus brief filed in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals defending the constitutionality of the federal health reform law, Lake County News reports. The friend-of-the-court brief also was signed by attorneys general from: Connecticut; Delaware; Hawaii; Iowa; Maryland; New York; Oregon; Vermont; and Washington, D.C. (Lake County News, 4/13).

Brown Proposes List of Sweeping Changes to Calif. Pension System Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has developed a 12-item proposal designed to reform public employee pensions, the Sacramento Bee reports

U.S. Supreme Court To Weigh Expedited Review of Health Reform Case Next month, the U.S. Supreme Court will convene a private conference to discuss a request from the Virginia attorney general to fast-track review of a lawsuit against the health reform law. One expert says the court could issue a decision on the day of the meeting. CQ HealthBeat.

For information on three lesser known reforms included in the Affordable Care Act, go to www.californiahealthline.org/road-to-reform/2011/overlooked-but-not-forgotten-three-lesser-known-reforms.aspx

How Can California Exchange Minimize 'Churning'? Veterans of the Medi-Cal system in California -- providers, counselors, state officials and beneficiaries -- have said for years that one of the keys to making the Medicaid program work is continuity of care. But in most lives --and perhaps especially in low-income lives -- things change. People move, they change or lose jobs, their family situations evolve. When change happens, eligibility for subsidized coverage shifts and health care is often interrupted.

3) From Carepages – www.carepages.com

For recommendations on how to curb emotional eating, go to cms.carepages.com/CarePages/en/ArticlesTips/HelpfulTips/BetterYou/emotional_eating.html?xid=nl_EverydayCaringFromCarePages_20110324

For recommendations on how to communicate better with your doctor, go to cms.carepages.com/CarePages/en/ArticlesTips/HelpfulTips/BetterYou/communicate_better_with_doctor.html?xid=nl_EverydayCaringFromCarePages_20110331

For foods which help to relieve stress (and they’re NOT sweet!), go to cms.carepages.com/CarePages/en/ArticlesTips/FeatureArticles/Contributors/healthy-meals-during-stress.html?xid=nl_EverydayCaringFromCarePages_20110428

4) I do hope you are all following the (USC) Dean’s Council on Health Reform at www.healthreform.usc.edu/ It is a very rich site

5) From iHealthBeat - www.ihealthbeat.org/

Study: Virtual Reality Systems Could Aid in Stroke Rehabilitation New research examines 12 earlier studies and finds that patients who have been partially paralyzed by a stroke are five times more likely to improve their grip and other movements if virtual reality or video game training is added to a standard rehabilitation regimen. Reuters.

Supreme Court Justices Question Vermont Law Barring Rx Data Access On [26 April] U.S. Supreme Court justices suggested that a Vermont law requiring physicians to consent to having their prescription data sold for marketing purposes is troubling because it appears to restrict only certain entities from using the information. AP/San Francisco Chronicle et al.

Panel Wants Feedback on Data Exchange Privacy, Security Issues The Health IT Policy Committee's privacy and security "Tiger Team" is seeking public comment on a privacy and security policy framework for health information exchange, Government Health IT reports (Mosquera, Government Health IT, 4/21).

FDA Updates Website, Launches Search Engine To Track Food Recalls FDA has revamped a website designed to help consumers track food recalls. The updated site offers a consumer-friendly search engine of product recalls, short videos on the agency's efforts to minimize food safety risks and other features. The Hill's "Healthwatch," FDA release.


Senators Introduce Bill To Open Up Access to Medicare Database On [7 April] Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced the Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act (S 756), which would overturn a 1979 court injunction that bars the government from revealing the amount individual physicians are paid by Medicare, the Wall Street Journal reports.

CMS Adds Hospital-Acquired Condition Data to Consumer Website Consumers now can use CMS' Hospital Compare website to look up facility-specific information on eight serious hospital-acquired conditions. The newly added figures are not adjusted to account for hospitals' patient populations or case mix. Health Data Management, Healthcare IT News.

HHS Unveils Web Portal To Provide Consumers With Vaccine Guidance On [30 Mar], HHS launched Vaccines.gov to help consumers access vaccine-related information and guidance. During the next year, HHS plans to release a Spanish version of the website and add new data on infectious disease outbreaks. Health Data Management, HHS release.

Study: Computerized Systems Help Reduce Hospital Drug Errors A new study finds that Johns Hopkins Hospital's psychiatric unit saw its rate of medication errors decline by 87.7% after implementing a computerized provider order entry system and a Web-based system for reporting drug errors. Modern Healthcare, HealthLeaders Media.

Group Offering $3M Prize for Algorithm To Predict Likely Hospital Visits Heritage Provider Network, a California-based physicians group, is offering $3 million in prize money for the development of an algorithm that can best predict how often people are likely to be sent to the hospital, the Wall Street Journal reports

6) From Kaiser Health News – www.kaiserhealthnews.org/

New Labels Will Soon Help Consumers Choose Health Plans Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Susan Jaffe writes: “For the first time, consumers shopping for a health policy will be able to get a good idea of how much of the costs different plans will cover for three medical conditions: maternity care, treatment for diabetes and breast cancer. And because buying insurance is more complicated than buying a can of soup, the proposed insurance labels are two pages long” (Jaffe, 5/5).

Big Savings Coming From Emerging Generic Drugs, Patent Expirations Americans will see cheaper copies of some of the biggest drug names starting this fall. Out-of-pocket costs of the generic form of Lipitor, a widely used and advertised cholesterol drug that loses its patent protection in November, will be reduced to as little as $4 for a month's supply. Even for a person with health insurance, Lipitor can cost $25 to $40 — or more — each month. In the next two years, six of the nation's 10 best-selling drugs are expected to be available in generic form (Chicago Tribune, Japsen, 5/4).

[NPR reports that] insured patients are more — not less — likely to use the emergency department 89 percent of physicians in a survey said they believe the number of visits to emergency rooms will increase as the new health law is implemented. (The findings also echoed the results of a December survey of more than 600 emergency department administrators by the Schumacher Group.)

Medicare Is Now Offering Some Free Tests And Services Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Susan Jaffe writes: “Despite tough economic times, there are some things the government can’t give away. Starting this year, seniors enrolled in Medicare no longer have to pay for more than a dozen tests and other services to help prevent or control cancer and other costly and debilitating diseases. These benefits, which also include an annual wellness exam, are part of the new federal health-care law (Kaiser Health News, Jaffe, 4/25).

Fix The Class Act. Don’t Repeal It. In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: “If it survives, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act would, for the first time, create a national, voluntary long-term care insurance program to help pay for personal care for the frail elderly and younger adults with disabilities. It is a modest first step toward turning long-term care from an unsustainable and inappropriate welfare program into an insurance-based system” (Kaiser Health News 4/6).

Obama Administration Offers Rules For Delivering Care To Older Americans The Obama administration proposed rules [31 March] for using the influential Medicare program to spur a controversial form of managed care emerging around the country that nudges doctors and hospitals to save money by coordinating treatment for their patients (Washington Post, Goldstein, 3/31).

Cuccinelli Says Va. Suit Has 60% Chance Of Prevailing: The KHN Interview Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Bara Vaida writes: “Virginia's Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has defined himself as one of the country's leading conservatives with his lawsuit against the health care overhaul law. Filed within minutes after the law passed in March 2010, the suit could set limits on Congress' power” (Vaida, 3/30).

Virginia Files New Court Papers Arguing Federal Health Care Law Is Unconstitutional Virginia’s attorney general has filed additional court papers arguing that the Obama administration’s health care reform law is unconstitutional. The 69-page brief filed Monday urges the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to strike down the entire law. The court will hear oral arguments in May (AP,Washington Post 3/28).

Administration Delaying Some Rules For Appealing Health Insurance Denials Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Susan Jaffe writes: “The Obama administration is delaying until next January its enforcement of some new rules designed to protect patients who appeal insurers' decisions to deny or reduce health care benefits” (Jaffe, 3/25).

Health On The Hill: Analyzing The Health Law’s Rocky First Year Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey and NPR’s Julie Rovner talk with KFF’s Jack Judd about developments on the Hill, including this week’s one-year anniversary of the health law (3/21). Watch the video at www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Multimedia/2011/March/032111-health-on-the-hill.aspx or read the transcript at www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/March/21/health-law-anniversary-health-on-the-hill-transcript.aspx.


7) From My Medicare Matters – www.mymedicarecommunity.org/

My Medicare Matters offers Webinars (live on-line training) for those who are Medicare advocates. If you are interested in being notified of training sessions, please contact me at esslady@gmail.com

8) From NCOA – www.ncoa.org

FY11 Budget Deal Eliminates Funding for Reverse Mortgage Counseling The FY11 budget bill that passed Congress last week eliminates all funding, totaling $88 million, for the federal Housing Counseling Program. The cuts include all funding for federally mandated reverse mortgage counseling, a service that helps older homeowners understand the costs, benefits, and risks associated with these loans before applying for one. NCOA is one of eight federally approved organizations that provide this counseling service nationwide. The cuts will likely mean higher reverse mortgage counseling fees for seniors.


9) From The New York Times – nytdirect@nytimes.com

Updated Guidelines for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s The definition of the disease will be recast for the first time in 27 years, with a division into three stages, including a new early phase.

For guidance on “smarter, safer antibiotic use,” go to www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/health/22brody.html?nl=health&emc=healthupdateemb4