For the past several years I have run this post and just as it was those years, it is this year a very important message.

By Robin Strongin. We, as a nation, have made progress and I believe Dr. King would be proud.  But our work is far from complete–particularly where health care is concerned.  Another doctor, Dr. John M. Eisenberg, a physician of tremendous stature whose life was also tragically cut short (not by an assassin’s bullet but by brain cancer) was equally passionate about the dignity of life and justice for all Americans.   Dr. Eisenberg, who among other things, served as the Director of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (as AHRQ was known back in the day), cared deeply about access to and the integrity of health care for all Americans– regardless of skin color.

Twelve years ago, on January 14, 2000, Dr. Eisenberg gave what is, in my opinion, a brilliant speech to the employees of the Department of Health and Human Services.  As with the past two years I want to share his words with all of you today — as a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go.

BIRTHDAY OBSERVANCE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: REMEMBER! CELEBRATE! ACT! A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF!

When I was invited to welcome you to the Department of Health and Human Service’s 26th observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, my first thought was about how honored I was to be asked.  My second thought was about what Martin Luther King’s birth could mean to a rebirth of health care in this country.  Few have had as much impact upon American consciousness.

But what did Martin Luther King think about health care?

My colleagues and I searched through his writings and his speeches, and realized that he didn’t give speeches about health care.  Martin Luther King Jr. was confronting the basic nature of American society.  He had mountains to move–and mountaintops to climb–for this country so that today we can address the issues of high quality health care for all Americans.

If Dr. King were alive today he’d be 71 years old.  He’d be eligible for Medicare.  Like many 71-year olds, he might be dealing with a chronic medical condition–maybe arthritis, or hypertension, or diabetes.  What would he think of the health care system we have today?  What would he think of the medical care he might receive?  And what advice would he be giving the Department of Health and Human Services?

No, Dr. King didn’t give many speeches about health care.  But like the rest of society, health care had to change too.

When I was a teenager in Memphis, before the Medicare program was passed, the Baptist Hospital was the biggest in town, and the proudest of the care it gave.  But if you were African American in Memphis and you went to the Baptist Hospital, you’d go in through a back entrance.  And you’d go to a segregated ward, where you would be in a big room with about 15 or 20 other people.  And your doctor, if he was black, wold not have privileges on staff.  And the same would have been true for Dr. King in Montgomery or in Atlanta.

Dr. Vanessa Gamble, who is the new director of minority afairs at the Association of American Medical Colleges here in Washington, has documented the incredibly important role that Medicare and Medicaid played in helping to desegregate hospitals.  Medicare was a lever that lifted equity and equality in hospitals.  In 1965, our Department issued regulations madating that hospitals had to be in compliance with the Civil Rights Act–which had been passed just the year before–in order to be eligible for Federal assistance or to participate in any federally assisted program.  The passage of Medicare and Medicaid legislation that year made every hospital a potential recipient of federal funds, and therefore obligated every hospital to comply with civil rights legislation if they wanted to get paid. (more…)

February 23rd Disruptive Women and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association will be hosting a screening of MISS Representation.

RSVP details and more information coming in early January.

By Robin Strongin. A recent report from Rock Health (Disruptive Woman Halle Tecco is their Founder and Managing Director) provides an overview of current and emerging medical sensors. These include sensors made by fitbit, BodyMedia, Basis, and AliveCor.

The report says that by 2014 – there will be 400 million consumer sensor oriented devices, comprising a $4 billion market! Disruptive Women in Health Care hopes to contribute to developements in this area through its Health in Place Initiative.

To view the Rock Health report click here.

By Robin Strongin.  Some women are not afraid to celebrate their age.  Today, our nation has something, and someone, wonderful to celebrate.  The Statue of Liberty, ‘Liberty Enlightening the World,’ was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and was dedicated on October 28, 1886. The celebration theme selected by the National Park Service (think of them as Lady Liberty’s Accountable Care Organization) to mark this auspicious anniversary is ‘Honor History, Envision the Future.’

This got me thinking about the Disruptive Women in Health Care – past and present and how their vision of the future has also enlightened our world.  Here is a snapshot of my list. Who is on your list?

• Marie Curie—a contemporary of Lady Liberty, the original poster-child for STEM having discovered radioactivity, winner of not one but two Nobel prizes (for physics and chemistry) and, in her spare time, she became the first woman professor at the Sorbonne.
• Hillary Clinton—architect of health reform 1.0, and oh yes, a Senator and Secretary of State, who continues to champion the rights of women and girls, and
• Florence Nightingale—the original health services researcher who laid the foundation for today’s field of nursing; not only do new nurses take the Nightingale Pledge but International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday. And, oh yes, she too is known as the Lady with the Lamp.
• My Mother. Enough said.

For her birthday, Lady Liberty is getting  a high-tech uplift: Internet-connected cameras on her torch that will let viewers gaze out at New York Harbor or see visitors on the grounds below. For more information on the birthday celebration or the webcams click here.

The following ran on Forbes on October 19th.  I found this to be interesting and relevant to Health in Place (HIP) which we will launch on December 6th. For more information on HIP click here.

Recently, I interviewed Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, about the recent launch of Health eVillages. This initiative aims to bring mobile medical reference and decision support technology to clinicians fighting to save lives in underserved regions worldwide.

Kennedy is the author of The New York Times best seller “Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans talk about Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning,” published by Crown Books/Random House in September 2008, and “Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World,” (Random House, 2000). Ms. Kennedy started working in the field of human rights in 1981, when she investigated abuses committed by U.S. immigration officials against refugees from El Salvador. Since then, her life has been devoted to the pursuit of justice, to the promotion and protection of basic rights, and to the preservation of the rule of law. She established the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights in 1988. She has led over 50 human rights delegations around the globe.

Rahim Kanani: What is Health eVillages?

Kerry Kennedy: Health eVillages is an amazing new coalition of healthcare and human rights advocacy groups that’s dedicated to bringing adequate healthcare to poor, remote and underserved areas around the globe through the latest mobile device technology.

Through contributions, we secure new and refurbished mobile phone and handheld devices, load them with the latest in clinical decision support technology, and get these devices to healthcare professionals who are on the ground providing public health services where it’s most desperately needed. These devices allow them to quickly access the latest information on every disease in common medical texts, for example, to assist in diagnosing and treating patients in even in the most remote regions.

The Health eVillages consortium is made up of leading international healthcare advocacy organizations, mobile healthcare solutions providers, health information technology companies, communications providers, and public health foundations. The RFK Center is part of this contsortium because our organization has been working for four decades on the cutting-edge of social change with human rights activists around the world, and the Health eVillages initiative brings the latest technology to our efforts to ensure that the neediest people around the globe have access to adequate healthcare, a fundamental human right. (more…)

By Robin Strongin. The passing of Steve Jobs, though not unexpected, is still stunning news.  Disruptive Women in Health Care is proud to call Steve Jobs our October 2011 Man of the Month.  I have often thought with his legendary vision and astonishing understanding of consumer behavior, he could help reform health care.  The explosion in mobile health is just one example.  We have much to learn from this genious in the black turtleneck. I am rerunning a post that invokes his brilliance.  RIP.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

The day before my daughter Elise’s 15th birthday, the new iPhone went on sale.  My birthday was 4 days later.  So Elise figured out we should buy each other an iPhone to mark our big days.  She planned (and saved) for months.  She spent weeks talking to friends, researching apps on line, planning for such accessories as protective covers, and educating herself on how to maximize her minutes.

When the big day came, we made our way to the Apple store and stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of others waiting on a very long line.  Two and a half hours later we were invited, actually escorted, in to the store by an extremely friendly, knowledgeable young man who stayed with us during the entire purchase transaction.

He answered tons of questions (mine, not Elise’s…she already knew everything), politely reviewed various functions with me (Elise was extremely patient during this process), and made great suggestions about which plan was best for us.

While we were waiting on line, I looked around at the people waiting with us–we were an extremely diverse group–and wondered (a) Why in the world were we all willing to wait hours to buy a telephone, a very expensive telephone?  (b) How did the folks at Apple get us to this point? and (c) What lessons could we take away and apply to health care? (more…)

By Robin Strongin.  Three years ago, in September 2008, Disruptive Women in Health Care launched with an exciting program at the National Press Club (take a look at our media page to see what we had to say at the time.)

I know, I know it’s October…but hey, we are disruptive so celebrating on the exact day seems so well, ordinary.  And the past three years have been anything but ordinary.  We all had something to say about the new health reform debate and ultimate passage.  We still have much to say about the new law, as well as a multitude of other topics.

One area that I have been thinking a lot about is the exploding area of mhealth (mobile health), remote monitoring, and telehealth.  Technology alone is not the answer of course.  But technology, coupled with innovative care delivery models (think health reform), and patients, caregivers and clinicians more comfortable with smartphones, apps, data sharing and online connectivity have all contributed to a new framework of health and wellness.  Aging in Place, staying connected, eICUs, PHRs and EHRs.  Exciting stuff.

But, like most solutions in health care, success must look beyond the health sector.  Here’s what I mean by that: staying healthy can’t just take place in a health setting or even in your home.  Maintaining your health and wellness or managing your chronic disease or disability requires a connection where ever you are — in other words, Health In Place.  Young people with epilepsy and diabetes still attend school, go on vacation and use public transportation.  Elderly individuals aging in place still travel to visit gradnchildren. And, adults maintaining exercise and nutrition regimens who travel for work need to stay connected to maintain wellness.  The Health In Place concept takes this broad view and will be bringing together thought leaders from not only the health field, but the telecom, travel, automobile and real estate sectors as well. 

The organizers of the 2011 mHealth Summit were so taken with this idea that they invited Disruptive Women to launch the Health In Place or HIP initiative with a reception on December 6th–we couldn’t be more thrilled or more flattered. So SAVE THE DATE:

Health In Place (HIP)™ — Disruptive Women in Health Care is Launching a New Initiative

Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 5:00–7:00 PM
Location: Pose Ultra Lounge & Nightclub–at the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor (Washington DC)

Overview: The concept of Health In Place™ is built around the idea that our homes are more than just homes, our offices are more than just workplaces, our schools are more than just places of learning, and even our cars are more than just modes of transportation. Thanks to wireless communications and emerging technologies, each of these venues has become potential health and wellness centers or HIP. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we can be protecting and enhancing our well-being. For this facet of 21st century health care to achieve its full potential — for more Americans to have the tools to link to their caregivers, to protect against and manage illness, while monitoring their well-being — a number of public policy issues are involved, cutting across multiple disciplines from health care regulations and benefit structures to tax policy to technology incentives. That’s why Amplify Public Affairs and the Disruptive Women in Health Care® blog (along with our media partenr, The Hill) have formed the Health In Place™ Initiative — to bring together policymakers and change agents from multiple industries.

 Please join us as we unveil this new initiative.

 Speakers:

• Robin Strongin, President & CEO, Amplify Public Affairs & Creator, Disruptive Women in Health Care — Moderator
• John Marttila, President, Marttila Strategies (a national polling expert)
• John C. (Jack) Lewin, MD, Chief Executive Officer, American College of Cardiology
• Pamela Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Professor, University of Virginia School of Nursing, Editor-in-Chief, American Nurse Today, 2010-11 Institute of Medicine Nurse Scholar-In-Residence (and a Disruptive Woman blogger)
• Halle Tecco, Founder & Managing Director of Rock Health (and a Disruptive Woman blogger)

Stay tuned for more information.  And by all means, please come out on December 6th and celebrate with us.

At three years of age, we are not only Disruptive, we are also HIP.

By Robin Strongin. In the 1993 movie Dave, the temp agency owner posing as the President of the United States (if you haven’t seen the film, just trust me on this) is determined to come up with the funding to save a federal homeless shelter program.  Gathering all of the cabinet officials together with pencils, legal pads and calculators, they brainstorm different wasteful programs that can be cut, totaling numbers as they go, until they come up with the necessary $350 million.

A bit of Hollywood silly escapism?  No doubt.  But, you can say this for President Dave and his fictional cabinet.  At least they approached the budget process with a constructive purpose and vision.

We can only hope that the same holds true for the supercommittee, the panel of 12 Senators and Representatives created as part of the cobbled-together solution to the debt ceiling debacle.  By Thanksgiving, the supercommittee must come up with $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction that must then be ratified by the full Congress no later than December 23.

There’s no question that health care will play a key role in those calculations.  When it comes to finding ways to reduce federal deficits, health spending is the rapidly growing elephant in the room. 

And that leads to genuine concerns about this process.  Already, policymakers are bouncing around ideas to extract more money from the healthcare system and tighten belts further.  Medicare provider payment cuts.  New home health care co-pays and budget reductions.  Mandated Medicare Part D prescription drug rebates.  The upshot of each of these steps will be a health care system that’s more expensive, less accessible, but not necessarily better. (more…)

By Robin Strongin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proved this week that government communications don’t have to be grey and dull….except from the standpoint that zombies tend to be grey and dull, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

This week, the CDC posted on its Public Health Matters blog a piece entitled “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse”.  The post emphasized the need for citizens to create an emergency plan in the event of sudden attacks by the walking dead.  These tips included the planning of evacuation routes, making a list of emergency contacts and having supplies like water, non-perishable food items and medications ready to go at a moment’s notice.  As the CDC pointed out on its blog, “When zombies are hungry….you need to get out of town fast!”

Give the creative minds at the CDC a great deal of credit.  By tying valuable information to a fun piece of pop culture, the agency went from its usual 3,000 page views per week to having tens of thousands of web users trying to learn more about zombie apocalypse preparation.  As a result, more Americans now have a better understanding of how to handle real emergencies.

I can’t help thinking that public health needs more of this out-of-the-box thinking.  It wouldn’t hurt to bring some novel ideas to some of our more underutilized programs, like the “Welcome to Medicare” wellness exam, which has been in existence since 2005.  Even though the Medicare population is over 45 million beneficiaries strong, only about 100,000 seniors each year are taking advantage of these physicals for which the federal government is picking up the tab.

We also learned this week from the Reuters health summit that, to quote the lead in the Reuters news story, “Americans are starting to see the doctor again, but more often for cosmetic procedures, such as Botox treatments, rather than cancer screening and other lifesaving preventive care.”

We already knew from previous studies by the RAND Corporation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and others that millions of individuals aren’t getting the disease screenings and preventive exams they should.  Perhaps what the CDC has shown us is that these figures can be improved if we make preventive health fun, hip and attention-getting.

I’m thinking there has to be some way to tie blood tests into vampires and the Twilight films, but that may need some work.

By Robin Strongin. When I think of the actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, my mind immediately goes to Velma Kelly, the role she played in the movie Chicago.  Brash, self-assured, confident in using both her sensuality and a tommy gun as effective weapons, Zeta-Jones owned that character and was the silver screen epitome of a powerful woman.

But now we’ve learned that the woman playing Velma Kelly and other memorable roles is, in actuality, a very vulnerable individual facing significant challenges in her life.  Her publicist announced on Wednesday that Zeta-Jones had checked herself into a mental health clinic for treatment of a bipolar disorder.

Juxtaposed this week with the actress’s revelation was a study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointing out that suicide rates among working-age Americans rise and fall based on economic cycles, the implicit warning being that incidences of suicide can be expected to increase during the difficult economic times currently affecting so many households.

With this disturbing report in mind, there is no question that Zeta-Jones performed a valuable public service this week.  She reminded us that there is and should be no stigma attached to admitting the need for behavioral health counseling.  By being frank about her illness and her need for professional health care, it can be hoped that she has made it a little bit easier for others to do the same.

The fact that she is currently involved in two movie productions also underscores the fact that a behavioral condition does not preclude a productive life and career.

In such stressful times, mental health support is an area that requires diligent monitoring by both policymakers and business leaders.  Good news was found in a survey released last fall by the Kaiser Family Foundation.  Kaiser found that, in response to implementation of Mental Health Parity Act passed by Congress in 2008, one-third of employers with 50 or more workers made changes to their mental health benefit packages.  Of those, 66 percent eliminated limits on coverage and only five percent dropped coverage altogether.

Not diminishing the financial difficulty of maintaining quality health coverage, but employers have a great deal at stake in maintaining behavioral health benefits.  Mental health has been cited as one of the leading causes of absenteeism and lost productivity in the workplace, making the case that behavioral health support is a sound investment.

And, as Catherine Zeta-Jones demonstrated this week, when that support is available, individuals in need of assistance shouldn’t hesitate to utilize it.

By Robin Strongin. It wasn’t all that long ago that I discovered a real treasure in Washington DC–the Kreeger Museum.  It is a magnificent, yet intimate museum housing a stunning art collection.  It offers concerts, lectures, community events and so much more. In December, we held the Disruptive Women in Health Care annual reception at the museum – a program that highlighted the power of art and music and its relationship to health and wellness.

I am writing to let everyone know about an upcoming Kreeger event—it is a program to benefit Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers and families.  We’ll hear about it at the event Tuesday, March 15 at the jewel of a museum, over champagne cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. See below for more details.

Hope to see you there. 

About Conversations at The Kreeger Museum

The Kreeger Museum is proud to announce the launch of an exciting new art and music program for individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other dementia related illnesses and their caregivers. (more…)

By Robin Strongin. I am pleased to present Disruptive Women’s latest ebook, Innovation Nation: Recognizing the Benefits of Innovation in Health Care.

Innovation in health care, broadly defined, is essential to the future. Innovation was a prominent theme in President Obama’s State of the Union address last month and funding for innovations is present in his budget released this week. But, are we, as a nation doing enough when it comes to innovation in health care?

To help us explore the multi-faceted world of innovation we invited outside experts as well as some of our own Disruptive Women to share their insights and expertise on this critical topic. I hope you find this ebook both timely and informative. The posts originally ran December 2010. As an added benefit we have included an expanded resource section, so you can dive even further into this topic.

Please feel free to share, cross post and distribute with others who would find this of interest. As always, we welcome your feedback and comments. All the posts remain on the blog and it’s not too late to comment on specific posts. Enjoy!

By Robin Strongin. I am thrilled to annouce our four newest Disruptive Women bloggers. Through their work these women demonstrate an unrelenting passion to improve the health and well being of everyone – men, women, and children. Take a few minutes to look over their bios. Also, stay tuned for future posts from them, which I can promise won’t disappoint.

	Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/NNP, FAAN, FNAP is currently Dean and Distinguished Foundation Professor in Nursing at Arizona State University College of Nursing and Health Innovation. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in evidence-based practice as well as in child and adolescent mental health.
	Constance Garner, PhD, EdS, MSN, RN is the Policy Director in the Government Strategies Practice Group, and Executive Director for Advance CLASS, Inc at Foley Hoag, LLP. Her areas of expertise include health care, disability, long term care, and education.
	Dr. Margaret “Muggy Do” Dickinson, Ph.D. (Dr. Do) co-founded the Art and Drama Institute, Inc. (ADTI) and serves as the company’s CEO, president, and program director. Dr. Do and the Art and Drama Therapy Institute’s Inspirational Choir and Moroccan Ensemble participated in the Disruptive Women’s December Holiday event.
	Dr. Sirkku M. Sky Hiltunen, Ph.D., Ed.D., RDT-BCT, ATR-BC, BCPC, MT, BCPC, LPC (Dr. Sky) co-founded the Art and Drama Institute, Inc. (ADTI) and as executive vice president, and executive arts director.