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Your ultimate guide to parenting in lockdown by the Scummy Mummies
Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn from Scummy Mummies podcast give us their sage - and realistic - advice...
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A definitive guide to the books and literary references in Normal People
In a story about the challenges of communication, the characters in Normal People often find solace in reading
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Gyms 'may stay closed until autumn,' as industry body publishes guidelines for fitness studios to open safely
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Music Canada applauds Government of Canada for clarifying CERB guidelines for artists and musicians
April 16, 2020, Toronto: Music Canada welcomes the recent clarification from the Federal Government on the guidelines for eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded to concerns around the preliminary rules that excluded people working reduced hours. These needed changes will help support artists and musicians who in […]
The post Music Canada applauds Government of Canada for clarifying CERB guidelines for artists and musicians appeared first on Music Canada.
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Dimitar Berbatov on why 'impatient' Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho broke coronavirus guidelines
Dimitar Berbatov says Jose Mourinho broke government guidelines to meet with Tanguy Ndombele because the manager is "impatient for football to return".
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Manchester United to remind Marcos Rojo of his responsibilities after video of lockdown guidelines breach
Manchester United will speak to Marcos Rojo after the defender was filmed appearing to flout social distancing guidelines.
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Outer Banks Deep-Dive: Your Guide to Netflix's Hottest New Cast
Confession: we are all about that Pogue life this summer.
Wait, you don't know what that means? Gosh, you are a total Kook. In case you are the proverbial nerd that fell asleep first...
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Treatment for Diverticulitis -- updated ASCRS Guidelines published in Diseases of the Colon & Rectum
Reflecting research-driven changes in clinical practice, a revised set of evidence-based recommendations for the medical and surgical treatment of left-sided colonic diverticulitis has been published in Diseases of the Colon & Rectum (DC&R), the official journal of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.
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A guide to the tick species every American should know
With tick season right around the corner in most areas, we hope these tick-identification tips will help you limit your risk and teach you a little more about these complex creatures.
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Outer Banks Deep-Dive: Your Guide to Netflix's Hottest New Cast
Confession: we are all about that Pogue life this summer.
Wait, you don't know what that means? Gosh, you are a total Kook. In case you are the proverbial nerd that fell asleep first...
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Health ministry releases guidelines on management of COVID─l9 suspect or confirmed cases in govt earmarked railway coaches
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ICR welcomes new advanced prostate cancer treatment guideline
NHS England has expanded access to targeted hormone therapies for advanced prostate cancer
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NICE publishes rapid COVID-19 guideline for acute kidney injury
The guideline is designed to help healthcare professionals who are not kidney specialists to prevent, detect and manage AKI in hospitalised patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19
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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Religion Discrimination Against Guideone Mutual Insurance Co.
The Department announced a settlement that, pending court approval, will resolve allegations that the GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company and two authorized agents discriminated because of religion when they advertised special benefits and discounts only to “churchgoers” and “persons of faith.”
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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to Hold Workshops Concerning Horizontal Merger Guidelines
The Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that they will solicit public comment and hold joint public workshops to explore the possibility of updating the Horizontal Merger Guidelines that are used by both agencies to evaluate the potential competitive effects of mergers and acquisitions.
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Hunting Guides Plead Guilty for Knowingly Attempting to Acquire Protected Alligator
Travis Dardenne and Jeffery Brown of Plaquemine, La., each pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to a violation of the Lacey Act for knowingly attempting to acquire an American alligator in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act and Louisiana law.
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Attorney General Announces Formal Medical Marijuana Guidelines
“It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal,” Holder said.
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Two Alligator Guides Charged in Louisiana for Illegally Hunting Alligators
Two individuals were charged today in a nine count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Baton Rouge, La., for illegally hunting threatened species of alligators.
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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Issue Revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines
The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued today revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines that outline how the federal antitrust agencies evaluate the likely competitive impact of mergers and whether those mergers comply with U.S. antitrust law.
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Antitrust Division Issues Updated Merger Remedies Guide
The Department of Justice today released an updated version of the Antitrust Division’s Policy Guide to Merger Remedies.
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The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission Release FCPA Resource Guide
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the Guide). The 120-page Guide provides a detailed analysis of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and closely examines the DOJ and SEC’s approach to FCPA enforcement.
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Justice Department Issues New Guidelines for Payment of Attorneys’ Fees, Expenses, in Large Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Cases
The Department of Justice today announced new guidelines for the payment of attorneys’ fees and expenses in large chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in order to enhance disclosure and transparency in the compensation process and to help ensure that attorneys’ fees and expenses are based on market rates.
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Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Justice Department Report on Revised Media Guidelines
After conducting a rigorous review of internal Justice Department guidelines governing investigations and other law enforcement matters that involve journalists, Attorney General Eric Holder today released a report outlining several key reforms to the department’s protocols.
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Colorado Big Game Outfitter and Assistant Guide Charged with Conspiracy for Illegal Capture and Maiming of Mountain Lions and Bobcats in Colorado and Utah
Christopher W. Loncarich, 55, of Mack, Colo., and Nicholaus J. Rodgers, 30, of Medford, Or., were charged yesterday in the District of Colorado with conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act.
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Attorney General Holder Urges Changes in Federal Sentencing Guidelines to Reserve Harshest Penalties for Most Serious Drug Traffickers
In testimony delivered before the U.S. Sentencing Commission Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed a proposed change to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines that would reserve the harshest penalties for the most serious drug offenders.
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Statement by Attorney General Holder on Sentencing Commission’s Vote to Approve Reductions in Sentencing Guidelines for Nonviolent Drug Offenders
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder—who testified before the U.S. Sentencing Commission last month in support of a proposal to reduce the federal sentencing guidelines for low-level, nonviolent drug offenders—released the following statement Thursday in response to the Commission voting to formally adopt those changes.
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Justice Department Releases Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-Specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically-Supported Factors
The Justice Department announced today that it has released a Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-Specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically-Supported Factors . This guide provides technical assistance regarding state laws that criminalize engaging in certain behaviors without disclosing known HIV-positive status
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Big Game Hunting Guide Pleads Guilty to Felony Conspiracy Charge in Connection with Colorado Outfitter’s Illegal Mountain Lion and Bobcat Hunting Activities
Nicholaus J. Rodgers, 31, of Shady Cove, Oregon, pleaded guilty in federal court in Denver to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from the assistance he provided to an outfitter who sold illegal mountain lion and bobcat hunts in Colorado and Utah, the Justice Department announced
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China publishes draft guideline for bevacizumab copy biologicals
On 7 April 2020, China’s Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) published draft guidance on clinical trials for the approval of bevacizumab copy biologicals. This guidance is the second specific guideline released by the CDE in April. The agency also released guidance on adalimumab on 1 April 2020 [1].
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The ultimate guide to masks: Where travelers must wear them
LAX and many airlines are now requiring face coverings to avoid coronavirus spread. TSA agents will don them too.
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The impact of 2018 ASCO-CAP HER2 testing guidelines on breast cancer HER2 results. An audit of 2132 consecutive cases evaluated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization
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Cost-effectiveness of <i>CYP2C19-</i>guided antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention informed by real-world data
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Blood pressure control and complex health conditions in older adults: impact of recent hypertension management guidelines
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Hypertension in rheumatic diseases: prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates according to current hypertension guidelines
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The Strategic Postures of China and India: A Visual Guide
Fueled by aggressive rhetoric from both capitals, Indian and Chinese ground forces engaged in a standoff between June and August 2017. The Doklam crisis, as it became known, stimulated introspection among officials and experts in both states about the future of their relationship. Politically, both strategic communities largely concluded that the peaceful resolution of border disputes is now less likely, forecasting more rivalry than cooperation. Militarily, Indian discussions on the strength of its military position against China in their disputed ground frontier areas have converged on the view that China holds the conventional and nuclear edge over India in this domain.
Based on our analysis of data on the location and capabilities of Indian and Chinese strategic forces and related military units, we conclude that this assessment of the balance of forces may be mistaken and a poor guide for Indian security and procurement policies. We recommend that instead of investing in new nuclear weapons platforms that our analysis suggests are not likely to be required to deter China, New Delhi should improve the survivability of its existing forces and fill the gap in global arms control leadership with an initiative on restraint and transparency.
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The Strategic Postures of China and India: A Visual Guide
Fueled by aggressive rhetoric from both capitals, Indian and Chinese ground forces engaged in a standoff between June and August 2017. The Doklam crisis, as it became known, stimulated introspection among officials and experts in both states about the future of their relationship. Politically, both strategic communities largely concluded that the peaceful resolution of border disputes is now less likely, forecasting more rivalry than cooperation. Militarily, Indian discussions on the strength of its military position against China in their disputed ground frontier areas have converged on the view that China holds the conventional and nuclear edge over India in this domain.
Based on our analysis of data on the location and capabilities of Indian and Chinese strategic forces and related military units, we conclude that this assessment of the balance of forces may be mistaken and a poor guide for Indian security and procurement policies. We recommend that instead of investing in new nuclear weapons platforms that our analysis suggests are not likely to be required to deter China, New Delhi should improve the survivability of its existing forces and fill the gap in global arms control leadership with an initiative on restraint and transparency.
guide
The Strategic Postures of China and India: A Visual Guide
Fueled by aggressive rhetoric from both capitals, Indian and Chinese ground forces engaged in a standoff between June and August 2017. The Doklam crisis, as it became known, stimulated introspection among officials and experts in both states about the future of their relationship. Politically, both strategic communities largely concluded that the peaceful resolution of border disputes is now less likely, forecasting more rivalry than cooperation. Militarily, Indian discussions on the strength of its military position against China in their disputed ground frontier areas have converged on the view that China holds the conventional and nuclear edge over India in this domain.
Based on our analysis of data on the location and capabilities of Indian and Chinese strategic forces and related military units, we conclude that this assessment of the balance of forces may be mistaken and a poor guide for Indian security and procurement policies. We recommend that instead of investing in new nuclear weapons platforms that our analysis suggests are not likely to be required to deter China, New Delhi should improve the survivability of its existing forces and fill the gap in global arms control leadership with an initiative on restraint and transparency.
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Expert Survey: Is Nuclear Arms Control Dead or Can New Principles Guide It?
With the historic INF Treaty more than likely to terminate, and the future of New START in doubt, what guiding principles for interstate nuclear arms control can we hope for? Of eight U.S., Russian, European and Chinese experts surveyed by Russia Matters, most agree that bilateral agreements between the world’s two nuclear superpowers still have a role to play in any new arms control regime, but they differed considerably on the nature of that role.
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A parent’s guide to surviving COVID-19: 8 strategies to keep children healthy and happy
For many of us, COVID-19 has completely changed how we work. Remote work might have its advantages for some, but when the kids are out of school and libraries and museums are closed, juggling two roles at once can be a challenge. What is a parent to do? As two developmental psychologists dedicated to understanding…
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A parent’s guide to surviving COVID-19: 8 strategies to keep children healthy and happy
For many of us, COVID-19 has completely changed how we work. Remote work might have its advantages for some, but when the kids are out of school and libraries and museums are closed, juggling two roles at once can be a challenge. What is a parent to do? As two developmental psychologists dedicated to understanding…
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The beginner's guide to new health care payment models
Payment reform in health care is confusing, but the goal is simple: How can health care providers change their economic incentives to encourage value over volume? If you've wondered about how these new payment models work, we’re here to help. And if you want to see Dr. Patrick Conway, the head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, talk about it more in depth at our most recent MEDTalk event about oncology care reform, click here.
Where are we now?
Fee-for-Service. Traditionally, health care providers are paid in a "Fee-for-Service" (FFS) model. This is exactly what it sounds like: every time you have a blood test, a doctor's visit, a CT scan, or any other service, you (and your insurance company) pay separately for what you have received. Over the course of a long treatment or a chronic condition, that can add up to a huge expense.
The Fee-For-Service System
It is well known that FFS is draining the entire health care system. When paying for volume, a sick patient is worth more than a healthy patient , and this status quo results in uncoordinated care, duplication of services, and fragmentation. After all, the more doctors and providers do, the more they get paid.
Reformers hope to replace the traditional FFS model with something better, and they’ve come up with many different models of payment that could allow this to happen. (Note to reader: these are simplified explanations; policy enthusiasts can learn much more about them through the Engelberg Center’s Merkin Initiative).
Here are four widely proposed and increasingly popular alternative payment models:
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of providers across different settings– primary care, specialty physicians, hospitals, clinics, and others – who chose to come together to jointly share responsibility for overall quality, cost, and care for a large patient population. These providers recognize that poorly coordinated care from these entities can lead to increased costs from things like redundant tests and overlapping care.
Accountable Care Organization Model
Here’s how it works in basic terms: the ACO physicians bill the way they always do, but the total costs get compared to an overall target. Plus, they have to measure some of their patient outcomes, to prove that they hit certain quality benchmarks. If costs are higher than the target, the ACO may get penalized. In the end, if they are under the cost target and satisfy their quality measures, they get a share of the savings.
By bringing all of these providers under the umbrella of an ACO, caregivers can all be on the same page, and the patients ideally receive coordinated care with a focus on prevention – since providers are encouraged to keep their patients healthy and not just earn more by doing more tests and procedures.
Bundles: A health care bundle estimates the total cost of all of the services a patient would receive per episode over a set time period for a certain problem, like a knee replacement or heart surgery. For example, a payer such as Medicare or an insurance company could calculate that a hypothetical 30-day bundle for a knee replacement surgery costs $10,000.
Without Bundled Payment...
The payer reduces the total cost of the episode by 2-3%, and hands the bundle over to the provider – in the knee surgery example, that becomes $10,000 minus 2%, so $9,800. The provider is then responsible for all costs of treatment – whether or not it exceeds the amount of money they were originally given. This encourages the provider (collaborating with the entire care team) to help the patient avoid preventable complications like a hospital readmission by better managing a patient’s care.
With a Bundled Payment...
If the provider keeps costs low, they can keep the margin on the bundle, while the insurance company already saved by reducing the cost of the episode by a small percentage when they created the bundle. So, in our example, if the provider was able to meet quality benchmarks and the total cost of the 30-day episode was $9,000, they get to keep the extra $800.
Patient-Centered Medical Homes set themselves apart by providing set monthly payments on top of existing funding models, in order to fund a highly coordinated team of primary care professionals, which may include, depending on the patient’s needs, physicians, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, nutritionists, psychologists, and possibly even specialists. The team works closely to build a strong relationship with each other,with their patients and their caregivers.
Patient-Centered Medical Home Model...
This extra money can be used to hire nurses or agencies to give special care and attention (by phone or home visits, for example) to high-risk patients, with the goals of reducing emergency room visits and other preventable problems in the long run. Other enhancements might include email communication with patients, more time to call and coordinate care between primary care doctors and specialists, and so on. In the end, the savings from better coordinated care make the extra monthly payments worthwhile.
Pathways, an idea which has gained traction in oncology care, provides a system of choices and decision making tools for providers and patients in order to prescribe the most effective and least costly treatment. For example, let’s say there are two cancer drugs proven to have the same effectiveness, with no differentiation in side effects, but one of them costs less than the other.
Same Effectiveness, Different Cost...
Like the medical home, the pathways model uses a “per-patient” add on fee (often much larger than for medical homes focused on primary care, since cancer patients need intensive treatment) that might encourage the provider to prescribe the less expensive of two equally effective treatments.
How Pathways Creat Savings...
When this is implemented on a broad scale, the savings could add up for payers, and defray the cost of the add-on fees.
Please feel free to use any of these images in your own work, presentations, or educational efforts, and to view and download the interactive versions here. The images should be attributed to The Merkin Initiative on Clinical Leadership and Payment Reform at Brookings.
Authors
- Darshak Sanghavi
- Kate Samuels
- Meaghan George
- Rio Hart
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Structuring state retirement saving plans: A guide to policy design and management issues
Introduction
Many American workers do not have access to employer-sponsored payroll deduction plans for retirement saving. Groups with low rates of access include younger workers, members of minority groups, and those with low-to-moderate incomes. 1 Small business employees are especially at risk. Only about 14 percent of businesses with 100 or fewer employees offer their employees a retirement plan, leaving between 51 and 71 percent of the roughly 42 million people who work for a small business without access to an employer-administered plan (Government Accountability Office 2013).
Lack of access makes it difficult to build retirement wealth. A study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (2014) shows that 62 percent of employees with access to an employer-sponsored plan held more than $25,000 in saving balances and 22 percent had $100,000 or more. In contrast, among those without access to a plan, 94 percent held less than $25,000 and only three percent hold $100,000 or more. Although workers without an employer-based plan can contribute to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), very few do.2 But employees at all income levels tend to participate at high rates in plans that are structured to provide guidance about the decisions they should make (Wu and Rutledge 2014).
With these considerations in mind, many experts and policy makers have advocated for increased retirement plan coverage. While a national approach would be desirable, there has been little legislative progress to date. States, however, are acting. Three states have already created state-sponsored retirement saving plans for small business employees, and 25 are in some stage of considering such a move (Pension Rights Center 2015). John and Koenig (2014) estimate that 55 million U.S. wage and salary workers between the ages of 18 and 64 lack the ability to save for retirement through an employer-sponsored payroll deduction plan. Among such workers with wages between $30,000 and $50,000 only about one out of 20 contributes regularly to an IRA (Employee Benefit Research Institute 2006).
This paper highlights a variety of issues that policymakers will need to address in creating and implementing an effective state-sponsored retirement saving plan. Section II discusses policy design choices. Section III discusses management issues faced by states administering such a plan, employers and employees. Section IV is a short conclusion.
Note: this paper was presented at a October 7, 2015 Brookings Institution event focused on state retirement policies.
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Assessing your innovation district: A how-to guide
“Assessing your innovation district: A how-to guide,” is a tool for public and private leaders to audit the assets that comprise their local innovation ecosystem. The guide is designed to reveal how to best target resources toward innovative and inclusive economic development tailored to an area’s unique strengths and challenges. Over the past two decades,…
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Canada's Conservative leader blasts food guide for 'bias' against dairy
"Chocolate milk saved my son's life," Andrew Scheer said. So he has promised to rewrite the dietary guidelines if elected this fall.
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Planet Green's Ultimate Green Wedding Guide
Whether you're the romantic, three-tiered cake type—or the "let's hitched at a civil court and call it a day" sort of guy or gal there's something for everyone in Planet Green's fresh off-the-blog Ultimate Green
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There's not enough land for everyone in the world to follow U.S. dietary guidelines
We'd need another Canada-sized chunk of fertile land, scientists say, in order to meet those requirements.